Advanced Degrees (University for a Second Time, or Scholar)

[PsiTraveller]

I am fiddling around with a Firefly themed ship. So am rolling up various characters as practice.
This got me to thinking about University as a Pre-Career chioce. Clearly the Doctor went to Med school.
If Age 18-22 he went to university, took Medic 2 and Biology 1 for example. That works well enough to get a job as a Medic.
It got me to thinking about a PhD student. How do we create someone with advanced training.

One option might be to allow a Second term in University. This allows for an advanced degree (PhD). Cutting back on the EDU bonus and allowing more skills instead (more Sciences or Engineering skills to allow cybernetic specialists for example). I am not completely sure, just trying to figure out how to make a Doctor.

The Scholar Profession Physician (page 40) might be an option. First term of this new career would allow a selection of a skill from the Service Skills. This could allow Medic 3. This makes promotion useless since Physician advancement is Medic 1. Oh well.
Of course adding skills with a massive Edu bonus may mean a fast study to add in a few skill levels in other useful skills as the game progresses.

So the character might be very limited in skills (at first), but a lifesaver in the Medbay.
But this still does not make for a PhD graduate.

Any ideas?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

I am fiddling around with a Firefly themed ship. So am rolling up various characters as practice.
This got me to thinking about University as a Pre-Career chioce. Clearly the Doctor went to Med school.
If Age 18-22 he went to university, took Medic 2 and Biology 1 for example. That works well enough to get a job as a Medic.
It got me to thinking about a PhD student. How do we create someone with advanced training.

One option might be to allow a Second term in University. This allows for an advanced degree (PhD). Cutting back on the EDU bonus and allowing more skills instead (more Sciences or Engineering skills to allow cybernetic specialists for example). I am not completely sure, just trying to figure out how to make a Doctor.

The Scholar Profession Physician (page 40) might be an option. First term of this new career would allow a selection of a skill from the Service Skills. This could allow Medic 3. This makes promotion useless since Physician advancement is Medic 1. Oh well.
Of course adding skills with a massive Edu bonus may mean a fast study to add in a few skill levels in other useful skills as the game progresses.

So the character might be very limited in skills (at first), but a lifesaver in the Medbay.
But this still does not make for a PhD graduate.

Any ideas?

What kind of character are you trying to role-play?

 

[CaptainOrs]

Firefly had a highly educated doctor. It sounds like he's trying to work out how to simulate the schooling and degree necessary for this type of character using the new rules.

Personally, I like where you are going with this. I don't know that Matt plans to change up the education system much, but nothing says you can't come up with house rules if he doesn't. If you come up with something interesting, please share!

 

[PsiTraveller]

CaptainOrs has it correct. I am trying to create a Doctor, a PhD medical professional. The firefly idea was the spark. (Simon Tam for those who did not watch the show... go buy the DvD set, it is worth it)

So I want a Medic 3 or 4 level of education, this would be a very skilled surgeon. Even if the character was an NPC I just want to follow the rules (or build my own houserules) to make an ivory tower trained Doctor.

Houserule Idea:
I like the idea of continuing University into a second career. There could be an admissions roll to get in, there may be costs and education debt to figure out.

Advanced training would allow a certain number of skills to be increased, it could mimic the University career, one extra term allows a +1 to the previous skills from the University career. This would put the skills at 3 and 2.

It may be fair to allow 2 other skills to be selected to be learned at level 1. This is to allow a slightly larger skill base, otherwise the person is very limited skill wise.

Instead of a +2 Edu that the Honours program conferred I might allow a choice between Edu, Int and Soc. This would reflect the advanced training or social advancement the prestigious degree confers. At the end of the training the person gains their PhD. I think a +2 Stat increase is fair because of the intense training, Harvard Medical School as an example, or a residency at Johns Hopkins. For a non medical Doctor MIT is another example. This is the sort of training I am trying to replicate in the rules.

So after 8 years the character has a few skills, an excellent EDU score and a bump to a couple of other stats. They are focused and highly specialized. Then life happens and they have to head off into the wilds. Or they are an NPC the players will want to hire, if they can afford them.

That's my close to midnight concept. I may change things once I get some sleep.

 

[allanimal]

Traveller character generation has traditionally been a "take what the dice give you" kind of thing, where the player can guide development by career choice and which skill table to roll on, but ultimately the dice decide. In other words, you may want a doctor, but end up with something else entirely at the end.

PsiTraveller's idea allows for much more directed character development - "I wanna be a kickass x so I'm going to get 4 in that skill."

So, it is a question of "play the character I want" vs "play the character I get". Nothing wrong with either in an RPG, but Traveller has trended towards the latter.

Which probably means this is a grand option for the companion...

 

[SuperPheemy]

Scholar: Physician would be my choice if I'm creating a character with an advanced medical degree. At rank Medic and Science Skills are all over the place.

If the characters EDU score is 10+, they qualify for the Advanced Education Skill List. That would easily qualify for saying your character has an advanced academic degree.