Character Gen Question - Helping the newbie

[Bobsan]

Thanks for the help so far guys (and gals). I think i'm finally getting the hang of character Gen. But I've got one question so far.

When rolling for Advancement, if you fail to advance but roll higher than the # of times in that profession, do you just stay in that profession at that same rank and start a new term?

 

[Bobsan]

Additional Question: Benefits
I have a character who advances to Rank 1 but fails the survival roll. I understand I get the benefits roll for Rank 0 and lose the ones for Rank 1, but do I get the bonus roll for reaching Rank 1?

 

[AndrewW]

Thanks for the help so far guys (and gals). I think i'm finally getting the hang of character Gen. But I've got one question so far.

When rolling for Advancement, if you fail to advance but roll higher than the # of times in that profession, do you just stay in that profession at that same rank and start a new term?

Yes you can stay in the profession if you wish (mandatory if you roll a natural 12). Only matters if you roll lower where you can't stay in.

 

[AndrewW]

Additional Question: Benefits
I have a character who advances to Rank 1 but fails the survival roll. I understand I get the benefits roll for Rank 0 and lose the ones for Rank 1, but do I get the bonus roll for reaching Rank 1?

You roll for survival before advancement, if you don't survive you don't roll for advancement.

 

[Bobsan]

You roll for survival before advancement, if you don't survive you don't roll for advancement.

Per the checklist, yeah. Let me break this down. and please tell me if I'm doing/interpreting this wrong.

Buck sterling decided to become a Pirate. I roll the entry test and succeed. So, being my first profession, I gain all the service skills as my base package. I then Choose a specialization and roll on that chart for a skill (Choosing Pirate). I know Roll for Survival and succeed, proceeding to roll on the Events Table. After that, I roll for advancement. I suceed, gain another skill roll and age 4 years.

Now i'm a little fuzzy

Succeeding with the Advancement, I now become Rank 1, gain the bonuses and start back at the beginning, rolling on a skill chart (Not gaining starting skills again) for 1 skill. I now roll for survival Again and fail.

If the above is correct, I know I would lose the benefits roll for rank 1, but keep the roll for Rank 0. Do I get the bonus roll for achieving Rank 1?

If I did/figured this wrong, please let me know. I want to teach a few people the system this weekend and want to make sure I'm getting this part right.

thanks for the help everyone.

 

[walkir]

Succeeding with the Advancement, I now become Rank 1, gain the bonuses and start back at the beginning, rolling on a skill chart (Not gaining starting skills again) for 1 skill. I now roll for survival Again and fail.

That's where you go wrong.
If you succeed in advancing, you get a second roll on a table you choose and finish that term.

If the above is correct, I know I would lose the benefits roll for rank 1, but keep the roll for Rank 0. Do I get the bonus roll for achieving Rank 1?

You get benefit rolls for ranks and terms served. If you don't survive a term, you don't get a benefit roll for that term, but keep all the other ones, be it from ranks or terms served in that career.

You basically did an infinite loop.

A term consist of (in that order)
1) get basic training if that's your first term in that career.
2) roll on a table of your choice
3) roll for survival. If you fail, roll mishap, loose a benefit and leave.
4) if you succeed, roll for advancement. If you fail, but may stay, go to 6)
5) if you succeed, roll on another table
6) age, roll for aging if 34 or older.

If you loop from 4) back to 2), you'll never leave that term unless you fail advancement.

 

[Bobsan]

Succeeding with the Advancement, I now become Rank 1, gain the bonuses and start back at the beginning, rolling on a skill chart (Not gaining starting skills again) for 1 skill. I now roll for survival Again and fail.

That's where you go wrong.
If you succeed in advancing, you get a second roll on a table you choose and finish that term.

My Bad ^_^ I missed that step. Trying to type this between phone calls at work

If the above is correct, I know I would lose the benefits roll for rank 1, but keep the roll for Rank 0. Do I get the bonus roll for achieving Rank 1?

You get benefit rolls for ranks and terms served. If you don't survive a term, you don't get a benefit roll for that term, but keep all the other ones, be it from ranks or terms served in that career.

You basically did an infinite loop.

A term consist of (in that order)
1) get basic training if that's your first term in that career.
2) roll on a table of your choice
3) roll for survival. If you fail, roll mishap, loose a benefit and leave.
4) if you succeed, roll for advancement. If you fail, but may stay, go to 6)
5) if you succeed, roll on another table
6) age, roll for aging if 34 or older.

If you loop from 4) back to 2), you'll never leave that term unless you fail advancement.

Correct. When I am forced out, I do not gain the benefit roll for Rank 1, only Rank 0. However, on Pg 9 and again on Pg 34, it states that you gain extra Benefit roll when reaching a higher Rank. Am I considered Rank 1 for this, though the Rank 1 term was not completed?

 

[walkir]

Correct. When I am forced out, I do not gain the benefit roll for Rank 1, only Rank 0. However, on Pg 9 and again on Pg 34, it states that you gain extra Benefit roll when reaching a higher Rank. Am I considered Rank 1 for this, though the Rank 1 term was not completed?

There is no benefit roll for Rank 0. There is a benefit roll for every finished term and one for every odd rank.

In your example, you get no benefit roll for that term, as you didn't pass survival. Advancement is after survival, so no survival => no advancement.

If you would have reached rank 1 in the term before that, you would keep both the benefit roll for the last term and for rank 1.

 

[Bobsan]

OK, now I am confused. What is the definition of a term?

The example given in the book makes it look like getting through Rank 0 is a completed term.

So, to start an example (Thanks for working through this with me BTW), Buck Sterling is going to be a Pirate, beginning his career as a Rogue

1. Roll to Qualify (Success)
2. Gain all of the Service Skills listed as my Basic Training
3. Chose one of the skills tables and roll on it to gain the skill
4. roll for Survival (Success)
5. Roll for Event
6. Roll for Advancement

Now, if I succeed, am I considered Rank 0 or Rank 1?
If I choose to leave the career upon successfully advancing (Not rolling 12), have I completed a term?

 

[Bobsan]

OH WAIT!!!

I think I remember something that I had answered a while back.

1. Roll to Qualify (Success) - I am Rank 1 at this point right? Not Rank 0?

I think I recall coming across this and being told you do not start a careerat Rank 0, rather @ rank 1 if you qualify

 

[Bobsan]

OK, Now I'm finding some glaring contradictions.

Pg 9 States under Ranks and Benefits that you start your career @ Rank 0 and when you advance in Rank, you gain the skill benefit (If there is on) on the Ranks and Benefits Chart.

To me, that states how I've been doing it in my examples (Start as Rogue @ Rank 0, gain Starting skills, roll survival, roll event, roll skills inbetween some steps, roll advance, is succeed, become rank 1, gain benefts if any, age, [one term complete], rinse, repeat)

but the example has him starting as a Senior Crewman as for his first term, he advances and becomes a 4th Officer.

now i'm lost.

 

[AndrewW]

OK, now I am confused. What is the definition of a term?

One term in a career lasts 4 years.

The example given in the book makes it look like getting through Rank 0 is a completed term.

Rank isn't related, though you can usually only advance once per term.

So, to start an example (Thanks for working through this with me BTW), Buck Sterling is going to be a Pirate, beginning his career as a Rogue

1. Roll to Qualify (Success)
2. Gain all of the Service Skills listed as my Basic Training
3. Chose one of the skills tables and roll on it to gain the skill
4. roll for Survival (Success)
5. Roll for Event
6. Roll for Advancement

Now, if I succeed, am I considered Rank 0 or Rank 1?
If I choose to leave the career upon successfully advancing (Not rolling 12), have I completed a term?

If you mean succeed on the advancement roll yes you go up a rank, and would get a benefit roll for rank 1.

 

[GypsyComet]

OK, now I am confused. What is the definition of a term?

One term in a career lasts 4 years.

The example given in the book makes it look like getting through Rank 0 is a completed term.

Rank isn't related, though you can usually only advance once per term.

So, to start an example (Thanks for working through this with me BTW), Buck Sterling is going to be a Pirate, beginning his career as a Rogue

1. Roll to Qualify (Success)
2. Gain all of the Service Skills listed as my Basic Training
3. Chose one of the skills tables and roll on it to gain the skill
4. roll for Survival (Success)
5. Roll for Event
6. Roll for Advancement

Now, if I succeed, am I considered Rank 0 or Rank 1?
If I choose to leave the career upon successfully advancing (Not rolling 12), have I completed a term?

If you mean succeed on the advancement roll yes you go up a rank, and would get a benefit roll for rank 1.

A successful Advancement roll allows a repeat of Step 3, and may grant another skill rank in addition to that. The Benefits roll adjustments for rank attained don't kick in until you *leave* that career.

 

[walkir]

1. Roll to Qualify (Success) - I am Rank 1 at this point right? Not Rank 0?

I think I recall coming across this and being told you do not start a careerat Rank 0, rather @ rank 1 if you qualify

You start at rank 0. If you don't qualify, you're not in that career, so an autopromotion with qualification would be quite useless.
(Besides, I asked Matthew Spange at rpg.net if you get the rank 0-skill of the marines for example for free at enlistment. Yes, you get it.)

but the example has him starting as a Senior Crewman as for his first term, he advances and becomes a 4th Officer.

Yeah, that confused me, too. But he also get's mechanic 1 after advancement, which fits with the table. I guess they simply changed the rank names and didn't update the example.