Earthdawn 3rd ed. question to the designers

[tetsuo]

If I am following the Circle advancement rules on page 239 that requires all the Talent ranks to be equal to the circle the character wants attained is is suffice to say that a first circle character starts with all his first circle discipline talent ranks at 1(the 8 free talent points are not included in this)?

I propose this since in order to attain to first circle, those talents would have to be rank 1.

BTW, great revamp so far,

How far is Cathay in development? Will it be released in 2009?

Also awaiting for Equinox...great times...

 

[armatoth]

requires all the Talent ranks to be equal to the circle the character wants

Not all talents, only all Discipline Talents.

Example:
To advance to Second Circle, an Air Sailor has to have the following talents at Rank 2:
Air Sailing, Avoid Blow, Climbing, Karma Ritual, Melee Weapons
He does not have the talent he learned from the Talent Options list (say, Parry) at rank 2 (but he may, it just doesn't count towards advancement).

starts with all his first circle discipline talent ranks at 1(the 8 free talent points are not included in this)?

I propose this since in order to attain to first circle, those talents would have to be rank 1.

No. You don't need any talents to attain First Circle, First Circle allows you to learn talents in the first place. The 8 free Rank Points can be seen as sort of an advanced training you do after achieving the Circle.

Compare it to attaining a higher Circle:
To achieve Second Circle, you need the First Circle talents at rank 2, but the talent you gain at Second Circle doesn't have anything to do with it.
Just like Second Circle talents do not have anything to do with achieving Second Circle, First Circle talents do not have anything to do with achieving First Circle. Becoming a First Circle adept is about achieving a state of mind that grants you access to abilities (talents), not about mastering abilities.

How far is Cathay in development? Will it be released in 2009?

No, sorry. This year will see some adventures and the Namegivers of Barsaive sourcebook, among other things.


Hope this helps.