I've been using the system below. It requires some book-keeping but so far seems to be fairly in line with the Char Gen time-frames without putting increases out of the realm of the players' reach.
Note that sometimes a Trainer may be someone the PC already knows, ie, a ship/party mate, in which case no throw is required to find a Trainer.
Instruction skill (if used) can add a +DM equal to the Instructor's Level, but also increases cost by +10% per Instructor's Level.
Stats
- To increase one Stat by +1 takes 24 non-consecutive weeks.
Each week a successful Average (+0) Endurance check must be
made; when 24 successful checks have been made, increase Stat
by +1
- Once begun, each lapse of one month adds an additional week
to the required total
- Failure of the check results in one week passing but not
applied to the required total
- Normal Stat DMs apply to the END check, ie, DM +0 for Stat
6-8, DM +1 for Stat 9-B, etc. Instruction skill may also apply.
- For each occurrence of Effect 6+, subtract one additional
week from the required total
- Cost is Cr15 per week rolled + GM fiat
- Only one particular Stat may be improved at any one time.
Skills
- NOTE : USE COMMON SENSE : Gun skills require target ranges, Ship
skills require ships or simulations, etc. Trainers and
Materials can be physical items and sophonts, computer or
robotic aids, etc but are also ammo, information fees,
expendable items, equipment upgrades, possibly bribes, etc
- NOTE : In certain situations it may be impossible to improve
skills (frontier region, stranded, high Law, low Tech, etc)
- To acquire Level-0 in any unknown skill:
- Find Trainer or Training Materials : Difficult (-2)
<Skill to be improved>, 1D6 Weeks (or GM fiat)
- Train for 12 non-consecutive weeks : Average (+0) EDU
check per week for success. Instruction may apply
- Once begun, each lapse of one month adds an additional
week to the required total
- Failure of the check results in one week passing but not
being applied to the required total
- Normal Stat DMs apply to the EDU check, ie, DM +0 for
Stat 6-8, DM +1 for Stat 9-B, etc
- For each occurrence of Effect 6+, subtract one additional
week from the required total
- Cost is Cr150 per week rolled + GM fiat (success OR failure)
- To raise a Level-0 Skill to Level-1:
- Find Trainer or Training Materials : Average (+0) <Skill
to be improved>, 2D6 Weeks (or GM fiat)
- Train for 24 non-consecutive weeks : Average (+0) EDU
check per week for success. Instruction may apply
- Once begun, each lapse of one month adds an additional
week to the required total
- Failure of the check results in one week passing but not
applied to the required total
- Normal Stat DMs apply to the EDU check, ie, DM +0 for
Stat 6-8, DM +1 for Stat 9-B, etc
- For each occurrence of Effect 6+, subtract one additional
week from the required total
- Cost is Cr250 per week rolled + GM fiat (success OR failure)
- Beyond Level-1:
- As above, but time required is 48 weeks + desired skill
level, for example 50 weeks for Level-2, 51 weeks for
Level-3, etc
- One cannot jump levels, but must progress through each;
each level requires the time indicated above
- Finding a Trainer / Materials increases by one difficulty
level and one week for each skill level beyond Level-1.
For example Level-2 = Difficult, <Skill>, 2D6+1 weeks;
Level-3 = Very Difficult, <Skill>, 2D6+2 weeks; Level-4+
= Formidable, <Skill>, 2D6+3 weeks
- Cost increases by Cr15 x desired skill level per week,
for example Cr280 per week for Level-2, Cr295 per week
for Level-3, etc
Thoughts/tweaks appeciated.
