Skill limit total

[dragonladytoo]

I was looking for a rule or suggestion somewhere in the rulebook:

Total starting skills for a character is X; where X is based on years service and education level, etc.

I can't find the rule, so I seek help from the brotherhood here on Mongoose forums.

Am I simply remembering a past rule from Classic Traveler days?

Thanks
Robyn

 

[rust]

Am I simply remembering a past rule from Classic Traveler days?

I suspect you do, at least I am not aware of any such rule in Mongoose
Traveller. The many combinations of background skills, careers with their
terms and random events, connection skills and skill packages can be so
different that a limit on beginning skills would probably not make much
sense.

As far as I remember, Classic Traveller originally also had no such limit,
but later introduced a limit of skill levels equal to the sum of Intelligence
and Education (I think).

 

[BP]

CT was a bit less random - without the events and such.

CT Minimum was 2 skills first term and 1 per term thereafter (except scouts - which as 2 per term as it lacked commission/promo).

Promotion/commissions offered extra skills, but I believe the max was 4.

Course, that is just from CT Book 1 (and memory) the other books might have done it differently...

Assume by skills, count of levels was meant (Skill 3 same as three Skill 1s).

In MgT I believe it is safe to say a minimum of 1 skill level per term, but that is about it - way too many variables for anything more definitive.

Starting characters have background skills (1 to 5 depending on Edu - see Core pg 6) and basic service skills (typically 6) all at level 0.

Species may have innate skills (like Flyer) as well.

Later, for PCs, connection skills and package skills. Also, skill 0 can be skipped or superseded by skill 1 acquisitions.

Hope something there helps.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

It is not official, but using the point buy generation system in the core rule book you could infer a skill level limit based on the costs of skills.

 

[far-trader]

Am I simply remembering a past rule from Classic Traveler days?

I suspect you do...

As far as I remember, Classic Traveller originally also had no such limit,
but later introduced a limit of skill levels equal to the sum of Intelligence
and Education (I think).

FWIW, I thought it did first appear in CT (total skills or combined levels should not exceed Int + Edu score) in one of the supplements but only just stumbled over what looks like the first use, in CT Supplement 7 "Merchant Prince" page 31.

It seems a not unreasonable idea and I've only very rarely ever had to worry about it (either a long career in Scouts or a low Int + Edu total). MgT might bump into the ceiling a little more often with it's slightly increased skill totals. Adding terms to it might not be too unbalanced.

So something like:

Total skills or combined levels (with zero level skills counting as 1 level), let's call it 'experience', should not exceed the character's Int plus Edu scores plus total terms served.

For example:

Skill A - 0, Skill B - 0, Skill C - 1, Skill D - 2, Skill E - 2, and Skill F - 4 is a total of 11 skills or combined levels. A character with Int 6 and Edu 8 in his 3rd term would have a total 'experience' cap of 17 and still have room for learning 6 more skills.

 

[BP]

Rather just limit terms - skills come in all manner of types from mostly physical ones to mostly complex mental ones. Should Stealth 3 count as much against Edu and Int as Engineer() 3?

Also, level 0 skills, which actually provide the greatest bang for the buck (essentially +3 vs +1) would need to be taken into account when counting levels (i.e. skill 1 would need to count as at least 2).

In RL, this has no basis - learning skills and becoming better at them is about time, motivation, ambition and opportunity, not so much aptitude or even ability (there are plenty of 'handicapped' individuals who are highly skilled).

Regardless, if one uses the Aging rules, players tend not to go overboard on terms... and if they do, just give them more difficult tasks (difficulty levels can knock out 2 skill levels at a time).

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

The total number of skill levels appeared in LATE CT material. It was not in the original LBBs (1st or 2nd edition). No such rule exists in MGT.

If you want to allow the use of Anagathics in your game, then a rule like this is probably necessary, otherwise you get 200 year old people with Level-5 skills in everything they want. You would just have to figure out how to treat Level 0 skills.

As it is now, by the 5th or 6th term, characters usually have a very large number of skills and levels.

 

[BP]

Yep - one must limit terms, or plan on difficult challenges if Anagathics are available - MgT is pretty generous on skills/levels.