Specialisations and base skill improvement Options

[Lilt]

When you buy a specialisation to 7 from a skill of 6, it costs 7 karma (depending on the linked attribute). If you then buy the base skill up-to 7 also; by the standard rules the specialisation is effectively lost (remaining at 7).

Do you think you should get something back?

The Specialisation credit is an idea I just had meaning that the player does not lose the karma but also that karma spent on the specialisation stays in the specialisation. When the player loses the rank 7 specialisation; the player keeps a note that the specialisation in question is 7 karma in credit so the player may then reduce the cost of buying a specialisation at 8 by 7 karma (or may buy the base skill to 8, then reduce the cost of buying a rank 9 specialisation by 7 ETC). Different amounts of credit are tracked for different specialisations, you can't transfer credit from one to another. Comments welcome on this system also.

[Sphynx]

You should ALWAYS leave a 'leave as is' option open for people in these kinds of polls. :P

Sphynx

[Lilt]

There is. Leaving it as it is is essentially saying that you don't get karma back. I should probably have mentioned it.

[Kanada Ten]

"Other"

I simply reduce the time required to increase the skill, usually by 33 percent. The karma requirements do not change...

[Slash_Thompson]

I voted other. I simply do not allow specializations: the exception to this is the etiquette skill, which is instead branched into a family of skills, all defaulted together (like B/R skills)

common skills in the etiquette family are:
street etiquette
yakuza etiquette
military, corporate, by spec. corp (situational bonus/penalty may apply)
Runner, paramilitary, suburban,
magical, by nation, by population segment.
etc.

in general, this change doesn't cause any real problems, and also fixes the inconsistency that someone who spent their whole life in one country and was good at operating in that area, could suddenly change paradigms and still function just as well (that the old non-specialized etiquette skill caused to happen)

'sides. few runners take more than one kind ever anyway, and it forces my faces to spend a few fewer points on cash for contacts and a few more for skills.

[SugarDog]

I've actually thought about making it a requirement to specialize the Etiquette skill. It is an extremely useful skill that covers a vast array of cultures and subcultures, and it would be foolish to specialize the skill if you did not have to. I actually think Etiquette is the most useful skill in the game (at least when I GM it is), and it seems absurd that a character's straight starting Etiquette of 5 or 6 would allow them to equally navigate a meeting with a Yak boss, infiltrating a coven of toxic witches, blend in at a high-end corporate party, and charm the pants off of a sentient Awakened baboon.

Thus, though I haven't actauly incorporated this, I'm considering making all characters specialize their etiquette to a subculture that fits their background. That would make them good at navigating what they know, and still have enough social intelligence/lack-of-annoying-jackassness to get by in novel social situations. How they spend later karma is up to them.

[Talia Invierno]

Ditto that, SugarDog.

I voted in favour of losing the karma, not unlike when a mage learns a higher Force version of the same spell. The choice to specialise or not is an expedient one granting short-term higher skill level. One can always choose to progress only the specialisation at a relatively lower cost per increase, allowing a continued medium-term higher skill level. (IIRC a general skill had no limit, but specialisations had a limit of 2 x base skill level?)

Raising the base grants the specialised version of the skill, all other versions of the skill, and allows an additional specialisation to be taken per level of increase. To additionally give a refund on karma just strikes me as ... unbalancing. (There! A context in which PCs other than the magician could be seen as unbalancing!)

On the other hand your proposal of reduced time, Kanada Ten, is one I think we'll adopt.

[phelious fogg]

Id tell them to spend enough to raise the skill and its specialization minus the cost of the previous level. If they dont spend the extra karma point or what have you they loose all they had spent to get teh specialization already.

IE specialization credit, but they have to pay for thier upgrade as they upgrade the skill

[Kagetenshi]

For etiquette, I'd say it's fair to let someone get a base skill up to three or four, to indicate that one just has the basics of blending in down. After that, all sorts of different specializations start popping up.

~J

[last_of_the_grea...]

Even with etiquette, I say leave as is. If someone devotes enough skill points (and attribute points) to be good at etiquette I like to think they've tried their best to be a "fit in anywhere" kinda guy or a "nice" guy who everyone likes.

However, for advancement purposes, I have toyed with the idea of someone with a specialization who advances the base skill gaining an equal advancement in the specialization. Never had the guts to try it in game, though. Not sure how to vote on this one. My vote's pending.