So, when statting several truly ancient creatures in OW, the creators of the game have notes like 'All other skills should be considered Fair'. For true ancients, this seems a reasonable way to do things, and hardly unbalancing, considering how rarely lower-ranked skills will come up. However, it runs into a bit of a problem: What if you want to play something that old?
Not necessarily something powerful mind you, just old. Old enough to have that kind of...breadth of experience. I think this is a perfectly reasonable concept, and have been thinking about how to properly reflect it mechanically. I have an idea...but it seems like it might not quite work and I'd like some thoughts on it. Obviously, barring really weird situations, this power could only be purchased at character creation. So:
Inhuman Experience [-2]
Description: You have lived longer and seen and done more than mortals are capable of. Hell, you've seen and done more than many immortals. You are either several centuries old or at least a century and very active indeed.
Musts: None, but you must usually have some power enabling you to live an extended period of time, at least centuries, such as Wizard's Constitution, Living Dead, or Inhuman Recovery.
Skills Affected: Almost all of them.
Effects:
Seen And Done So Much: Your skill default, the part below your pyramid, is raised from Mediocre to Average. In addition to the Refresh cost of this power, you must invest 10 skill ranks into this 'lower strata' to pay for this breadth...but your remaining skill costs are reduced appropriately (ie: buying a skill to Fair is only one skill rank, a skill at Great only 3). You must still obey the standard skill pyramid rules on purchased skills and your pyramid cap is unaffected. If you possess, or come to possess more than 40 'base' skill ranks (before this power's reduction), one in four must go towards maintaining this power at it's current level. So if you have 48 skill ranks, this power's cost will rise to 12 skill ranks total.
Supernatural Experience [-4]
Description: You have lived longer and seen and done more than many supernatural creatures are capable of, and more than most immortals ever bother with. You are either something like a millennium old or at least a few centuries and very active indeed.
Musts: None, but you must usually have some power enabling you to live an extended period of time, at least several centuries and more likely at least a millennium, such as Living Dead, or Inhuman Recovery. Wizard's Constitution is not usually sufficient for this level.
Skills Affected: Almost all of them.
Effects:
Seen And Done So Very, Very Much: Your skill default, the part below your pyramid, is raised from Mediocre to Fair. In addition to the Refresh cost of this power, you must invest 20 skill ranks into this 'lower strata' to pay for this breadth...but your remaining skill costs are reduced appropriately (ie: buying a skill to Good is only one skill rank, a skill at Superb only 3). You must still obey the standard skill pyramid rules on purchased skills and your pyramid cap is unaffected. If you possess, or come to possess more than 40 'base' skill ranks (before this power's reduction), one in two must go towards maintaining this power at it's current level. So if you have 48 skill ranks, this power's cost will rise to 24 skill ranks total.
Mythic Experience [-6]
Description: You have lived longer and seen and done more than almost any being on the planet. You are either several millennia old or at least a millennium and very active indeed.
Musts: None, but you must usually have some power enabling you to live an extended period of time, at least one thousand years and more likely several thousand, such as Living Dead, or Inhuman Recovery. Wizard's Constitution is not usually remotely sufficient.
Skills Affected: Almost all of them.
Effects:
Seen And Done It All: Your skill default, the part below your pyramid, is raised from Mediocre to Good. In addition to the Refresh cost of this power, you must invest 30 skill ranks into this 'lower strata' to pay for this breadth...but your remaining skill costs are reduced appropriately (ie: buying a skill to Great is only one skill rank, a skill at Superb only 2). You must still obey the standard skill pyramid rules on purchased skills and your pyramid cap is unaffected. If you possess, or come to possess more than 40 'base' skill ranks (before this power's reduction), three in four must go towards maintaining this power at it's current level. So if you have 48 skill ranks, this power's cost will rise to 36 skill ranks total.
And a downside, available at all levels (though more appropriate the older you are):
Not Keeping Up With The Times [+1]
While you may've seen and done a great deal, none of it involved these newfangled computers and car things. Unlike your other skills, your Driving remains at Mediocre, and your Craftsmanship, Guns, and Scholarship, while they do rise, and may indeed be any rating, are considered to be Mediocre for purposes of dealing with modern technology such as computers, actual surgery, or automatic weapons.
.
.
.
So...thoughts? I'm really unsure on the costs, basically. I know what I want the powers to do...I'm just not so sure on the execution.
EDIT: Upped the skill point cost from a flat 10 (which is how it started out) to the current sliding scale. Just for the record.
