Experience option

[Maouse]

Well, just for the sake of arguement, and a proposal based upon the "Arian
Super Being" idea.   The original idea was to allow players who are already
phenominally powerful (yet could still be wipped by a flaming death spell)
to alter their maximum potential through experience.  While I disagree with
this as far as applying it to go ABOVE maximums set out in the game
already, I would consider allowing characters to use this to increase
CERTAIN stats.

I would think the following to be somewhat reasonable:
a person can become more intelligent by studiing day and night;
even pee-wee H could become a body builder and increase his strength to the
point where he could bench press as much as someone who had his frame and
WAS a body builder... given enough time;
meditations and other nature studies could convince one to become more
empathetic to their fellows;
and possibly one might become more limber and agile;
However,
-Dexterity is an internal ability based on the character's overall genes,
and organs within the body - fact is some people simply have better
dexterity than others, even if the other person is more agile.
-Will might be trained, but any training of the will eventually defeats
it's purpose, as one does not learn to support themselves... perhaps pefs
have a way of training their WILL up to MAX multiplier, but otherwise I'd
have to say no.
-Stamina is presumed to be the physical limit of a character.  Based on
this I would have to conclude that if you put a lower multiplier here you
intended to make your character physically limited... once again this was
intended to be genetic, not a trainable maximum.  Perhaps dwarves would
know how to increase this, but I'd have to think about that a LONG while...
(they also like ale toooo much).
-Eloquence is how fast you react and talk... ie. how fast the nuerons(sp?)
fire in that big old mellon.  I do not see any way for the max set to
be "trained" up.
The other two - APP and CON, well unless you want to take a razor and a
suction pump to your lard butt I don't see APP increasing.  Con once again
(like stamina) is a physical limit, pushing beyond this limit is not
supposed to result in a higher limit, but rather torn muscles and physical
damage...

I would have to make a proposal therefore to the following effect:

STR  max mult of 4
AGI  max mult of 4
INT  max mult of 4
EMP  max mult of 4

Elves(or all pefs) can train up Will (which I will re-itterate should be
what their magic is based on).  Perhaps no INT increase for balance ("they
prefer to train mind against mind than learn pidly little factiods from the
slug humans" -J'V'a, Ifreet)

Dwarves can train up STA.  This would be due to spending years at a hot
forge hammeing away on metal, etc... ("I once saw him hammering.  He
hammered for a week.  He did not stop to eat or drink.  He just hammered
on.  I think he was drinking the steam and eating the fire." -G'Rund
Killbear, Dwarf)

All multipliers can be trained as follows:
Stat must be maxed first (before each increase!)
1st half point above original - 1 year constant workout/study.  What that
means in CEP is easy to calculate following the book (based on the idea
that one can "work out" killing badies).
1st full point (ie. second half point) above original - 2 years constant
workout/study.
1.5 points above - 3 years.
2 points - 4 years
2.5 points (congrats, you are now as good as someone with your
mind/build/etc.. can be) - 5 years
Total for a 1.5 to get to a 4 is 15 years (ie. half a lifetime) plus
experience it requires to increase.  Obviously the better you are to start
the easier it is to become as good as the best.
The example goes something like this:
Someone who is almost as good as the strongest (say 3.5, NSTR20) needs to
work out to his limit.  He gets to 70 and decides he could really use that
extra damage modifier (at 76).  He knows other people that are as big as he
is, but can dish it out better.  He consults his mage and he learns that
those big bad dudes have been bench pressing carts.  He finds himself a
cart and starts to benchpress.  He feels the burn.  He quickly learns how
many rocks he can put into the cart and still lift.  He starts doing reps
in the second month.  He continues to push his strength determined to deal
out the big 5d10 on crits.  He becomes muscle bound, but eventually he is
as big as his idol (which brings up a question ; when someone trains
extremely hard on one thing should other things suffer, but perhaps that
you will grasp and just "add" in by yourself).  Now he feels nice and
strong, but isn't sure.  He goes out into the world and beats up a few
things (AND LEARNS HOW TO USE HIS STRENGTH! ie. stat points from CEP).  He
now knows what it takes to deliver that 5d10 killer blow.

example two:
Little Jimmy idolizes the same big dude.  But he was not nearly inclined in
his youth to become muscle bound (say 2, NSTR20).  He can deal a good deal
of damage out (2d10 like everyone else) but now understands that the
quicker the "badies" go down the longer he lives.  He has seen his hero
lifting carts and decides to try it.  He starts lifting carts, but can't
put many rocks in them to start.  He continues for a while and feels
something happening, so he continues.  After a year he does in fact feel
stronger.  He goes out into the bold world(even though he is not as big as
his hero and he knows it).  He beats a few badies up and realizes it is
going to take a lot LOT LOOOTTTT more work to be as big as his hero (now at
STR50).  He works out for two more years and gets his 3d10 damage.  Having
spent three years of his life wasted on lifting wagons he retires with a 60
strength... pretty hardy (but still not as good as his hero at 80, which
would take him 7 more years to achieve).

Now for the GM's who'd want to limit this - make them take a multiplier off
something they are not training hard on (that can be modified).  An example
of this is the mage who closes himself off so he can study and gets more
intelligent but less empathetic or less limber or weaker...  it's a
balanced approach which may work best.  (alternately the weight lifters
above in case one became less limber and possibly less empathetic in case
two (thus the retirement - let the world take care of itself attitude)).

This would keep the PEFs in line as well.

It will also allow characters to change based on their experience.  Say a
character knows he has an item that raises his str 5 points, not really
useful(now, with str 60(+5)). But his AGI is a few points lower than is
needed for the next bonus.  He decides to limber up and puts himself on a
rack for a year.  He looses .5 mult from str(now 50(+5)), and gains .5 mult
for agi.  His AGI is now able to go up to the next bonus, and as long as he
keeps the item with him he doesn't suffer a detriment from letting his
attention to strength wain.

-marcel

just working on/entertaining a compromise I guess