SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Limited personal development and experience is possible in the sense of increasing abilities and skills. Such potential for increases is possible in four specific areas, only one of which may be attempted at one time: education, weapon expertise, other skills, and physical fitness.
In each field, the character selects a four-year program of self-improvement,
dedicating his or her endeavors in something like obsession, with the general goal of self-improvement. Because individuals do not always have the will to continue with such a program, there is the chance that the program will be planned, but never actually carried out. After the general field has been chosen, the character must make a dedication die roll. Throw 8+; no DMs apply except when throwing to enter a physical fitness program, in which case allow a DM of +2 if intelligence is 8-, +4 if intelligence 5-. Failure to achieve this throw indicates that the self improvement program is not carried out, and a new one may not be attempted for at least one year. Success in the throw indicates that the program is undertaken.
Education: A character with an education characteristic lower than his or her
intelligence characteristic may improve education level through the use of correspondence courses and tutoring. In general such courses (or tutors) have a base price of CR 50 per week. Generally one session per week is taken, though 2 per week are possible. After 50 sessions are completed the character's education level is increased by one. In one four year period, it is possible to increase the education characteristic a maximum of 6 levels.
Education increases gained are permanent.
In addition, any character may, once during his or her life, take a sabbatical (for 4 years) for the purpose of specifically gaining a skill through education. Such activity is the equivalent of a technical school or college education, and allows the acquisition of one specific non-weapon skill with a level of 2. Cost of this education is CR 70,000.
Weapon Expertise: The skill which a character has in weaponry indicates a native trained ability; through dedication (through training and practice) to specific weapons, skill may be honed to better levels on a temporary basis. Highly skilled marksmen achieve their best work when at the peak of their training. One gun and one blade weapon may be chosen; skill level in each is increased by 1 for the duration of the program. If a weapon is chosen in which the character has a skill level of zero, skill level is increased for that weapon to 1, permanently. At the end of this program, skill increases are lost unless the program is extended or continued formally for another four years. After a second four year program, the improved skill level becomes permanent. This permanent level may then itself be temporarily improved by further programs of training. Any weapons may be chosen for this type of program, and one or both weapons may be dropped for new ones in the succeeding program.
For example, Johnson has skills of foil-0 and revolver-3, and chooses to practice in these weapons. After successfully making his throw of 8+ for dedication to purpose, his skill levels for these weapons become foil-1 and revolver-4 for the duration of the program, reverting to foil-1 and revolver-3 at the end of the program.
Johnson successfully makes his dedication throw of 8+ again, and continues in
these two weapons. His skill level becomes foil-2 and revolver-4. At the end of that 4 year program, he elects to abandon this self-improvement for another program, and his weapons skills revert to foil-1 and (because he has spent a second 4 year program on revolver) revolver-4.
When new or exotic weapons become available (especially those not described in Book 1), it is possible to acquire skill in them through this training program.
Skill Improvement: In a fashion similar to that of weapon expertise, a character may temporarily improve his skill in another field by dedicating himself to it for a program of 4 years duration. Only two skills may be chosen, and the individual must already have a level of at least 1 in each skill. Skill level reverts to the original level at the end of the program. If the program is continued for a second four year period, the new skill level becomes permanent at the end of that period.
Physical Fitness: Because many individuals find a regimen of physical conditioning unrewarding intellectually, a dedication throw of 8+ is required (DMs of +2 if intelligence 8-, and 4 if intelligence 5-). If the throw is achieved, the character increases his three physical characteristics (strength, endurance, and dexterity) each by 1. This increase remains in effect for the duration of the physical fitness program. Physical characteristics may never be increased to more than 15.
The pursuit of a program envisions that the required materials will be available
on a regular basis. Weapons training requires the weapons specified; tutoring requires a tutor. If the required materials are not available, the program is suspended temporarily, but the benefits are not lost if the suspension is of less than 3 months duration.