Alternate Advancement Rules

[Mordacc]

Ever since i switched from DnD to TRoS, all of the flaws of DnD have become more and more apparent to me.  Now I cant put down TRoS.  However, one flaw that i have found (unless i missed something in the rulebook) is that you cannot increase your combat prowess through any other way besides Spiritual Attributes.  I dont think that makes much snese since being more honest or having Destiny doesnt necessarily make you a better warrior.  I was thinking of incorporating some rule where your proficiency with a given weapon goes up by one after you complete a number of bouts equal to your current Proficiency level.  For example, If my character had 6 points in the Longsword, his proficiency would go up to 7 after 6 bouts, and it would then increase to 8 after 7 bouts ext...  Critique of this idea is appreciated (or a flame if this idea is just crazy).

[Brian Leybourne]

You're right that the SA advancement system doesn't necessarily follow "reality", i.e. you can practice and practice with the sword but you wont get any better.

However, the idea is that you do improve as long as you are following your own personal code of "conduct" (if you like the term). Roleplaying your SA's means following and living your own code, doing what's really important to you, living within your own standards and ideals, it's a very zen-like outlook on life - as long as you are true to yourself, personal fulfillment will follow and when you're in harmony with yourself, you're in harmony with the universe and thus you improve. That kind of thing.

And then, from a purely gamist point of view, it encourages play along SA lines and helps players see that following what they themselves have deemed is important to the character has rewards. Improving weapon skill through repeated combat will simply give them the message that TROS is all about fighting and combat, which is almost the exact opposite of the actual message, which is "what's really worth fighting for?".

On top of all that (and related to the last point) is that fact that anything that encourages players to get into more fights is actually going to make them hate TROS in the long run, because they'll keep dying.

Just my 2c

Brian.

[Mordacc]

THats a very good point, i agree, and i do see where you are coming from, that it might turn the game into a more DnD style H&S kind of thing.  But what other possible Non-spiritual attribute methods of combat advancement could there be?  Something that encourages the PCs to choose their fights carefully and to also make them think, and not turn them into combat machines.  Hmm......

[Bob Richter]

Ever since i switched from DnD to TRoS, all of the flaws of DnD have become more and more apparent to me.  Now I cant put down TRoS.  However, one flaw that i have found (unless i missed something in the rulebook) is that you cannot increase your combat prowess through any other way besides Spiritual Attributes.  I dont think that makes much snese since being more honest or having Destiny doesnt necessarily make you a better warrior.  I was thinking of incorporating some rule where your proficiency with a given weapon goes up by one after you complete a number of bouts equal to your current Proficiency level.  For example, If my character had 6 points in the Longsword, his proficiency would go up to 7 after 6 bouts, and it would then increase to 8 after 7 bouts ext...  Critique of this idea is appreciated (or a flame if this idea is just crazy).

How about this:

Whenever you complete a fight against a superior opponent (any opponent with more CP than you,) You may roll your MA against a TN equal to your level of proficiency (or your Style Analysis skill, whichever is lower.) A single success will cause your skill to increase by one point.

If the fight happens under nonlethal conditions (you KNOW you won't be killed,) increase the TN by 5.

This has the advantage that characters will probably die in the persuit of higher and higher skill levels, but may not.

[szilard]

THats a very good point, i agree, and i do see where you are coming from, that it might turn the game into a more DnD style H&S kind of thing.  But what other possible Non-spiritual attribute methods of combat advancement could there be?  Something that encourages the PCs to choose their fights carefully and to also make them think, and not turn them into combat machines.  Hmm......

Well, how about simply combining the two methods? Use the SAs, but only allow them to be used to increase combat abilities after a certain number of successful combats.

Thus, you don't sacrifice the whole point of the SAs, but you can still put a bit of realism-experience stuff in there if you want.

Stuart

[Valamir]

I think that's a good idea Stuart.  Combine TROS SAs with BRP checks.  So you spend SAs exactly as you do now but you can only spend them on things you've earned a check for through actual use.  I like it.

That way even though you get check after check in something if you don't have the SAs to spend it never improves.  I'd say that's actually pretty realistic.  I think you can find a heck of a lot of football coaches who can identify players who practice every day but never seem to get any better...they're earning the checks, but they got no SA juice.