Why are trainings listed with roots?

[rafial]

Unless I've badly misread the rules, trainings are skills you either have or you don't, there is no rating associated with the skill.  Yet I note in the list, trainings have roots listed for them.  What is the meaning of that, or should that just be ignored?

This especially confused me because Mounted Combat appears to be a training, but is not marked with the special "this is a training" symbol in the lifepaths, which lead me to much scrambling through the rules books before I decided that it wasn't rated.

[Luke]

Some trainings are listed with a root in case of the ever unlikely event that some roll be made against them or future knowledge about them is needed.

Some trainings are listed with a root to indicate what stat you roll when using this training, like Observation training.

Some training are listed with a root to indicate what stat is enhanced by their presence, like Running training.

There are a few instances where the "t" dagger is missing from the Mounted Combat training listing in the lifepaths. Cavalryman in the Professional Soldier setting. I do sincerely apologize for any confusion. It is a training skill.

thanks for your interest!
-L

[rafial]

Cool... That all makes sense.  I'm on my second pass through the rulebooks and its all starting to come into focus.

Just a suggestion for that future day when you are considering a "revised" addition.  It would be really handy for character creation if the condensed Skill list indicated which skills were trainings.  I plan on "enhance" my copy of the rulebook with red dots or something to that end.

BTW, let me complement you on the indexes to the rulebooks.  An often overlooked featured in rulebooks, but oh so useful.

[taepoong]

Also (and I think this is so obvious that it was overlooked), you need to know the root Stat if you would like to learn a training through gameplay. The time necessary to learn the Training is based on your Aptitude, which is based on a Stat.

[rafial]

The time necessary to learn the Training is based on your Aptitude, which is based on a Stat.

Ooo.  Good point!  Obvious it may be, but I had overlooked that.  What then to do about something like shield training, whose root is listed as "weapon skill"?  I suppose you could calculate an aptitude based on the character's best one handed weapon skill.

[taepoong]

I think that's a fine solution and probably what Abzu intended. So a B4 Sword skill would give you a base aptitude of 6 when learning the Shield Training skill.

Seeing as how the single shield training skill is used for all weapons, it's smart to use your highest weapon skill. This seems to be a tiny system hiccup. Learning Shield Training is related to a specific weapon, but once you understand it, it's universal? Why base this training root on Stats instead of a specific skill? Theoretically, you can have Shield Training without a weapon skill. What's the root then?