Topic: Talents Restricted by Social Status

[markc]

 I am thinking about limiting the more powerful talents based on social status what do you think? First you need to know that I am using only custom races and not any races from the RMSS/FRP books and you have to spend Talent Points to buy your Social Status.
MDC

[providence13]

For Training Pkgs, maybe. For Talents, well whatever works for you game/story.
If a player had a good background story, I'd allow a lot. Sadly, my players don't work much in this area.

[markc]

 I am also thinking about allowing some crossover of talents if they roll very high for a specific talent area. ie an middle social class which is normally limited to this set of Physical Talents rolls D100 and gets above 150 (I have not decided on a threshold level yet) so now he can also pick from the higher social class for Physical Talents. They would also roll for each talent area of talents I have created and the higher the roll the better the talents they could possibly buy.


 Note right now I allow players to start their PC's at higher levels and sacrifice a level to get more Talent Points, I do regulate the spending of talent points and have created all new prices and talents so as to limit their effect on the game. You could say that I run a mid to low power game but with access to powerful magic items.


Thanks
MDC

[arakish]

When a friend of mine asked this same question, I replied,

"What is the reason(s) that causes higher status to mean they have higher talents?  To me, there is no genetic difference between me and Prince Charles (if within the same genetic race).  Thus, what would be the reason(s)?"

Once you figure that out, then there should be no problems why higher status would mean higher talents.

rmfr

[RandalThor]

For Training Pkgs, maybe. For Talents, well whatever works for you game/story.
If a player had a good background story, I'd allow a lot. Sadly, my players don't work much in this area.

I agree* with this. Unless you add that higher status people are genetically different in some way, it doesn't make sense to say that only a person of duke level or higher can have a +5 Str mod.

*Though I say that special training can fall under this purview - I can totally see how certain classes would do what they could to keep the greater training away from the "masses."

[markc]

 Well you caught me the people with higher social status are usually genetically different from lower classes. Not genetically different enough for their own race but different enough to restrict some talents and of course to automatically gain some flaws as being noble is not all it is cracked up to be.
Thanks
MDC

[RandalThor]

Oh yeah, then requiring a character to be a certain social status in order to be able to have specific talents is entirely reasonable. (I would say, though, that it might be possible for those of lesser status to acquire such talents, only that it will cost more and may cause some problems for them - in other words: Good role-playing opportunities.  )

[arakish]

...requiring a character to be a certain social status in order to be able to have specific talents...

Of course, the opposite is also true.  A person has a specific talent that raises them to a certain status.  For examples, read Piers Anthony's Xanth books.  In the first book (something for Chameleon) the main character doesn't have a talent (at least thought so) until it is discovered that he actually has a "king" status talent.

rmfr

[GrumpyOldFart]

Of course, the opposite is also true.  A person has a specific talent that raises them to a certain status.  For examples, read Piers Anthony's Xanth books.  In the first book (something for Chameleon) the main character doesn't have a talent (at least thought so) until it is discovered that he actually has a "king" status talent.

If this is the same world where you have The Scourge(tm), how much distinction is made between _____ talent and The Scourge(tm), and how do you tell? There are probably some talents where the line between the two gets rather blurred, and it would be well to identify them before your players do.

People get burned at the stake this way. 

[Marc R]

I'd likely not use a hard limit, but constrain it via situations.

Like a Samurai oriented package might be hard for a non samurai to get someone to teach them, but not impossible. . .much like "Ninja" might be a restricted package. . ..

But that's not a hard no, just a "Explain to me how you got this to work" if a background chargen TP, and "Roleplay someone into training you in that" if an in play level gain TP.