Extra optional talents

[Lars Gottlieb]

Hey guys.
One of my dwarf players wants to take more than one optional talent per circle, and I really can't seem to think of why I shouldn't allow him to, given training and legend points.
The one argument I have is it might undermine the feeling of flexibility our Human player has, but he can take talents from Any discipline, not just the rather limited list.

Thoughts?

[Slimcreeper]

Perhaps extra optional talents could cost more - starting higher up on the Fibonacci sequence.

[etherial]

Hey guys.
One of my dwarf players wants to take more than one optional talent per circle, and I really can't seem to think of why I shouldn't allow him to, given training and legend points.
The one argument I have is it might undermine the feeling of flexibility our Human player has, but he can take talents from Any discipline, not just the rather limited list.

Thoughts?

I was originally a proponent of letting people take extra Optional Talents, but I've come around to the alternative view through gameplay. At higher Circles, he will probably find that he's less enthusiastic about taking Talent Options than he is now and less enthusiastic about putting Legend into them even if you're Using All Talents To Advance (ED4PG453). So letting him take them now just makes higher Circles less interesting. If you think he will truly desperately want more than 15 Talent Options, then maybe let him buy 2 per Circle.

[Telarus]

It will also reduce the importance of skills and certain thread items (the other 2 ways to pick up abilities outside your discipline).

[Lars Gottlieb]

Thanks for your thoughts (o:

I find skills rarely play any significant role in my games; the long training time tends to ensure that they stay firmly locked at the ranks at creation. It's early days though; these heroes are still circle 1.

I think I will probably end up allowing him a couple extra talents, but have him need a trainer and time to get them.

[Lys]

In my game we decided that Adepts can buy as many of their Talent Options as they want, provided they have attained the appropriate Circle and have the LP for it. Currently we are 5th Circle going on 6th, and so far it's working out very well. With that change the group can feel free to buy utility or niche Talent Options without worrying about using up limited slots, which adds more variety to gameplay. Nothing seems to break balance wise either, the main thing to watch out for being that over-investing in Talent Options can make it harder to Circle up, but that feels like a valid trade-off. So overall, yeah you can give more Talent Options, heck you can give all of them.

[Purplefixer]

Get him to invest in a Multi-Discipline option, instead. Then he can get his extra optional talent and raise it however he likes. At least then he's not stomping on the human's ONE racial ability.

C'mon, man, humans never get cool stuff. Don't take away our cool stuff...

[Dyrmagnos]

Maybe just let him buy 1 optional talent per level of advance in his discipline: 1 at novice, another one at journeyman etc... It generally keeps powerlevel at normal range and make 5/9/13 circles a milestones in character progression as they should be.

[Calamrin]

In my game we decided that Adepts can buy as many of their Talent Options as they want, provided they have attained the appropriate Circle and have the LP for it. Currently we are 5th Circle going on 6th, and so far it's working out very well. With that change the group can feel free to buy utility or niche Talent Options without worrying about using up limited slots, which adds more variety to gameplay. Nothing seems to break balance wise either, the main thing to watch out for being that over-investing in Talent Options can make it harder to Circle up, but that feels like a valid trade-off. So overall, yeah you can give more Talent Options, heck you can give all of them.

i do like that in theory Lys....but its a massive game change if i read u right...it weakens skills,and you can pickup cool talents left right and centre...many of which are awesome........plus can spend karma on them....its a big change.

[Calamrin]

Maybe just let him buy 1 optional talent per level of advance in his discipline: 1 at novice, another one at journeyman etc... It generally keeps powerlevel at normal range and make 5/9/13 circles a milestones in character progression as they should be.

thats a great idea, and i like it....but still at end of the day its a mini power creep....question is it required/needed