Date: Tue, 7 Jan 1997 17:42:53 -0500 (EST)
From: fcain@st6000.sct.edu (Franklin W. Cain)
Subject: "Banked" (Long-Term) XP's for T4 [Variant]

In T4, XP's must be spent immediately; they cannot be saved and
accumulated.  I would suggest that certain specially-earned XP's could be
saved and amassed.  I would call these "banked" XP's.  They would be spent
to increase a character's attributes or to allow a character to purchase a
new non-default skill.  

(Attributes):

A character could pursue a regimen of physical exercise to improve one of
his physical attributes (Str, Dex, or End); he could instead pursue a
regimen of mental exercise for Int or Edu, or a regimen of "social
exercise" (read, "conspicuous flaunting of wealth") for Soc.  This program
would be run on a week-by-week basis (as opposed to the month-by-month
basis stated in the book).  The PC would spend a number of weeks equal to
the attribute's current value before he begins to earn any "banked" XP's
for the attribute.  For each week thereafter, the PC has a chance to earn
*one* (1) XP specifically for *that* attribute being improved; this would
be a Difficult test of Athletics (for a physical exercise program),
Instruction (for a mental exercise program), or Carousing (for a "social 
exercise" program).  If the PC skips a week, the difficulty of next week's
test would be increased one level.  This penalty would be cumulative; if
the difficulty ever passed "Impossible", the PC would have to start over
(but keep any XP's already earned) by spending another period of one week
per point of the current value of the attribute.  Assuming the difficulty
doesn't pass "Impossible", each time he successfully makes this skill
check (and gets an XP), the level of difficulty will drop by one level
until it returns to the base level of difficulty ("Difficult").  
    Once the PC has accumulated a number of "banked" XP's equal to the
current value of the attribute, he may spend them (all of them) for a roll
of 1D, which is then compared to the attribute's current value (as with
improving skills).  Instead, he may continue to earn XP's so as to
increase his chance of success with the die roll (also as per skill
improvement).  
    (Example): A character with an Endurance of 7 begins a physical
exercise program to improve his stamina and health.  For the first seven
weeks, he earns no "banked" XP's.  Starting with the eighth week, if he
passes a Difficult test of Athletics, he earns one XP *specifically* for
his End.  Let's assume that some time later, as a result of an adventure,
he winds up in the hospital for two weeks.  When he resumes his exercise
program (after being discharged from the hospital), his skill check is
now "Staggering" instead of merely "Difficult".  Of course, he could
decide to spend another seven weeks of exercise without any skill check to
restore the level of difficulty that way.  

(New Non-Default Skills):

The entry for Instruction skill is somewhat vague (as opposed to the rules
on Instruction and New Skills in TNE) in that the length of time is
totally up to the GM's whim (no suggestions on which to base your
decisions at all).  I would suggest that a successful check of the
Instruction skill at the end of a week of classroom study or
"apprenticeship"-type on-the-job training result in the earning of *one*
(1) "banked" XP *specifically* for the skill being taught.  The PC would
need to accumulate ten (10) such XP's to buy the new skill at level-0. 
This number of XP's would be halved (down to five [5]) if the character
has a number of other skills that are closely related to the skill being
learned (say, four or more levels total).  This number of XP's would be
doubled (to 20) if the character had a complete lack of related other
skills.  
    (Example): The crew of a trader is teaching Astrogation to the new
kid.  Astrogation probably involves heavy use of Computer and Physics
skills.  If the new kid had Computer-3 and Physics-1 (four levels total),
he should need only five (5) XP's.  On the other hand, if he had
Computer-0 and no Physics skill, he should pay 20 XP's for Astrogation. 
Otherwise, he should pay the regular price of ten (10) XP's.  Once he buys
the skill (Astrogation-0), he would then treat it as any other "default"
skill (he could use JOT for it; he can buy it at level-1 for two [regular]
XP's; etc.).  

(Purpose):
This suggested variant will result in the players having more control over
the "growth" of their characters.  It will also make attribute improvement
and the acquisition of non-default skills more in line with the theory
behind career generation (that the characters were working while they were
earning their skills and attribute modifications; they were not just
"chained to a desk", like the existing rule for getting new skills
demands).  

I would appreciate your comments.  

Thanks.  

Franklin  (fcain@sct.edu)

------------------------------