Learning Skills                 Character Journal                 Experience

Character Development

This is where you can find everything for advancing your character: experience, new skills, et cetera. Midian is designed to have starting characters that have a fighting chance, but have plenty of room to grow. You are not limited in 'life' by your choices (or random rolls) when making your character, nor do you have to play for years to develop your character to where he or she is finally enjoyable to play.

Gaining experience points, increases to skills, and nearly all aspects of the character can be improved via petitioning. When you petition the Game Master you either ask for something—often explaining why that element should improve—or justify an increase when prompted. This relieves the Game Master of much of the burden of keeping track of experience points & character (and player) actions. This also gives both the Game Master and players a greater deal of control over character growth. In addition to experience points, skill increases, and the like, new statuses or contacts may be gained, reputation increased, titles & land granted, et cetera.

When you increase your character's level, you may petition the Game Master to increase any skills or other abilities that you have used or practiced sufficiently. That is, you ask the Game Master to increase specific skills. For example, at the end of the session you may ask, "I really used my Lock-Picking skill quite a bit, can I increase it a couple of levels?" To be eligible for increase, there has to be either extensive training & practice of a skill, or some sort of challenge. For this, failure is more useful than success. If a skill check is always successful, and attained easily, then the character doesn't learn anything from the experience. Though failure can be frustrating—and sometimes catastrophic—it can still serve as a learning experience. The character is forced to discover new ways to attempt the action, or can at the very least learn what not to do.

The suggested limit of increase is for proficiencies that are used frequently to only go up by one level—possibly two—and for apprentice skills to only increase at every two to four character levels. Attribute points should not be increased by petitioning more than one per level, as these are increased automatically by level advancement, one free point for every three levels. Other gains may also be had: saving throws, hit points, backgrounds, traits, etc. No part of the character is immune to change and growth.

You may also increase your skills, etc. without going up a level. For example, a blacksmith does not gain experience points from adventuring, but he does get lots of practice with his job-related skills. For instance, you may be required to tend the farm back at home for several months while your (less than lucky) compatriots are healing up from your exploits. While you are working the fields you are increasing your knowledge of Agriculture, and spending time at night reading books about war (increasing Military History). The chief difference is that increasing when you gain a level is from experience using your skills, whereas increasing mid-level involves setting aside time to study and practice.

Your character can grow in many ways other than experience, goods, skills, and wealth. Your Game Master may assign Backgrounds representing your experiences. New Contacts, Reputation, Statuses, Titles, Traits, or other goodies may also be added. The Game Master may assign these along with experience points at either the beginning or end of a game session. Non-game mechanics can also be gained, such as deeds to land, special privileges (tax breaks, exclusive mining rights, licenses to carry weapons, or other concessions), wealth, attracting followers (or hangers-on), having songs written about you, founding a dynasty, creating a community, named weapons gaining new Features, or having a special tactic named after one of your exploits.

Having a well thought out character personality profile and history helps both you and your Game Master. The Game Master may even give bonus ranks in skills, traits, backgrounds, even starting experience for a well thought out character. For example, instead of taking a skill just because it gives you an advantage, include how you learned the skill. Details about your teacher or your training may prove useful later in the game, or simply add dimension to your character.

You need not wait until you have gained a new level to learn a skill. While you may gain free skills from advancing in a class, you can learn something new at any point that you have a teacher and the time to learn. In order to teach, one must have the skill at journeyman level or proficiency level V. Possessing the teaching skill allows you to add the result over 15 of the proficiency check to your pupil's Common Sense or Wits checks. You can teach yourself, but the time required is automatically doubled, if it is possible for you to learn that skill at all. The Game Master must determine whether you can be self-taught. For example, you can teach yourself how to fire an arrow correctly with enough practice, but you will probably never be able to learn how to speak a dead language that you have never heard before.

The Hours listed in the skill description is the base time that it takes to learn a skill. This is total learning time. For example, if you only practice a skill for 2 hours a week, you will be in training for months before you are any good. A guideline for these skills is that 200 hours is about the same amount of time that one course in college requires. You may reduce this base time with successful Common Sense checks (this represents how well you digest information). When you start learning a new skill, you make either a Wits or Common Sense check—and if successful—you reduce the hours listed by 10%; i.e. a 200 hour skill is reduced by 20 hours per success, a 400 hour skill is reduced by 40 hours. You continue to make these checks until you fail a roll. This becomes the time required for the basic block of instruction. If the first check failed, then the time to learn increases by 10%. Continue to roll until you finally succeed. This increased time is your new base time to learn. The maximum modification is a factor of 2, that is either one-half or double the base time to learn.

Once you know how long each block of instruction will require (whether doubled or cut in half) you must be taught (and practice, practice, practice) for however long the new base time is. After this time learning & practicing, you roll your percentage Chance-to-Learn based on your Knowledge score (this represents how well you retain information). If this roll fails, you must again practice and be taught the (modified) basic block of instruction time to learn the skill. If it succeeds, wonderful, you have finally learned the skill sufficiently. If you still fail, you need to practice some more. It is possible for someone who picks up things easily but doesn't remember well to have small basic blocks of instruction, but a longer overall time practicing (i.e. high Common Sense but low Knowledge). It is just as possible for someone to have to be taught slowly and patiently, but remembers everything that she is taught (low Wits & high Knowledge). There are all kinds of learning styles.

If a skill says "Double learning difficulty," then your Chance to Learn is reduced by half. Doubly hard means half the chance.

The Game Master may grant retests or bonuses to the Common Sense or Wits check for good learning conditions such as a patient teacher, adequate learning materials, or a study partner. Conversely he or she may force retests or inflict penalties for exceptionally poor learning conditions; i.e. being beaten for asking questions, language barrier between you and the teacher, having to study when held by your ankles over a pit of lava, etc.

An example of learning a skill: Amber is attempting to learn a new alchemical formula that requires 60 hours to learn. She does not have a teacher, but does have a copy of the formula. The Game Master allows her to teach herself from her recipe, but this doubles the base time automatically to 120 hours. Amber then makes a Common Sense (or Wits) check to see how well she understands the text. She succeeds 4 times before finally failing a roll—reducing the base time down to only 15 hours (half of 120 is 60, half of 60 is 30, half of that is 15—divide by two for each time she succeeded on the Common Sense check). Amber now rolls for her Chance-to-Learn. She studies for 15 hours, reading the recipe and experimenting in the lab. The first roll fails (by a large margin) and she must now study for another 15 hours. When she succeeds in the roll, she then knows the skill. Failed rolls require yet another 15 hours of study.

Another example, with more numbers this time: Pat is learning Run Through from the Impaler (100 hours to learn). The Impaler makes a skill check with her Teaching skill and adds the result (19, which is 4 over the required 15) to her student's Common Sense checks (or Wits checks). Pat's effective Common Sense checks that he makes to learn the skill is as though it was 4 higher. Pat fails the first Common Sense check even with the bonus—the time to learn is now 200 hours. He fails the second check—400 hours. He succeeds in the 3rd check—the new base time is 400 hours & Pat may now attempt to learn how to shove big pointy things into someone. Unfortunately, he doesn't survive the first lesson as the Impaler lives up to her name. Good thing to because she has better things to do with her time than spend four hours a day, every single day, for over 3 months to teach someone when she can be out practicing for herself.

Costs for Training

The typical costs for training, from anyone who is willing to teach, is three florins per hour of training. This does not represent a very qualified teacher, however. This is finding someone (such as a contact) who happens to have some measure of a skill, and is willing to teach you.

A more qualified teacher (5 or more ranks in the skill & the Teaching skill) will charge 6—10 florins per hour of training. Specialists, highly-qualified or renowned teachers, or those possessing rare skills, may charge 20 guilders per training hour or more.

The cost of learning a skill may be reduced or eliminated by apprenticing yourself to the teacher. Whether you have reduced or free training—or even receive some small wage—will depend on the work that you do. A beginning apprentice will not be able to produce quality goods until she gets more training & practice. One who is further along will be able to actually help out the master with the goods &/or services provided.

A professional instructor will have more time available to devote to training your character—figure 8 hours per day. Those that have other duties—such as the blacksmith that you are apprenticing yourself to—may have substantially less time for instruction. This is why an apprenticeship may take years when the skills themselves may be learned within a few weeks.

Here is an example. Anna is learning the Armorer skill from the local smith. She is already an accomplished journeyman blacksmith (a prerequisite skill), and so can be useful around the forge. Knowing how to produce & repair armour is a useful (and lucrative) talent, and the smith is quite skilled in this area, so the cost would normally be 6+ per training hour, but Anna's usefulness as an assistant alleviates that somewhat. The smith will charge her half the normal cost. The base training time for the Armorer skill is 800 hours, but Anna is a good student and is able to test that time down to only 400 hours. Between actual instruction, and practical hands-on experience, she effectively gets about 4 hours per day of training. This works out to 100 days, or three months & one week. The 400 hours worth of training will cost her 1200 florins, or 60 guilder. Since this is all of the money that she had saved, she had better hope that she makes her first Chance-to-learn check…

Also referred to as blue-booking, this is a role-playing technique in which you log your characters actions, particularly out of combat and away from the other players. This allows for character development and solo activity such as learning new skills, maintaining your personal affairs, or running your empire. Things that can simply be written down (either on paper, or on-line) can be run in the 'background' rather than during the main game session. These are things that can be discussed with the Game Master between game sessions, or read at her leisure, so as to not interfere with the other players' game time.

One good use for journals or character logs is when your character is helping to build the world in-game. These are things such as constructing a stronghold, founding an organization, or improving an area. Your Game Master may reward you for this, especially as it makes her life easier. For example, a simple entry such as, "I have my trusted aide supervise repairing the roadways in my barony," could be rewarded with improved travel-time during your next adventure. Even when outside of your own lands, to continue the example, you may move faster and easier due to your neighbors trying to keep up with you—the quality of your roads makes theirs look bad by comparison. Most Game Masters give additional experience points for adding to the game world, either in or out of character, and some double this reward if there is a substantial improvement done by the character's actions.

This technique is especially useful for social interactions. Teachers, family, patrons, employees, minions, neighbors, Contacts, all may be dealt with in this manner. Many of these encounters would be fun to role-play with the Game Master, but others can be noted in your journal. Simple actions, such as instructions or just, "I spend some time with my kids," can be included. More complex conversations, that is, anything that involves multiple responses, should be role-played.

Some players keep an account of their character's actions during gameplay, and use this to augment their journal. Some gaming troupes also keep a campaign log that chronicles all of the guild's activities. This can provide an overview of the goings-on in the campaign, and makes for useful background material when a new player joins. These character histories, journals, and campaign logs, can also be shared with other troupes as part of the Immersive Game World. This way your guild's activities can be compared to theirs, you can work together on a common goal, you can compete against one another, or you may use the activities of the wider world as inspiration in your own game. They can also simply be an interesting read. The game seems more immersive, larger, more believable, more historied, more "alive", and more enjoyable, if these stories are recorded and shared.

Experience is an excellent method to chart character growth. It essentially measures the amount of cool things you have done. You may increase your skills and abilities through hard work and practice, or you can develop yourself through the practical exercise known as living. While it is possible to spend 20 years honing your sword-fighting prowess so that you may avenge your father's death at the hands of the six-fingered man, it isn't much fun. The faster and easier method is to gain experience points. The Game Master assigns experience points usually at either the beginning or end of a game session, but may assign points during play. The advantage of assigning experience at the end is that the events are fresh in your mind, and you are winding down from the game anyway. The advantage of assigning them at the beginning of the next session is that events that the players cannot recall must not have been a growth experience for their characters. Another advantage to the give-out-at-the-beginning method is that it gets the players focused on the game. The Game Master may also use a petitioning method for awarding experience points, e.g. "What skills or abilities did you cleverly use?" Experience points (and other petitioning) can also be done at a notable "chapter end" part of the story arc. Some Game Masters go through the list of experience awards one item at a time: "Debbie, what clever or quick-thinking plans did you use?" Some open the floor to the player, "What did you do last time," and assign points according to his or her best judgment. Regardless of which method the Game Master uses, be sure to remind him or her because they have a bad habit of 'forgetting.'

There are times when a player isn't running his or her primary character. Your main character can be laid-up in hospital after a nasty bout with a poison while you run a secondary character, a player may wish to run more than one character (if allowed by the Game Master), or an absent player—whose character is essential to this part of the story—may ask another player to run their character for them. Thus it is sometimes necessary to differentiate the points earned by a character from points earned by a player. Playing in character, organisation out of game, gameplay, or any the bottom twelve items on the list, are player actions, with the remainder being character actions.

Suggested experience point awards:

• Playing in character: 100—1000 points
• Clever use of skills or abilities (per usage): 20—100 points
• Gameplay (limiting table talk, helping newer players): 100—500 points
• Organisation in game (interacts with the game world well): 100—300 points
• Organisation out of game (character sheet together & legible, shows up on time, remembered dice bag): 50—200 points
• Heroic action (per action): 100—1000 points
• Clever or quick thinking plan: 100—500 points
• Clever insight, reasoning, or judgement: 50—200 points
• Overcoming or defeating a minor enemy, obstacle, trap, or problem (threat relative to the players): 10—50 points
• Overcoming or defeating a moderate enemy, obstacle, trap, or problem (threat relative to the players): 50—200 points
• Overcoming or defeating a major enemy, obstacle, trap, or problem (threat relative to the players): 200—500 points
• Overcoming or defeating an epic-level enemy, obstacle, trap, or problem (threat relative to the players): 500—10,000 points
• Miscellaneous cool actions (swinging from a chandelier, using a ladder as a weapon, jumping up on a table in a fight): 10—250 points
• Remembering something when prompted (plot hooks): 250 points
• Remembering something that the Game Master forgot (names of people & places): 200 points
• Remembering something that the Game Master was trying to forget: 0 points
• Being a Lost Souls Pack member (per game session): 250 points
• Participating in Pack events that evening: 50—300 points
• Just being in a game run by a Game Master in the Lost Souls: 50 points
• Bribing the Game Master (4 basic food groups—nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, cholesterol): 10 per cigarette (50 for a clove), 2000 or more for quality liquor
• Bribing the Game Master (cash or undisclosed "favours"): negotiable
• Contributing to the delinquency of a minor (in game or out): 5—25 points
• Showing cleavage or other interesting skin: 50—1000 points
• Bringing someone to game that shows cleavage or other interesting skin: half of 'cleavage points' awarded
• Knowing the proper name of the loop-strap on the bottom of Thor's hammer: 10,000 points

Experience Chart

This measures how far along your character's experience growth is. The chart is for total character level rather than just class level. For example, you could be a 2nd level apprentice wizard / 4th level rogue, but your total character level might be 5th. When you gain a new level, you must choose one of your classes to advance. Continuing the above example, when the character had a total of 9000 points she would choose to increase either her wizard level to 3rd, or her rogue level to 5th. There is no penalty for uneven class growth—you don't even have to take a class if you don't want. Regardless of how many classes you start with at first level (if you have sufficient skill points) 1000 points still brings your total character level to 2nd, along with any one class you choose. When you gain a level, your hit points go up by two. Every even-numbered level you gain a +1 to any one type of saving throw, and every third level you automatically gain an attribute point of your choosing. Remember to petition the Game Master to increase your skills each time that you gain a level, and also remember that you do not have to advance a level to gain new skills—or improve old ones.

Points are cumulative; add 50,000 points for each additional Experience level beyond 53rd.