RE: 1/4 eeps per skill limit

[Greg Mowczko <mooch@ns1.cioe.com>]

First off. I think that most of the you can't buy more than a rank per
adventure is ok. Problems exist though but these are of
a slightly diferent nature. What about study? I expect to be able to
buy up as high as I can my weapon smithing with my study eeps not just
1/4 of that, but I believe you would agree this as an exception falling
under a study eep rule.

> From: Lyle H Janney <lhjanney@adpc.purdue.edu>
>
> From:	Kris Ames 
> > Hmmm.  In many respects I like the concept of the idea. It would
> > make a nice balance.  Just to confirm that I understand this, let my
> > try an example.  Let's say I get 2800 eeps one adventure and I want
> > to buy from fire magic rank 5 and get up to rank 6 (1800 eeps
> > assuming I am a fire mage).  I can only spend up to 700 eeps from
> > this adventure on my fire magic skill.  Must I then save those 700
> > eeps and for the next two adventures where will get a hypothetical
> > 700 each time for a grand total of 2100 that I can spend on fire
> > magics and get my rank 6? 
>
> Yep, you got it.  Spell groups work just like skills.  Note that DP does
> as well (i.e., no more spending all of your eeps for your first 8 ratings
>  on DP to get that magical 40).

This is the only place I don't like the limit. If I start a warrior with
12 DP ( swordsman model ). I can only by 1 DP after 1 adventure (2500 xp)
since that second would put me over by 25 eeps. Now at rate 11 I have 21 DP
and I'm going against a mage with lightning bolt and some other spells to
get him more than 1 shot. On average if I don't get to whack him ( since he
was 80 feet away and I move 40 ) I am at 1 and probably unconsious. And
if he was closer he has a good chance still to kill me since the first round 
closed the gap and even with a flip flop I am dead since if I luck out I 
get 2 hits for 11 points and he zaps me again I'm at 1 and unconsious/dead.

If you let the buyer round up the rank to the next full rank ( as long as
they have the eeps ) I as a warrior can survive my initial 11 rates. I'll 
have 27 DP and a 9 Long sword. The pesky mage will have more DP as well but 
maybe not enough SU to make me soak another bolt before he is dead since
my attacks are now 3 a round.

Overall everything after a point is self limiting. All putting caps on
spending does is change when you start hitting the limiting curve. With
the 1/4 eep curve you are limiting only DP to 1 most skills ( combat skills
(base 300) which is all Wright will buy :) hit that limit at the first rank )
When you would have to pool. All I think the limit would produce is a more
even growth of the things you buy instead of an initial spurt and then the
self-limiting factor.  If you need a limit Lyle's way is probably the best
but becomes useless after the first several ranks ( you can get a little
higher the lower the cost before the curve hits ).

> [ deleted comments about record keeping requiring a database ]
>
> Again, Kris, I don't think it'd be all that bad.  You just write down the
> amount of eeps in the pool next to the skill/ability/spell group/etc.  I
> already write down the base cost for a skill so I don't have to keep
> looking it up; another number is easy.  My skill list for Math (my
> current adventurer) would look something like this...
>
> Base	Skill	Pool	Rank
> 300	L.Sw.	400	11
> 60	Swim	250	7
> etc.
>
> The additional book-keeping is minimal and, again, the concept of
> pooling eeps is already a part of Adventure Quest (tm) (look it up,
> it's in the book).
>
> As for players with magic pencils, well, there isn't a lot you can do
> about that unless we do implement some form of book-keeping.  I
> can see us eventually having everything on a computer, but that is
> a long way off.  However, I can also see the possibility of the GM's
> performing some form of spot-checking on characters.  For example,
> I check one week and see that John Doe has a rate 20 adventurer;
> I check again a couple games later and find that his adventurer is
> now rate 40.  If no GM can provide a reason for this advancement,
> it's time to take John D. aside and inform him of _The Rules_ and
> let him know that confirmed cheating will result in him being asked
> to leave the club.  Perhaps the Senior GM's should make a list of
> all the living adventurers and their ratings as of a certain game date.
> Every month or two, we can go through the adventurers and check
> for 'magic pencil' problems.  This will also work to find those hearty
> adventurers that seem to come out of nowhere at rate 50.
>
> Lyle

I pool my eeps ALOT for my high guys and while I am not spending any
eeps I don't change my rate. I saved 25000 eeps to by rank 5 of my
skill and then adjusted my rate up 10 at that point. Rates can jump
so there are things to watch for before you accuse the magic pencil.

If the above confused you don't worry I lost myself.
						Greg