bruge On POW Increase and supposed "soft caps"

[Lucas Yew]

Apparently, as far as I can decipher this book, it seems that after your human PC hits 21 POW via experience checks, you can't raise it this way further. No minimum chance or anything, other than the vague words on the paragraph right above that part, where the implication is that POW is the only attribute that's supposed to be NOT limited by the species maximum.

Was this part incomplete, somehow? Are the only other rule codified ways to raise POW above 21 is to gain or start with a POW increase Mutation, the Sorcery spell "Bolster the Soul" cast on max level, or Super POW?

[Mugen]

6 hours ago, Lucas Yew said:

Apparently, as far as I can decipher this book, it seems that after your human PC hits 21 POW via experience checks, you can't raise it this way further. No minimum chance or anything, other than the vague words on the paragraph right above that part, where the implication is that POW is the only attribute that's supposed to be NOT limited by the species maximum.

Was this part incomplete, somehow? Are the only other rule codified ways to raise POW above 21 is to gain or start with a POW increase Mutation, the Sorcery spell "Bolster the Soul" cast on max level, or Super POW?

It's possible that paragraph was influenced by two different versions of BRP.

The improvement roll with a maximum of 21 is from RuneQuest.

But most other games (StormBringer, CoC, for instance) have no POW improvement roll and no such maximum.

[NickMiddleton]

Page 17: "Only with a gamemaster’s permission can you raise or lower a starting characteristic beyond the range of 3–21. For higher power levels (epic and superhuman), the characteristic maximum should be ignored."

Page 18: "Like INT, human POW has no set maximum, and can rise indefinitely."

Page 121: "Generally, characteristics other than POW can’t improve beyond the species maximum (for humans, this is 21), but for epic or superhuman power level games, this limit is ignored."

Taken together, I think the intent is that the Species Maximum (of 21 for humans) applies to normal and heroic level campaigns, but such limits should be ignored for epic and superhuman power level campaigns. Which begs the question of what the chance of improving POW for a character with 21+ POW would be; my off the cuff ruling would be a flat 5% or the characters Experience bonus, which ever is greater.

Edited December 4, 2023 by NickMiddleton
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