Improving investigator ability scores?

[Beoferret]

Are there any official rules for how investigators can improve ability scores over time? I couldn't find anything, but (admittedly) may be overlooking something obvious. For a current game, I have at least one character who could conceivably improve their strength and/or dexterity (he's on the Miskatonic U football team and is a physical ed major) and also have some characters who could possibly improve their POW after upcoming sessions. I'm considering porting over modified RQ rules, but would like to stick with CoC RAW if possible.

Thanks everyone!

[AndrewTBP]

See Rewards of Experience: The Investigator  Development Phase on p.94 of Call of Cthulhu Core rules.
It’s exactly what you would expect for a BRP based game. 
😉

[harunmushod]

None in CoC 7e but BRP (2023) has rules for increasing characteristics through training or research on pp.120-1 (POW can also increase through experience).

[KarlF]

As mentioned by @harunmushod only POW can be increased in the std CoC rules. While you can use the BRP rules for improving characteristics I would not want to encourage this among players as it might become a distraction from the game - your example of a character on the football team is a good reason for why they might improve their characteristics but that might also mean they will miss some of the scenario(s) as they have to commit to their training or get dropped from the team.

[TrippyHippy]

Originally, Classic Runequest rules had quite a lot of information about improving Characteristic scores through training. These were done through costs and training and have been adapted as optional BRP rules since.

In Call of Cthulhu, the emphasis was shifted more on to skill development and, to be sure the emphasis of the game is less about character improvement and more about survival (either physically or mentally) and solving mysteries. I kinda feel that giving any emphasis on character improvement, in a manner of ‘levelling up’ in D&D terms actually undermines these aspects a little. 

 

 

[Beoferret]

Thanks everyone (especially for pointing out something I'd missed when reading through the rulebook.) The point about how allowing characteristics improvements risks undermining key aspects of a CoC game is well taken. I might still allow characteristic improvements, but with significant limits on what can be improved, how much in total, and under what particular circumstances - e.g., maybe a PC joins a gymnastics society to work on agility in-between scenarios, but the necessary dedication to training comes at the expense of career skill experience checks, reading tomes, recovering SAN, etc. (i.e., the player needs to make a choice with the possibility that said choice doesn't really help them moving forward.)     

[EricW]

You could handle it sensibly. For example if a formerly sedentary character walks on foot across half of Africa, their strength and endurance should improve a little, as much as if they did some training. Of course if they stop walking so much maybe they get fat and flabby again.