Psionic and spells as skills?

[MethosDarkblade]

One thing that has always messed with my mind is that skills start at level 1 regardless of when you get them. Pick up Prowl as a 7th level character? It's at level 1.

Does anyone do the same for spells or new psionic abilities? Mind Bleeder picks up a new super psionic at level 3. Should that be based on the level of the character or start at 1? 5th level mage learned Heavy Breathing. Is the spell at his level of experience automatically or should it be at level 1 since he just learned it?

[Bill]

I've considered doing it that way, but decided against. It's not worth the effort in my opinion.

[drewkitty ~..~]

No.
spells: the exp. levels up the mage's energy management abilities. Which is why it does not matter at what level any particular spell is learned.

Psionics……are the same in this aspect. while is why some powers can't be gained till the power management abilities get to a certain level of ability.

[ShadowLogan]

One thing that has always messed with my mind is that skills start at level 1 regardless of when you get them. Pick up Prowl as a 7th level character? It's at level 1.

Does anyone do the same for spells or new psionic abilities? Mind Bleeder picks up a new super psionic at level 3. Should that be based on the level of the character or start at 1? 5th level mage learned Heavy Breathing. Is the spell at his level of experience automatically or should it be at level 1 since he just learned it?

Personally I do think that is how they should be handled with the "level" being their proficiency with the spell/power in question and not their raw level just like skills.

However I do believe that canon NPC examples have spell/powers as reflecting the raw level unlike skills since they don't reference the power/spell(s) at a potentially lower level than the character in question who has them. It also makes for easier book keeping I think this way.

[RainbowDevil]

For me, I'd say spells and powers would always use the character's level, not be affected by the level in which they got them.

The reason being is that skills and magic (and psionics) are quite different in the way one gains them and how they come about. A skill is quite easy to get for most people. You just find someone who can teach it, or start trying it yourself. Before long you have the skill. However, if you only started learning how to take photos when you were level 10 (for example), you'd have a lot to learn compared with someone who's been devoting their life to photography for years. So, that's the reasoning (as I see it) behind the skills.

For magic and psionics, however, it's not the practice you have with a particular spell/power that matters, but rather how much practice you have with the medium used to bring about those effects. A wizard or psionic needs a well trained mind to use their powers. A level 10 wizard doesn't just know more spells than a level 1 wizard. He has trained his focus, honed his will, increased his *belief* in his powers. The fact that he happened to learn a spell a bit later doesn't really matter, as it's his own intent and belief that gives the power strength. He *knows* that he can achieve great things with his magic or psionics, in a way that a starting photographer doesn't.

I hope that helps. It sounded so eloquent and convincing in my head...

Regards,
RD