You're right in that it's not explicitly stated in the Desolation rulebook. The core Ubiquity rules (as described in the original RPG using them, Hollow Earth Expedition) does thankfully clarify the point.

Once your character is in play, you certainly can buy the same Skill Specialization again and increase the bonus dice for it, so your example is valid. The one restriction is that the maximum number of bonus you can have is +5.

Hullo, Scrump,

*sigh* Once more late to the party. *sigh*



Not really a fuzzy topic, just one that has some interesting elements to it at least for players creating characters in the game.

The basic rules on Skill Specialisation found Desolation, page 76, give the basics for character generation when it pertains to this. Note that this rule block only applies during Character Generation. That said, the rule means that a player will usually have half a Skill Point that he hasn't used, so common sense tells you that the player should take a second Skill Specialisation under a different Skill of course, to use up the other half-point.

Once the character is in actual play, this rule for Skill Specialisation in character generation doesn't apply. Specialisations for Skills cost 3 points, as per the chart on page 103 and page 172.

Hope this helps.

Actually, yes it is, me old mucker. See "Starting Experience Points" with the chart on page 103. I remember this somewhat confusing me when I first started running Desolation, but I suppose that after multiple re-reads of the rules they finally sunk in. Mind Like A Sieve (MLAS (tm)), you know.

Unfortunately, the section you quote still doesn't answer the question I presented: Is the restriction against placing more than one Specialization on a Skill still in effect when applying the 15 XP at character creation? There is sadly nothing there dealing with this issue.

Which throws it back into the "GM's choice" camp.

I wasn't worried so much about the starting costs. I didn't state my issue very well in my first post, so I realize after rereading it. It was for costs after creation and if increasing levels of specialization was possible.

I appreciate all the responses on the question, and I agree, +5 is kinda high, but I can see it happening as well. I like the idea of +3. Makes players feel like they have an elevated skill, but not so much that thier character becomes lopsided.