WodenKrait wrote:
Okey doke, so when you return to your normal profession after a year (or whatever) spent on a path, does that profession have the same rank as the path or a different rank? For instance, if I start out as a Sorcerer at rank 1, then switch to a Saltwater Sailor and gain five ranks on that path, then switch back to the Sorcerer, am I a rank 1 Sorcerer or a rank 5 Sorcerer? If I'm a rank 1 sorcerer, how do I record my different ranks, experience points etc? How do I respond to Fright Attacks and other things which oppose Rank? Also what rank progression scheme do I use (for Attack etc) while I'm a Saltwater Sailor?
Good questions
As has been mentioned, the Saltwater Sailor was originally designed as a Barbarian path. At some point in the process - I have no idea when because I'm not the one who did it - it was decided that some paths should be more open than others - open to more than one profession. I assume the logic for something like the Saltwater Sailor was "This Mercanian raiding party might have their Shaman along for the ride, surely she could pick up the sailor skills as well - so why have we just restricted it to Barbarians." (Of course, that Shaman might also want to look at the Sea-Witch path!)
But the rules for these open paths are still specific to the core profession.
Now - this is my opinion as to both intent and how I would handle the situation you describe.
"Saltwater Sailor" is
not a new profession. So if your Sorcerer embraces the Saltwater Sailor path, they are still a Sorcerer.
So in the situation you describe "I start out as a Sorcerer at rank 1, then switch to a Saltwater Sailor and gain five ranks on that path, then switch back to the Sorcerer, am I a rank 1 Sorcerer or a rank 5 Sorcerer?"
Your character is at that point a 7th rank sorcerer (Sorcerer 1, Sorcerer(Saltwater Sailor) from 2-6, Sorcerer 7) - although personally in my games, a player would probably have a hard time justifying 'changing back' like that.
Now, what would this mean in terms of differences for the character? Well, the basic thing about paths is the different 'special abilities' that differ from those of the core professions. Note, that 'Spellcasting' is
not a 'special ability' for a sorcerer.
The 'Skills' that a particular path gives a character replace 'special abilities'. They don't replace core skills - at least not in general. I won't swear we didn't do that anywhere. Maybe it would be better if we used the term 'Special abilities' in
Cadaver Draconis rather than Skills.
Anyway - so here's how things would differ as an example. We'll take Anarchos the pure sorcerer, and Sieghelma, the sorcerer who takes the Saltwater sailor path and talk about how they differ.
At Rank 1
Anarchos is a 1st rank Sorcerer. He has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 1 spells and 4MP), and no special abilities.
Sieghelma is a 1st rank Sorcerer. She has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 2 spells and 8MP), and no special abilities.
At Rank 2
Anarchos is a 2nd rank Sorcerer. He has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 2 spells and 8MP), and no special abilities.
Sieghelm is a 2nd rank Sorcerer who has just decided to embrace a life on the open wave. He has the core ability of Spellcasting She has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 2 spells and 8MP). She may acquire one of the Saltwater sailor skills - I'll choose Climb.
At Rank 2
Anarchos is a 2nd rank Sorcerer. He has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 2 spells and 8MP), and no special abilities.
Sieghelma is a 2nd rank Sorcerer who has just decided to embrace a life on the open wave. Se has the core ability of Spellcasting She has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 2 spells and 8MP). She may acquire one of the Saltwater sailor skills - I'll choose Climb.
At Rank 3
Anarchos is a 3rd rank Sorcerer. He has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 3 spells and 12MP), and no special abilities.
Sieghelma is a 3rd rank Sorcerer who is continuing to live on the open sea. She has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 3 spells and 12MP). She has the Climb skill.
At Rank 4
Anarchos is a 4th rank Sorcerer. He has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 4 spells and 15MP), and acquires the Calligraphy skill which is the skill of a standard Sorcerer.
Sieghelma is a 4rd rank Sorcerer who is continuing to live on the open sea. She has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 4 spells and 15MP). She has the Climb skill. And now she can acquire a second Saltwater Sailor skill (one acquired every 2nd rank) - I'll choose Sea legs.
At Rank 5
Anarchos is a 5th rank Sorcerer. He has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 5 spells and 19MP), and the Calligraphy skill.
Sieghelma is a 5th rank Sorcerer who is continuing to live on the open sea. She has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 5 spells and 19MP). She has the Climb skill and the Sea Legs skill.
At Rank 6
Anarchos is a 6th rank Sorcerer. He has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 6 spells and 23MP), and the Calligraphy skill. He now acquires the Alchemy skill - the standard special ability of a standard Sorcerer.
Sieghelma is a 6th rank Sorcerer who is continuing to live on the open sea. She has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 6 spells and 23MP). She has the Climb skill and the Sea Legs skill. And can now acquire a new Saltwater Sailor skill - Read Weather.
At Rank 7
Anarchos is a 7th rank Sorcerer. He has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 7 spells and 25MP), and the Calligraphy skill and the Alchemy Skill.
Sieghelma is a 7th rank Sorcerer who after almost drowning has decided she never wants to go to sea again. She has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 7 spells and 25MP). She has the Climb skill, the Sea Legs skill, and the Read Weather skill.
At Rank 8
Anarchos is a 8th rank Sorcerer. He has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 8 spells and 28MP), and the Calligraphy skill and the Alchemy Skill. He acquires the ability to artifice Talismans (as is standard for a 8th rank standard Sorcerer.
Sieghelma is a 8th rank Sorcerer who is adapting to life as a landlubber. She has the core ability of Spellcasting (with Rank 8 spells and 28MP). She has the Climb skill, the Sea Legs skill, and the Read Weather skill. This is the point where decisions have to be made and we could write rules for this but I'm not sure it's not best left up to the GM and player to discuss based on this character's history.
But personally, I think if I was going to write a rule, it would be that at this point, Sieghelma can acquire 'Calligraphy' - she's back on the standard Sorcerer path, and that's the first skill in that path, which is acquired (standard) at 4th and every 2 ranks thereafter (3 ranks for the insanely powerful 'Archmage' normally attained at 15th rank.) (Note, in my own game, I'd also probably allow Sieghelma to substitute the Knot Magic skill of the Sea-Witch path for Calligraphy, as they are similar and it might be a better suit for the character).