Welcome to the Ability Upgrade forum! Despite the title, this forum is used for all ability changes post-acceptance. That includes item acquisitions, species changes, loss of abilities, and everything in between. If you are making any change to your characters abilities, species, or species ability fields, it should go through this forum.
Important non-ability changes to applications should be handled in this thread.
Usually, a change that improves a characters overall strength or versatility will require a certain amount of posts in order to be granted. Changes that are more minor, swap existing abilities for another, or downgrade the character in some way are generally done at a cost of no posts. For example, gaining a charm that would let a player hide their horns in public would likely be free, while a character learning to shoot fireballs from their hands might require several. Even free changes, however, still require going through the usual process.
The Process Itself:
Post Guidelines:
This depends heavily on the degree of power, and how related to existing abilities it is. An expansion to existing abilities generally will cost less, while an entirely new ability will generally cost more. If a change is being used to bypass a current weakness, it will often cost more.
Here are some rough guidelines:
Adding a new strong ability: 10
Adding a new weak ability: 5
Removing limits or other upgrades: 5
Removing a major weakness: 10
Removing a minor weakness: 5
Total Swap: 15
Removing an ability: -5 to -10
Adding a new weakness: -5 to -10
Limitations:
Normal ability rules still apply, as they stand on the application process. However, characters can go past the three active / five passive maximum through ability training without needing an extra weakness. You can have as many characters doing ability upgrades at a time as you'd like.
Total Swap:
Often the result of a change in a character's species, something is considered a total swap if more than 50% of their existing powers are being changed or removed, and their new power set fits within the character creation rules for a new character.
Total swaps cost 15 posts or their normal cost, whichever is lower.
Upgrade Post Qualifications:
An ability training post is any post which features the ability in question being trained. Posts will only be counted if they are posted after the mods have approved the changes (see process above) and said you're good to go. In order to prevent spamming starters for the sake of training, only 2/3rds of your total can be starters. If you need to do 15 posts, they can be spread out among ten threads maximum. Ideally, they'll be contained in far fewer threads.
Ability training posts should not be the character using the ability as they would normally at full strength. Instead, they should be the way they reach that level. This might involve the reasons for a species change (such as getting bitten by a werewolf), the steps of study and research required to create a powerful item, repeatedly practicing with a spell in order to get it right, or simply training an already existing ability in order to improve.
OOC threads, ICC events, self-threads, social media posts, and AU threads do not count for ability training.
Important non-ability changes to applications should be handled in this thread.
Usually, a change that improves a characters overall strength or versatility will require a certain amount of posts in order to be granted. Changes that are more minor, swap existing abilities for another, or downgrade the character in some way are generally done at a cost of no posts. For example, gaining a charm that would let a player hide their horns in public would likely be free, while a character learning to shoot fireballs from their hands might require several. Even free changes, however, still require going through the usual process.
The Process Itself:
- Before you begin training the ability, make a post in the forum. The thread title should mention the character whose ability is being trained, for example 'Jane Doe Ability Upgrade', or more ideally, something that clarifies the ability in question, like 'Jane Doe's new fire ability'.
- The post should include a written explanation of the ability as it will appear on the application, a note for how you plan to have them get the ability (Are they going to find an item? Craft it themselves? Get bitten by a werewolf?), a link to your application (signature counts) and any other notes you think we might find useful.
- A mod will tag themselves onto your thread and work with you via private message to help ensure the ability is balanced. They'll finish by posting on your thread, letting you know how many posts you'll need to do in order to make the change on your application.
- Once you have posts that meet the requirements, reply to your threads with a link to the posts in question, and a brief summary of how they meet the requirements. If you haven't posted within three months, your power upgrade will be archived automatically.
- Once you've gotten all your posts finished, the mods will approve it and you'll be free to edit your application. You should copy the ability from the thread directly into your application. At this point, the thread will be locked and moved to the completed upgrade forum.
- If you want to do something new with the same character, create a new thread and start the process over again!
Post Guidelines:
This depends heavily on the degree of power, and how related to existing abilities it is. An expansion to existing abilities generally will cost less, while an entirely new ability will generally cost more. If a change is being used to bypass a current weakness, it will often cost more.
Here are some rough guidelines:
Adding a new strong ability: 10
Adding a new weak ability: 5
Removing limits or other upgrades: 5
Removing a major weakness: 10
Removing a minor weakness: 5
Total Swap: 15
Removing an ability: -5 to -10
Adding a new weakness: -5 to -10
Limitations:
Normal ability rules still apply, as they stand on the application process. However, characters can go past the three active / five passive maximum through ability training without needing an extra weakness. You can have as many characters doing ability upgrades at a time as you'd like.
Total Swap:
Often the result of a change in a character's species, something is considered a total swap if more than 50% of their existing powers are being changed or removed, and their new power set fits within the character creation rules for a new character.
Total swaps cost 15 posts or their normal cost, whichever is lower.
Upgrade Post Qualifications:
An ability training post is any post which features the ability in question being trained. Posts will only be counted if they are posted after the mods have approved the changes (see process above) and said you're good to go. In order to prevent spamming starters for the sake of training, only 2/3rds of your total can be starters. If you need to do 15 posts, they can be spread out among ten threads maximum. Ideally, they'll be contained in far fewer threads.
Ability training posts should not be the character using the ability as they would normally at full strength. Instead, they should be the way they reach that level. This might involve the reasons for a species change (such as getting bitten by a werewolf), the steps of study and research required to create a powerful item, repeatedly practicing with a spell in order to get it right, or simply training an already existing ability in order to improve.
OOC threads, ICC events, self-threads, social media posts, and AU threads do not count for ability training.
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