How to treat yet to be implemented racial limitations

[Everybody]

I'm creating a Kran. Not just any Kran, but a Kran Talad priest of sorts. I was reading 3.3 of the player's guide, specifically on Kran, and it seems they can't really progress far in anything - 8th rank in all magics, 8th rank in all things thieving, and even 8th rank in martial arts. Now, I thought "martial arts" might only refer to punching, but I went down to the Enki description, and they get a bonus to martial arts - starting in rank 4 in "any one school". That leads me to believe "martial arts" means all things fighting. So, if I'm not off base, Kran are intended to be dedicated crafters, since pretty much everything that might ever hurt somebody (barring food poisoning if the Kran is a chef), is going to be capped off at rank 8. Magic, stealth and combat, anyway.

This leads me to my question. This game is full of roleplayers who seem to enjoy going beyond what's there right now and pretending what's yet to be already is. Do most of you stop raising your skills when the race guide says your race can't go further? Because, if so, Krans can be pretty much as powerful as they'll ever be right out of creation. Why, I accidently got Azure up to rank 11 and I'll be going back to trim that down.

I suppose I aught to suggest allowing the Kran, when limitations are implemented, to progress past rank 8 in something. If martial, magic and stealth abilities all cap at 8, well, that relegates one of the game's most original races to town dwelling virtual NPC status, with other players keeping Kras naked, barefoot and in the kitchen, the way they like them. Maybe I read too much into the Kran description? I do have a habit of stretching for conclusions. Just thinking out loud. I like this game quite a bit. The hardest part about coming up with a character isn't that they're all bad, it's that they're all good. I haven't seen a game with so many unorthodox races. Kran, Enki, Klyros, the two devil races, seamen, mystic smurfs - there's something for everyone.

[Vakachehk]

Well I have forgotten most of my knowledge of settings BUT I still remember the Enkidukai one 

 ~ Enkidukais are actually in packs, each divided by mechanics (you could simple change by use of description or recreation) the mechanics show the colour of that Enkidukai. Now your probably gonna call me racist but sorry it's settings and that's life back in those days, Each colour has a name (White-tiger - Kore, Orange/mid-dark brown-tiger Akkaio, Spoty-tiger Blikau, Black/dark Clamod, White/cream Rabani, Sarraghi (not implemented) not allowed to say) Each have their tradition profession to assist the Enkidukai race, these traditions are meant to still be greatly used and if not they live away from the Enkidukais and are normally disliked by most Enkidukais, (each packs traditions: Kore - Military, protection of the Enkidukai, Akkaio - Merchants and vendors, Blikau - water workers and more into meterials (they I think are very poor aswel) Rabani - Politicians. Clamods are the poorest and are usually thieves and other criminals, but aren't shamed by the enkidukai for not doing what their whole pack does. The Clamods do not live in Ojaveda as there Dsar isn't located their (I believe) but they are very welcomed by any other pack to assist them in their traditions and jobs and what have you.

Each Pack is given a dedicated sector/suburb of Ojaveda (home town of the Enkidukai) they are called Dsars (So far Dsar Kore and Dsar Akkaio are implemented, (the Steel Bizarre is owned by the Akkaio I believe)) As you can tell by looking at each Dsar that is Implemented so far you will notice Dsar Akkaio is a market place along with the Steel Bizarre, and Dsar Kore being a very fighting, military type place.

[MishkaL1138]

Steel BAZAAR. Lol, I've heard it being called Bizaar, Bbezar, and more aberrations… but BIZARRE?! LOL!!

And Sarraghi is implemented for A SINGLE NPC in Dsar Kore, near the Arena. It's grey-ish, like the Rabani model. And I would classify Enkidukai as Tigers (Kore, Akkaio), Pantheras (Clamod, Rabani, Sarraghi) and Leopard (Blikau).

And Vakachehk's settings are correct… I think. But I disagree: Bhurrla Varsheen is Akkaio (even though her head is Rabani… bug?), from the Mikana family. They were dishonoured by her choice, but on a quest she regains the respect of her brothers Jirosh and Phanejor. So I guess you can be whatever you want. Now I regret not making Mishka a Kore *chuckles* But it'd be strange now if she changed her fur now, wouldn't it? After all, she has Kore ascendancy…

What I mean is settings are NOT the complete guide to PlaneShift. They're only some "rules", if you can call it that, (and this is my opinion). If you create a solid background story for your character… what's the problem? You've seen the example of Bhurral and the Mikanas. That's the magic of PlaneShift: you can choose what you are, what you do (job, I mean), and what you learn.

[Sangwa]

For now I wouldn't bother too much with character related details (i.e. actual rank limitations) but rather with the overall traits: if Krans are not meant to fight, don't make your kran a fighter, if they're not able to be mages, don't roleplay them as such. You can still raise the ranks and have some PL fun, just as lone as you don't rub it in someone's RPing experience.

I disagree with Mishka's view a bit, since I don't think we all have the authority to magically turn our char in what we want it to be. When people consider their char does this and that (oh, let's say, shoot l450r5 from the eyes), I only consider their char mad.

[LigH]

@ Mishka:

I doubt that one Menki is Sarraghi. It is rather a custom skin for a hunter. I heard rumours that Sarraghi shall look similar to lions, but the mane makes problems.
__

@ Everybody:

I am not certain what exactly the "8th rank" in a skill means. But quite obviously it cannot be equal to the 8th level in training; being so "handicapped" would deserve him a wheelchair.

Expect this part of the Settings to be outdated by at least a whole era. Ignore it for now in this strict form, obey it at best as coarse recommendation in your roleplay. The developers won't have revised that before "soon™" anyway.

[Vakachehk]

Lol Mishka Bazaar is what I thought but checked with my mum and she said it's spelt the same :/

Well I do think that, that person isn't Sarraghi (I use EZPCUSA) Sarraghi I am sure is much different. I think the Steel BAZAAR is actually meant to be changed to something else, as it's not really Steel. But not sure about that.
I just think they are all tigers and who cares about getting fussy... So long as they aren't classified as Zebras (For Kore) or Cats I'm fine.

@Sangwa Well I wouldn't really care if someone changes their mind on their Characters after RPing a little, just not like 2 years later after creation but a month or two is sweet.

Anyways we are heading a little.

[Everybody]

@ Everybody:

I am not certain what exactly the "8th rank" in a skill means. But quite obviously it cannot be equal to the 8th level in training; being so "handicapped" would deserve him a wheelchair.

Thanks - that's what I was hoping. I sat down, decided to make a Kran, and wanted to do it right. Normally, I can sort of get into a dev's head and see what they're going for with a ruleset. If the Kran were restricted to 8th rank in only magic and stealth, I'd have just taken it as "8 levels of skill", and it'd be cool, because I'd know the Kran was Planeshift's version of the big dumb ogre that's only good for swinging clubs - they have their place. I was confused mostly because I've seen Kran mages in game and they seem well spoken. Then of course the melee skills are also capped at "rank 8" and well, I no longer had any clue what it was the devs had in mind. I'll just pretend the rules don't exist. I mean, I was sitting down with a calculator, trying to figure out, if rank 8 out of 100 or 150 is the cap for magic, where should I cap my will cha and int - so I was getting ratios, but that didn't work. I'm insanely OCD about characters, not necessarily being powerful, but having a perfect logic. No number or trait is selected randomly. Kran are rough as is because of the single parent birth vs mother father dichotomy, but I solved that by making both parents any career where the mother is described as "You essentially had two dads". It's a nice logical work around, since I can't bring myself to settle for randomness and stuff that I know isn't so. Now if I could just RP in a way that doesn't make me facepalm from cheesiness.

[Knightspark9]

Kran are peace loving peeps; gentle giants. They only fight if friends are being harassed, etc. However there are the rare individuals who do the warmongering.

[LigH]

The whole skill system is being reworked in those days. Developers try to get an equal power between comparable levels of e.g. different weapon classes. The maximum trainable skill may be planned towards 200. But who knows if that will change -- and in a how distant future.

The maximum for stats used to be 200 as well ... now we read that it is being planned towards 400.

I believe a developer related to Settings or Rules will need to explain the "8th rank"; I, personally, try to imagine that as "8/10th of the maximum", and may be wrong with it.

Spells have a realm. Currently, realm 1 is just common, realm 2 takes some efforts, realm 5 is a kind of maximum. So an "8th rank" does not match these realms either. Not directly.

The race descriptions you can read publicly are "ancient". Several "eras" of this game have been created in the meantime. I hope we will have enough Settings developers one day that one of them will have enough time to get this page up to date.