In the previous blog, we looked at how player characters improve their Abilities and Specialisms as a result of their adventures. However, over time, it is also likely that characters will want to acquire new Specialisms.
One way of acquiring a new Specialism is to seek out some suitable training or to undertake a programme of research. There should always be an associated cost for a character of doing this, whether that’s in terms of time, money and/or favours (as determined by the Referee). Locating a suitable teacher may also be an adventure in its own right.
Alternatively, a new Specialism might be acquired as a result of an in-game event. For example, being bitten by a werewolf would result in the automatic acquisition of a “Lycanthropy” Power. Or, as a more mundane example, a long sea voyage in which the character is an active crew member might lead to them gaining a “Sailing” Specialism.
Upon the acquisition of a new Specialism, its starting value will be 4d10%.
It is recommended that the acquisition of a new Specialism should be a relatively infrequent event. Players should certainly be discouraged from “collecting” Specialisms. The whole design ethos of Hack100 is that it only has a small pool of skills. Perhaps 3-5 Specialisms would be a sensible upper limit, even for very experienced characters.