One of my pet peeves in RP forum discussions is the weird idea that it is realistic for characters to not be able to specialize in more than one skill/combat style. This is not balanced for sure, but if we are going for realism multiple advanced skills makes perfect sense. The whole 'jack of all trades' thing is coming from a very video game-y/min max point of view.
Here is the brutal honest part in reality. For some people 'what they are best at' is merely average for many other people. Some people are barely capable of pushing a single mediocre skill, some have talents in skills that aren't really useful, others are only really skilled in whatever their job skill set is, others are talented in multiple other areas, and still more are incredibly talented. "Life is not fair" should probably be a phrase that needs some more emphasis in the modern world. It's not. It's absolutely brutal.Â
Real life does not have a perfect spread of point allocation like in an RPG. Some people are born very lucky and others get a raw deal. This is a bit of a downer post but I will say, what's truly important is that you live the life you want, which often means being happy. There are multiple roads to get there.Â
To answer this question you have to ask what RP style you prefer. Do you prefer realism? Do you prefer well-balanced characters?
If you're going for realism on this consider that talent also comes with time. Artists may have a creative disposition but they didn't get to where they are by not sinking time practicing their artwork. To be talented in many things, depending on what it is, requires time investment. If you're RPing a character who spends every night at the Quicksand then it doesn't seem that plausible to me. If your character is young (pre-30/40's) then it is also increasingly unbelievable the younger your character is. Prodigies are a thing but they're a bit rare and overdone as well.
My overall opinion is that while I do enjoy and need a healthy dosage of realism in RP, it isn't always fun to be realistic. I think it is more fun to limit how much your character is skilled at, that way your character isn't constantly hogging the spotlight.
Here is the brutal honest part in reality. For some people 'what they are best at' is merely average for many other people. Some people are barely capable of pushing a single mediocre skill, some have talents in skills that aren't really useful, others are only really skilled in whatever their job skill set is, others are talented in multiple other areas, and still more are incredibly talented. "Life is not fair" should probably be a phrase that needs some more emphasis in the modern world. It's not. It's absolutely brutal.Â
Real life does not have a perfect spread of point allocation like in an RPG. Some people are born very lucky and others get a raw deal. This is a bit of a downer post but I will say, what's truly important is that you live the life you want, which often means being happy. There are multiple roads to get there.Â
To answer this question you have to ask what RP style you prefer. Do you prefer realism? Do you prefer well-balanced characters?
If you're going for realism on this consider that talent also comes with time. Artists may have a creative disposition but they didn't get to where they are by not sinking time practicing their artwork. To be talented in many things, depending on what it is, requires time investment. If you're RPing a character who spends every night at the Quicksand then it doesn't seem that plausible to me. If your character is young (pre-30/40's) then it is also increasingly unbelievable the younger your character is. Prodigies are a thing but they're a bit rare and overdone as well.
My overall opinion is that while I do enjoy and need a healthy dosage of realism in RP, it isn't always fun to be realistic. I think it is more fun to limit how much your character is skilled at, that way your character isn't constantly hogging the spotlight.
Now with a wiki! Flickering Ember's wiki
