A character's number of abilities are fixed by their chararacteristics. Each character will always be able to learn at least one ability, and each score above 13 yields an additional learned ability slot.

The more ability slots you fill, the more experience is divided up as you "train" each skill to hone it and keep it sharp. You must pay experience to advance all your learned abilities, so each learned ability slot you choose to fill slows down your advancement. If you fill three slots, it will take you longer, possibly much longer to make your next level (natural abilities and house abilities don't count against experience).

So for example, if you normally would need 1000 experience points to gain your next level, but you have trained 2 learned abilities, you would need 4000 experience points (1000 points to reach next level * 2nd level * 2 abilities)! It is wise to wait until one has some levels under one's belt before trying to master new learned abilities, as the time one requires to keep in practice with each new skill takes a heavy toll on the rate of advancement.

This is an approximation of the character's overall learning curve. They will be able to learn this many abilities in toto, and advance them. But advancement will not slow down until they learn the ability. Thus low-level characters will do better to learn fewer abilities while they begin to gain experience, in order to master what skills they do learn more quickly.

Players who want a healing orientation, or a majik orientation, or a fighting orientation can choose appropriate skills. It will be hardest on those who want to be a pure maj, for with only five maximum slots, the majikal skills Read Majik, Cast Majik, Write Majik, and Dispel Majik will take four of five slots available. But such is appropriate character styling...and with those skills, a maj can become *very* powerful!

Racial abilities the character begins with do not count against these totals. They are inborn, and part of the character, requiring no mastery. Racial abilities do not advance like learned skills.

This gives the player a long list of things to "do" in the game...wander around and collect abilities, or seek the prerequisites necessary to collect the ability desired. It also removes the onus of having to express a particular philosophy via role-play, leaving the player able to run their character as they see fit.

House Abilities
House members can obtain training at low cost from their House Trainer. Training is an ability that is learned, but does not count against your learned ability slots. The house skill is in addition to any natural abilities and learned abilities. The skill itself adds a +1 per level to combat attack rolls. Further levels of house training are available when certain conditions are met.

Learning Skills
Learning Skills is based on a combination of raw "ability," expressed as a character statistic or statistics, and character experience. The more desirable skills require higher stats and more experience to master.

"I'm sorry, my son, come back when you are a little older, and wiser in the ways of the world."

Spells in particular require a high skill (INT) and a high level of experience.

A character without the required score in the desired stat can of course go try to find some way to improve it, such as a Milky Potion or the like.