I didn't quite get how skill specialties are purchased. I hope the good people at Dark Matter can help me . The book (Epic RPG Rules Manual, pp 20) says:

QuoteAt odd skill levels above 1 (3, 5, 7, etc), the character is allowed to focus his experience into a specialty of that skill. Specialties are purchased by spending 2 experience.

What does it mean?

1. When you've got +3 at a skill, let's say Melee Arms, you're allowed to purchase a specialty, for example blades, paying 2 xp. Once you've got a specialty, you must develop it with experience points using the chart on page 23, that is, getting a +1 costs 1 xp, afterwards to get a +2 you pay 2 xp more, etc. When you get a +5 at Melee Arms, you can open a second specialty, for example Axes, and so on.

2. When you've got +3 at a skill, you can get a specialty paying 2 xp, and that gives you a +1 at the specialty (Blades). When you get a +5, you can open another specialty at +1, for example Axes, or you can add another +1 to Blades, so you'd have a +2. If you want to have a +3 at Blades, you must have +7 at Melee Arms.

Which one is true?

Claudius,

First, thanks for checking out Epic RPG!

Regarding your question: Your statement #2 is the correct interpretation:

"2. When you've got +3 at a skill, you can get a specialty paying 2 xp, and that gives you a +1 at the specialty (Blades). When you get a +5, you can open another specialty at +1, for example Axes, or you can add another +1 to Blades, so you'd have a +2. If you want to have a +3 at Blades, you must have +7 at Melee Arms."

Just to expound on what you already noted. Another option would be to learn a new specialty for 2 exp at every odd skill level starting at 3. Just as an example, under Melee Arms, you could learn Bladed Weapons at skill level 3, Open hand at skill level 5, and Shielding at skill level 7. You would have a +1 due to the specialty in each.

Or you could work on the Bladed Weapons specialty at skill level 3 and 5 (giving you a +2 specialty), and Open hand specialty at skill level 7 (for a +1).

Or any other combination you wish...

The skill level and the specialty are cumulative in "to hit" situations. In your example, +3 for Bladed Weapons specialty is added to +7 Melee Arms for a total of +10 on "to hit" rolls (plus any other bonuses you might have).

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, let us know! Also, check out our Epic RPG Forum. http://epicrpg.com/phpbb/index.php

-Andrew