Unfortunately, Don, it is a typo or otherwise is incredibly unclear. It states in the paragraph in question that "Each time your character advances, you may use no more than one pick per nonprofessional skill." Given that it costs 2 picks per level, this implies you can't raise a nonprofessional skill during one advancement, rather than that you can raise it only once during one advancement.Originally posted by Don Mappin
Page 153 is correct. Two picks (you get 5 per advancement) to raise a non-professional skill and you can only raise one per advancement. One pick to raise a professional skill and you can do up to two per advancement.
Not a typo and I don't agree with your assessment. There's plenty of reasons to raise (and learn) non-professional skills. They're simply more expensive. Most characters raise a non-professional skill per advancement, actually. No profession is good at everything.
Also, further down it states under nonfavored reaction that "Each time your character advances, you may allocate no more than two picks per nonfavored reaction." However each of these costs 3 picks, implying you can't spend 3 and increase it once during your advancement.
It seems it should have been said more simply i.e. "You can only increase/gain one level in a nonprofessional skill/nonfavored reaction each time you advance."
I just use the chart anyway. Since it's mathematically impossible to go over the reaction limits, I just remember that you can't advance a professional skill more than twice, or a nonprofessional skill more than once per advancement (the intent of the rule if not the letter)
Lockhart