Advancement Confusion
Back in '97-8, we started a campaign in Middle-Earth using MERP (you know...that 'other' system...hehe). Our characters advanced to about what would be 5th-6th level and we haven't had a chance to get back to the campaign for some time (read: years).
Now, we come back to it, thrilled with the movies and being more or less interested to see what these characters would be capable of in CODA. Using conversion tables found in the Moria booklet by ICE, the stats were easy to convert. We then built the characters up converting XP to CODA and assigning skill points as we went through each advancement (one advancement at a time, extrapolating from memory what the character had done/was doing at the time).
Well, it went like this:
One character, a Shield-Maiden of Rohan, ended up with 6 advancements, nothing big. She had, from character creation, some skill with a Spear (6 ranks, Weapon Mastery, high physical stats) and ended up at +10 or so, specialized. We were like, wow, she's as bad as Aragorn or Boromir with that Spear. Which was fine, that went with her story.
Well, then she advanced. And, now, spending very stringently to advance her Armed Combat, she's ending up with a +17. Which seems insane. Plus, she spent some points and took Swift Strike 1, wants to go for Swift Strike 2, but we halted last night because we were all like, "We have GOT to be missing something..."
Help! Let me know if there's something I'm missing, or if this system really is this unbalanced.
"First, learn to use this," he said, indicating the boy's head. "Then, I'll teach you to use this," indicating the sword.