Pretender
Cost: 50 BP
A character with this quality is a Pretender. Due to their innate ability to "pretend" to be anybody they want to be, until today only few have been identified and almost all of those are held captive in megacorp research labs. No one knows how many Pretenders are living among us, most of them probably have no idea of their gift themselves. Those who recognize their ability usually try to stay under the radar, as megacorp research departments are highly interested in exploring and abusing the Pretender phenomenon.
Game Information:
Pretender characters can make a Studying tests. The player chooses an Active skill and a desired rating (ranging from 1 to 6) and makes an Int+Log (rating x2, 1 day) extended Test. During the studying time, they cannot focus on anything else, while they tend to not sleep without suffering from sleep deprivation. The studying process usually consists of extensive data research, legwork and some trial and error techniques that look weird and incomprehensible to bystanders. Memory enhancing 'ware adds to the test.
Pretenders may learn up to INT/2 (rounded down) skills at a time by adding the desired skill ratings together. They may also improve existing skills by adding the difference between the desired rating and the current rating to the threshold.
Knowledge and Language Skills are easier to learn, therefore their ratings do not get doubled for the threshold calculation, but halved.
The attained skills function without restriction, but degrade at a rating of 1 per week and are fully lost when a new Studying test is made.
The Studying interval may be halved by the rules of "Rushing a test" like any other extended test. Glitches indicate difficulties in the studying process. Increase the threshold by two for every glitch. A critical glitch results in memorizing wrong ideas and aspects, gaining an appropriate negative quality for the time (e.g. Computer Illiterate, Flashbacks, Liar, Pacifist, Poor Self Control, Prejudiced, etc).
A Pretender may only be identified through brain examination and psychological evaluation; 5 hits on an assensing test will only tell they are not simply mundane.
This quality does not count against the 35BP limit, similar to the Infected qualities and is incompatible with any quality or race granting a Magic or Resonance attribute.
Appropriate qualities for Pretender characters are First Impression, Blandness and Wanted. Further, a Pretender character usually excels at Etiquette, Con and Disguise, as these will help him fooling society.
