I'm in seasonal internet quasi-hermitdom, but I'm peeking out to ask this question: what doubles or triples when a character's skill in operating a magical device exceeds level one?
Two things prompt me to ask this question. Firstly, the time factors of many devices are either instant or non-existent (i.e., the skill check is merely a game mechanic for bias purposes), and the durations are sometimes dictated strictly by device type ("always active," "when worn/held," etc.). Those are usually the top two candidates for doubling and tripling. It's easy enough to turn to area or whatever RS controls, but that brings me to the second sticky point: Device creation rules specify sit-mods that allow the creator to create a device that will "operate at a skill level of two or three." If the device creator controls the potency of the spell effect, what's left for the device user?
Two answers occur to me. The first is that there is no bonus for the character who achieves a 2@ or 3@ SAL in operating an Always Active or When Worn/Held device beyond the increased percentage chance of its operation in low-bias worlds. That's consistent with the printed rules and justifies the efforts of powerful device creators, but it seems poor compensation for the player who devised a double-doubled or triple-tripled training program for such a skill.
The second answer is, perhaps the potency of the skill effect is controlled by the higher of either the user's skill or the potency inherent in the device from its creation. This rewards the efforts of the training player, but it saps some of the value from creating inherently powerful devices.
A third answer is to allow both creator and user to contribute multiples, but surely that's imbalanced. Isn't it?
