Dabbler

Prerequisites: all related skills must have defaults.
Dabbler is a perk where instead of putting 1 point in a skill someone doesn't have, they split that point among several related skills they do not have to buy up the relative penalties for using them at default, so long as they do not surpass the penalty for using them at a single point.Power-Ups 2: Perks, p.16
*Base: eight skills at default+1; trade two choices for one at default+2; four choices for one at default+3.
==vs incompetent quirk==
Incompetent gives -4 to a skill for a character point.
Rather than an incompetent char buy "Not Incompetent" for a full character point, it would be reasonable to allow them to use Dabbler slots to improve their incompetent skill to -3 or -2 or -1 below default.
This "pre-dabble" then "post-dabble" approach gives many degrees of skill--it keeps intact the embargo on actually buying the skill while still allowing means of going between D-4 and D-0, and effectively emulates how Anti-Talent allows "partial incompetence" tiers.
Dabbler could also be an alternative approach to Shyness. Rather than allow shy characters to learn skills and then penalize them, this could be partially represented in still limiting shy characters to default skill, but allowing those defaults to buy off anti-talent penalties (via custom dabbler) then to buy off default penalties (via normal dabbler).
==vs Thaumatology==
Having an IQ-7 default, it is possible to take Incompetence in Thaumatology to have IQ-11 in it, if you live in a magical setting and have witnessed magic.
Characters who don't live in magical settings or who have not witnessed magic still get no default, so they're a step below this.
This is largely meaningless for low IQ characters. If it is not even possible to attempt the skill (3 required) via all possible modifiers then further penalties should not be worth any points. There are a LOT of ways to get bonuses though:
*TDM can give +10
*Time Spent usually caps at +5 but there's quirk which can boost it to +6
*equipment modifiers can give +2
*certain traits like single-minded can give bonuses
In essence, someone with barely any magical knowledge (but plenty of time and resources) might be able to make a spell work, despite all the penalties. This sort of situation tends to happen to characters with Weirdness Magnet.
==See also==
*Default Rolls
*Wizardly Dabbler
== References ==
Category:Perks