.DT taskmaster Discworld concepts help taskmaster .SH Name .SP 5 5 the taskmaster system - The system to improve skills by practice. .EP .SH Description .SP 5 5 There are a variety of ways to gain expertise in skills. You could spend time and effort in learning from another person. You could undertake a quest and be given an experience reward for completing it successfully which you can then spend at your guild in exchange for skill levels. There are other means too, of course, but the most general and wide-spread method is via the taskmaster. The taskmaster system is just a simple, generic procedure for improving a skill by practising it, that is, by attempting a task that requires some level of ability in the skill. Each task requires a certain amount of skill at which you begin to start succeeding if you attempt it; there is another, higher threshold, beyond which you will always succeed because you have mastered that particular task. Between these two thresholds, you could attempt the task but fail, or you could attempt the task and succeed, or you could attempt the task, learn something in the attempt and gain a level and succeed. .EP .SH Examples .SI 5 * Sneaking along a street could improve in covert.stealth.outside. * Fighting with a sword could improve in fighting.combat.melee.pierce. * Using religious scrolls could improve in faith.items.scroll. * Flying with your broomstick could improve in magic.items.held.broom. * Casting a fire spell could improve in magic.methods.elemental.fire. * Climbing a tree could improve in other.climbing.tree. .EI .SH See also .SP 5 5 experience, guilds, quests, learn, skills, teach. .EP