Improving Skills in Alternate Tech Levels

An adventurer who wishes to learn a technological skill can save
points if he already knows that skill at another tech level. Treat the skill
at the new TL as a different skill that defaults to the known skill at the
penalty listed under Tech-Level Modifiers (p. 168); e.g., Engineer/TL5
defaults to Engineer/TL7 at -3. Handle improving skills from “cross-
TL” defaults identically to improving any skill from default; see
Improving Skills from Default (p. 173). (If your skill is not high enough
to let you start from a favorable default, ignore these rules and learn
the skill normally.)
the Riverworld series, A Connecticut
Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, etc.
General guideline: a “science” is
one of the categories of knowledge
listed under Tech Level by Field (p.
512). It takes two years of work to
move each science from one TL to the
next, assuming that:
(a) you have an ample supply of
labor;
(b) you have an ample supply of
raw materials;
(c) you are fully familiar with the
lower TL (all relevant skills at 12+);
and
(d) you know where you’re going,
and are fully familiar with the higher
TL (all relevant skills at 12+).
This rule is specifically for high-TL
characters re-inventing or introducing
technology to a low-tech society or sit-
uation. It does not cover inventions –
for that, see New Inventions (p. 473).