Elders: Just experience, or something else?

[SunBoy]

This has been discussed for a long time, but I think it's still a good question: do you make your elder amberites more powerful that your players just because they're elders (as in, they're a group apart), or do you think of them as just pretty advanced characters (with some strange powers, on occasion)? That is, if a PC puts 95 points in psyche, and we assume Gerard is the lowest ranking elder in that respect (he's got 35 points in his most powerful version), then will the PC be able to beat Gerry in a mind duel? Will a guy with 87 points in strength be able to kick Fiona's extremely beautiful backside, if it was a totally phisycal confrontation? (Somehow that seems more likely than the previous example) If not, why?
Is there, besides experience (in the broader, non-rpg sense), any fundamental difference between the power of second and third generation amberites? This was actually suggested in the novels, in your opinion? Do you take this difference to be based on experience in the rpg sense (Bleys has had a few centuries of adventuring, so he's got scores of points to place), or in their "thicker" blood?

[Schattensturm]

Good question. In my eyes it is the latter. Player characters should be able to confront low ranked elders if they are good enough. As I use a point, not rank-based system, I apply virtual "age category" boni to elder characters.
Primeval: Dworkin +250
Ancient: Oberon +200
Very Old: Benedict +150
Elder: The post-Chaos Oberon lot +100
Experienced: Martin, Dara, Merlin, etc. +50
In my eyes this is an easy method to create elders. When I feel PCs have gained a lot of XP and are closing the gap too fast, I just raise that virtual bonus by a few points without having to adjust each elder individually.

[Croaker]

Experience. Some of my PCs were ranked higher than some elders in some attributes.

As per blood and all, I resolved this like that: Sure, there is a blood dilution when breeding with shadow beings, which only means that each generation will be weaker and weaker at the start (but will be able to get better with experience).
For exemple, an amberite children might have one attribute at chaos ranks, his grandchildren 2 attributes at chaos rank... Until the descendants seem just like another human
But, thing is, asseying the pattern changes you utterly, making you a "true" amberite, and reseting the clock. For exemple, if the grand-grandchild traversed the pattern, his childs would only start with 1 attribute at chaos rank

[RPGPundit]

In my opinion, they're basically the same as the PCs, only with centuries (or millenia) of added experience. Given time and effort, a PC could theoretically become as powerful.

RPGPundit

[gabriel_ss4u]

I feel it is a duel reason.
They are stronger, IMO, due to being born closer to the stronger blood-line.
A GM can determine if he/she wants to make it a factor if blood is thinned.
I don't.
I consider the elders to have eons more experience, and to have stronger blood determined by their parentage. As I stated, I don't really use it that way.
I allow PCs to get up to an elder. but it takes a loooong time.
Perhaps if a PC has a richer blood mix than others of his/her generation, it may matter. But that has never been an issue in my games.

Now the thought on the Pattern leveling the playing field as far as blood goes... I like that notion. Kudos Croaker.

[Croaker]

My pleasure