jrawlings said:
Mathematics. You take algebra, geometry, trigonometry, throw in a logic course. When that person takes calculus, they are prepared and WILL DO BETTER than someone who decides one day, hey... I'm going to take calculus. Likewise, take both of these students and put them in an intro computer science class. The person with the math background will likely do MUCH BETTER than the other.
But isn't this what we have in-game right now? The Hunter starts with an advantage in Bow over the Squire, if the Hunter decides to take down a group of river pirates with his Bow he's going to do MUCH better than the Squire if the latter also tries to use the Bow, it's in the game already.
So it is true, that if you practice something, without instruction you will eventually get good at it. I hope that is the case for me because I'm an avid golf fan but never could afford lessons (computer games won out when it came to my $$

). I play rather terribly but I'd like to think that one day I will be much better than I am!
Just like the math examples you used before, we are talking about the natural universe here, training with a mentor is sharing his experience and training alone is experiencing it yourself, the knowledge is already there and available to everyone, the more you experience it the more you learn, a Guide that has been throught that before can help you but he is not the holder of the knowledge, the first Golfers or the first Mathematicians didn't had any tutors to help them but they created, invented and developed, cultures and religions far apart came to the same conclusions without ever meeting, developing similar stories, traditions, philosophies, etc..
But suffice it to say, someone who is more athletic than I, in tune with their bodies, can understand and execute things like "opening your hips" and will generally have much better muscle memory than I do. Therefore, your athlete will 90% of the time progress faster learning the game of golf than I ever will. That is the spirit of my suggestion.
I whole-heartedly disagree, the problem lies in your past not in your future, I find your lack of faith disturbing, why do you severely limit yourself believing you woulnd't ever be better than an Athlete, what makes an Athlete better than you? What makes an Athlete different than you? What does he posses that you don't?
A professional Athlete dedicated a greater share of his life to training than you did, hence he has more experience than you right now, exactly like we have in game, but if you dedicate as much or more time and effort than he what makes you think you wouldn't catch up?
There are many enemies at higher levels than you when you start the game, imagine if you couldn't rise in levels because we have to follow your analogy and the higher levels will always be faster and better than you, doesn't sound right to me.
When you start from a Squire, you have to learn to be a good knight and you will be worse than all higher level enemies as those have been fighting longer than you, but as you gain experience you will become better than every new warrior, and eventually better than any warrior with a certain level of experience lower than you, and eventually you will become a killing machine like those high level enemies from the beginning, and those would be long gone by the time you are level 50, the old enemies died, got weakened by many wounds, retired of old age, etc.
If you start from a Priest you are far behind as your only fighting experience was a harmless brawl over a toy during your childhood, however, the knowledge of good swordsmanship is universal, anyone can learn to become a master given enough time and practice, or in other words, experience, the most advanced techniques require greater practice and even greater effort than the basic stuff and you are correct in this point, only someone who knows the basics can progress further, someone who never touched a sword before would have to get the basics first to reach your level and that's totally represented in-game already! You don't have to make "class" based bonuses as that's already represented like when you take a knight character and start enhancing your Bow skills, you will suck in the beginning and will be behind a Sea Raider's Archer for example untill you can start progressing beyond basic levels, the only "class" difference I see is someone who already has experience with a Bow and others who don't, I don't see why a special super-human class of people should progress faster than others, I don't see how a former knight who's now dedicating his life to Archery can't catch-up with Robin Hood.