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In Stick of Truth there is the perk Growing Boy (Your maximum health increases by 20%). Is this perk only applied once or is it applied with each level up, when the maximum health increases?

Either way, should it be used in the early game or in the late game?

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I haven't played the game in a long time, but from memory, this particular perk adds 20% of your total health at the time you buy it.

Either way, even if it's more useful to buy it in late game, I'd recommend buying it early, because you'll need it, especially since combat diffuculty scales up quickly.

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While I don't have the game yet, such perks typically work passive in RPGs and will always increase your health by the given percentages, even after you've gained more health.

To explain this with mockup numbers (these don't include any bonuses given by the perk; they're base values):

  • Scenario 1: Your character has 100 health, obtains a +20% health perk, he gains another 100 health.

  • Scenario 2: Your character has 100 health, gains another 100 health and then unlocks a +20% health perk.

In the end it won't matter, since the passive perk isn't a static bonus that is applied once. It's a passive effect that is applied overall.

  • Scenario 1: You start with 100 health. After unlocking the perk, you'll get a 20% bonus, so you'll end up with 120 health. Now, due to the perk, for every 10 health you'd normalle gain, you'll actually get 12 health! So if you collect another 100 health, those will be modified to be effective 120 health. In the end you'll have 240 health.

  • Scenario 2: You start with 100 health and raise this to 200 health. Now you unlock the perk and get 20 % bonus health: In the end you'll have 240 health.

There are actually only a very few games that apply bonuses in a one-time way similar to what you describe. Those are rare and I can't remember any game out of memories that actually does that. There could be a game where you find a magical chest, that will always include as many coins as you carry - that would be a good example. But as far as passive perks go, those are pretty much always as described above.

Edit: Just remembered an example for such a "wait to get something better" approach - although it doesn't involve health. In Final Fantasy VIII the loot you'll get off enemies as well as some spell sources throughout the world will change as you level up. The enemies "level" with you, and at given thresholds they'll start to gain new abilities or loot might be replaced. Loot works similar in some instances of the The Elder Scrolls games.

Some games feature treasures that will require you to have a special ability or perk early, since you won't be able to return to that place later on, but I've yet to see any game that punishes you for unlocking some ability or passive early.

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  • The Scenario 1 must apply because I just chose the perk and my HP did not change.
    – gillesB
    Mar 9, 2014 at 10:28
  • That would be really odd. What happens if you don't take the perk and get the HP (assuming it's predetermined, like a levelup)? I've edited my answer a bit to make it clear that those 100 health would have been 100 health even without the perk just to be sure.
    – Mario
    Mar 9, 2014 at 10:30
  • Oh no that makes sense in the game. The perks are independent from the levels. I gained a new level and have HP 353. Then some time later I unlocked a new perk and chose "Growing Boy" and my HP stayed at 353. So I expect that I get more additional HP at the next Level up. But I don't know how to actually prove that the perk works.
    – gillesB
    Mar 9, 2014 at 10:55
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    Ah! Okay, that might be possible. Some games (again like Final Fantasy VIII) indeed feature bonuses that apply to levelups, like "gain x more health on levelups". You could save your game right before a level up, then level up once with and once without the perk, to see whether there's a difference. Given the wording, I'd still consider it a permanent bonus.
    – Mario
    Mar 9, 2014 at 10:59
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    I'm really sorry for entering this as an answer as it should be a comment on Mario's answer, if possible please move this there. What about Scenario 3, where it's just a one-time occurance? Say you have 100 health + 20% = 120, then you get another 100 health and your total is now 220. I don't remember the exact text from the game, but I remember that it is pretty vague. That would suggest that the Growing Boy perk is best taken late in the game.
    – Telestia
    Apr 8, 2014 at 17:44

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