Lower starting power levels - how low and pace of rebuild?

[JusticeZero]

By default, FATE prefers a start with quite competent characters. I, however, prefer various levels of "Zero to Hero" or at least "Apprentice school" games where the characters start out with only a few tools, and build up from there with a more recognizable progression.

My last couple games have had decent longevity, so that's an issue too; I am sometimes wary of starting out competent as in some systems, that eventually becomes a bit of a Dragonball issue of games getting very high powered.

Now, I can do that by trimming back the starting skills/stunts/etc, but I have to wonder if anybody knows about how skilled the various build levels feel? How much of a build should a person being sucked into a situation, or someone just getting started (two distinctive skill levels) be? Does it matter much which variation?

[Anonymouswizard]

Note that Skill levels are relative to the game being played. Great Spellcasting means different things not only in Harry Potter and Second Apocalypse, it means different things in Philosopher's Stone and Deathly Hallows. You can have increasing threat without having increasing numerical values just by deciding that the story has shifted enough that your baseline is higher.

Aspects are your friend here. A beginning villain might be Tough As Nails, but the Ancient Deadly Dragon God of Doom is Literally Invulnerable.

As to skill spreads, the Fate System Toolkit brings up a good point: breadth matters as much as depth. A character with 50% of the skill list can probably contribute in most situations, one with 30% is much less capable.