> You can not imagine my anger when my Transmutation Adept was an Earthpony.
That's odd...there aren't supposed to be any adept class cutie marks that earth ponies can have, just apprentice-level ones. Can you let me know which cutie mark it was?
Apprentice-level cutie marks aren't magical talents, but career talents that also impart some magical ability to unicorns who have them.
Overall, the cutie mark system is in need of an overhaul; eventually I'd like to make it so that the cutie mark itself is enough to determine what role the pony will play in the Stable without having to resort to Dwarf Therapist. However, it's an endeavor that will take up an entire update or two when the time arrives. The current system is suitable for the immediate future, and, as mentioned, there are plenty of new features in development that take precedence.
> This is good use of the DF caste system, damn good use.
It's not quite there yet, but thanks.
Most skill penalties for combat and other skills on ordinary ponies are due to general difficulty modifiers; certain skills like surgery are learned slowly compared to skills like cooking. There are additional modifiers added based on ease of handling; unicorns get slight bonuses to skills that require fine manipulation, while earth ponies receive penalties to those same skills (For example, earth ponies make abysmal surgeons). On the other hoof, earth ponies receive large bonuses to earth-related labors like farming, herbalism, and masonry. I will put up a guide for all this after the next update.
Thank you all for the feedback! With it I'll know what needs to be changed when I get around to updating the system.