Rules Question Regarding "Reborn Soul" Background

Background in question:

Reborn Soul (Dark Archive pg 176):

You become trained in two Lore skills, which you and your GM choose from Lore skills associated with your past life. At 3rd level, 7th level, and 15th level, you receive skill increases, which you can apply only to these Lore skills. In certain situations analogous to your past life, fragments of memories resurface, potentially helping or distracting you. The GM can offer you a +1 circumstance bonus on skill checks with either of these Lore skills or on other skill checks that echo your past life. If you accept but fail the check, you're stupefied 1 for 1 minute by the mental distraction of your past-life memories, or stupefied 2 for 1 minute on a critical failure.

Question: Does this mean that the character receives skill increases to BOTH Lore Skills at levels 3, 7, and 15? Or does it mean that, at those levels, ONE skill increase is granted; essentially meaning that only one of the two Lore skills can reach Legendary at 15th level?

Thanks in advance for your input!

I had read that plural of 'skill increases' as meaning two increases at each of those levels - one for each of the two Lore skills.

There is enough ambiguity in the English language to argue both cases. But Lore skills are either really good if they match up with the campaign perfectly, or pretty bad if they don't (they can be used for Earn Income, and that's pretty much it).

So since the GM has a say on what the Lore skills are, there shouldn't be too much problem letting the character get boosts in both of them as they level up.

I agree that it is unclear, and likely isn't game breaking either way.

To me it reads more like gain skill increases that can only be applied to these lore skills. one at 3rd, one at 7th, and one at 15th.

If it was intended to be both, it would have been easier to say these lore skills automatically increase in proficiency at 3rd, 7th and 15th level.

I agree that it is unclear, and likely isn't game breaking either way.

To me it reads more like gain skill increases that can only be applied to these lore skills. one at 3rd, one at 7th, and one at 15th.

If it was intended to be both, it would have been easier to say these lore skills automatically increase in proficiency at 3rd, 7th and 15th level.

Thanks to both you and breithauptclan for your responses. I had originally thought along these lines and made the same conclusion. However, there are a few considerations that made me question my ruling.

First - Because it is a rare background, I assume that it is tuned slightly higher than most common backgrounds - this is simply in keeping with my observation that most rare backgrounds provided better benefits than their common alternatives. If I rule that Reborn Soul grants only one skill increase at 3, 7, and 15, rather than two, then it is roughly equivalent to getting "Additional Lore" as a bonus skill feat associated with one's background - which is tuned to the equivalent of a common background. This isn't in keeping with its rare status.

Second - I acknowledge that the background also provides a situational +1 to the lore check, but considering that a) this check comes with a penalty should the character critically fail that check, and b) the lore skills should be chosen by the GM - it seems that there are checks in place to keep the impact of these additional features minimized.

Considering all the above, I am tempted to rule in favor of granting skill increases to both lore skills.

Tuned equal to Common options is what Rare options are supposed to be shooting for. Hitting it isn't 100%, but it's absolutely the correct target.

Common backgrounds always offer the same set of benefits (one "fixed" boost that gives you two options, one free boost, one regular skill training, one Lore training, and one skill feat); Rare backgrounds offer non-standard benefits, but that's not the same as better.