Both values (that is, to raise and to lower) are independent, but it raises a good question I forgot to mention. Should you gain a lot of points based on the same formula when you lower a characteristic, or should it be much more reduced, or even impossible at all?
Now that I am thinking on it, I guess only using specific cultures would make matters much easier to handle. You would need a nice game host to make all the said cultures, but... And remains the small aforementioned problem of balance of course.
