Skills

Types of Skill

Most skills, like Riding or Stealth, are fairly "atomic"; they describe some set of things that your character either does or does not knows how to do. These skills use the normal rules for purchasing and using skills.

Some skills, like the Art skill, represent several related but distinct skills. Many forms of art are distinct: being a master sculptor doesn't make you a master chef as well. However, their mechanical functions are similar enough that it would not be practical to treat Sculptor and Painter as completely separate skills with distinct rules. In these cases, we use field skills.

Field Skills

A field skill requires you to pick a field – like Sculptor or Chef for the Art skill. Each combination of a field skill and a field is treated as a completely separate skill – for example, Art: Sculptor and Art: Chef are completely distinct, atomic skills. This means that you can't put ranks in Art directly, or roll an Art check; instead, you purchase Art: Chef, and roll Art: Chef checks. Of course, since Art: Chef and Art: Sculptor are distinct skills, you can put ranks in both; many characters often do this, since artists often have skill in more than one art form (and academics often have skill in more than one field of study, and so on).

Each field skill will include a list of sample fields. You don’t have to pick one of the samples, but if you don’t, you should get your GM’s permission. It's also a good idea to make sure that you and your GM agree on what your chosen field covers, and what it doesn't. And, obviously, your field shouldn’t be much broader or much narrower than the samples are.

You can specialize in a field skill the same way you could a normal skill. For example, you could take the Art skill, pick the Painting field, and specialize in Landscapes. That would be denoted as Art: Painting [Landscapes].

Proficiency Skills

Sometimes, the same set of skills can apply to several different sup-disciplines, with only slight modifications; an athlete might be able to learn a new sport fairly easily, for example, or an experienced sword-fighter might be able to use a mace ably without ever having trained with it before. In these cases, we use Proficiency Skills.

Each proficiency skill that you have ranks in will have an associated list of proficiencies. When you use a proficiency skill, see if you have a proficiency appropriate to the task: if you do, roll the proficiency skill as normal; if you don’t, downgrade the result if you succeed.

Sometimes, no proficiency is required; in these cases, simply roll the check as normal, with no penalty.

Somewhat like field skills, each proficiency skill will list sample proficiencies. When you select a proficiency, you don’t have to pick one of the samples, but you should get your GM’s permission to use one that you come up with yourself.

You can specialize in a Proficiency Skill; normally, you would do this by picking a particular proficiency to specialize in.

See character creation for rules on acquiring ranks in skills, specializations, and proficiencies.

Skill List

• Animal Handling (SAV)

  • Active, Social
  • Animal Handling is used as the “Social Skill for Animals”. It’s used to coax animals into doing what you would like them to do (to scare them of, for example), or to change their attitude towards you (to earn their trust, for example).
  • Animal Handling can be used to train an animal, but we don’t provide detailed rules for that. This is generally best handled either by purchasing a Class or Power (like Wildlander), or by purchasing the animal companion as a Moderate or Major Item and then building it using the rules for Followers.
  • Sample Specialization: by a family of animals (canines, felines, equines, etc.), or by role (combat, work, companion, riding)
  • Aryn wants to scare off a mountain lion that's threatening the group; she rolls her Animal Handling, versus the mountain lion's Resist Social Manipulation.
  • The mountain lion has been shadowing the group, so Aryn decides to try to lure it to her and befriend it; she rolls her Animal Handling again, this time unopposed.
  • Aryn decides to train the mountain lion as a companion; mountain lions can't normally be domesticated, so this is going to be tricky; the GM decides that this is a 30-shift Job, requiring an Animal Handling test with a -10 penalty.

• Art (INT, Field Skill)

  • Active, Knowledge
  • Sample Fields: Culinary, Literature, Music, Painting, Poetry, Sculpture, Theater
  • Specializations: by field
  • River is pretending to be a minstrel, so he decides to spend some time playing his flute in a bar for money; this requires an Art: Music check.
  • The adventure taps out River's finances, so he finds himself in the embarrassing situation of needing money: he makes a bargain with a tavern owner, a day spent playing for a day's lodging. This doesn't require a check an Art: Music check, since he doesn't need to play particularly stirringly to satisfy the tavern owner; it might require a Protocol check to talk the bartender into accepting the deal, or a Profession: Minstrel check to determine just how much River makes.

• Athletics (SOM, Proficiency Skill)

  • Active, Movement, Physical
  • Represents your characters’ general athletic ability, and the specific list of athletic disciplines that you’re proficient with.
  • Example Proficiencies:
    • Agility is used for forms of athleticism that rely on dexterity, grace and precision. For humanoids, this covers flips, rolls, dives, and the like. Agility is used for most stunt moves.
    • Endurance is used for forms of athleticism that rely on perseverance. For humanoids, this covers jogging, distance running, swimming, and the like.
    • Might is used when strength is the primary factor. For humanoids, this covers throwing, pulling, lifting, long jumps, and the like.
    • Swiftness, which is used for raw speed. Swiftness is usually used in chases (whether you're tring to catch someone or outrun them).
    • of by Specific Sports
  • Aryn is chasing a suspect through the streets of Tern City; this requires opposed Athletics checks, both using the Swiftness proficiency. They both have the Swiftness proficiency, so they both roll their Athletics skill (assuming they're both running flat-out); if Aryn wins, she'll gain on him, but if he wins, he'll open the distance.
  • The suspect decides to try to trip Aryn up, so he knocks over a table behind him. Aryn wants to vault the table, so the GM calls for an Athletics check using the Agility proficiency. Aryn has the Agility proficiency, so she rolls her Athletics without penalty; if she makes it, she'll vault the table.
  • The suspect wants to climb the wooden facade of a building. The GM decides this requires the Might proficiency, but the suspect doesn't have it, so he rolls his Athletics with a -20 penalty. If he fails, he will fall.

• Control (WIL)

  • Active, Mental
  • Your ability to manipulate your own natural magical energy.
  • Primarily used with sleights that require tests, or to develop new sleights.
  • Example Specialization: by power

• Craft (COG, Field Skill)

  • Active, Physical, Technical, Trade
  • Used to make things
  • Sample Fields: Carpentry, Chemistry, Clockwork, Glassworking, Leatherworking, Masonry, Smithing

• Deception (SAV)

  • Active, Social
  • Used to deceive people in social situations — to make other characters believe what you want them to believe.
  • Can also be used (usually in conjunction with Disguise) to hide your identity, and possibly to impersonate someone else. (Obviously, impersonating a specific person will be very tricky, and might not be possible at all if you don’t have information about that person to go on, or are forced to interact with people who know that person well.)
  • For minor or simple lies, can be used unopposed.
  • For big lies, important scenes or major characters, your Deception is opposed by either the target’s Read or their Resist Social Manipulation.
  • Obviously, most people will not believe absurd or outlandish lies, regardless of how skillful a liar a character is.
  • Example Specializations: lying, negotiating, impersonation

• Disguise (INT)

  • Active, Social
  • Disguise is used to physically disguise yourself as someone else.
  • You will often also need to have Deception in order to pass yourself off as someone else in a social situation.

• Exotic Skill (Attribute Varies, Field Skill)

  • Exotic, other tags
  • Freeform skill, used to handle very unusual cases of other skills. Examples:
  • Exotic Culture (SAV, Protocol for very alien cultures)
  • Exotic Knowledge (COG, for esoteric knowledge)
  • Exotic Mount (COO or SAV)
  • Exotic Movement (SOM or COO)
  • Don’t be too eager to resort to Exotic Skills! You are almost always better served by using a normal skill, perhaps with a specialization to indicate your unique background or interest.

• Fray (COO)

  • Active, Combat, Physical
  • Your general-use defense skill, representing your ability to avoid attacks.
  • Can also be used to test your ability to dodge and evade.

• Intimidate (SAV)

  • Active, Combat, Social
  • Used to represent your characters ability to manipulate others through menace rather than poise.
  • Usually used opposed, against the target’s Resist Intimidation (see Special Numbers below).
  • Specialization: by circumstance (interrogation, combat) or by method (physical intimidation, blackmail)

• Knowledge (COG, Field Skill)

  • Passive, Knowledge, Mental, Technical

  • Represents knowledge in some area of interest for your character.

  • Almost anything can be a Knowledge field. When selecting a field, be careful: it shouldn’t be so narrow that it never applies, but it also shouldn’t be so broad that it always applies.

  • Example Fields:

    • by interest: Criminal Gangs, Folklore, Local Religions, Military Tactics, Noble Lines
    • by academic study: Anatomy, Astronomy, History, Literature, Magic, Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, Philosophy, Rhetoric, Theology

• Medicine (COG)

  • Active, Knowledge, Physical, Technical
  • Can be used to diagnose and treat injuries, see Injury and Healing.
  • Example Specializations: Binding, Long-Term Care, Surgery, by disease, by area

• Melee Weapons (SOM, Proficiency Skill)

  • Active, Attack, Combat, Melee Attack, Physical
  • Your skill with one- and two-handed melee weapons.
  • Note that unarmed combat and natural weapons are represented by the Unarmed Combat skill.
  • Note that Shields is offered as a proficiency. This proficiency is not required to use a shield to defend yourself; rather, it is used for shields that are also designed for use as offensive weapons — such as spiked shields and dueling-shields.
  • Double-weapons refers to "D&D-style" double-weapons; the historicity of these weapons is dubious, but there's no reason your character can't have one!
  • Sample Specializations: Axes, Clubs, Daggers, Double-Weapons, Hammers, Maces, Shields, Staffs, Swords, by exotic weapon

• Perception (INT)

  • Active, Mental
  • Used to notice things.
  • Often used to spot sneaking characters (opposed by their Stealth).
  • To search an area for hidden items, use Search.

• Persuasion (SAV)

  • Active, Social
  • Used when attempting to convince a character to go along with something.
  • For minor dealings with an NPC, usually used unopposed. For important tests, or when an NPC is skeptical or requires convincing, oppose with a Resist Social Manipulation check (see below).
  • For social negotiations, use opposed Persuasion (or Protocol) checks.

• Profession (COG, Field Skill)

  • Passive, Technical, Trade
  • Represents your knowledge and experience within a specific skill or trade.
  • Used for checks testing your knowledge about a profession, or for your ability to operate as a professional for a long period of time.
  • Can be used to represent you practice a trade for profit (particularly during down-time).
  • For actually producing an item, see Craft
  • Sample Fields: Brewer, Carpenter, Cobbler, Cook, Doctor, Explorer, Farmer, Mason, Merchant, Painter, Priest, Professor, Sailor, Scholar, Smuggler, Soldier, Thug, Trader

• Protocol (SAV)

  • Passive, Knowledge, Social
  • Used to represent your ability to handle the unwritten rules of social interaction, both simple and complex.
  • Can be used to navigate complex social situations, estimate or follow social protocols, make a good impression in social interaction.
  • Can be used to negotiate, for example in a legal debate or hostage negotiation.
  • Can be used to recover gracefully after a roll-playing error (like saying something that your character would never say).
  • Very exotic, unusual or secretive cultures use the Exotic Culture skill.
  • Negotiating prices and trading uses the Barter skill.

• Ranged Weapons (COO, Proficiency Skill)

  • Active, Attack, Combat, Ranged Attack, Physical
  • Your skill with different ranged weapons.
  • This also covers natural attacks that involve a projectile (like acid spit), and it can be used for Indicate Only Attacks (see Combat).
  • This does not cover the use of large, crewed weapons (like cannons or catapults); those would be covered by an Exotic Skill.
  • Sample Proficiencies: Bows, Crossbows, Guns, Thrown Weapons

• Read (SAV)

  • Active, Social
  • As in, Read Body Language; appraise others’ motives in social situations.
  • Used unopposed when used to assess someone’s mood.
  • Used to oppose Deception.

• Research (COG)

  • Active, Knowledge, Mental
  • Primarily covers searching for information in books, collections, museums or libraries.
  • For finding interesting items — including searching for clues — use Search.
  • For drawing conclusions from technical information, use an appropriate Knowledge or Profession skill.

• Ride (COO)

  • Active, Movement, Physical
  • Ride checks represent your skill at riding steeds (and possibly other conveyances, magical and mundane).
  • A character with basic competence (that is, 10 ranks in ride) doesn’t need to make a Ride check for normal movement with a mount: if you know how to ride a horse, you don’t need to make a test to ride to town.
  • Ride is a “movement skill,” commonly used either for difficult maneuvers or for chases (see Movement Modes).
  • Can specialize in an individual creature (like Horses) or an individual task (Racing).
  • Very unusual creatures should use the Exotic Mount skill, see the Exotic Skill.

• Search (INT)

  • Active, Physical
  • Used to find interesting, possibly-hidden items (including artifacts at a ruin, evidence at a crime scene, or a secret door hidden in a library).
  • Can also be used to search someone for concealed items (opposed by their Sleight of Hand if they previously attempted to conceal something).
  • Can also be used to track another creature (opposed by their Stealth if they’re trying to avoid being followed).
  • Search is used when you are going to move around an area and investigate over time. For “at a glance” tests, use Perception.

• Sleight of Hand (COO)

  • Active, Physical
  • Used for pick-pocketing, hiding (or retrieving) objects on your person, misdirection and simple tricks and illusions.
  • Can be opposed by the Perception of anyone watching you.
  • Example Specializations: illusions, pick-pocketing

• Soothe (SAV)

  • Active, Social
  • Your ability to calm others, be a sympathetic presence, and help them work through stress and trouble.
  • Used to help other characters handle stress; see Injury and Healing.
  • Example Specializations: Bed-Side Manner, Moment of Crisis, Long-Term Care, Negotiation

• Spellcraft (COG)

  • Active, Physical, Mental, Technical
  • Your ability to manipulate magic to create spells.
  • Used to design, learn and cast spells.
  • Knowledge about the workings of magic is represented by Knowledge: Magic, while understanding magic as a profession is covered by Profession: Mage.
  • Example Specializations: by power, by type of magic (conjuration, teleportation, etc.).

• Survival (INT)

  • Active, Physical
  • Represents your ability so survive in the wilds, away from civilization.
  • Can be used to build shelters, hunt, find food and water in the wild, identify hazardous natural features, know how to survive in hostile environments like deserts and tundras.
  • Special: you can use Survival [Urban] to represent a character’s ability to survive on the streets of a large city.
  • Example Specializations: by terrain type (woodlands, jungles, deserts, tundras, etc.)

• Stealth (COO)

  • Active, Combat, Physical
  • Represents your ability to go unnoticed.
  • Used for sneaking about; if you’re trying to sneak past an observer, used opposed by the guard’s Perception.
  • Can be used to blend in to a crowd, in which case it’s usually used unopposed.
  • If you are trying to follow someone without being noticed, then it is opposed by that person’s Perception.
  • Can be used to travel without leaving a trail.
  • To avoid being seen, you normally need something to hide behind; it’s hard to hide from someone if they can plainly see you.
  • Some sense (like Scent or Mage Sight) might also render Stealth impractical.
  • Sample Specializations: Sneaking, Blending In

• Unarmed Combat (SOM, Proficiency Skill)

  • Active, Attack, Combat, Melee Attack, Physical
  • Your skill with various techniques for unarmed combat.
  • The Unarmed Combat skill also covers the use of many worn weapons (like sapper’s gauntlets), and the use of most natural weapons (like claws and fangs).
  • However, unarmed combat does not cover the use of natural attacks like acid spit (which would use Ranged Weapons) or a natural magical ability (which would most likely be described by a power).
  • Sample Proficiencies: Defense, Grappling, Locks, Strikes, Throws, by natural weapon

Unusual Skills

Sometimes you’ll want your character to be able to do something that isn’t exactly covered by a skill, like analyzing a crime scene, tracking game through the woods, or picking a lock. One option, certainly, is to take an Exotic Skill; for example, Exotic Skill: Lock-Picking. However, while that might be very descriptive, it's also very narrow in use: lock-picking is a much more narrowly-defined skill than, for example, persuasion, and you could easily go several games without it coming up.

A better option might be to take an existing skill, and apply a descriptive specialization – for example, Craft: Clockwork [Lockpicking]. This makes it clear to the GM how you'd like to use the skill, while allowing you to invest in a more generally-useful skill.

The Knowledge and Profession skills can also be used to establish a specific special skill-set for a character — for example, Profession: Hunter.

Of course, whether you purchase ranks in an Exotic Skill or use a specialization to "flavor" an existing skill, you should talk with your GM about it. In particular, make sure that the GM understands and agrees with how you want the skill to work mechanically – what you want it to represent, when you want to be able to use it, what modifiers the check will have, and so on.

Likewise, if you’re unsure about a skill selection, you should discuss it with the GM; make sure that the GM understands not only what you want the skill to represent, but what you want to be able to do with it, and be sure that you and the GM agree with not only what the skill is supposed to represent, but what it’s supposed to do and how it’s supposed to work.

Gotchas and Confusing Cases

While developing the game, we've run into a few "gotchas" and confusing cases:

• Disguise only covers the physical half of pretending to be someone else; for the social half — that is, to talk to people without being discovered — you’ll also need Deception.
• Search is used to actively search an area for something; it takes time, and you move around. Perception is used for noticing things quickly — seeing things when you enter a room, as opposed to after looking around. Search is also used to track someone or something.
• Control is used to manage your own magical energies, and to develop sleights. It does not represent a characters "will power," that’s the WIL attribute.

Removed Skills

We also have a few notes about candidate skills that we've removed:

We initially included an Investigate skill, but we found it too narrowly applicable, and too unclear about what it did. Wouldn't you use Search to find clues? Wouldn't you use Profession: Detective for professional skills and knoweldge about solving crimes? Was it just for solving mysteries – was "Deduction" really something we needed a skill for? We decided to remove it.

• Replacement:
  • Normally, you'd use Search to search a crime scene for clues, and you'd use a Solve a Logic Puzzle check (COG × 3) to reason through a crime.
  • Profession: Detective or Profession: Investigator could also be used to represent the kinds of common knowledge (about criminals, crime-solving, investigation, and deduction) that Investigator characters would usually have.
• As an Exotic Skill:
  • Exotic Skill: Investigation (COG or INT; Active, Mental, Technical)
  • Exotic Skill: Deduction (COG; Active, Mental)

Several other fantasy games have a Disable Device skill, so we included it in several of our early skill lists. However, since classical "dungeon-delves" aren't a core scenario for us, we found that it was not very useful – in fact, after a year of development and testing, it'd never come up!

• Replacement:
  • Disabling fine mechanical devices would normally be covered by the same skill used to create them – Craft: Clockwork.
• As an Exotic Skill:
  • Exotic Skill: Lock-Picking (COG or INT; Active Physical, Technical)
  • Exotic Craft: Trap-Making (COG; Active Physical, Technical)
  • Exotic Skill: Disable Device (COO or COG; Active, Physical, Technical)