Skills
Skills are all the things your character can do in-game. The higher the skill score, the better the chance of pulling off that particular skill. Each skill is tied to a Trait, which determines how many dice can be rolled (1-10). The skill point indicates what a player must roll under to achieve success. The more difficult the challenge, the more dice must be under the skill point. Players get 39 total skill points to put into their basic skills and Combat Skills when creating a character.
Skill Point System
Skill points range from 1 to 10 to indicate a character's proficiency level at a particular skill. Player must match or roll under double the skill point for success (since dice are 10-sided):
- Unskilled - a skill of 1-2
- Novice - a skill of 3-4
- Practiced - a skill of 5-6
- Skilled - a skill of 7-8
- Expert - a skill of 9-10. Note that because this is always a success, rolling more than 1 natural 10 means the attempt is flubbed.
Example Skill Roll
A player character is attempting to pick a lock that has a difficulty of 4. Lockpicking falls under the Dexterity trait. The character has a Dexterity score of 7 and a Lockpicking skill of 3. This means that to succeed, the character rolls 7 total dice, and must have 4 dice be a 6 or lower (4 is the task's difficulty level, 6 is double the player's skill score).
Aptitude Skills
The following skills are governed by the Aptitude Trait:
- Academics - reading, writing, math, geography, etc.
- Culture - knowing various cultures and customs, esp. among the different factions.
- Investigation - searching for clues and other information that can be helpful.
- Linguistics - understanding language, both foreign and the local vernacular of different factions.
- Medical - advanced medical skills that can help heal or save lives that lie outside of basic first aid
- Politics & Law - knowing the ins and outs of politics and a familiarity with laws
- Research - knowing where to find information, how to read schematics, etc.
- Science - anything that falls under science (physics, chemistry, biology, etc.)
- Technology - knowing how to use technological gadgets and items; hacking.
Charisma Skills
The following skills are governed by the Charisma Trait:
- Carousing - being able to blend in and thrive in social situations.
- Curating - knowing where to find unique or rare items.
- Disguise - using makeup, clothing, and acting to embody different personalities.
- Diversion - knowing how to divert attention using acting or some other method.
- Etiquette - knowing how to behave in various groups without offending them.
- Fortune-telling - using astrology, tarot, or palm reading to entertain or give counsel.
- Gambling - excelling at gambling in various forms (cards, dice, or other betting).
- Impersonation - being able to act and impersonate various personalities.
- Performing - singing, dancing, acting, comedy, storytelling, etc.
Dexterity Skills
The following skills are governed by the Dexterity Trait:
- Acrobatics - tumbling and contortion-like skills.
- Concealment - hiding objects and things to avoid detection.
- Driving/Riding - piloting vehicles and riding animal mounts.
- Forgery - being able to forge documents or other items to pass them off as genuine.
- Infiltration - being able to get into places you're not supposed to and blending in to the environment.
- Lockpicking - being able to pick locks (requires Lockpicking Kit)
- Pickpocketing - being able to sneak and steal from another's person.
- Stealing - being able to steal items without being detected.
- Stealth - being able to sneak without being detected.
Perception Skills
The following skills are governed by the Perception Trait:
- Animalry - knowing how to deal with animals; helps when using animal companions like dogs or falcons
- Appraisal - being able to determine value or authenticity of things.
- Foraging - finding plants and other consumable items in the wild.
- Hunting - excelling at hunting wild animals for food.
- Navigation - knowing where you are and where you are going; finding locations.
- Reconnaissance - observing locations for the purposes of gathering information.
- Scavenging - finding more items when out searching locations.
- Tracking - people able to pursue prey or people.
- Weather - being able to perceive subtle changes in weather, and in some cases, to predict it.
Fortitude Skills
The following skills are governed by the Fortitude Trait:
- Camping - advanced fire and shelter building skills.
- Construction - being able to build defenses or other structures.
- Escape - escaping from captivity or pursuit.
- Fishing - excelling at fishing for food (requires Fishing Gear).
- Gardening - being able to grow and harvest plants from a garden or greenhouse.
- Hiding - being able to hide to avoid being detected.
- Pioneering - tying knots and lashes, making objects with rope
- Repair - getting a thing to work or improving its condition.
- Trapping - using traps to catch wild animals (or impair people).
Strength Skills
The following skills are governed by the Strength Trait. Note that there are only three specific skills because strength effects other aspects of the game in a disproportionate amount to the other Traits.
- Athletics - anything involving running, jumping, swimming, etc.
- Climbing - traversing objects like rocks, buildings, trees, etc.
- Destruction - breaking things.