Skills rank from levels 0 through 3 and demonstrate a character’s trained and accumulated experience in different fields of general knowledge. They pair with Specialties, player-created specific fields of knowledge, to determine how many dice a player rolls in a situation.
Skills often overlap, but although player may choose one over another, the effect and position may also vary with a slight difference in approach.
Skill grow through use, and as such are the main method for player characters to get experience, which is used to either level up the skill or to acquire other traits. Even 1 level in a skill represents a fair amount of knowledge, providing a 50% chance of success without assistance.
Each skill is briefly described below along with a list of example specialties that could often apply along side the skill.
Brute Force
When a player wants to force something with physical might. Brute force is representative of a character’s raw strength and ability to push, pull, break and carry things.
Examples: Breaking down a door, lifting heavy objects, tackling, leaping far distances, intimidation
Combat
When a player wants to fight something.
At level 1, players to choose a combat stance which grows in strength with the level of the skill. These stances provide additional options when a character fights under the conditions required by the stance.
Note: When a character can specialize in a specific weapon, the player decides what additional benefits training in that weapon has brought. There are several options that can be found on the gear page.
Examples: Dodging, knife fighting, firefights, staff fighting, street fighting, fighting dirty, rifles, pistols,
Contact
When a player wants to find a resource, gather people, organize an event, or otherwise manage people.
Examples: Carousing, elections, specific groups of people (police, politicians, IT folk), corporations
Craft
When a player wants to tinker, assemble or dissemble something, or otherwise create something from assorted resources.
Examples: Architecture, art, alchemy, engines, tinkering
Dexterity
When a player wants to carefully, dexterously, and sometimes subtlety manipulate something.
Examples: lock picking, pick pocketing, tinkering, disarming traps,
Investigate
When a player wants to make logical leaps, notice obscure clues, and uncover the hidden truth of things. The skill can help deduce where items might be, what left the wound in a corpse, or what areas of a room are most important for a building’s structural integrity.
Examples: Body language, lie detection, crime scenes, detecting traps, tracking, etc
Maneuver
When a player wants to move with speed and agility, climb walls, and dodge away from harm.
Examples: Dodging, parkour, swimming, acrobatics, balance
Negotiate
When a player wants to persuade others, with tact and manners or through means of intimidation.
Examples: Treaties, speeches, intimidation, seduction, bartering, etc
Perform
When a player wants to entrance or fool others. Performance can cover a character’s musical and theatrical skill sets, but also represents their skill at bluffing and acting as though they belong where they do not.
Examples: Lying, acting, playing music, creating art, dancing, disguises, hiding emotion, etc
Research
When a player wants to recall or uncover knowledge.
Examples: Chemistry, medicine, history, law, ghosts, programing, cultural knowledge
Sneak
When a player wants to move stealthily and remain hidden.
Examples: shadows, crowds, silence, camouflage, wilderness,
Survival
When a player wants to track something, forage for food, make shelter, persevere through extreme weather conditions, or analyze and influence an animal’s behaviors.
Examples: Animal behavior, tracking, foraging, navigation, etc