Exclusive Skills: Some Skills you can attempt even if you aren’t trained in the Skill. For example, anyone can throw a punch or try to smash someone with a stick. People who invest in the Melee skill are just better at it and have the difficulty for such rolls lowered. Some skills, however, cannot even be attempted if you don’t have proper training in the Skill in question. You can’t ‘Guess’ your way through open heart surgery, for example. If a Skill is denoted as (Exclusive), then it cannot be attempted unless the user has at least a Novice rank in it.
Settings and Skills: Some of the skills presented below might not make sense for your Game Setting. That’s fine, just get rid of the ones that don’t fit. For example, if you’re playing a Stone Age Caveman game, the Bookworm skill might seem kind of silly. Feel free to trim off what doesn’t fit your Game Setting properly.
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AIM
Whether you’re throwing rocks or shooting bazookas, Aim is the skill you use for all manner of ranged attacks. Most rolls made with this skill are paired with the Agility Stat, but if you are throwing a heavy weapon like throwing hammers, then you may pair it with Vigor instead.
-Weapon Special Abilities: If you want to access a ranged weapon’s Special Ability, you must have this Skill at a Novice Rank or higher.
-Advanced Weapons: In order to use ranged weapons that have a base Damage Value of 4+, you must have the Aim Skill at Adept rank or higher.
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ATHLETICS
Those with this skill lead active lives and have enhanced physical endurance and are blessed with good health. Athletics aids in all rolls made where physical activity is tested and has a myriad of uses, as described below:
-Test Physical Endurance: Whether you are resisting disease, poison, or physical torture, this skill can help! Pairs with Vigor.
-Physical Activity: Climb a mountain, swim in the ocean, leap over a chasm, or any number of raw physical tasks can be aided by this skill. Rolls pair with Vigor or Agility, depending on what you are trying to do.
-Playing a Sport: Football, baseball, soccer, or any kind of athletic competition can be boosted by investing in this skill. Whether you’re a figure skater, gymnast, or even a skateboarder, this is the skill for you!
-Dodge: If you have the Dodge! Edge you can roll an Agility (Athletics) test to dodge and reduce the effectiveness of the attack. Investing in this skill with the Dodge! Edge will save you a small fortune in medical bills.
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BOOKWORM (Exclusive)
All manner of formal education is covered by this skill, and those who invest in it are formally educated in a vast array of subjects and sciences. While there are countless subjects and studies to specialize in, this is a simplified catch-all Skill for all things book-learning. Those trained in this skill can quote the classics and recall information easily. This skill is pretty much always paired with the Smarts Stat. The higher your rank in this Skill, the more esoteric your stores of knowledge.
-Academic Specialties: Training in this skill implies a broad range of higher education, but each level of it also grants one Academic Specialty. 6’s rolled on any Smarts (Bookworm) roll involving one of your Academic Specialties earn you 3 Stars instead of 2. At Novice, choose one Academic Specialty. At Adept, choose two. At Expert, choose 3. Whenever you raise your rating in this Skill, you may choose an extra Academic Specialty for free. Example Academic Specialties include: Arcana, Biology, Mathematics, Finance, History, Art, Chemistry, Botany, Occult, Tactics, etc.
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ENTERTAIN (Exclusive)
You can put on a show and were born for the stage! When this Skill is chosen, make sure to detail what kind of Entertaining you do. This is called your medium. You could be a singer, dancer, play an instrument, or even be a stand-up comedian. Those with high ratings in this Skill can make a fine living bringing smiles to audiences everywhere. This skill is almost always paired with the Presence Stat.
-Multiple Mediums: Your rating in this Skill determines how many types of Entertaining mediums you are adept in. At Novice, choose one medium. At Adept, you have two mediums. At Expert, you have three mediums. For example, someone with Entertain at Novice can choose “Singing” as their Medium, while someone with this Skill at Expert rank might be a triple threat “Singer, guitar player, and dancer”. When you improve this Skill rank with Experience Points, you gain a new Medium for free.
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HEAL (Exclusive)
You can diagnose and treat illness and disease. This skill is almost always paired with the Smarts Stat.
-This Skill can revive a Knocked Out patient (see the Combat Section).
-Most uses of this Skill require a First Aid Kit.
-Someone with this Skill at Adept Rank or higher can perform complex procedures and operations assuming they have the necessary equipment and facilities.
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MELEE
All things close combat are covered under the Melee skill, and this is used to aid in anything from unarmed attacks to using close combat weapons like swords, axes, and the like. This skill is paired with the Vigor Stat most times, but close combat weapons that benefit from finesse and accuracy like rapiers or whips can pair this skill with Agility.
-Weapon Special Abilities: If you want to access a melee weapon’s Special Ability, you must have this Skill at a Novice Rank or higher.
-Advanced Weapons: In order to use close combat weapons that have a base Damage Value of 4+, you must have the Melee Skill at Adept rank or higher.
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PERCEPTION
This skill details the sharpness of your senses and your ability to notice changes in your environment. Whether you are examining a crime scene or detecting a forgery, this skill is useful for those who want to be always aware of their surroundings. This skill is almost always paired with either the Smarts or Presence Stat and is commonly used in contested rolls when someone is trying to sneak around your notice using an Agility (Stealth) roll or trying to lie directly to your face using a Presence (Persuasion) roll.
-If one of your 5 Senses is being tested, pair this Skill with Smarts.
-If your intuition or instincts are being tested, pair this Skill with Presence.
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PERSUASION
Influence others and get your way with this heavily social Skill. There are numerous ways to manipulate others, and some use different rules than others, as listed below:
-Intimidation and Threats: Roll a Vigor (Persuasion) against the victim’s Smarts (Willpower) in a Contested Roll to throw your weight around. This manner of “Social Interaction” is not socially acceptable, in case you did not know.
-Intellectual Debate: Use rationality and intellect to state your case clearly and make your point. Maybe you just use a bunch of massive words and trick somebody into thinking you know what you’re talking about. This is a contested roll of your Smarts (Persuasion) against a target’s Smarts (Willpower).
-Smooth Talk: The most common use of this Skill is to get what you want via charm, flattery, lies or outright seduction. Roll a Presence (Persuasion) contested roll against the target’s Smarts (Willpower).
-Inspire Others: If you have this skill at Adept rank or higher, you can give a 1 minute long motivational speech to up to your Presence score in allies (this must be roleplayed). Roll a Presence (Persuasion) check. If you score at least one Star on this roll, then all allies affected gain Advantage on the next roll they make in the next five minutes. You may use this ability once per Short Rest.
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PRIMAL (Exclusive)
Those who invest in the Primal skill are attuned with the less civilized places of the world. This skill aids in any rolls made to survive in the wilderness or deal with animals. This skill is very diverse and can be linked with a few different stats to achieve different things. Here are just a few uses:
-Make a Safe Camp: Anyone with the Primal Skill at Novice Rank or higher can create a Safe Camp without a roll. This takes about an hour and costs the expenditure of one Luck Point. A Camp is considered a Safe Zone for the purposes of Survival. Safe Zones are described in detail in the Survival section. Safe Camps are ideal locations to take Long or Short Rests.
-Forage for Rations: Once per Long Rest you can take d6 hours to scour the area, hunting game and gathering water and sustenance. This is an Agility (Primal) roll. Each Star you earn gains you a number of Ration points depending on the Ration Value of the terrain you are foraging in. Lush forests with ample game and easy access to water grant 10 Rations per Star. Isolated environments with scant available resources and wildlife grant 5 Ration points per Star. Barren wastelands or other very harsh terrain yield 2 Rations per Star.
-Deal with Beasts: Mounting and controlling an animal is an Agility (Primal) roll. If you have this Skill at Adept, you can roll a Presence (Primal) roll to attempt to tame and train common animals (not monsters). Note that anyone can ride a saddled horse without training in this Skill.
-Track Someone through Wilderness: You can roll a Smarts or Presence (Primal) to follow tracks made in the wild.
-Harvest Herbs: You can attempt to harvest herbs native to your surroundings. These ingredients can be used in crafting and are often sold for quite high prices. Harvesting herbs takes a bit of explaining, so check out the Special Rules section for a more in-depth breakdown.
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STEALTH
I’m sure you are purchasing this Skill for purely altruistic reasons….
-Skulk: Hide from plain sight and avoid detection by making a Contested Roll of Agility (Stealth) against an observer’s Smarts or Presence (Perception). This Skill can be used to blend in with your environment and evade notice, shadow someone without being discovered.
-Eavesdrop: You can use this to listen in on a conversation while looking like you’re doing anything but by rolling a Presence (Stealth). A must have for gossip enthusiasts and rumormongers everywhere!
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TECHNOLOGY (Exclusive)
Those with this skill are just dandy at repairing and using technological devices. Technology is a special Skill because it has various branches that must be all purchased individually as their own Skill. Just because someone can fix a busted wagon wheel doesn’t mean that they can pilot a sailboat!
Technological Focus: When this Skill is purchased, choose one Technological focus. You can purchase as many Technological Focuses as you can afford, each at their own level of mastery. Example Technological Focus examples include Repair, Sailing, Pilot, Driving, and Computers.
-Repair: Fix stuff. Almost always paired with Smarts. Home repairs and simple fixes require a Novice Rank. Working on (or sabotaging) engines or vehicles extensively requires Adept ratings or higher. A must have skill for mechanics and engineers. You absolutely require a Tool Kit to use this Focus.
Sailing: Novice Sailors can pull their weight serving aboard a ship and not get thrown overboard. Adept rank Sailors make fine First Mates and can plot courses and anticipate storms. Expert Sailors make steely and experienced Captains that can get their crew through any rough waters. Generally speaking, the higher your rank in this Focus, the more complex and impressive the craft you can keep afloat. This Focus is linked to Agility most times.
Pilot: Hello, flyboy! Novice Pilots are very much feared for their reckless enthusiasm! Adept Pilots (almost) always get to their destinations in one piece, and Expert Pilots are more comfortable in the air than on land. Generally speaking, the higher your rank in this Focus, the more complex and impressive the craft you can keep airborne. This Focus is linked to Agility most times.
-Driving: You don’t need to have this Skill to drive a land vehicle native to your setting, but anything more complex than that requires this Focus. At Novice, you can pilot most large and cumbersome road vehicles with little trouble and drive stick shift. At Adept rank and higher, you can now pilot tanks and truly impressive ground vehicles. This Focus is linked to Agility most times.
-Computers: If your game is set in a time where Computers are up and running, an Adept rank or higher can program software and hack into security systems with this Skill.
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THIEVERY (Exclusive)
This skill is a must-have for all you scumbags and miscreants out there, and has an array of most sleazy uses. Thievery is mostly tied to the Agility Stat, but has several other uses as detailed below:
-Get the word on the Street: By cavorting with low lives and scumbags, you can get some seedy information about what’s going down in your area. This is a Presence (Thievery) roll. You can only attempt this if you have enough street cred (a rank of Adept or higher in this skill).
-Pick a Lock: You can pick most simple locks (if you have a Toolkit [Lockpicks]) by rolling an Agility (Thievery) roll. If you have this skill at Adept rank or higher, you can now pick sturdy locks (Used by the rich and/or paranoid). An Expert level is required to even attempt to crack a safe by rolling a Smarts (Thievery) roll.
-Sleight of Hand: Roll an Agility (Thievery) in a Contested roll against the victim’s Smarts (Perception) to pick pockets like a filthy little street urchin. At Novice rank, only simple pickpocketing or parlor tricks is possible. At Adept ranks and higher, you can plant evidence on a victim’s person or attempt to steal their watch off their wrist after bumping into them.
-Forge a Document: If you have this skill at Adept rank or higher, you can make a Smarts (Thievery) roll to attempt to forge an official looking document.
-Forge a Signature: If you have this skill at Adept rank or higher, you can make an Agility (Thievery) roll to convincingly copy someone’s handwriting.
-Disguise Yourself: Act like someone else and play a convincing part by rolling a Presence (Thievery) if you have this skill at Adept rank or higher. Disguise Kit required!
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WILLPOWER
This Skill is a measure of your mental resolve and inner grit. While Athletics is used to test your physical resistance, this skill improves your mental toughness. Willower is pretty much always linked with the Smarts Stat.
