Skill levels
Skill levels range from 1 to 10. Level 1 is a very basic knowledge
of the skill, while 10 is absolute mastery.
Skill
Level: Level of expertise
1-2 Basic
3-4 Proficient
5-7 Highly
Skilled
8-9 Expert
10 Best
of the Best
For many skills, especially technical, professional and academic
skills, the higher the level, the greater the degree of
specialisation. No-one knows everything about a subject.
Only a handful if people in the world will have even one skill at
level 10. Leonardo da Vinci or Michaelangelo Buonarroti may have had
a Draw/Paint skill of 10. Albert Einstein had Physics skill at level
10, specialising in relativistic mechanics (which he invented). GMs
should not allow player characters to start with any skill at 10,
unless they are running a truly super-heroic campaign.
Skill
groups
Some related skills are clustered together in groups. One skill can
be used as a substitute for another skill within the same group at
half the original skill level, rounded down. Thus a character with a
Handgun skill of 4, but no Rifle skill, can use a rifle at skill
level 2.
Setting-appropriate
skills
Some skills, like Climbing or Swimming, are relevant to any
historical or fictional setting. Others are not. Powered Armour Use
or Starship Navigation do not fit in a Wild West setting. No-one
could possibly have those skills, and even if they did they would be
useless. The skill list has to be tailored to the genre or setting.
Common sense will tell you which skills are appropriate and which
are not.
Adding
new skills
The skills list is neither universal nor exhaustive. Many real-world
skills are not included because they are not likely to come into
play. For example, while Pilot, Navigate, Communications and
Aviation Technician are on the list, Air Traffic Control (which
would be a Know-How based skill) isn't. The author has assumed that
while a pilot may be a popular character role, it is unlikely that
anyone will play an air-traffic controller.
Of course, a skill not included in the list may become important in
your campaign, in which case you should feel free to add it. Just
decide which Stat the skill is based on, make sure there isn't
another skill that does the same job, and give it an appropriate
name.
Reduced
skill groups
In
many cases a whole skill group can be reduced to a single skill. In
a 17th-
or 18th-
century setting, for instance, firearms are less important than in a
Wild West or Cyberpunk game, and the differences between the
different types (flintlock muskets and pistols) are small. Therefore
the Firearms skill can be reduced to one skill.
Language skill groups should never be reduced to a single skill,
although individual languages may be added or removed.
The
skills list
Skills are listed alphabetically according to which character Stat
they are based on: Strength, Coordination, Intelligence etc.
Skills
List
Agility
skills
Athletics
Acrobatics
Climbing
Cycling
Dancing
Dodge
Martial
Arts: Aikido,
Boxing, Brawling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Capoeira, Judo, Jujutsu,
Karate, Kick-boxing, Kung-Fu, Military Styles, Tae Kwon-Do,
Wrestling, etc.
Melee:
Flail, Hafted Weapon,
Spear, Small Blade, Sword
Parachuting
Riding:
Bull (Rodeo), Camel,
Carriage/Coach/Wagon, Elephant, Equestrian, Ostrich
Skating:
Ice-Skating,
Roller-Skating, Skateboarding
Skiing:
Alpine, Nordic,
Sledding, Snowboarding
Sneak
Sport:
Baseball, Basketball,
Cricket, Football, Rugby, Tennis etc.
Swimming
Throw
Toughness skills
Endurance
Strength
skills
Strongman/Weightlifting
Nerve skills
Interrogation
Intimidation
Public Speaking
Streetwise
Coordination
skills
Archery:
Bow, Crossbow, Slingshot
Drive:
Car/Van, Heavy Goods
Vehicle (HGV), Motorcycle, Snowmobile, Tracked Vehicle, Train
Firearms:
Energy Weapon (EW), Grenade Launcher/RPG (GL/RPG), Handgun, Machine
Gun (MG), Rifle (RIF), Shotgun (SHG), Sub Machine Gun (SMG)
Pick Pocket/Sleight of Hand
Pilot:
Ekranoplan, Fixed-Wing,
Lighter-Than-Air, Rotary-Wing, Vectored-Thrust
Quick-draw
Stage
Magic:
Cardsharp,
Illusion
Surgery
Geniality skills
Acting
Credibility/Swindle
Etiquette
Fortune-telling
Insight
Interview
Leadership
Poker face
Seduction
Intelligence
skills
Accounting
Architecture
Awareness
Commerce/Trade
Compose Music
Computer Programming
Concealment/Evasion
Engineer:
Aeronautical, Atomic,
Computer, Electrical, Maritime, Mechanical, Structural
Expert (choose field)
Gambling
General Education
Journalism/Writing
Languages:
(See list of language families below)
Law
Local Knowledge
Medical:
Dentistry, Medicine,
Psychiatry, Veterinary
Navigation/Map-Reading
Pursuit:
Tail, Track
Research
Science,
physical: Biology,
Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Meteorology, Pharmacy,
Physics, Zoology
Science,
social: Anthropology,
Geography, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, Theology
Survival
Teaching
Wit
Know-how skills
Agriculture
Carpentry
Communications/Signals
Counterfeiting/Forgery
Demolitions
Diving:
Deep-Sea, Free/Snorkel,
SCUBA
Disguise/Make-up
Draw/Paint
Electronic Security
First Aid
Forensics
Herding
Hovercraft Pilot
Masonry/Bricklaying
Mechanic/Technician:
Auto, Aviation,
Cybernetics, Electrical, Electronics, Lighting, Maritime, Sound,
Steam
Photography and Film
Pick Lock
Play Instrument
Plumbing
Sculpture
Seamanship:
Hydrofoil, Small Motorcraft (boat), Large Motorcraft (ship), Rowing,
Personal Watercraft (Jet Ski), Sailing, Submarine
Weaponsmith
Weapon
Systems: Guided
Missiles, Gunnery,
List
of Language Families
Central
American:
Chibchan:
Arhuaco,
Bribri, Cabécar, Guaymí (Ngäbere),
Kogi, Kuna
Mayan:
Ch'ol, Jakaltek
(Popti'), Kaqchikel, K’iche’ (Quiche), Mam, Poqomchi', Q’eqchi’,
Tzeltal, Tzotzil, Wastek, Yukatec
Misumalpan:
Miskito,
Sumo
Mixe–Zoque:
Mixe,
Popoluca, Zoque
Oto-Manguean:
Chinatec,
Mazahua, Mazatec, Mixtec, Otomi, Tlapanec, Zapotec
Totonacan:
Tepehua, Totonac
Uto-Aztecan:
Cora, Hopi, Huichol, Nahuatl, Mayo, O'odham (Pima), Tarahumara
(Rarámuri), Tepehuán (O'otham), Ute, Yaqui, [Comanche]
Isolate:
Huave, Purépecha
North
American:
Algic
(Algonquian):
Blackfoot, Cree, Mi'kmaq, Ojibwe, [Arapaho, Cheyenne, Mohegan,
Shawnee]
Eskimo-Aleut:
Aleut, Greenlandic (Kalaallisut), Inuktitut, Inupiaq, Yup'ik
Iroquoian:
Cherokee, Mohawk, [Huron, Seneca]
Muskogean:
Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek/Seminole) [Chickasaw]
Na-Dené:
Western Apache, Chipewyan, Navajo
Pueblo:
Keresan, Zuni [Kiowa]
Siouan:
Crow, Sioux
Uto-Aztecan:
see Central American languages above.
Also:
Pawnee (Caddoan family)
South
American:
Arawakan:
Asháninka, Ashéninka, Baniwa, Garifuna, Machiguenga, Moxos,
Terêna, Wapishana, Wayuu, Yanesha'
Barbacoan:
Awa-Pit, Cayapa, Guambiano
Cahuapanan:
Chayahuita
Cariban:
Kapong, Macushi
Choco:
Catío, Cholo
Guaicuruan:
Toba
Qom
Guajiboan:
Guahibo
Jê:
Kaingang,
Xavante
Jivaroan:
Aguaruna,
Huambisa,
Shuar
Mascoian:
Enxet
Matacoan:
Güisnay,
Vejoz
Pano-Tacanan:
Shipibo
Piaroa–Saliban:
Piaroa
Quechumaran:
Aymaran, Quechuan
Tupian:
Guarani, Kaiwá,
Munduruku
Yanomaman:
Waiká,
Yanomamö
Isolate:
Mapuche
(Mapudungun), Paez,
Ticuna,
Warao
Australian: Alyawarr,
Anmatyerr, Aranda,
Dhuwal, Enindhilyagwa, Kunwinjku, Murrinh-Patha, Pitjantjatjara,
Tiwi, Torres Strait Creole, Kriol, Warlpiri
Austro-Asiatic:
Bahnar, Bru, Ho, Hrê, Juray, Kharia, Khasi, Khmer, Khmu, Koho,
Korku, Kuy, Mon, Mnong, Mundari, Mường, Palaung (De'ang),
Santali, Sedang, Sora, Ta’Oi, Turi, Vietnamese, Wa
Baltic:
Latvian, Lithuanian
Bantu:
Bemba, Beti, Chaga, Chewa, Ganda, Gikuyu, Gogo, Haya, Kamba, Kituba,
Kongo, Lingala, Luba-Kasai, Luhya, Mafa, Makhuwa, Mbundu, Ndebele,
Nkore-Kiga, Pedi, Shona, Sotho, Sukuma, Swahili, Swazi, Tsonga,
Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Berber:
Central Atlas Tamazight, Kabylian (Taqbaylit), Rifian (Tarifit),
Shawiya (Tachawit), Tashelhit (Shilha), Tuareg (Tamasheq)
Caucasian:
Abkhaz, Adyghe, Avar,
Chechen, Ingush, Kabardian, Dargwa, Georgian, Lak, Lezgian,
Mingrelian, Tabasaran
Celtic:
Breton, Cornish (Kernowek), Irish, Manx, Scots Gaelic, Welsh
Chadic:
Angas (Ngas), Azumeina, Bade, Bata, Bole, Bura, Cibak, Gera, Goemai,
Hausa, Huba, Kamwe, Karekare, Kofyar, Margi, Massa, Musey,
Mwaghavul, Ron, Tangale,
Tera
Cushitic:
Afar, Alaba-K’abeena, Awngi, Beja, Gedeo, Hadiyya–Libido, Iraqw,
Konso, Kambaata, Oromo, Saho, Sidamo, Somali, Xamtanga
Dravidian:
Badaga, Brahui, Chenchu, Duruwa, Gondi, Kannada, Kodava, Kolami,
Konda, Koraga, Kota, Koya, Kui, Kurukh, Kurumba, Kuvi, Malayalam,
Malto/Paharia, Manda, Maria, Muria, Nagarchal, Naiki, Ollari,
Pardhan, Pengo, Savara, Tamil, Telugu, Toda, Tulu
Germanic:
Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch (including Flemish), English*, Faroese,
Frisian, German, Icelandic, Norwegian, Scots, Swedish, Yiddish
*English is quite distinct from the other Germanic
languages, having a significant French lexical influence and
differences in grammar and sentence structure.
Indo-Aryan:
Adivasi Oriya, Ahirani,
Assamese, Bagri, Bengali, Bhili, Bhojpuri, Bishnupriya Manipuri,
Chakma, Chhattisgarhi, Chittagonian, Dakhini, Dhanwar Rai, Dhivehi,
Dogri, Domari, Fijian Hindi, Gamit, Garhwali, Goaria, Gujarati,
Gujari, Hajong, Halbi, Harauti, Hindi*, Hindko, Jadgali, Kachchi,
Kandeshi, Kangri, Kashmiri, Kharia Thar, Khowar, Koli, Konkani,
Kosli, Kumauni, Lahnda, Lambadi, Loarki, Magahi, Mahasu Pahari,
Maithili, Malvi, Marathi, Marwari, Nepali, Nimadi, Oriya, Pashayi,
Punjabi, Rajasthani, Rajbangsi, Rohingya, Romani, Sanskrit, Saraiki,
Shina, Sindhi, Sinhala, Sourashtra, Sylheti, Tanchangya, Tharu,
Tippera, Urdu*, Vasavi, Vedda
*Spoken Hindi and spoken Urdu are mutually
intelligible, but they are written in different scripts.
Iranian:
Balochi, Farsi (Persian), Gilaki, Kurdish, Lori, Mazandarani,
Ossetic (Ossetian), Pashto, Zazaki
Japonic:
Amamai, Japanese, Kunigami, Miyako, Okinawan, Yaeyama, Yonaguni
Khoisan:
!Kung (!Xun/Ju), !Xoon, Gǁana–Gǀwi, Kxoe, Khoekhoe (Nàmá),
Naro, Shua, Tsoa
Malayo-Polynesian:
Acehnese, Balinese, Banjar, Bengkulu, Betawi, Bikol, Albay Bikol,
Buginese, Cebuano, Fijian, Gilbertese (Kiribati), Hiligaynon,
Ilokano, Indonesian, Javanese, Kapampangan, Kedahan, Lampung,
Madurese, Maguindanao, Malagasy, Malay, Mandailing, Māori,
Makassarese, Minangkabau, Musi, Pakpak (Dairi), Pangasinan, Rejang,
Samoan, Sasak, Simalungun, Sundanese, Tagalog, Tahitian, Tausug,
Toba, Tongan, Waray-Waray
Mongolic:
Buryat, Dongxiang (Santa), Mongolian, Monguor (Tu), Oirat, Ordos
Niger-Congo:
Akan, Anyin, Bambara, Baoulé, Dagaare, Dyula, Ebira, Edo, Ewe, Fon,
Fula, Gwari, Ibibio-Efik, Igbo, Izon, Mandinka, Mende, Mossi
(Mòoré), Nupe, Serer, Soninke, Soso, Temne, Tiv, Wolof, Yoruba
Nilo-Saharan:
Bari, Dinka, Dongolawi, Fur, Kanuri, Lendu, Luo, Maasai, Mangbetu,
Ngambay, Nobiin, Nuer, Teso-Turkana, Zarma
Papuan:
Western Dani, Ekari,
Enga, Makasae, Melpa, Naasioi, Terei, Ternate
Romantic:
Catalan (including Valencian), French, Italian, Latin*, Portuguese
(including Galician/Gallego), Romanian, Romansch
(Swiss), Spanish
*Extinct but in use as a liturgical, scholastic and
literary language until the end of the Renaissance.
Semitic:
Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew, Maltese, Neo-Aramaic, Tigrinya
Sinitic:
Bai, Gan, Hakka, Huizhou, Mandarin (Standard Chinese), Min, Pinghua,
Shaozhou Tuhua, Taishanese, Wenzhounese, Wu, Xiang, Yue (Cantonese)
Slavic:
Belarusian, Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croat, Slovak,
Slovenian, Sorbian, Ukrainian
Tai-Kadai:
Bouyei (Haausqyaix), Isan, Kam, Lao, Tày, Central Thai (Siamese),
Northern Thai (Lanna), Southern Thai (Dambro), Northern Zhuang,
Southern Zhuang, Zuojiang Zhuang
Tibeto-Burman:
Bodo, Dzongkha (Bhutanese), Hani, S'gaw Karen, Khams, Meitei,
Myanmar (Burmese), Nepal Bhasa, Piyo, Pwo, Sunwar, Tamang, Tibetan,
Yi (Nuosu)
Tungusic:
Even, Evenki, Nanai (Gold, Goldi, Hezhen), Sibe (Xibe), Udege
Turkic:
Afshar, Azerbaijani, Bashkir, Chuvash, Kazakh, Khorasani, Kyrgyz,
Tatar, Turkish, Turkmen, Uyghur, Uzbek
Uralic:
Erzya, Estonian, Finnish (Suomi), Hungarian (Magyar), Karelian,
Komi, Mari
(Cheremis), Moksha, Sami (Lappish), Udmurt (Votyak)
Isolate:
Albanian, Armenian, Basque, Burushaski, Greek, Korean, Mapuche
(Mapudungun), Purépecha
Language isolates are those tongues which are not
related to any other living language. Most are limited to a small
population of speakers, but Albanian, Armenian, Greek and Korean are
the majority first languages in their home countries, while Basque
is an official regional language in Spain.
Skill
Descriptions
Agility
skills
Athletics:
This skill indicates the
character's training in athletic track sports. While walking and
running speeds in combat are dictated by the Agility stat, the
Athletics skill is used when one person is chasing another, to see
if the fleeing character is caught or escapes.
Acrobatics:
Similar to Athletics, Acrobatics deals with back-flips, somersaults,
rolls, trapeze work and so on.
Climbing:
This covers getting up and down ladders, ropes, trees, mountainsides
etc. Task difficulty varies with the nature of the object or surface
being scaled.
Cycling:
The skill (and degree of fitness) of riding bicycles, tricycles,
unicycles, penny-farthings and other pedal-powered vehicles.
Dancing:
The Waltz, the Polka, the Foxtrot, the Salsa, the Twist, the Harlem
Shuffle etc. Is the game set in the 1970s? If so, you need this
skill.
Dodge:
This measures how good the character is at ducking and diving,
getting out of the way of punches, kicks, falling rocks and other
potentially harmful objects. This is not a martial art, but it can
be used in hand-to-hand combat to avoid being hit.
Martial
Arts: The sweet science of
fisticuffs and kicking people in the head. Divided into different
styles, each with their own pros and cons.
Melee:
How to fight with knives, swords, clubs, axes, spears and other
close-combat weapons.
Parachuting:
The art of jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane without getting
killed.
Riding:
Handling horses and other beasts of burden, including driving
coaches and wagons.
Skating:
Whether on ice or on wheels, depending on which sub-skill is taken
Skiing:
This skill group covers the various different forms of skiing.
Sneak:
This is the skill of moving
around without being seen or heard.
Swimming:
How to move around in the water, and not drown.
Throw:
This is the skill for thrown weapons such as knives, javelins and
hand grenades. It also covers the related class of field athletic
sports, such as the discus and shot-put.
Toughness
skills
Endurance:
The
ability to keep going after others get tired or worn out and give
up.
Strength skills
Strongman/Weightlifting:
This is the skill of bending bars, lifting gates and other
fantasy-hero and circus stuff.
Nerve
skills
Interrogation:
The skill of getting information out of someone through threat
Intimidation:
The
art of scaring people into doing what you want them to.
Public
Speaking:
How to address a crowd, get your message across and influence
people.
Streetwise:
Knowing the language of the
street and being able to tell what's going down.
Coordination
skills
Archery:
The skill of shooting bows, crossbows and other such weapons.
Drive:
Handling vehicles of various types.
Firearms:
How to make a gun go bang and actually hit something.
Pick
Pocket: The art of larcenous
prestidigitation and vulgar pilfering.
Pilot:
The skill of controlling all manner of aerial contraptions.
Stage
Magic: This
group has two skills: Cardsharp covers card tricks and cheating at
card games, while Illusion allows you to perform magic tricks (of
the non-magical variety) such as making coins disappear and pulling
rabbits out of hats.
Surgery:
Surgery is the art of performing operations, as opposed to Medicine,
which deals with diagnosis and prescribing the right treatment, and
First Aid, which involves stabilising a sick or wounded person's
condition in an emergency.
Reflex
skills
Quick-draw:
Fill your hands, you sons of bitches!
Geniality
skills
Acting:
How to tread the boards like a true Thespian.
Credibility/Swindle:
The art of making people believe what you say.
Fortune-telling:
Combining aspects of Credibility/Swindle and Insight,
Fortune-telling involves subtly teasing personal information from a
person (or making educated guesses) and using it to construct a
credible but suitably vague prediction of their future. This skill
does not
make the character genuinely clairvoyant.
Etiquette:
Knowing just what to do and say in a variety of formal social
situations.
Insight:
This is the talent of detecting other people's emotions and motives.
It can tell you whether someone is lying.
Interview:
Eliciting information from people in polite conversation.
Leadership:
The talent of making decisions (although not necessarily being the
one who comes up with the solution to problems) and inspiring
confidence and loyalty in others.
Poker
face: The ability to disguise
your emotions and put on an inscrutable face to the world, down to
controlling reflexive actions and nervous tics.
Seduction:
The skill of Casanovas, Don Juans and general pick-up artists.
Intelligence
skills
Accounting:
Accounting may sound boring, but it is the skill you need for
tax-dodging, embezzling company money and laundering the proceeds of
crime – very useful in gangster games.
Architecture:
The skill of designing and
identifying the features, origin and age of buildings.
Awareness:
The knack of noticing little
details. Sherlock Holmes has Awareness 10.
Commerce/Trading:
Bargaining, haggling, finding a market, buying low and selling high,
these are all skills of the trader.
Compose
Music: The art of writing
tunes, songs and orchestral works.
Computer
Programming: How to design
programmes and write computer code.
Engineer:
This skill group covers various sub-divisions of engineering,
allowing the character to design and build systems and structures of
these types.
Expert
(choose field): This skill
represents specialist knowledge of a subject (not technical skill).
For example, an antique dealer might have the Commerce/Trading
skill, plus Expert (antique furniture). The GM may rule that the
more specialised the area of expertise, the more in-depth the
knowledge.
Gambling:
Knowledge of the rules and tactics of a variety of games of chance.
General
Education: How well educated
the character is. Level 1-2 is equal to primary education, 3-4 to
secondary education, 5-6 a university degree or college diploma, 7-8
a masters' degree and 9 a Ph.D. Level 10 is reserved for eminent
professors. Zero level in this skill means that the character has
never received formal education and is illiterate.
Journalism/Writing:
How to write reports, features, opinion pieces, history, biography
and fiction.
Languages:
This skill allows the character to speak a language. It is broken
down into several skill groups corresponding to language families
such as Germanic, Romantic, Japonic and Bantu.
Skill levels 1-6 indicate varying levels of skill as a
second-language speaker, from basic to advanced. Level 7 is that of
a native speaker of average education. Levels 8-9 mean the speaker
is well-read and particularly eloquent. Level 10 is that of masters
of their own language, such as Dr Samuel Johnson, compiler of the
first comprehensive English dictionary.
Every character can speak their first language (mother tongue) at
level 7 without having to spend any skill points on it. More points
can be spent to raise their skill level in their first language.
Law:
The study of statute and case law, drafting legal documents and
arguing cases in court.
Local
Knowledge: This skill gives
the character the low-down on the place where they live, knowing
local landmarks, roads, streets and paths, who's who and so on.
Local Knowledge differs from Streetwise in that it doesn't help the
character in social situations.
Medical:
This skill group includes the various medical disciplines, allowing
the character to diagnose conditions and ailments and prescribe the
appropriate treatment.
Navigation/Map-reading:
How to find your way from one place to another with a map and/or
compass without getting lost.
Pursuit:
Tail
is the skill of following someone through an urban environment
without being noticed, while Track deals with following both people
and animals in a rural or wild setting, whether by sight and sound
or by footprints and other signs.
Science,
physical: The academic study
of the physical and natural sciences.
Science,
social: The academic study of
the social or human sciences.
Research:
The skill of finding
information from sources such as libraries, public and private
records and the internet.
Survival:
Knowledge of the wild and how to find food, water and shelter there.
Teaching:
The skill of imparting knowledge and skills to others.
Wit:
The art of clever word-play, come-backs and put-downs.
Know-how
skills
Agriculture:
How to cultivate crops and make a living from the land.
Carpentry:
Woodworking skills.
Counterfeiting/Forgery:
The art of making fake documents, banknotes and other items.
Demolitions:
The skill of handling explosives, including how to place blasting,
demolition and breaching charges and bomb making. Explosives tasks
are automatically Hazardous (see Tasks
below) without this skill.
Diving:
This skill group covers various techniques of underwater movement.
Disguise/Make-up:
Make-up here means of the stage and screen variety, that you might
use to make someone look 50 years older or like a zombie.
Draw/Paint:
Talent in the visual arts.
Electronic
Security: Knowledge of systems
such as burglar and car alarms, and how to deactivate or circumvent
them.
First
Aid: This skill is used to
stabilise an injured or critically ill person, including the use of
tourniquets and pressure to stop bleeding, cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) and recovery positions.
Forensics:
Gathering evidence from a crime scene, such as fingerprints, fibres
and DNA samples.
Herding:
How to care for farm animals and
Masonry/Bricklaying:
The skill of building walls.
Mechanic/Technician:
The maintenance and repair of various classes of vehicles and
machines is covered by this skill group.
Photography
and Film: The art of recording
both still and moving images.
Pick
Lock: The mechanical
counterpart of Electronic Security, this skill allows the character
to open locks without a key, using a variety of tools.
Play
Instrument: The ability to
play one musical instrument. The GM may rule that similar
instruments can form a skill group.
Plumbing:
How to fix pipes. A licence to print money.
Sculpture:
The art of carving statues.
Seamanship:
Handling various classes of watercraft.
Weaponsmith:
How to fix, repair and modify firearms, as well as reload
ammunition.
Gaining
and Improving Skills
There are four ways to permanently gain and improve skills: Study and
training, self tuition, exceptional success and the 'training
montage'. Further more, skills can be gained temporarily at a 0-level
under some circumstances.
Study
and training
Characters
can learn new skills from a sufficiently skilled teacher, up
to a maximum skill level of six.
For each skill level gained, 25 hours of classroom study or training
plus an equal amount of home study or practice is needed, for a total
of 50 hours. This does not mean a four-day intensive course – the
maximum practical rate of study or training and practice is eight
hours per day, assuming a teacher is available and the student can
afford to pay them.
The teacher must have a skill level 2 points higher than the student,
and they must pass an Average Teaching task for each skill level to
be gained (or each ten hours of tuition, at the GM's discretion) or
the course of training has to be repeated.
If the student already has a skill in the same Skill Group as the
skill that they are learning, progress is faster – up to a point.
The study or training and practice times for the new skill are
halved, but only up to half the skill level (rounded down) of the
related skill. So, if a character with a Drive (Car/Van) skill of
four is learning to drive a tracked vehicle, they only have to train
and practice for 25 hours per skill level up to level two. From then
on, advancement takes 50 hours per skill level.
Self
tuition
Characters
can also teach themselves how to do something, either with a how-to
book or by trial and error, again up to maximum skill level
of Six. This takes twice as
long per skill level as study or training with a teacher, i.e. 100
hours per skill level. The 50 per cent reduction in training time for
related skills still applies.
Exceptional
success
When the character succeeds in a Task in a stress situation, where
they need to roll more than a 20 (on 2D10) to succeed (i.e. where
they need to roll a natural 20 followed by another number), the skill
used immediately improves by one level. A stress situation is one
where success of the task is critical. This may be in combat, or
where success in the task is necessary to save the character's life
or the life of another, or to achieve an important goal.
The
training montage
Sometimes the GM may decide that the player characters need some
skills that they don't have in order to complete the campaign. They
can fix this through a training montage.
A training montage is a cinematic cliché, especially common in sport
and martial arts films, where many days or weeks of hard training by
the protagonist(s) for a competition or battle are compressed, via
film montage, into a few minutes, almost always accompanied by music.
In game terms, the GM puts on some cheesy soft rock music (this part
is optional) and describes how the characters spend the next few
hours, days or weeks of in-game time learning the necessary skills
for the job. At the end, they GM gifts the players a low level in
those skills – no higher than level one or two is recommended, and
only for one or two crucial skill per PC.
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