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.
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.
-Weapon Proficiencies: 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.
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.
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 Professional choose 3. Example Academic Specialties include: Arcane, Biology, Mathematics, Finance, History, Art, Chemistry, Botany, Occult, Tactics, etc.
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 Professional, you have three mediums. For example, someone with Entertain at Novice can choose “Singing” as their Medium, while someone with this Skill at Professional rank might be a triple threat “Singer, guitar player, and dancer”.
GAMBLING
As you might imagine, a good game of chance is appreciated in some places, from friendly card games to high stakes nail biters where fortunes are won and lost. The Stat paired with Gambling depends on your particular play style (see below). Rules for Gambling are detailed in the Special Systems section.
-I Play the Odds: If you take a more scientific, numbers-based approach to your gambling, then pair this Skill with Smarts. Best used for games like Blackjack or Poker.
-I Read my Opponents: If you make use of gut-feelings, hunches, intuition, bluffing and reading of body language, pair this Skill with Presence. Pretty much only used for card games where you play against others. No good in Blackjack or casino games where you are the only player. You cannot bluff a roulette wheel.
-I Just Have Fun: Pair this Skill with your CURRENT Luck score to just let the chips fall where they may and have a good time. Good for absolutely any game of chance, particularly games that are completely up to chance, like roulette or dice.
HEAL (Exclusive)
You can diagnose and treat illness and disease. Someone with this Skill at Adept or Professional level can even perform complex surgeries, assuming they have the proper equipment available. Someone trained in this skill can use their knowledge to revive a Knocked-Out character (see the combat section). This skill is almost always paired with the Smarts Stat.
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.
-Weapon Proficiencies: 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.
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 the Smarts 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. In short, if your 5 senses are being tested, pair with Smarts. If your intuition is being tested, pair with Presence.
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 spend a point of Luck to give a d6 minute long motivational speech to up to your Presence score in allies. 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.
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 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.
-Forage for Rations: Once per day 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 (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 explanation.
STEALTH
I’m sure you are purchasing this Skill for purely altruistic reasons...Hide from plain sight and avoid detection by making a Contested Roll of Agility (Stealth) against an observer’s Smarts (Perception).
TECHNOLOGY (Exclusive)
Those with this skill are adept at repairing and using technological devices. This Skill is almost always paired with Smarts.
-Fix Stuff: Most common repairs can be performed with a Novice rank in this Skill.
-Create Stuff: At Adept rank and higher, you can now design and build some of your own contraptions if you have the materials.
-Pilot a Vehicle: This Skill can also be used to control a vehicle like a wagon or even more complex methods of navigation like boats by rolling an Agility (Technology) roll. The more complicated and advanced the vehicle you wish to control, the higher ranking in this Skill is required.
-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.
Mostly all uses of this skill require a Tool Kit (see the gear section).
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.
-Pick a Lock: You can crack a simple lock (if you have Lockpicks) by rolling an Agility (Thievery) roll. If you have this skill at Adept rank or higher, you can 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.
-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!
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.
