Table of Contents
Skills
Heroes have 12 points to buy skills during character creation. A skill that’s below the linked attribute (noted in parentheses beside the skill name) is cheaper to increase than one that’s at or above it. See page 55 for Character Creation and page 54 for Advancement.
Core skills are marked with a red star, and start at d4 for player characters (see page 10).
Characters can attempt skills they don’t have but it’s more difficult. See Unskilled Attempts on page 89.
Academics (Smarts)
Academics reflects knowledge of the liberal arts, social sciences, literature, history, archaeology, and similar fields. If an explorer wants to remember when the Mayan calendar ended or cite a line from Macbeth, this is the skill to have.
Athletics (Agility) (red star)
Athletics combines an individual’s coordination with learned skills such as climbing, jumping, balancing, biking, wrestling, skiing, swimming, throwing, or catching. Characters who rely on physical power more than coordination can take the Brute Edge (page 38) to link this skill to Strength instead of Agility.
Battle (Smarts)
Battle is an individual’s command of strategy and tactics. It can be used for general military knowledge and is critical when commanding troops in Mass Battles (see page 131).
Boating (Agility)
Characters with this skill can handle most any boat or ship common to their setting. They also know how to handle common tasks associated with their vessel such as tying knots, rigging sails, or following currents.
Common Knowledge (Smarts) (red star)
Characters roll Common Knowledge to know people, places, and things of their world, including etiquette, geography, culture, popular technology, contacts, and customs.
Faith (Spirit)
Faith is the arcane skill required for Arcane Background (Miracles), described on page 148.
Fighting (Agility)
Fighting covers all hand-to-hand (melee) attacks, whether it’s with fists, axes, laser swords, or martial arts. See Chapter Three for the combat rules and the various maneuvers a warrior might attempt.
Focus (Spirit)
Focus is the arcane skill for Arcane Background (Gifted), see page 148.
Gambling (Smarts)
Gambling is common in the saloons of the Old West, the back rooms of criminal organizations, the barracks of most armies, or the flight decks of scifi spaceships. To simulate an hour of gambling without having to roll for every single toss of the dice or hand of cards, have everyone agree on the stakes, such as $10, 10 gold coins, etc. Everyone in the game then makes a Gambling roll. The lowest total pays the highest total the difference times the stake. The next lowest pays the second highest the difference times the stake, and so on. If there’s an odd man left in the middle, he breaks even.
Cheating: A character who cheats adds +2 to his roll. The GM may raise or lower this modifier depending on the particulars of the game or the method of cheating. If a cheater rolls a Critical Failure, however, he’s caught. The consequences depend on the circumstances and who noticed, but are usually unpleasant!
Healing (Smarts)
Healing has multiple uses, from treating Wounds to diagnosing diseases and analyzing certain kinds of forensic evidence. See page 96 for rules on mending and treating Wounds, and page 128 for treatment of disease or poison.
Forensics: Healing can also be used to analyze evidence that relates to anatomical trauma, including cause and time of death, angle of attack, and similar matters. Success provides basic information and a raise increases the details uncovered.
Intimidation (Spirit)
Intimidation is the art of frightening an opponent so that he backs down, reveals information, or flees.
Intimidation is an opposed roll resisted by the opponent’s Spirit. In combat, this is a Test (see page 108). Out of combat, a successful roll means the foe backs down for the most part, reveals some information, or slinks away when the opportunity presents itself. A raise might mean he backs down for the remainder of the scene, spills all the beans, or runs away as fast as he can.
In or out of combat, a Critical Failure means the target is immune to this character’s Intimidation attempts for the remainder of this encounter!
Networking: Intimidation can also be used as a “macro” skill to simulate several hours of working the streets. See Networking on page 133 to see how to crack some heads for favors or information.
Language (Smarts)
In some settings, such as those that focus on pulp action or “planetary romance” (where characters frequently travel among many strange civilizations), speaking various languages can simply be roleplayed with halting dialogue and campy accents that start out a little difficult and are quickly forgotten. The GM may ignore this skill altogether in these settings, or use the Multiple Languages Setting Rule on page 140.
In more realistic settings, communication can be a major barrier that requires characters to put skill points into additional languages. In a 1980s World War Three game, for example, a group of United Nations paratroopers won’t be able to speak with their foes unless they take Russian, Polish, or other languages common to the Warsaw Pact. If the Language skill is in use, it should be listed as Language (Spanish), Language (American Sign Language), etc. A character’s die type also notes how fluent he is in it. (Characters start with a d8 in their own Language.)
LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY - SKILL ABILITY
- d4 - The character can read, write, and speak common words and phrases.
- d6 - The speaker can carry on a prolonged but occasionally halting conversation.
- d8 - The character can speak fluently.
- d10 - The hero can mimic other dialects within the language.
- d12 - The speaker can masterfully recite important literary or oral works.
Limited: Use whichever skill is lowest when performing an action that requires knowledge of a foreign language. Intimidation (if verbal), Persuasion, Research, Taunt, etc., are all limited by the character’s Language skill. This limitation never applies to a character’s native tongue.
Notice (Smarts) (red star)
Notice is a hero’s general awareness and alertness. It’s used to sense sights, sounds, tastes, and smells, spot clues, detect ambushes, spot hidden weapons on a foe, or tell if a rival is lying, frightened, happy, etc.
Success conveys basic information—the character hears movement in the forest, smells distant smoke, or senses someone isn’t being completely truthful.
A raise grants more detail, such as the direction of a sound or odor or what topic a person is avoiding or lying about.
Occult (Smarts)
Occult reflects knowledge and experience with the paranormal most others don’t even believe exists. It can be used to decipher strange pictograms, recall information about supernatural creatures, remember cures for monstrous maladies like lycanthropy or vampirism, or perform rituals.
Finding information in a library, newspaper morgue, old tome, the internet, etc., uses the Research skill. As noted there, however, if the investigator’s Occult skill is higher she may use that instead. See Research on page 34.
Performance (Spirit)
A good entertainer can lift the spirits, rally a crowd to action, or simply earn a few bucks from the locals. Specifics depend on the situation, setting, and how well the character is known in the area.
Performance covers singing, acting, playing an instrument, or similar tasks that require an audience to appreciate.
Raising Funds: The amount of money a character can raise by performing is extremely subjective, but as a general rule a successful performance raises 20% of the setting’s Starting Funds with a success and 30% with a raise. The GM can multiply this amount by the performer’s Rank if she feels it’s appropriate. These numbers work for typical performers who might be known in a small establishment or area. Larger performances can greatly boost the performer’s fee, but also require more time, energy, and setup.
Deception: Performance can be used instead of Persuasion if the character is attempting to deceive, bluff, or disguise herself and the GM agrees it makes sense in the context of the situation.
Persuasion (Spirit) (red star)
Persuasion is the ability to convince others to do what you want through reason, cajoling, deception, rewards, or other friendly means. Persuasion isn’t mind control. It can change someone’s attitude but not their goals. A bandit may let you keep a sentimental piece of jewelry with a good Persuasion roll but still takes all your other goods.
When used to Support allies (page 106) it’s an unopposed roll. If the target is resistant, it’s an opposed roll vs. the target’s Spirit. The GM should modify the roll as she sees fit based on roleplaying, any pertinent Edges or Hindrances that affect the conversation, and the circumstances.
Reaction Level: How much a person is willing to cooperate depends largely on their attitude toward whoever’s talking to them. The Game Master can decide how nonplayer characters feel based on the setting, or roll on the Reaction Table (see sidebar) if she has no preconceived notions.
Success improves the target’s attitude one level and a raise improves it two. Further increases aren’t generally possible in the same encounter—it takes individuals a little time to adjust their biases.
Failure means the target won’t change his mind this scene or until the situation changes in some important way. A Critical Failure also reduces the target’s attitude two levels. Only one roll should generally be allowed per interaction unless new information is revealed, a substantial reward is offered, etc.
Networking: Characters can also use Persuasion as a “macro skill,” simulating a few hours or an evening’s time hobnobbing and socializing to gain favors or information. See Networking on page 133.
Repair (Smarts)
Repair is the ability to take apart and/or fix mechanical gadgets, vehicles, weapons, and simple electrical devices. It also covers the use of demolitions and explosives. How long a Repair roll takes is up to the GM and the complexity of the task. Fixing a Wound on a compact car in a post-apocalyptic setting might take an hour. Fixing a Wound on the same car in the present day might take four hours if the character wants it painted, polished, etc. Success means the item is functional. A raise on the Repair roll halves the time required.
Tools: Characters suffer a minor penalty (-1 to -2) to their roll if they don’t have access to basic tools, or a major penalty (-3 to -4) if the device requires specialized equipment.
Electronics: Repair can be used to repair electronic devices, but is limited by the hero’s Electronics skill. Use whichever skill is lowest.
Research (Smarts)
A character skilled in Research knows how to make good use of libraries, newspaper morgues, the internet, or other written sources of information.
The amount of time this takes is up to the GM and the situation. Finding something on the internet or a specific passage in a book might be possible in a combat round. Looking through books in a library, searching the internet for a complex topic, or digging up background information on an individual usually takes about an hour.
Success finds basic information and a raise provides more detail. Failure means the researcher doesn’t find what she’s looking for. A Critical Failure might mean the researcher finds plausible but incorrect information, triggers the notice of some opposed entity or faction, reads something “Humanity Was Not Meant to Know” and suffers a mental illness of some sort (a Minor Phobia, Quirk, etc.), or she might even accidentally destroy the source. The GM is encouraged to be creative when such a mishap occurs, perhaps forcing the party to approach the situation in a different way.
Related Skills: If a character has a skill that relates directly to the subject he’s researching, he can use that instead of Research. An explorer with Occult d10 and Research d6, for example, rolls a d10 when investigating vampire lore at a forgotten library. If he later goes to search for the deed to a house where the vampires are rumored to lair, he rolls his normal Research instead.
Note: Research may only provide the clues, especially in a mystery-heavy game. Putting the clues together from the information gathered is up to the players.
Riding (Agility)
Riding allows a hero to mount, control, and ride any beast or beast-drawn vehicle common to his setting. This includes horses, camels, dragons, wagons, chariots, and the like. See the rules for Mounted Combat on page 103.
Shooting (Agility)
Shooting covers all attempts to hit a target with a ranged weapon such as a bow, pistol, or rocket launcher (thrown weapons use Athletics, page 29). See Chapter Three for details on ranged combat.
Spellcasting (Smarts)
Mages, wizards, warlocks, and witches use Spellcasting to cast spells. See the Arcane Background (Magic) Edge on page 148.
Stealth (Agility) (red star)
Stealth is the ability to hide and move quietly. A simple success on a Stealth roll means the character avoids detection if enemies aren’t particularly alert. If the character fails the roll, the enemy realizes something is amiss and begins actively searching for whatever roused them.
Once foes are alerted and active, Stealth is opposed by Notice (a group roll if there are many foes, see page 89).
The GM should apply any circumstantial penalties to Notice rolls for darkness, cover, noise, distractions, and any difference in the target’s Scale (just like when attacking, see Scale on page 106). Sneaking through dry leaves might subtract 2 from the Stealth roll, for example, while spotting someone in the dark uses the Illumination penalty listed on page 102 (-4). Don’t apply the same modifier to both rolls, however. If Stealth is at -2 for the leaves, don’t give Notice a +2 for them as well. Sneak Attack: Sneaking up close enough to make a melee attack always requires an opposed Stealth roll versus the target’s Notice, whether the guard is actively looking for trouble or not. If successful, the victim is Vulnerable (page 100) to the attacker, but only until the attacker’s turn ends. With a raise, the attacker has The Drop (page 100) instead.
Movement: In combat, characters roll Stealth each turn as a free action at the end of their move or any action the GM thinks might draw attention.
Out of combat, the distance moved depends entirely on the situation. The GM might want a roll every minute if the group is sneaking around the perimeter of a defensive position, or every few miles if they’re trying to quietly walk the path through a dark forest without alerting the creatures that live there.
Survival (Smarts)
Survival allows a character to find food, water, or shelter in hostile environments. It can also be used to navigate wilderness environments, figure out which plants are good to eat and which aren’t, and so on.
A successful Survival roll provides enough food and water for one person for one day; or five people with a raise. More detailed information on Hunger and Thirst can be found under Hazards on page 125.
Tracking: Survival can also be used to detect and follow tracks. Each roll generally covers following the tracks for one mile, but the GM should adjust this as needed for specific circumstances.
The Game Master should assign a bonus or penalty based on the target, environment, and time. Tracking a large group that recently passed through a snow-covered area might grant a bonus of +4, while following a single person over rocks and streams after more than a day incurs a -4 penalty.
Taunt (Smarts)
Taunt attacks a person’s pride through ridicule, cruel jests, or oneupmanship. Taunt is an opposed roll resisted by the opponent’s Smarts. In combat, this is a Test (see page 108).
Out of combat, success means the defender backs down, slinks away, or starts a fight. A raise might leave the victim cowed for the remainder of the scene, or make her storm out of the area fuming or even in tears, or attack her tormentor recklessly (perhaps with a Wild Attack on the first round of combat). A Critical Failure means the target is immune to this character’s Taunts for the remainder of the encounter.
Thievery (Agility)
Lockpicking, safecracking, picking pockets, sleight of hand, setting and disabling traps and similar acts of misdirection, sabotage, subterfuge, and manipulation are called Thievery.
If used to pick a lock, crack a safe, disable a trap, or perform a simple unopposed action, success opens or disables the device, and a raise does it in less time, without tripping alarms, or whatever else the GM feels is appropriate.
Sleight of hand, hiding or planting an item, or picking a pocket require a simple success. If foes are actively watching the character, Thievery is opposed by Notice.
The Game Master should assign penalties for particularly difficult circumstances. Picking a heavy padlock might have a -4 penalty, while hiding a revolver in bulky winter clothing might grant a +1 bonus. Failure typically means the character is spotted or it takes too much time (after which the character can try again). A Critical Failure typically sets off the trap, alerts the victim, or jams the device so that it must be opened or interacted with in a different way.
Limited: Using Thievery on an electronic device, such as a keypad, is limited by the thief’s Electronics skill. Use the lowest of the two skills.