Skills Available

Skill types

The skills available are divided into two categories

• General skills
• Specialisations

Chraacters sart out by learning general skills which encompass many specialisation within them. The learn the basics of all the specialisations up to the level of the general skill. Once the maximum general skill level has been obtained characters must learn the trickier facets of each specialised skill independently

Depending upon the difficulty of the specialisations each general skill will have a different maximum before specialisation is required.

Costs & time

The cost is dependant upon the trainer's level and includes both their pay and any helpers the trainers needs to employ (combat opponents etc.).

You need to train for one day per skill level you are rising to.

For faith and magic the casting level is NOT the same as their ability level. Casting a 3 level spell is roughly the same as being a 5th level fighter. See Spell costs.

Skills

Skill Abilities

Difficulty

The general difficulty of a skill is a 12.

Specialist abilities that are learnt at various points in the training. have a difficulty is 8 + level. Before being learnt it is almost impossible to perform one of the specialist actions, you suffer a penalty of -5 and roll only 1d8 (as unskilled)

These % success assumes an apprentice (skill = 2) with a primary ability of +1 in the relavent area. (Note :a 2 is always a bodge).

Faith

The abilities granted according to you faith are detailed seperately for eack religion

Magic

Arcane knowledge

This involves deciphering ancient runes, knowledge of famous mages and identifying magical items. Most magical items fall under the impossible category although a few major ones are more well known. Minor magical items such as potions are not identifiable this way though any inscriptions on the bottles may be identified. It is also the basis for all magical knowledge and is required for mages at their highest magical level.

Arcane knowledge gives you the ability to sometimes feel magic (determine if there is magic in the area, not if someone is just casting a spell) although a ridiculous (19) skill roll is required. Extremely powerful magic will make the roll easier.

To train in Arcane knowledge you require 1 speciality at the level below and an additional speciality at each lower level.

e.g. To train to AK 5 you could have

• Level 4 Alteratiopn
• Level 3 Electro-Magnetism
• Level 2 Divination
• Level 1 Force

Any additional speciality levels are a bonus.

Magic Specialisations

Magic is split into the various specialities. Some specialisations give abilities at various levels of skill.

• Alteration
  • Level 2 - Able to create level 1 amulets
  • Level 3 - Able to create level 2 amulets and recharge simple items.
  • Level 4 - Able to create level 3 amulets
  • Level 5 - Able to create level 4 amulets and minor magical weapons
  • Level 6 - Able to create magical weapons
• Elemental
• Electro-magnetic
• Emotion
  • Level 4 - Able to create sigils
• Conjuration / Abjuration
• Force
  • Level 1 - Deflection ability.
• Divination
  • Level 3 - Can use a cystal ball.

  Deflection Ability

Deflection is a response to another spell or effect. It deflects a single spell's physical manifestation away from the caster in the direction pointed. The distance deflected = remaining PP x10'. (If still in the area of effect they save at +4) Against breath weapons and similar cone spells the caster creates a protected cone shaped area with him at the apex. The caster may only deflect spells up to 1 level above his Force capability. The caster is drained of the number of PP = to the deflected spell less 1 level. Dragons breath weapons count as at least level 5 and up to level 9 for ancient ones.

Athletics

Level 1

• Jumping

This is the high jump, running or standing long jump. The distances that may be covered may seem small but characters in general will not be in running shorts and spiked heals, rather they will have armour of some sort, weapons, treasure and all manner of other items slung around their body.

The skill covers the ability to accurately judge the run up and take off point as well as the actual distance covered. Even trained athletes may be out by 6" on take off either way, untrained ones more so. If leaping a bottomless chasm not a sand pit it is assumed that characters adjust the take off point back a few inches to compensate for any error.

When a jump is made add the success level to the distance.

Level 2

• Jumping down & rolling (10' drop)
• Hanging side shimming
• Castle (Deft manouvring enables you to swap places with an ally beside or behind you. (You have to do all the hard bits unless they also have the feat; they just step into your empty space)

Acrobatics / Parcour

This can be thought of as trying to achieve the impossible as a routine task. Try leaping off a table, grasping the chandelier, swinging across the balcony and dropping directly onto the head of the chief ogre. Parcour can do this easily ( if you consider an impossible roll easy)! Actions such as performing somersaults are still difficult.

Most actions require a skill check of 8 + level.

Level 3

• Wall spring :- (twice your height with a pull up)
• Obstacles Leaping :- (2/3 height without losing speed)

Level 4

• Chandelier swinging :- Swing on a crossbeam and land on your feet.
• Cat leap :- (Leap a gap and grap)
• Pipe running :- (Balance, this is running along a 50' pipe, not moving slowly across a 5' gap)

level 5

• Wall flip :- (run up wall and back flip)
• Leap through holes :- May leap through small holes horizontally at the end of movement action (e.g. leap)

level 6

• Wall running :- (over a gap of 3x height)

Level 7

• Cliff grab :- (Catch the cliff while falling)

Climbing

A favourite skill of thieves for gaining entrance to upper windows, this encompasses both wall and cliff climbing. It does not however give any of the other mountaineering abilities.

Climbing speed = 1/4 of walking speed + number over skill check needed per round

Subsequent checks after

• 1 minute
• 5 minutes
• 20 minutes
• 1 hour
• 5 hours
• 1 day (10 hours climbing)

If a check is failed by 3 or fewer you cannot proceed higher and must climb down (more checks), if you fail by more than 3 then you fall

Dodge

Dodge is moving quickly out of the way of something nasty, be it someone trying to hit you of a dragon breathing at you. Dodge used in combat counts as a second action and so incurs the normal multiple action penalty if you are also attacking

Dodge is a saving throw based skill.

Covert

Find traps

This is the ability to discover hidden traps by careful sight or mild probing only. A bodge sets off the trap.

Forgery

Assuming the correct (or good substitute) materials are available, duplicates of documents and hand-written notes may be created.

The following modifiers apply

• Pages beyond the first -1 per page (max -5)
• Specific signature -2 (sample required)
• Specific handwriting -4 (Large sample (2+ pages) required)

When the document is finished an initial average check is made by the DM to see if any obvious errors were made. The general result is known but not the exact figure. This result is then kept for the document. Each time the document is presented the examiners perception roll is checked against the document and modified by their knowledge of the document. A guard would have a fairly good knowledge of a castle pass but a merchant would not be familiar with a royal order to close their shop (but they might get it checked).

If the person examining the document has the forgery proficiency they use this instead of perception but ignore any dexterity bonuses.

Open locks & Disable Traps

The ability required above all by thieves, the opening of locks leading to treasure or places forbidden to them. Locks naturally come in a variety of forms, some easier to penetrate than others. An average door lock or cabinet intended to do no more than keep paassers by out has a difficulty of about 12 however it has been observed that the owners of chests which contain treasure generally don't trust such simple locks and employ more complex affairs with a difficulty of 18 or more.

The time to spring any lock is 6 minutes - the success level

In most cases if there is a trap the skill roll will disable the trap as part of opening the lock however the difficulty is increased by +2 or more. In a few cases a seperate roll may be made to disable the trap before tackling the lock.

If the lock is hidden then a successful unlock attempt which includes the added difficulty for the trap will open the chest without triggreing it.

Pick pockets / Sleight of Hand

The urchin or the beggar often have this ability as well as professional thieves. There are two thoughts to the best way to rob amongst a crowded bazaar. Either pick those who are distracted or appear to be daydreaming, alternatively go for those who are wide awake as they probably haven't been touched before and therefore have more money.

Rope Use

This allows an attempt to wriggle out of rope bonds. A very difficult skill check would be required for most bonds. Rope use also allows the character to tie any of the esoteric knots that slip, slide slowly, hold tight or loosen with a quick pull. (Any specific knot requires an easy check).

Stealth

This is the ability to move unseen and unheard through an area. If the circumstances mean that it is possible to make noise or not worry about sight then a bonus of +1 is added to the roll.

Combat

Blind Fighting

Each success level obtained reduces the handicap of fighting blind or against invisible creatures. Negative handicaps are ignored. Make a check each round, this does not count as an action.

Brawling

This is the unsophisticated form of unarmed combat where antagonists use whichever techniques comes to hand, this includes left hook, elbow smash and groin strike, arm lock, neck twist and strangle holds. It is (generally) only used where both participents are unarmed.

It is defind in the combat section Unarmed Combat

Combat Melee or Ranged

Each weapon requires individual training however weapons are grouped into types and characters can use similar weapons with their main skill but only rolling 1d8. This is as if untrained but gaining the benefit of any skill levels in the main weapon.

Level skills

Melee Level 4

Manouvring Strike :- Force the opponent to move where you want him to up to 5' (Melee vs Melee skill)

Bludgeon Level 3 (1SP)

Crack the Shell :- You deliver a mighty blow against an armoured opponent breaking their wooden shield.

Ranged Level 4

Expert Aim :- When aiming your perfect concentration grants you double the normal bonus (+6)

Ranged Level 7

Target practice :- Aim for a round and hit a stationary target (e.g. rope) at short range

Grenade Level 5

Unseen target :- You can hit a target completely covered by lobbing it over on obstacle or bouncing of a wall. (ignore cover)

Shields

Each level of shield training increases the bonus to parrying by +1 up to their maximum.

Shields need to be trained with in concert with weapons so the shield skill may not exceed half of the current weapon skill.

There is no change to the cover bonus against ranged missiles for training (you can't hide any more of you behind it by training).

Tactics

This grants the ability to direct a combat and get the right people in into the right place at the right time. It requires planning, careful thought and a knowledge of combat. Tactics cannot be learnt until you have a melee combat skill of +3

Possible skill checks

Level 1

Defence plan :- Grant +1 Defence for the first 2 rounds of combat

Level 2

Take the Force :- Take the attack from an adjacent foe from an adjacent ally giving him a small breathing space for +1 Breather Point

Level 3

Attack plan :- Grant +1 Attack for the first 2 rounds of combat

Level 4

Diversion :- Create a diversion so that a single character gets a bonus to attack of skill check +5

Level 5

Rally around :- Protect a character so that they may withdraw safely without being attacked

Touch Attack

Touch attacks are for mages and other types which do not need to inflict physical damage but merely touch an opponent to activate a spell or special ability, thus it does not suffer any negatives normally associated with natural weapon attacks . The skill operates in the same way as a weapon melee attack and is listed in the melee weapons table.

Influence

Barter

Barter is the ability to bargin a trader down to a price that is almost reasonable, though by this point he will be telling you that his mother will go cold and hungry that night. It is also used when trading treasure. Each success level means you get an additional 10% discount or better price for goods.

Intimidation & Persuasion

Intimidation can force another character or group to do your will. You must have some hold over the characters (such as holding the pins to a bunch of grenades). A minimal success means they will do reasonable requests. Good means they will do commands which don't endanger their lives, superior means they will perform nearly all commands instantly.

This is the ability to persuade NPC's to your point of view. It is however a dangerous action to attempt as they will at the same time try to persuade you. Once attempted only deeply held beliefs such as your faith are sacrosanct. Any other beliefs may be altered and your character will then have been persuaded that their point of view was correct.

When attempted the degree of belief must first be agreed, this will be used by both parties in the debate. Three attempts may then be made to persuade the opponent. Both sides roll a persuasion attempt. The difference between the two rolls is converted into a success level and the loser moves that number of places towards being persuaded. As soon as either party passes the mid point they are converted.

Each attempt occupies 5 minutes. After 15 minutes the argument reaches a stalemate if no party has been converted. Neither party may interrupt the proceedings, although outside influences may cut the argument short. The time limit may be reduced if one party has a prior engagement.

Persuasion may also be used to temporarily alter the current attitude of an character. To succeed the persuader must get a success level equal to the opponents current attitude. Their attitude will be displaced by one point toward the persuader. Only one attempt per meeting may be made to alter the attitude. Further checks may be made later. The further checks are always made at the initial difficulty not the current difficulty. It is possible to attempt to move their attitude by two places at once; two rolls are made both using the multi-action difficulty modifier.

If opponents are on the payroll of another the others leadership is used if it is higher than their own.

A bad failure will move their reaction by one place in the opposite direction, an appalling failure by two places. If appropriate a successful etiquette or streetwise roll against the same difficulty will modify a failure by one place upwards.

If persuading a character of another race the charisma reaction is applied.

Leadership

A characters leadership ability determines the number and quality of henchmen they may control and their ability to lead large numbers of people such as an army. For every point a character may control one henchman. When leading a body of people the leader will give a bonus to their morale and discipline = Leadership.

Each adventure a henchmen gains a maximum of 2 Training Points per leadership level.

A henchman's maximum level in their speciality may not exceed 2+ your leadership.

Level 2

Charge:- Whenever you charge and are in the front, your allies gain a bonus of your Leadership to their damage.

Level 3

Goal:- You may declare a goal for the adventure (session). Each ally may add your Leadership as a bonus to a skill check once.

Speech:- Your pre-battle speech raises everyones hopes. On the 1st round gain your leadership as a bonus to both initiative and melee damage.

Level 4

Inspirational Strike:- Whenever you melee strike successfully on the first segment your adjacent allies in combat who are acting later in the round gain your Leadership as bonus damage.

Performance

Performance includes singing, acting, poetry reading, disguise, impersonation and other such activities.

Bards may be likened to the traditional Welsh bard, wandering the land performing songs and tales of yesteryear. Their mastery of songs gives them the ability to entrance people and weave spells with their music. They gain the following special abilities. Bards must have the singing ability to at least the highest level of any of their magical levels. Attempt to influence reactions of creatures.Singing increases moral of associated creatures by 10% with +1 to their saving throws. Good singing negates song based attacks, gain +1 per 2 points of singing against other noise attacks.

Disguise

Disguise enables you to impersonate other people. The impersonation may be as simple as a labourer to gain entrance to a construction site or of a specific aristocrat to gain information. The more specific the impersonation and the greater the difference between your body and the one being impersonated dictates the difficulty. It not possible to impersonate a specific person well enough to fool close associates unless magic is employed.

* When impersonating a different race the disguise will fool characters not from that race more easily than those of the race.

Note : All modifiers are cumulative.

Etiquette

This is the ability of a character to interact with officials and the court to gain information or not not make a faux pas. It is the art of knowing what to say, how to dress (expensively) and how to react to situatins and people.

Impersonation

With this skill you can fool who can't see you that you are not whom you seem to be.

Streetwise

This is the ability of a character to wander the backstreets and find the people they need to gain information of items. It is the art of knowing what to say and how to react to gangs, thieves and assassins. It is similar to the etiquette skill but at the other end of the social spectrum.

Trick / Bluff

This is the chance to trick an opponent into doing or not doing something. The trickster must describe how the trick is to be performed. It may be as simple as 'look out behind you' to more complex ones designed to send unsuspecting guards in the wrong direction. The success level dictates the result of a trick,m difficulty = 12

Perception

Search

Search is the skill of looking under things. It helps to find the small pouch hidden amongst the bale of clothes.

Spot

Spot is the skill of noticing the unusual. It helps to find the small cracks that give away secret doors see ambushers n the undergrowth

It is a saving throw skill for discovering illusions

Survival

Animal Handling

Characters can train one animal or pack of animals to perform simple commands and tricks (rear, bite kick) or more general tasks (guard, kill, track). Each task or trick requires a check and 4 weeks training less 1 week per success level.

In addition it allows the character to understand the basic feeding and social habits of common creatures and estimate whether a particular specimen is likely to fight or flee. A check of 15 will calm a spooked creature.

The 'Animal Empathy' trait gives a bonus of +1 to all rolls

Beast Riding

Learning to ride a horse at a walk doesn't take any training, although you do get a sore bum. Attempting to leap from a galloping camel onto a passing land yacht under full sail is a trifle more difficult. The animal being learnt must be stated. Similar animals may be ridden at half skill.

Level 3 (Encounter)

Running Start:- Leap straight onto your beast without slowing to mount carefully

Level 4 (Encounter)

Look no Hands:- Control you beast for a round without using hands

Level 5 (Encounter)

Flying Leap:- Make an overbearing attack from horseback using the speed of the beast.

Survival Terrain

A character may survive in a chosen environment for longer than normal due to their ability to find food, shelter and warmth. They also know the steps to take to avoid exposure. A successful check means that enough food (snake, rats, bugs, fungi...) has been found to feed or water one person per success level.

Terrain types that may be chosen are mountains, desert, jungle, arctic. These environments must be available for the training to take place. The difficulty depends upon the terrain type.

The number of points obtained above the minimum required indicates the number of man-days of food that was found. Any success indicates that shelter was found or made successfully.

A check will indicate whether a character recognises the approach of inclement weather such as sand storms.

General survival skills are related so a character knowing one survival skill may attempt a roll in a different terrain type at an increased difficulty of +2.

The skill includes

Hunting, Fishing, snares & traps, building fires, animal noises, signalling and outdoor stealth.

Animal noises

The ability to produce convincing animal noises can be used as an extremely useful form of communication when within earshot of an enemy camp. Guards familiar with the animals however may recognise the noises.

Fire building

This allows the character to make a fire in almost all weather types providing the correct tinder can be found. A skill check includes the finding of suitable fuel.

Hunting & Fishing

Hunting can only be performed in light leather or no armour, Fishing requires a river or lake. You can feed 1 person plus 1 for every success level of the check for an hours hunting or fishing. For each hour without success the difficulty increases by one indicating there are naturally fewer animals in the local area.

Hunting without the correct long range weapons (bows...) increases the difficulty by 3, without swallow arrows you are limited to a level 2 success. Without any ranged weapons the difficulty increases by 6.

The fishing skill includes all kinds of fishing such as hook and line, net or spear. The skill includes knowing the best places to fish as well as being adept with the equipment. Fishing on the sea is a more hit or miss affair as there may be no fish anywhere near. The check is made each half day (6 hours), the difficulty increases by 3 places but if you catch anything you can feed 3 times as many people.

Large Traps

This is the chance to build large traps. These may be pit traps, net traps, swinging logs... The trap overseer makes a check when the creature approaches the trap. This gives the chance that the creature will notice the trap or that it will not work properly.

Signalling

This is signalling by various means across distances. The skill applies to all different signalling methods. This may includes everything from battle hand signals all the way up to ships flags. A skill check needs to be made for each message. An unlucky or bad failure means that part of the message is missing. A worse failure means the message was misinterperted.

Stealth Outdoors

See Stealth, however it only works in the countryside in your particular terrain speciality.

Outdoor climbing

This is the same as the climb walls skill but for mountains, trees or the type of climbing found in your terrain speciality only. Thus for mountains it ncludes knowledge of ice cliffs, glaciers and general mountain dangers whearas for jungles it would include waterfalls and vine overgrown cliffs.

Swimming

Characters without swimming cannot swim. Swimming cannot be performed in any type of metal armour. Characters may swim 20 yards in calm water for each point rolled.

Swimming speed is 1/4 normal speed

If a particularly fast or dangerous river needs to be swum a single check is made at an appropriate difficulty. If failed the character is swept downstream and may land up on either bank (70% near 30% far) or be drowned 20% (Advice : I would be a hero at this point. Editor).

Tracking

The tracking attempt is modified by the terrain type and other factors. All modifiers are accumulative.

Additional checks are required whenever The chance to track decreases, (terrain, creatures leaving, darkness) Another track of the same creature crosses the first. Every 4 hours of tracking

Indoors on constructed flooring tracking is normally impossible.

Once a check has failed an hour must be spent searching for the track. If this fails the track has completely disappeared. On a successful check the number of success levels indicates any additional information gleaned.

Miscellaneous

Endurance

This enables a character to break through the pain barrier and be less affected by stamina sapping exertions such as running or poison coursing through the veins. The speed of movement will affect the ability. The stamina lost is halved if success. A check is required each minute. When a single check is failed all following checks are automatically failed until rested for 1 turn.

Gaming

Simple, pit your skill against an opponents. This may be on a game by game basis or one roll for an evenings entertainment.

Healing & Herbalism

Wounds may be healed faster than normal by the judicious application of herbs, plants and poultices.

When recovering gradually a successful check will increase the number of wounds (life points) recovered per week by 1, Note that as time may be spent at leisure doing this the +4 bonus for multiple attempts is always taken.

Emergency first aid in the field can reduce the effects of critical wounds and poisonings. Whenever 3 or more wounds are taken in a single blow successful emergency aid will reduce the wounds received by the number of success levels, to a minimum of 2 wounds. Only one attempt per person may ever be made on each set of wounds.

For each untreated minute between the blow and treatment at least one wound will be suffered. 1 wound may always be cured up to 1/2 hour from the blow if at least 3 wounds were suffered.

In addition healing adds to the saving throw for a character against an injected poison. The healer must suck out the poison from the wound and apply herbal treatment. The success level of the herbalist is the bonus to the characters resist poison saving throw, The difficulty is increased by 1 for each untreated round.

A successful check will also prevent a character dying through loss of blood when at 2 or fewer wound points. The healing attempt takes 5 full rounds to complete. At 2 WP the check is normal, at 1 WP it is 19.

In addition ingested and injected poisons may be concocted. The strength will depend upon the plants available.

Knowledge

You can you name the last 10 Baron's of Callestic, what the port of Porthtown is famous for, which demon has yellow and blue horns, how to get a stone from a horses hoof with only a boiled egg and which priest is the best at exorcising ghosts.

Languages

Each level in languages lets a character know an additional language. All characters are assumed to know their own language and Common. Possible additional languages include

1. Elvish
2. Dwarfish
3. Gnomish
4. Kobold
5. Goblin
6. Orc
7. Ogre
8. Giant
9. Lizard Man
10. Lip Reading (This counts as 3 slots)
11. Old Common
12. Sign Language
13. Thieves Cant (restricted to thieves)

Lip reading gives the ability with a skil lcheck to read lips if within 20' and under light. This is automatic if specifically directed at the character.

Martial Arts

Martial Arts is a very special skill. Anybody can brawl, some can even brawl effectively, however martial arts takes it a step further to the realms of the devotion to the body and soul. The arts are often referred to as the way of the golden dragon. Those who practise them have a tendency to travel in long loose golden habits embroidered with a large ostentatious dragon on the back.

To train you must seek out the monasteries scattered throughout the land

No facets of unarmed combat may be performed in any kind of armour other than light leather.

Combat

Martial arts has similarities with brawling as it includes (pummelling and throws however it also includes locks but excludes overbearing). Martial arts combat is described in the Unarmed Combat section Pummelling increases in damage as for any other weapon.

The Body

Dedicated control of your body means endless training, pain and suffering. Just remember "No pain - No gain".

The Soul

Control of your body's Chi (Willpower) enable you to accomplish feats that appear almost magical.

Level 1 - Falling

• Rolling after a drop of up to 10' incurs no damage

Level 2 - Mind over Body

• Do not become exhausted until WP are taken (rather than running out of stamina)
• +1 save against Emotion (Willpower) effects

Level 3 - Agility training

• Kick up :As the feat
• Trip : Opponent saves vs dodge to avoid. (1/Encounter)
• Falling : (save reduces damage by 1 level)

Level 4 - Control

• Critical location : You can direct a strike to any particular body location without penalty (skill check, 1/opponent)
• Power strike : Smash through wooden doors

Level 5 - Speed

• Lightning speed : When attacking you gain 1 additional martial arts attack without penalty (1 / encounter)
• You gain +1 level to any purely dexterity based melee weapon

Level 6 - Body training

• Feign Death : Body goes catatonic for up to 10 minutes (1 / week)

Level 7 - Mind Bar

• +2 save against Emotion effects

Level 8 - Finding the Chi

• Levitate for 5 minutes (1 / week)

Level 9 - Channel the Chi

• Immune to body altering drugs / poisons

Level 10 - Visualising the action

• You gain +2 levels to any purely dexterity based melee weapon

Level 12 - Astral Projection

• Can project an astral version of your body

Mind Control

Mind control encompasses a variety of skills that enable the mind to control the body's various systems and resist the interference of attempted take over by other minds.

Mining

This includes skills such as direction of travel underground, stonework traps and appraising gems and ore to +/- 10%.

Sailing

This is more appropriately called "Things on Water". You know sailing, rowing, canoeing and other water bourne craft.

All characters may propel a rowed craft at half speed, however a character with this skill will propel both rowed and sailing craft up to 30' at full speed + 10% per success level. A calm lake would be a dead cert and rapids hard to very difficult. A roll failed by 5 or more means that in trying to correct an error a mishap occurred. This could vary from a lost oar to capsizing the boat.

The speed of all craft depends upon the prevailing wind and current conditions. It should be noted that in high winds the movement made may be more than counteracted by the wind.

The boating skill gives half skill in sailing and vice versa.