Skills

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Skills are a measure of the training and experience in a variety of tasks, social, mental, and physical.

At Character Creation, each character beings with 20 points to spend among the skills. Most races have an additional skill benefit in either points or granted skills.

Untrained Penalties

Utilizing a skill which a character is unfamiliar with (untrained) will incur penalties:

Base Stat of Skill Penalty
Charisma/Willpower 0
Strength -1
Dexterity -1
Intelligence -2

Core Skills

There are several Core Skills, which most characters will have at least some proficiency in, often starting play with 3 or more ranks in each:

  • One Weapon Skill (Unarmed, Melee, Thrown, or Ranged). Assuming your character uses some sort of weapon, you will want a weapon skill
  • One Source skill (Magecraft, Sorcerery, Shamanism, Channelling). While Adepts don't have a key core skill, they often have abilities which use a non-core skills.
  • Perception. Perception is one of the most called for skills in-game.

Other non-Core skills should be selected by what is appropriate to your character's background and training.

After Character Creation, raising skills cost 3 SXP times the rank you want to raise the skill to.

Skill Name Required Statistic Description
Unarmed Combat Strength, Dexterity Martial arts, natural weapons, brawling, boxing, touch attacks.
Melee Weapons Strength Melee weapons. Longswords, warhammers, and spears.
Thrown Weapons Strength Throwing weapons. Bolas, throwing stars, throwing daggers, throwing axes, javelins.
Ranged Weapons Dexterity Ranged projectile weapons. Bows, crossbows, magitech weapons.
Exotic Weapons Strength, Dexterity Exotic weapons. Spiked chains, clawed gauntlets, elven longblades.
Channeling Intelligence Channeling Source casting ability
Magecraft Intelligence Magecraft Source casting ability.
Shamanism Intelligence, Willpower Shamanism Source casting ability.
Sorcery Willpower Sorcery Source casting ability.
Perception Intelligence Detect or sense a change in your environment.

Non-Core Skills

Skill Name Required Statistic Description
Acrobatics Dexterity Tricky or flashy movement, balance checks, jumps.
Athletics Strength Scaling vertical objects or surfaces. Trees, cliffs, walls, ropes.
Business Intelligence, Charisma Haggling, trading, ledgers, bills, economics.
Craft Intelligence Creating, manufacturing, brewing, assembling in a particular field. Must select a subcraft.
Deception Charisma, Willpower Lies, trickery, concealing intent or truth.
Diplomacy Charisma Negotiation, persuasion.
Disable Device Dexterity Disarming traps, working with intricate devices.
Escape Artist Strength, Dexterity Freeing yourself from bonds or restraints
Gather Information Charisma Information through small talk, eavesdropping, social settings, informants.
Handle Animal Charisma, Willpower Body language, words, and touch to prevent animals from panicking.
Intimidate Charisma, Willpower Threatening, frightening, bullying.
Knowledge Intelligence Book or experience knowledge about a specific topic. Must select a subtopic.
Leadership Charisma, Willpower Inspiration, moral boosting, loyalty of subordinates.
Medicine Intelligence Binding of wounds, tending of injuries, countering sicknesses.
Perform Charisma Dance, musical instrument, singing, oratory, acting. Must select a subtype.
Pick Lock Dexterity Opening locks without a key.
Ride Dexterity Skill at fighting on a mount or moving quickly on a mount.
Search Intelligence Careful methodical inspection of an area, tracking
Sense Motive Intelligence Understand emotions and intents through facial expressions and body language.
Sleight of Hand Dexterity Subtle tricks with distractions and quick fingers.
Stealth Dexterity Moving silently, hiding.
Survival Intelligence Direction sense, foraging, weathering hostile environments, understanding nature
Swim Strength, Dexterity Swimming in liquid, difficulty and/or speed check.

Additional Uses of Skills

Seafaring

Seafaring - operation and navigation of a water-based vessel such as a ship - requires successful Knowledge: Nautical checks.

Skyfaring

There are a number of ways that the inhabitants of Lorithandar have developed to traverse long distances. Perhaps the most impressive and expensive method of travel is via airship. An airship is most often a mechanical vessel powered by arcane energies from a particular Source (Magecraft, Sorcery, Shamanism). To effectively man and pilot one of these special crafts requires successful Knowlege: Airships skill checks, as well as the presence of a designated Arcane Engineer (who must be able to utilize the same Source as the airship's Arcane Engine) to ensure that the ship moves properly through the sky. For a small enough ship, the Pilot may also serve as the Arcane Engineer, however, larger ships with more than one engine may require multiple operators to fulfill those responsibilities.

The most common airships are those that rely on Magecraft to power them, following the Ley lines across the width and breadth of the world. Transferring between Ley is the purview of the ship's Arcane Engineer. The Engineer must succeed on Knowledge: Magic skill checks to ensure that the ship keeps its course and does not lose power. In some cases, Channelers of the Magic Domain may be able to successfully take on the responsibilities of an Arcane Engineer on a ship powered by Magecraft, though this is at the discretion of the Storyteller.