SKILLS

The starting level or default of skills is -1 for each player in the game group during that session, excluding the GM, or else -2 if a single value is wanted - except for Languages and Specialty skills which don't exist in a particular Tech or culture.

In every case, the first level got brings the skill to +1. There are no levels above +4.

Skills with an asterisk * require a Specialty, and have no default; if the character doesn't have them, they can't even try them.

Skills are generated by rolling d6, d6. The first roll is the number of skills randomly selected and the second roll is for chosen skills. This assumes people in their mid-late twenties, or younger and talented characters, or else those who reach that ability level and settle down.

 

RANDOM SKILLS TABLE
11-14	Athletics		43-46	Gadgeteering
1	Acrobatics		1	Armoury*
2	Climbing		2	Craft*
3	Jumping		3	Electrics*
4	Running		4	Engineer*
5	Sports*		5	Scrounging
6	Swimming		6	Technician*
15-22	Combat		51-54	Intrusion
1	Blunt		1	Deceit
2	Bows & thrown		2	Filch
3	Brawling		3	Lockpicking
4	Edged		4	Observation
5	Firearms		5	Stealth
6	Wrestling		6	Traps
23-26	Communication		55-62	Medical
1	Artist*		1	Alt medicine
2	Diplomacy		2	Pharmacy*
3	Intimidation		3	Physician*
4	Languages*		4	Psychology
5	Speech		5	Surgery*
6	Writing		6	Veterinary*
31-34	Driving		63-66	Wilderness
1	Aircraft*		1	Foraging
2	Landcraft		2	Hazmat*
3	Riding		3	Hunting
4	Seacraft*		4	Navigation
5	Ski		5	Survival
6	Spacecraft*		6	Tracking
35-42	Knowledge
1	Admin & law
2	Culture & history
3	Interview
4	Research
5	Science*
6	Search

ATHLETICS

Acrobatics: the ability to tumble, fall safely, do hand stands, balance on a tightrope and the like, which can also reduce the results of a fall.

Climbing: the ability to move up any surface against gravity. Obviously some surfaces are easier to ascend than others, and the proper equipment helps.

Jumping: anyone can do a standing vertical or broad jumps of 0.30m and 2m, run-ups doubles this. Roll 6+ adds 10%, 8+ 25%, 10+ 50% and 12+ 100%

Running: a normal running pace is Reflexes in km/hr, or m/sec, adjusted for encumbrance. Those with the skill may try to boost this, roll 6+ adds 10%, 8+ 25%, 10+ 50% and 12+ 100%.

Sports*: any one of the many sports in the world. Some may be used in combat situations, eg cricket might help in throwing hand grenades.

Swimming: not an automatic skill for everyone, this lets you get from one place to another in the water without splashing too much and swallowing too much water.

 

COMBAT

Blunt: weapons like truncheons and quarterstaves. Sometimes an edged weapon may be used bluntly, and vice versa, there's then a DM-2 on the skill use.

Bows & thrown: all man-portable weapons which are or are firing human-powered projectiles, such as bows, spears, slings, crossbows.

Brawling: punches, kicks, knees, etc; this includes weapons which are just designed to add to normal brawling blows, like knuckle-dusters, any improvised weapon roughly the size of a hand, etc.

Edged: wielding weapons which are designed to cut or pierce, like knives and spears. See note in Blunt entry about the default between the skills.

Firearms: all portable weapons which fire explosively-propelled projectiles.

Wrestling: grapples and throws. Falling safely without injury is Acrobatics.

COMMUNICATION

Artist*: the arts of the world are legion, and include painting, sculpture, musical instruments, and so on. An adequate performance is done on 6+, a professional one on 8+, and masterful on 10+.

Diplomacy: the ability to make people comfortable, which may involve etiquette, light chit-chat, or whatever suits the style of the person doing it.

Intimidation: convincing others that you are willing and able to do them harm; this may or may not be physical harm.

Languages*: Each language is a separate skill. All will have – for free - one-third their Mind (ignore fractions) in their native language. +1 represents basic daily conversation with a heavy accent. +2 is fairly fluent, but abstract concepts and technical jargon will pass you by and a regional accent will still be there. +3 is complete fluency with many specialised words and the “universal” accent of that country. +4 is complete mastery.

Speech: this is the eloquence, the articulateness, the ability to express ideas in a pleasant-sounding, clear and persuasive way. Can be used to obscure, taunt, etc.

Writing: as for Speech, but in written form.

 

DRIVING

Aircraft*: any craft, powered or not, which flies through an atmosphere.

Landcraft: any craft which travels on the ground.

Riding: any animal which can be tamed and ridden.

Seacraft*: any craft which travels on water

Ski: any human-powered skis, snowboards, sandboards, and so on.

Spacecraft*: any craft which travels in a vacuum and microgravity.

 

GADGETEERING

Armoury*: the crafting and repair of weapons and armour. The basic maintenance of weapons comes under the weapon's skill. But if it breaks...

Craft*: pottery, blacksmithing, carpentry, cooking...

Electrics*: repairing, building and maintaining electrical systems. These are specialised into areas like household electrics, computers, generators, automotive systems, and so on.

Engineer*: the design of mechanical and electric systems.

Scrounging: somehow you beg, borrow, steal or improvise the stuff you need to survive or use one of the other Gadgeteering skills.

Technician*: the maintenance and repair of mechanical systems.

 

INTRUSION

Deceit: pretending to be who you aren't, feel or know what you don't. Includes basic forgery, though true forgery requires Art, Admin & Law, etc.

Filch: taking and pocketing things without being noticed by people present, whether from people, office desks, shop shelves, or wherever.

Lockpicking: not only mechanical locks, but electronics ones at high Technology 8+.

Observation: watching and noticing details, particularly "tactical" ones like where security cameras are, the proper place for an ambush, etc.

Stealth: being a sneaky bastard. This is helped by the right clothing, light, and so on.

Traps: from animal traps at Technology 2+ to laser tripwires and infrared alarm systems at Technology 8+.

 

KNOWLEDGE

Admin & Law: the administration, bureaucracy, legal principles and details of your society.

Culture & history: where we came from, why we live as we do, and so on.

Interview: gaining information from a person, the process may be friendly or unfriendly, and they may or may not realise that what they're telling is information.

Research: you may not know, but you know where to find out. As Tech rises, first talking, then books, and finally computers, but always check sources.

Science*: general knowledge of things which can be measured and have testable rules, like chemistry, physics and so on. Principles of sciences, practice is some Gadgeteering.

Search: finding things by a thorough going-over, knowing where people tend to hide them.

MEDICAL

Alt medicine: methods not accepted by modern mainstream medicine, these may or may not work, but at least make the patient feel better, giving the "comfortable surrounds" bonus to healing.

Pharmacy*: the manufacture and dispensing of the right and wrong chemical substances to affect health and mood. A professional pharmacist will have some Physician skill.

Physician*: keeping dying people alive, helping the sick and injured, etc. A professional physician will have some Pharmacy skill.

Psychology: understanding how both unhealthy and healthy minds work. Interview helps a lot.

Surgery*: invasive medicine, cutting people open or injecting them, saving them from death, severe trauma and permanent injury.

Veterinary*: what Physician is to people, this is to animals.

 

 

WILDERNESS

Foraging: knowing the flora of the local terrain and climate, and what's edible, useful or dangerous.

Hazmat*: the use of equipment and procedures for working safely in dangerous or poisonous environments and with related materials.

Hunting: knowing the lifestyles of and thus where to find animals, and butcher them. Actually catching them is Traps, Firearms, etc.

Navigation: finding your way about, with or without aids like compasses.

Survival: making do in the wilderness, knowing the hazards of the terrain and climate, and being able to find shelter and water, and make fire.

Tracking: finding and recognising the signs and traces of animal and humans, and learning things about them by those traces.

 

 

FAMILIARITIES

Skills are general, familiarities are with particular equipment. Characters have level+3 things they're familiar with in a skill, eg Firearms-2 [M-16]. With familiarity it's DM+1.

It's possible to have a familiarity in a Specialty skill even if that skill is unknown; the Specialty is treated as being at the default of -2 for that familiarity only. For example, someone doing ballet may have Language (French) -2 [ballet terms]. Or someone who has done a First Aid course may have Physician (trauma care) -2 [First Aid].

For simplicity, characters ought to be limited to 3 familiarities in their default (-2) skills at character generation, and not more than Mind familiarities afterwards.

 

MASTERIES

Attributes at A+ or skills 3+, the character must spend about an hour daily maintaining, or after a year it declines by one.

 

EQUIPMENT FROM SKILLS

Regardless of Wealth, a character will have equipment related to their skills.

-2 grants nothing.

+1 grants one basic item related to the skill. A Technician+1 might have a multi-tool.

+2 will grant a few basic items, or one advanced one. A Physician+2 would have a doctor's bag or a box of pharmaceuticals.

+3 will grant a few advanced or many basic items related to the skill. Aircraft+3 might own a small aircraft, or have regular use of a larger one.

 

GETTING BETTER

Attributes, Features or Skills are improved by +1 after three months of instruction or a year of training alone for an hour or two daily being challenged; simply doing the thing does not improve. A temporary improvement is granted after one-third that time, but the character must train for the full period to make the improvement permanent.

To achieve skill +2 or attribute +2 takes twice as long, to +3 takes three times as long, and so on.

Usually a character trains one thing at a time, but if they make an 8+ roll complemented by Grit/Endurance they may do a second.