Skills are broken down into two main categories: major and minor. Major skills each govern a set of minor skills. Putting a point into a major skill will raise the base of every minor skill it governs by 1.
All skills are limited to having 10 skill points spent on them. Therefore, the maximum base for a major skill is 10 and the maximum base for a minor skills is 20. The total bonus to this skill can of course be higher than this through bonuses, however.
Beyond these categories, the skills are also divided into three: Combat, Civil and Magic.
Upon level up, players will get one point to spend on major skills and one point to spend on minor skills from each of these three categories.
Most characters will not be able to use magic at level 1. If they obtain magic use at a higher level, the missed points are not awarded retroactively. This is an intended means to balance how powerful magic is.
Every point in Athletics grants
Athletics governs the minor skills: Climb, Acrobatics, Mobility, Swim.
Every point in Light Combat will grant additional combat technique slots. At level 1, you will gain 3 combat technique slots. Each subsequent level grants two more. The slots gained at a level must be used for techniques that are unlocked at or below that level in Light Combat.
| Light Combat level | Ability Name | Type | Description | Requirements | AP Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neutralise | Modifier | Deal 1/2 attack damage and apply 1 weak. | Any light weapon | -2 |
| 1 | Blinding Strike | Modifier | You must attack the head. Deal 1/2 attack damage and give a -2 penalty on attack rolls to the target for 1 round. | Any light weapon | +2 |
| 1 | Sucker Punch | Attack | Make an attack with your fist using the attack bonus from the weapon in your other hand (if no weapon is equipped, then use your Light Combat skill level in place of a weapon skill). Deal 1d4 + STR damage. | A free hand | 5 |
| 2 | Endless Pursuit | Stance | While in this stance, you have a -4 penalty to your dodge score. Whenever an enemy dodges an attack, you may, without cost, move with them, provided the tile you would move to is free. | 0 | |
| 2 | Evasive Stance | Stance | While in this stance, you get a +3 bonus to your dodge score but a -1 penalty to attacks. | 5 | |
| 2 | Quick Attack | Attack | Do a very quick attack which deals minimal damage. Roll your weapon's damage die but do not add any bonuses to damage. | Any light weapon | 3 |
| 2 | Underhanded Blow | Modifier | You may only use this when you are behind an enemy. If your attack hits, it automatically deals critical damage. | Any light weapon | 5 |
| 2 | Finisher | Modifier | Add 1 damage to an attack for each hit landed on this target since the end of their last turn. | 5 | |
Light Combat governs the minor skills: Light Weapons, Light Armour, Medium Armour, Improvised Weapons.
Putting a point into Profession marks that your character is trained in a specific crafting skill (ie. the ability to make or fix something). Doing so creates a new Craft skill for your character in the skill that you have trained. Each point of Profession will allow you to assign three skill points into existing Craft skills. At least one of these must go into the new Craft skill you have created.
Profession governs the minor skill: Craft.
Putting a point into Rogue will give you +1 to your dodge score.
Additionally, at the following levels of Rogue, you gain access to the respective abilities:
| Rogue Level | Ability | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sneak Attack | If you successfully sneak up to a target, you may sneak attack them. This attack is guaranteed to hit and will deal damage directly to heath, ignoring armour (except heavy armour). This will also apply if the target is simply not expecting the attack, but the attack will not be guaranteed to hit in that instance (to the GM’s discretion). |
| 3 | Sneak Attack Criticals | Sneak attacks with light one handed weapons are now guaranteed to deal critical damage. |
| 5 | Shadow Shifter | Once per rest, you may dodge an attack you have otherwise failed to dodge. You may declare you are using this after the dodge has failed, but only before the damage for the attack is rolled. |
| 7 | Leg sweep | In place of a regular attack, you may perform a leg sweep. If the attack lands, the target will take no damage, but will fall prone. Treat the attack roll as a normal attack targeting a leg. |
| 9 | Feint attack | When dual wielding light one handed weapons, you may make a feint attack using bluff. If successful, your next attack will act as a sneak attack where the target was aware of your presence but not expecting an attack. |
| 10 | Unstoppable Blade | Sneak attacks can now penetrate heavy armour. |
Rogue governs the minor skills: Escape Artist, Disable Device, Stealth, Sleight of Hand.
Putting a point into Ranged will grant you a +1 bonus to damage with ranged weapons.
Ranged governs the minor skills: Archery, Thrown Weapons, Perception, Machine Weapons.
Putting a point into Survivalist will grant you a +1 bonus to health on all locations.
Survivalist governs the minor skills: Cooking, Hunting, First Aid, Navigation
Putting a point into scholar marks that your character has studied a specific subject. Doing so creates a new knowledge skill for your character on the topic that you have studied. Each point of scholar will allow you to assign three skill points into existing knowledge skills. At least one of these must go into the new knowledge skill you have created.
Scholar govens the minor skills: knowledge
Putting points into Diplomat will allow you to determine what the best tact is to take with someone. It represents you ability to read a person.
Diplomat governs the minor skills: Appraise, Bluff, Intimidate, Persuade.
Sage Arcana governs the minor skills: Alteration, Divination, Transmutation
Calculating Arcana governs the minor skills: Enchantment, Evocation
Alluring Arcana governs the minor skills: Conjuration, Illusion, Necromancy
Climb governs how well your character is able to scale walls, climb trees etc.
Acrobatics determines how well you can jump. Long jumps and high jumps are covered by the following tables and there are also modifiers such as wind.
Every two points in mobility increases your movement by 5ft.
Swim determines your ability to swim
Each point in one-handed gives you a +1 bonus to hit with one-handed weapons
Each point in two-handed gives you a +1 bonus to hit with two-handed weapons
Ride represents your proficiency in riding tamed animals such as horses.
Each point of Heavy Armour will
Each point in Light Weapons gives +1 to hit and +1 damage with all Light Weapons
Each point of Light Armour will
Each point of Medium Armour will
Each point of Improvised Weapons will give you +1 to hit with Improvised Weapons. You may use your skill with Improvised Weapons at a -4 penalty to all other weapon types in place of the normal skill for those weapon types.
The Craft skill can take many forms. Usually, Craft skills are increased by putting points into Profession.
Escape Artist represents your ability to wriggle out of tight spots. You can use it to escape binds (eg shackles) or to fit through very tight spaces. It can also be used to move without taking an attack of opportunity.
Each point in Disable Device is added to a d20 roll when attempting to pick a lock, or disarm a trap, along with any bonuses from applicable tools being used. The required roll to pick a lock will depend on the lock itself.
A lock requring a roll below 10 to pick can be picked with bare hands.
A lock requiring a Disable Device roll over 10 will need improvised tools to pick (ie. a hairclip).
A lock requiring a Disable Device roll over 20 may require specialist Disable Deviceing tools (ie. actual Disable Devices) to pick.
A lock requiring a Disable Device roll over 30 may require enchanted tools to pick.
The actual requirements are up to the GM's discretion, of course. These are merely guidelines.
Below is a table giving examples of locks and rough guidelines of how hard the lock should be to pick.
| Lock description | Rough Disable Device roll requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Door is bolted shut. You are on the side of the bolt. | 1 | Provided the character isn't incapacitated in some way, they should be able to simply unbolt the door |
| Gate is locked with a combination lock | 9 | With time, anyone could break this and provided your players aren't under time pressure, you could allow them to brute force it. Depending on the exact design of the lock, they could try each dial on the combination and simply feel for differences. |
| Door is locked, but an improvised object could be used to turn the lock. | 10 | |
| Door is locked from the other side, but the key is in the lock and there is a gap under the door | 15 | Would take some creativity, but the key could be pushed out of the lock and retrieved through the gap under the door. |
| Door has a standard, cylinder lock. | 18-19 | This would be just about pickable with a pair of hairpins, but would be difficult without proper tools. |
| Door has a cylinder lock with spool pins. | 28 | This is an example of a lock that would be harder to pick, even for a trained professional locksmith using high quality tools. |
| Door is bolted shut. The bolt is on the other side of the door to you. | 30 | It would require magic to interact with the locking mecahnism at all. |
| Door has a magically enchanted lock which requires both a specific enchanted key and the biometrics of the specific person intended to open the door. | 50 | This may require a specific magic item designed for the express purpose of picking this lock in particular. |
Stealth represents your ability to sneak. You can make a stealth roll opposed to a perception roll. You can also make a stealth check to have areas of a map that are well hidden pointed out to you by the GM.
Sleight of Hand determines allows you to pick pockets or create illusions with your hands.
Each point in Machine Weapons gives you +1 to hit with Machine Weapons
Each point in archery gives you a +1 bonus to hit with archery weapons
Each point in thrown gives you a +1 bonus to hit with thrown weapons
Perception can be rolled to notice things, search areas and to oppose certain rolls like Stealth or Sleight of Hand.
Each point of cooking adds +1 to your dishes' sustainance.
Hunting represents your ability to track creatures
First Aid is used for non-magical healing. Generally, it will allow you to stop someone from bleeding out, and then allow for natural healing, which will take several days. Usually, it would be used to stabilise someone before they can receive magical healing.
Navigation affects how well you can travel while using vehicles. Generally speaking, each vehicle will have a minimum skill requirement and everyone controlling the vehicle will need to meet this.
Appraise allows you to determine the value of an item accurately
Bluff is used to deceive both verbally and when making Feint Attacks. When used verbally, it must be made alongside role playing what is said. The GM will give bonuses or penalties to the roll based on how well the attempt matched the NPC.
Intimidate is used to intimidate people. It must be made alongside role playing what is said or done. The GM will give bonuses or penalties to the roll based on how well the attempt matched the NPC.
Persuade rolls must be made alongside role playing what is said. The GM will give bonuses or penalties to the roll based on how well the attempt matched the NPC.
The knowledge skill can take on many forms. Usually, knowledge is raised by putting points into scholar.
Each point of Alteration gives you 1/4 of a point of natural resilience. You must always round down, but these stack with fractional bonuses from elsewhere.
Each point of conjuration increases your summoning pool by one point.
Each point of Divination increases your dodge score by +1/2. You must always round down, but these stack with fractional bonuses from elsewhere.
Each point of Enchantment decreases the MP cost of using enchanted items by 1
Each point of necromancy increases your necromancy pool by one point. Your necromancy pool will determine how many dead you can have raised at once.