The Base System

Chapter 3

Character Skills

There is only so far exceptional Attributes can take a character. Sooner or later she is going to need to learn how to improve on what nature provided. Muscles alone do not make horseshoes; quick feet do not grow food; an ability to make choices does not mean the character knows what choices are available; and so on. Training is necessary, and knowledge.

Skills are what the character has been trained to do, and are an indication of what she knows.

Once a character has come of age, her choice of skills is most often her own.

Skill Basics

All skills are divided into 10 Levels of ability and training, though it is unusual for a non-player character to advance beyond Level 5. The following paragraphs attempt to give a feel for the differences between the levels. Note that not all skills will conform to this description.

Level 1 means that the character has received elementary training in the skill. Sometimes, this is all the training that is needed and the character will improve as she continues to use and practice the skill. Most of the time, however, increased training in the skill is necessary to accomplish more with the skill. In this case, the character would be considered an advanced apprentice. Level 2 would begin the journeyman phase of the character’s career.

At Level 3 the character is considered generally competent in the skill. Though no longer considered a journeyman, the character has not yet mastered the skill. Most guilds or organizations require their members to be at least Level 3. Professionals at Level 4 usually have enough experience to strike out on their own.

Mastery of the skill is demonstrated by achieving Level 5 in the skill.

Levels 6 to 10 no longer require a teacher, since the character is assumed to be studying in areas of specific interest to herself. Dues must still be paid to the guild or organization, of course, to fully earn the level. The Gamemaster may require the character to perform some significant, unique task to achieve these levels.

Using Skills

Skills are not knowledge simply for the sake of knowledge. Skills are meant to be used! How a character utilizes a particular skill depends very much on her player.

Using a skill requires only that the player announce her intention to the GM. Depending on the circumstances and the potential impact, the description of the attempt should be as detailed as necessary.

Success or failure of a skill use can be determined several ways. If the character is of sufficient Level, and the GM considers the attempted task well within her abilities, the GM may decree success as automatic. But if an attempt is being made under circumstances where failure is possible and highly undesirable; or if the character is using the skill in competition with another character, then the GM will have the character make a Skill Check.

A character is free to attempt to use most skills, whether she has training in the skills or not. Similarly, the character is free to attempt tasks that are normally above her Skill Level (this assumes she has at least Level 1 in the skill). Not all skills have level-related abilities, but where this is the case, and the character feels it is necessary to make the attempt, more power to her. Each level between the character's skill level and the required skill level assesses a -5 modifier to the character's Level Score. The Gamemaster has full discretion in the effect of the attempt, whether a success or a failure.

Attempting to use Intelligence-based skills without training, or attempting an ability above current training, nearly always fails and can lead to disastrous consequences.

Skill Checks

A Skill Check is a random check against the relative ability of the character. Specifically, the player must roll a d20, attempting to roll equal to or below her Level Score for the skill. The Level Score of the Skill is based on the character’s skill Level. See the Skill Level Scores Chart below.

If the circumstances warrant, the Gamemaster may assign modifiers to the Level Score, either positive or negative. Positive modifiers add to the Level Score, making a successful Skill Check more likely. Negative modifiers reduce the Level Score. The Level Scores of the Levels 6 to 10 are as high as they are to accommodate greater and greater negative modifiers. This is indicative of the increased ability to handle even the most complex and difficult of tasks within the skill.

Natural 1 & Natural 20. When making a Skill Check, there are two rolls that need to be mentioned: Natural 1 and Natural 20. Natural 1 is normally an automatic success, regardless of any modifiers. Natural 20 is typically a failure, no matter what was attempted or how many positive modifiers have been applied. Depending on the exact circumstances, however, the GM may rule otherwise.

Chart: Skill Level Scores

Level	Level Score	Special Success

* Only if attempts without the skill are allowed.

** Natural 20 is always failure, possibly a Special Failure.

Optional Rule: Special Success/Failure. Special Successes or Special Failures are determined by the Skill Check. If the Skill Check roll is equal to or less than her skill Level, then the character has made a Special Success. If the roll exceeds her skill Level, the Skill Check is unaffected (a normal success).

In order to balance the Special Success rule, all Natural 20s on Skill Checks require a check for Special Failure. If the character rolls greater than her skill Level on a d10, then a Special Failure, or Fumble, has occurred.

If the Level Score (with all modifiers) for a successful Skill Check is from 6-9, then the chances of a Special Success are halved (round down, minimum 1). If the Level Score (with all modifiers) is less than 6, then no Special Success is possible.

The GM will adjudicate the results of either a Special Success or Special Failure. In some cases, the skills in question may have pre-defined Special Successes and Fumbles. Where no Special Success is defined, the character may use a Special Success to “hammer home” how good she is with the skill.

It is worth noting that a character with Level 10 cannot be the victim of a Fumble. Despite this, a Natural 20 is still a failed Skill Check.

Player Knowledge

It is important to always keep clear the difference between what the player knows and what her character knows. Much knowledge that the player may take for granted (such as the spherical nature of the earth) is the result of centuries of educational and technological advancement and should not be considered readily apparent. The classic example of this is firearms. Modern handguns did not just arrive (all of a sudden) on the scene. They are the result of nearly 500 years of gradual improvement from early monstrous cannon (that were often fatal to the wielders and not just the targets) to the sidearms and automatic rifles we all know and love today.

Player Character Integrity

Using certain skills on player characters can prove at best annoying and at worst destructive. Skills such as Confidence Games, Leadership/Influence, and so on, that affect the way a character thinks or believes should be used with caution against player characters. A player seldom appreciates having control of her character taken away, and while the GM may get away with this (temporarily) on rare occasions, another player will most certainly draw resentment and reprisal. Thus, if a player character wishes to convince another player character, the player will have to successfully, on her own, regardless of any skills and without die rolls, convince the other player of her viewpoint. How a player character thinks or believes is up to the player, and other players and even the GM should consider carefully before attempting to force an unwanted change.

Learning New Skills & Advancing Skill Levels

Learning New Skills

The character is not limited to skills she is created with. As the character adventures and accumulates Experience Points (XP), she may decide to learn a new skill. Assuming she has sufficient XP (1 XP for Level 1) and disposable income, and can find someone to teach her the skill, the character can become Level 1 in the skill. It is possible that this apprenticeship could require a significant time investment as well. The GM may decree that the character does not have access to sufficient materials, training, and/or time to learn a specific skill. Or, the GM may decide that the character will need to be temporarily “retired” to provide adequate time for an apprenticeship in the skill.

Note that the character's Intelligence limits the number of Intelligence-Based Skills the character can learn (see Intelligence-Based Skills below). These skills are indicated in their descriptions.

Advancing Skill Levels

Similar to learning a new skill, the character may decide to improve on her current repertoire. Improving a skill is done by applying XP and, when necessary, spending money and (optionally) time. The XP column of the Advancing Skill Levels chart below lists the amount of XP the character needs to spend to advance to that level. The (Total) column indicates the total amount of XP that is required to achieve the level. Where a teacher is required, the character must find someone trained at least 2 Levels higher who is willing to teach her. Any fees will have to be negotiated between the character and the teacher.

The time requirement, for learning as well as advancing, is optional, and is not set in stone. Thus, whether acquiring a new skill or level takes any time investment by the character is determined by the GM. The GM may decide that some skills require a time investment while others do not. How long it takes the character to accumulate the necessary XP to advance is irrelevant to any time requirement.

Chart: Advancing Skill Levels

Level	XP (Total)	Teacher *	Title

* Teacher requirements may be more or less rigorous for a specific skill.

Optional Rule: Masterpieces for Level 5. Level 5 is considered “Master” level in a skill. That is, the player is recognized as one of the best practitioners of the skill. Because of this, the GM may decide that the character must perform or create a “masterpiece” using the skill before she is allowed to advance to Level 5.

The masterpiece must be specific to the skill.

Optional Rule: Specialization for Levels 6 and above. Since a character with Level 5 in a skill is considered a Master of the skill, moving to higher level in the skill requires specialization. That is, the character begins to focus on highly specific aspects of the skill, becoming ever better at those uses of the skill. For instance, a character who is about to advance to Level 6 in her Sword skill could choose to specialize in a particular type of sword. Another example would be a farmer. When he takes his Agriculture: Crop Growing skill to Level 6 he may decide to specialize in wheat.

The character chooses a specialization for each level above Level 5. Depending on the skill, it may be possible to choose a particular specialization multiple times. If a specialization is chosen more than once, the benefit is cumulative and the player becomes even better at that use of the skill. Most specialization choices, however, can only be chosen once.

The nature of the skill determines what specialization choices would be available, as well as how the specialization affects use of the skill.

If the player is at least Level 3 with a separate skill, that skill can be used to create a unique specialization. For instance, a character with Gymnastics Level 5 and Equestrian Level 3 could learn a Gymnastics specialization focusing on combining Gymnastics and Equestrian (riding).

Intelligence-Based Skills

The Intelligence-based skills are indicated in their descriptions, and are those skills where specialized knowledge is the key to success in the skill. These skills cannot be attempted unless the character has actually been trained with the skill. Examples of these are Doctor and Architect. A character with no training attempting surgery or designing a structure is a disaster waiting to happen.

The character is limited in the number of Intelligence-based skills she can learn. The limit is based on the character’s Intelligence Attribute. The character cannot be trained in more Intelligence-based skills than her Intelligence Attribute Score.

Categorical Skills

Categorical Skills are skills that are logically grouped. Though the skills are similar in origin, each skill must be learned and trained in individually. For example:

Agriculture

1 Animal Husbandry

1 Crop Growing

Categorical Skills are written in the text in the following manner: Agriculture: Animal Husbandry. Each bullet indicates a separate skill the character may learn. Training in one bullet-area does not automatically mean the character is knowledgeable in other bullet-areas of the same skill, though some general knowledge may be shared between them.

The above example indicates that the character who wants Agriculture Skill, must decide which type of Agriculture she wishes to learn. She can either learn Agriculture: Animal Husbandry, or Agriculture: Crop Growing, or both. Each represents training in a specialized area of Agriculture.

These are not to be confused with the optional skill specializations.

Special Skills

The skills available to a character are generally dependent on the specific game world. There are, however, some skills that are available in every game world. The most notable of these are the Attribute Skills.

Attribute Skill: Athletics (DX)

Athletics is an Active/Physical Skill improving the character's DX Bonus. The focus of this skill is improving the flexibility and coordination of the character through stretching and balancing exercises. This in turn affects the character's Active Skill abilities, improves his Dodge, and his Resist Surprise Check.

The character’s DX Bonus may not exceed his actual Dexterity attribute.

Chart: Athletics DX Bonus Modifier

Level

DX Bonus

Attribute Skill: Leadership & Influence (CH)

This skill improves the character's presentation and bearing, making men more willing to follow his advice, to take his suggestions. This can also be used to convince disagreeing character's that the character is right, or at least reasonable. Specifically, Leadership & Influence improves the character's CH Bonus, and thereby his attempts Intimidate, as well as Reaction Checks.

The character’s CH Bonus may not exceed his actual Charisma attribute.

Chart: Leadership & Influence Skill CH Bonus Modifier

Level

CH Bonus

Attribute Skill: Logic & Debate (JU)

This skill improves the character’s ability to present his ideas in an orderly and convincing manner. Specifically, Logic & Debate improves the character’s JU Bonus.

The character’s JU Bonus may not exceed his actual Judgment attribute.

Chart: Logic & Debate JU Bonus Modifier

Level

JU Bonus

Attribute Skill: Mnemonics (IN)

This skill improves the character's mental ability and memory. Specifically, Mnemonics improves the character's IN Bonus, thereby improving his Resist Forgetting Check and the number of Prepared Spells he is able to have ready.

The character’s IN Bonus may not exceed his actual Intelligence attribute.

Chart: Mnemonics IN Bonus Modifier

Level

IN Bonus

Attribute Skill: Physical Training (FI)

This skill improves the character's physical strength and endurance, enhancing his physique and ability with arduous tasks. Specifically, Physical Training improves the character's FI Bonus, thereby improving his Resist Poison/System Shock and Activity Rest Checks and anything else modified by the FI Bonus.

The character’s FI Bonus may not exceed his actual Fitness attribute.

Chart: Physical Training FI Bonus Modifier

Level

FI Bonus

Attribute Skill: Tolerance (PS)

Tolerance is the skill of self control, of imposing the will of the mind on the body. Tolerance improves the character's chances of resisting Coercion, ignoring the effects of torture, and so on.

With Tolerance skill, the character's PS Bonus is improved. As the level of Tolerance increases, the effect on the PS Bonus increases.

The character’s PS Bonus may not exceed his actual Psyche attribute.

Chart: Tolerance Skill PS Bonus Modifier

Level

PS Bonus