From: cffitzge@IASTATE.EDU (Charles F Fitzgerald)
Subject: net.rpg:  Fantasy Based Skill List
Reply-To: cffitzge@IASTATE.EDU (Charles F Fitzgerald)
Organization: Iowa State University
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 07:04:14 GMT

The last week has seen a lot of activity for the net.rpg, the
discussions covering the choice of mechanic (_eg._ the choice of dice
and related decisions) and of abilities.  Since I have already posted
my thoughts on the abilities and the choice of mechanic argument fails
to stimulate me at present, I thought I might try to start a new line
of discussion.  Hence, I have written this article about skills.

To begin, I wish to explain my position on what I consider to be
skills and what part skills play in an RPG.  First, as I have stated
previously, skills are distinct from abilities.  Without going into
detail, I will repeat my definition of an ability, _ie._ "that which
is, to some degree of approximation, immutable and inborn to an
individual."  Since the ability is unchanging and innate, skills will
be those things which change during a person's life and which he or
she is not born knowing how to perform.  Thus, for a working
definition, I will say a skill is "that which a character has learned
through training or experience to some degree of proficiency."

Using this definition and ignoring just how this translates into a
game system or mechanic, I elect to provide a listing of possible
skill areas for a fantasy based campaign.  (More lists may follow; I
believe this will be a sufficiently long post without trying to cover
all possible genre.)

The list is divided into skill groups.  These groups do _not_
represent groupings based on ability, rather, they represent groupings
by class or background.  The skills chosen are those I feel are most
useful in role-playing, not necessarily those which are most important
to real individuals.

COMBAT

Man sized weapon skills

Sword-- The skill of wielding a sword or sword-like weapon to
        do physical damage to an opponent in melee combat.  Subskills 
        include broadsword, katana, rapier, etc.

Mace--  The skill of wielding a blunt weapon to do physical
        damage to an opponent in melee combat.  Subskills include 
        footman's mace, morning star, war hammer, club, etc.

Axe--   The skill of wielding an axe or axe-like weapon to do
        physical damage to an opponent in melee combat.  (Note:  
        this is _not_ related to an individual's ability to use 
        an axe to cut down trees, cut up wood, etc.)  Subskills 
        include battle axe, hand axe, tomahawk, etc.

Spear-- The skill of wielding a longish, pointed stick to do
        physical damage to an opponent in melee combat.

Bow--   The skill of using a bow to hit and do damage to an intended
        target.  Subskills include short bow, long bow, etc.

Crossbow--The skill of using a crossbow to hit and do damage to an
        intended target.

Javelin--The skill of throwing a long, pointed stick to hit and do
        damage to an intended target.

Large sized weapon skills

Sword-- as for Sword above.  Subskills include bastard and two-handed
        swords.

Axe--   as for Axe above.  Bigger axes for Subskills.

Spear-- as for Spear above.  Subskills include pike, most pole arms.

Small sized weapon skills

Dagger--The skill of wielding a short edged and pointed weapon to
        do physical damage to an opponent in melee combat.  Subskills
        include dagger, knife, main gauche, etc.

Dagger--The skill of throwing a short, pointed weapon to hit and do
        damage to an intended target.

Hand-to-Hand fighting skills

Brawling--The skill of fighting with one's body or anything handy
        to physically harm an opponent in melee combat.

Boxing--The skill of fighting with one's fists to physically harm
        an opponent in melee combat.

Wrestling--The skill of fighting by grabbing and throwing to
        physically harm or subdue an opponent in melee combat.

Martial Arts--The skill of fighting with one's fists, feet, or other
        body parts to greatest efficiency to physically harm an
        opponent in melee combat.

THIEF
           
Pick Pockets--The skill of lifting from another's possesion small
        articles without the victim's knowledge.

Disguise--The skill of changing one's appearance to avoid
        recognition.

Appraisal--the skill of recognizing the worth of an item.

Open Locks--the skill of picking a standard, tumbler lock so that
        it will open without a key.

Hide--  The skill of concealing one's self from casual observation.

Climb Walls--The skill of traversing a vertical or near vertical
        slope without a rope.

WILDERNESS

Noiseless Motion--The skill of traversing a distance without making
        a sound.

Fire Building--The skill of creating a fire without common
        conveniences or under wet or unusual circumstances.

Tracking--The skill of discerning from droppings, footprints, an
        other signs the direction a quarry has gone.

Hunting--The skill of finding and killing edible land aninmals.

Fishing--Ths skill of discerning the proper time, place, and
        means necessary to allow for the capture of edible aquatic
        animals.

Weather Predicting--The skill of forcasting based on cloud formation,
        wooly worms, etc. what the weather will do in the future.

MAGIC

Too complex to talk about here and too greatly dependent on other
factors to discuss at this time.

SCHOLARLY

Many facets can be covered depending on the world in which the game is
set.  I will outline a few I have used.

Monster Lore--The knowledge of the monsters of the world.  Possible
        Subskills include undead, dragons, lycanthropes, etc.

World Lore--The knowledge of the geography of the world.  Possible
        local Subskills.

History--The knowledge of what has happened in the world.  Possible
        local Subskills.

Artifact Lore--The knowledge of different magic items, their powers
        and possible curses.

Heraldry--The knowledge of the different signs and sigils used by
        people, generally of the upper classes, to distinguish 
        themselves.

Religion--The knowledge of the gods of a country, world, or
        universe.

Read and Write--The skill of devining the meaning from symbols used
        to convey language.

WITCHCRAFT

Note:  those skills which depend on magical processes are neglected.

Healing--The skill of fixing a living creature after the creature
        has suffered some injury or illness.

ENTERTAINER

Musical Instrument--The skill of manipulating a device to produce
        a harmonious result pleasing to the ear.  Subskills include
        lute, flute, harp, etc.

Juggling--The skill of manipulating multiple objects simultaneously
        with one's hands.

Prestidigitation--The skill of making objects disappear and reappear
        with the wave of a hand.  Note that this is NOT a real magic
        skill.

Singing--The skill of making harmodious sounds emanate from one's
        vocal chords.

Story Telling--The skill of creating and reciting exciting and
        interesting tales.

COURTLY

Etiquette--The skill of behaving in a predefined manner when in
        the presence of others behaving in the same manner.

Seduction--The skill of convincing another to have amorous feelings
        towards one.

Language--The skill of communicating effectively with other sentient
        life forms.  Subskills may cover different languages or
        different language groups.

Embroidery--The skill of making designs on fabric with small
        stiches of differently coloured yarn.

Dancing--The skill of moving gracefully to music, often in a
        predefined pattern.

ROUGEISH

Gambling--The skill of playing games of chance so that one is more
        likely to win.  Gambling is not necessarily cheating, thought
        it may be used to cheat.

Convince Others--The skill of causing others to believe what one tells
        them is true.
        
Gossip--The skill of finding information about people, places, or 
        things through conversations with others.

Fast Talk--The skill of making someone pay more for an item or sell
        an item for less than is normal for that item.

ACROBATIC

Jumping--The skill of crossing large distances with a leap.

Tumbling--The skill of performing small leaps, rolls, and other
        acrobatics.

Balancing--The skill of retaining one's footing under a difficult
        situation.

Riding--The skill of retaining one's seat upon a mount.

Climb Rope--The skill of traversing a long cord, normally in a
        vertical direction.

Swimming--The skill of traversing an area covered by water
        without drowning.

NAUTICAL

Navigation-The knowledge of plotting the course of a ship.

Sailing--The skill of using a ships sails to their greatest effect.

Seamanship--The knowledge of what to do on a ship when bad weather
        is encountered.

Ship Repair--The skill of fixing a sailing vessel after it has 
        taken damage.

MUNDANE

Note:  These are skills used by common people.  I do not think they
are generally useful in RPG's though some players may like to use them
to round out a character.

Cooking--the skill of mixing and cooking raw ingredient to form a
        pleasing meal.

Brewing--The knowledge of how to make beer, ale, wine, and other
        alcoholic beveridges.

Farming--The skill of making plants grow in a profitable manner.

Smithcraft--The skill of fashioning objects out of metal.  Subskills
        include silversmith, blacksmith, goldsmith, etc.

Carpentry--The skill of fashioning objects out of wood.

Masonry--The skill of building edifaces from stone and mortar.

Weaving--The skill of creating cloth from yarn.

Sewing--The skill of mending or fashioning cloth.

This list is not meant to be exhaustive, merely the starting point
for discussions or for a final skill list.

This list was created for a game I was creating and has been edited
for net.rpg.  The list is Copyright 1992 by Charles F. Fitzgerald.
All rights reserved.  Permission is granted for use in net.rpg.

--
Charles F. Fitzgerald | '....Life's but a walking shadow,
Iowa State University | a poor player, that struts, and frets
cffitzge@iastate.edu  | his hour upon the stage,
                      | and then is heard from no more....'
                      | _MacBeth_, by W. Shakespeare.