Skills

Skills are modified Characteristics rolls made to perform tasks requiring a greater deal of training, such as disabling electronics, applying first aid, and negotiating with merchants. All skill rolls are performed with their Characteristic Dice to start, and gaining proficiency allows the character to add 3d6 to the roll. More ranks in proficiency add additional dice to the skill roll. Skills are separated into categories according to their primary Characteristic used for skill checks.

## Skill List

Agility: Skills based on Agility

* Acrobatics: The character's sense of balance and equilibrium, determining how well they can stand on unstable surfaces and perform mid air maneuvers.
* Climb: The character's ability to climb various vertical surfaces and their ability to hang on to unstable surfaces.
* Driving: The character's skill in operating various vehicles or riding mounts.
* Stealth: The characters ability to move around without being seen or heard.

Dexterity: Skills based on Dexterity

* Contortionist: The character's ability to contort their body to get our of holds and entangles.
* Disable Device: The character's ability to take apart various devices.
* Rope Tricks: The character's skill in handling rope.
* Sleight of Hand: The character's ability to perform slight of hand tricks.

Intelligence: Skills based on Intelligence

* Appraisal: A character's ability to assess the worth of various objects.
* Deduction: A character's ability to assess a situation and come to a conclusion.
* Disguise: A character's ability to change their physical appearance.
* First Aid: A character's ability to patch up wounds and apply basic first aid.
* Knowledge: A character's knowledge in various subjects.
* Linguistics: A character's ability to speak various languages.
* Perception: A character's sense of observation.
* Profession: A character's ability to perform a particular job.
* Tactics: A character's ability to assess a battle and come up with strategies.
* Tracking: A character's ability to follow creatures.

Interaction: Skills based on Charisma

* Bluff: How well a character can lie.
* Charm: A character's ability to make people like them.
* Handle Animal How well a character interacts with animals.
* Intimidate: A character's ability to interrogate and force others to do what they want.
* Performance: How well a character plays an instrument, sings, dances, and performs speeches.
* Persuasion: How well a character can reason with others.
* Streetwise: How well a character navigates the criminal underworld.

## Skill Checks

When a character wants to complete a task, they must complete a skill check as appropriate. The character rolls the number of d6s under the appropriate skill and adds the total together. If the total exceeds a target number set by the Game Master, the player is successful in completing the task.

## Equipment Skills

Equipment skills stand apart from other skills in that they don't rely on Characteristics, and there are no rolls involved in their use. Instead, training in equipment allows players to use them without Accuracy penalties and gain bonuses with that type of gear. Equipment is separated into the categories of Weapons, Armor, Shields, and Vehicles.

### Weapons

Before a character can use a weapon effectively, they need to train with it. This represented by putting 1 rank in Proficiency in the weapon (see Proficiency a bit further down). Weapons requiring similar training to use effectively are grouped together into categories, and training with any implement in the category means being equally skilled with all weapons in the same class.

* Weapon categories are: Axes, Bows, Clubs, Crossbows, Fist Loads, Flails, Hammers, Heavy Blades, Light Blades, Pistols, Polearms, Rifles, Scythes, Shields, Shotguns, Slings, Spears, Thrown Weapons, and Whips. Anything falling outside those categories requires its own rank in Proficiency.

If a character doesn't have proficiency in the category the weapon falls under, they suffer a Disadvantage on all Accuracy checks when attacking with it.

### Armor

Character need at least Basic Proficiency in Armor in order to take no penalties while wearing it, but otherwise the only restrictions on what kind of armor characters can wear is dependent on the character's Strength. Heavier armors provide more defense, but they also penalize Dodge and even Movement speeds.

Unlike Weapons, Armors are separated into categories based on weight rather than function. All armor is essentially clothing made from sturdy materials, and being proficient a category of armor means the character is used to wearing and moving around in increasingly heavy sets of clothing.

* Light Armor includes all forms of armor that don't impose a penalty, such as Leather Armor, the Cuirass, and a Coat of Plates.
* Medium Armor encompasses forms of equipment that impose a -1/4th Movement Penalty when worn, with examples including the Hauberk, Lamellar Armor, and Plated Armor.
* Heavy Armor refers to full suits of armor like Scale Mail, Laminar Armor, and Plate Armor that incur a -1/3rd Movement Penalty when worn.

Characters without Proficiency in the weight category of Armor they're wearing add the suit's Dodge Penalty to all Accuracy checks, and they suffer a Disadvantage on all Agility and Dexterity checks.

### Shields

All shields are similar enough in function that they don't need separate categories to differentiate them. As long as the character has 1 rank in Shield Proficiency, they can use all of them equally well as long as they meet the item's Required Strength.

If the character doesn't have proficiency in Shields and attempts to use one, the shield's Dodge penalty also applies to all the character's Accuracy checks

### Vehicles

Characters need at least 1 rank in Proficiency to use any type of vehicle; otherwise, they won't event know how to operate the vehicle and immediately fail all Drive checks while operating the device. Vehicles come in the following categories: Air Balloons, Animals, Bikes, Boats, Cars, Helicopters, Horse-Drawn Carts, Planes, Ships, Sleds, Submarines, Trucks, and Zeppelins.

## Proficiency

Skill Proficiency is based on six different ranks representing the character's knowledge in a particular technique: Basic, Practiced, Proficient, Professional, Expert, and Master. All skills start at Basic, which means they roll their Characteristic Dice when making the skill check. Proficiency allows the character to add 3d6 to their roll, and every rank above Proficiency adds an additional die to the check.

* Basic: The character has no training in the skill and must purely on luck to determine their success.
* Proficient: The character has a basic amount of training in the skill, enough to use their Base Characteristic efficiently in completing the skill, but not so much so that they can complete tasks requiring that skill reliably.
* Practiced: The character has the necessary training to complete tasks utilizing the skill reliably, although they might not be as skilled as others who have devoted more time to achieving perfection.
* Professional: The character performs this skill as a job,
* Expert: The character has spent considerable time perfecting their technique with a particular skill, allowing them to complete tasks a majority of the time.
* Mastery: The character's proficiency with a skill is effectively perfect, meaning they will complete tasks using that skill almost all of the time and do so with minimal mistakes.

For equipment Proficiencies, ranks above Basic grant the following bonuses:

* Weapons: For every rank in a weapon category, the player receives a +1 bonus to Accuracy

checks with weapons in that category.

* Armor: For every two ranks past the first, the player receives a +1 bonus to Physical and Energy Defense while wearing armor in that category. At 2 and 4 ranks, the penalty to Dodge for wearing armor decreases by 1.
* Shields: For every two ranks past the first, the player receives a +1 bonus to Dodge while using a shield in that category. At ranks 2 and 4, the player receives a +1 bonus to Physical and Energy Defense.
* Vehicles: For every rank in proficiency with a vehicle category, the penalty to the player's Dodge while using a vehicle in that category decreases by 1.

Adding 1 rank in Proficiency costs 2 Character Points, regardless of the character's current level in Proficiency with the Skill or piece of Equipment. All skills are capped at 5 ranks, representing they have reached the maximum potential that study and practice will bring to their technique.