Skills
When you attempt something that comes with a chance of failure or a negative outcome, your MC might ask you to make an attribute check.
Attribute Checks
Like attacks, attribute checks involve rolling 1d20 and adding your attribute to the roll. MCs will only ever ask for one of seven attribute Checks: STR, DEX, END, AWR, INT, CHA, or LUCK. MCs will not ask for COR attribute checks, given that COR functions differently from the other 7 attributes.
Strength (STR) Checks can determine whether you succeed at kicking down a door, climbing a wall, or some other feat of strength.
Dexterity (DEX) Checks might be needed if you run along a precipice or try to nimbly sneak past a guard.
Endurance (END) Checks represent your ability to withstand extreme weather and march or run for long stretches of time without giving in
Awareness (AWR) Checks determine how attuned you are to sensory input. It might help you spot traps or hidden motives.
Intelligence (INT) Checks can show how much you recall or can deduce about learned information, as well as your capacity to quickly encode new data.
Charisma (CHA) Checks represent your ability to talk your way through social situations by charming or deceiving, and to lead or convince the people around you.
Luck (LUCK) Checks can represent the twists and turns of fate. If you are looking through a cupboard in an abandoned farmstead for some food, a LUCK check might determine whether you find any.
Player Skills
Whenever a rule or ability warrants using a specific skill, the rule will signify this mentioning the skill immediately following the attribute, such as CHA/Persuading. A creature without the Persuading skill can still attempt such a check, simply rolling CHA.
While the MC will only ever ask for one of the attribute checks described above, players have the chance to use skills, which give them a greater chance of success under specific circumstances.
You will have a variety of Skill Points granted by your background and your profession. Your lineage and talents will occasionally give you Skill Points as well. You assign these Skill Points to specific skills, such as Balancing, Deceiving, or Distance Running.
When your MC asks you for an attribute check and one of your skills associated with that attribute is situationally relevant, you may add that skill bonus in addition to your attribute.
You may never have more than 20 points in a single skill.
For example if Hanniah Sharptooth and Marcus Luxxor are adventuring together and both need to dash after a carriage to catch it before it leaves town, they would need to make STR checks to sprint after it.
Assuming they are both level 1, Hanniah and Marcus both have 2 STR. However, Hanniah has +1 in the Sprinting skill. This means that Marcus rolls 1d20+2 (adding his STR), while Hanniah rolls 1d20+3 (adding her STR and her Sprinting skill). |
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Circumstantial Bonuses
If you perform well on one skill that impacts another skill, then your MC might grant you a circumstantial bonus on the second skill check. This might be as low as a +1 or as high as a +5, depending upon what the MC feels is appropriate to the situation.
Complete list of skills
Skills are related to a specific attribute and cannot be used with mismatching attributes. Skills are also organized by tags; if you gain an ability that lets you gain a skill with a specific tag, check the table below to see your options.
Each skill is organized first by attribute, then by tag. Skills are described in more detail after these tables, although these descriptions are not comprehensive and your MC may allow other applications of these skills if you come up with creative ideas.
Note: Skills followed by an asterisk are tool-dependent, meaning that you cannot utilize them to their fullest extent without the relevant type of tools. You may never have more than 20 points in a single skill.
SKILLS BY ATTRIBUTE | |
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STR | Applied Force, Athletics, Menacing, Sprinting |
DEX | Balancing, Contorting, Dancing, Sneaking, Tumbling |
END | Distance Running, Forced March |
AWR | Animal Handling, Eavesdropping, Foraging, Intuiting, Investigating, Navigating*, Perceiving, Sheltering, Tracking |
INT | Alchemy*, Appraising, Arcana, Art, Astrology, Astronomy, Biology, Brewing*, Calligraphy*, Carpentry*, Cartography*, Chemistry, Cobbling*, Cooking*, Disguising*, Dungeoneering, Economics, Engineering, Evading, Forging*, Geography, Glassblowing*, History, Jeweling*, Law, Leatherworking*, Lockpicking*, Masonry*, Medicine*, Military, Nature, Painting*, Politics of [choose region], Pottery*, Religion [choose one], Smithing*, Sleight of Hand, Weaving*, Woodcarving*, Vehicles [Land], Vehicles [Water] |
CHA | Deceiving, Empathy, Entertaining, Gossiping, Instrument* [choose one], Intimidating, Leadership, Persuading, Savoir Faire |
LUCK | Fortuity, Scavenging |
SKILLS BY CATEGORY | |
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Acrobatics | Balancing, Contorting, Tumbling |
Athleticism | Applied Force, Athletics, Sprinting |
Crafting | Alchemy*, Brewing*, Calligraphy*, Carpentry*, Cartography*, Cobbling*, Cooking*, Glassblowing*, Jeweling*, Leatherworking*, Masonry*, Painting*, Pottery*, Smithing*, Weaving*, Woodcarving* |
Influence | Deceiving, Empathy, Gossiping, Intimidating, Leadership, Persuading |
Knowledge | Arcana, Art, Astrology, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Engineering, Geography, History, Law, Medicine*, Military, Politics of [choose region], Religion [choose one], Vehicles* [land], Vehicles* [water] |
Luck | Fortuity, Scavenging |
Observation | Appraising, Eavesdropping, Intuiting, Investigating, Perceiving |
Performance | Dancing, Entertaining, Instrument* [choose one], Savoir Faire |
Stamina | Distance Running, Forced March, Menacing |
Subterfuge | Disguising*, Evading, Forging*, Lockpicking*, Sleight of Hand |
Survival | Animal Handling, Dungeoneering, Foraging, Nature, Navigating*, Sheltering, Sneaking, Tracking |
Alchemy*: INT, Crafting; You may use this skill when trying to recall intellectual information about the practice of alchemy, and doing so does not require any tools.
Brewing Potions
If you have the appropriate tools, you can attempt to brew potions.
Potion creation takes 2 hours of uninterrupted work, which can be a part of a Rest. Healing potion creation DCs are cumulative.
For example, if you have the materials for a Greater Healing Elixir and roll a 15 on your Alchemy check, the potion is half completed, and you can expend another 2 hours to roll again. Once you have reached a cumulative 30 in Alchemy checks, the potion is ready for use. If you ever roll a 1 on your Alchemy or Medicine check, the time and materials are wasted, and the creation is a failure.
All healing potions share a common ingredient derived from the Embercap Mushroom. This can be foraged in woodland areas. For each hour spent foraging, make a DC 10 LUCK/Fortuity check. If you pass, make an AWR/ Foraging check and gain alchemy materials equal to your Foraging roll. If you crit on either roll, you can roll your Foraging check again and gain the value of both.
If you are obtaining raw materials from a vendor use the “Materials Cost” column to determine the typical cost. Healing potions are considered magical, and appear as Primal Alchemy magic to any magical abilities that can detect an item’s Source or Function.
Unconscious or Helpless creatures cannot be administered potions.
Name | Cost | Material Cost | Creation DC | Effect | Expiration |
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Herbal Potion | 25 sc | 15 sc | Medicine 10 | (1/Rest) The imbiber gains HP equal to 1 + the potion creator's Medicine skill. | 12 hours |
Healing Vial | 50 sc | 40 sc | Alchemy 15 | +1d4 HP | 1 week |
Healing Potion | 250 sc | 200 sc | Alchemy 20 | +2d4+2 HP | 1 week |
Healing Elixir | 500 sc | 400 sc | Alchemy 25 | +4d4+4 HP | 1 week |
Greater Healing Elixir | 1500 sc | 1250 sc | Alchemy 30 | +8d4+8 HP | 1 week |
Grand Healing Elixir | 3000 sc | 2500 sc | Alchemy 45 | Heals its imbiber completely, but the imbiber becomes intoxicated, gaining the Shaken condition until they Take a Rest. | 1 week |
Animal Handling: AWR, Survival; You might use this skill when riding a mount or when trying to train an animal that views you as a friendly creature.
Applied Force: STR, Athleticism; You can use this skill to break down doors, use a crowbar to leverage heavy weights, and similar applications of pure strength with or without a mechanism to assist you.
Appraising: INT, Observation; This skill can help you determine how valuable something is or whether the materials are genuine. If you also have a Crafting skill, your MC might let you use that skill when appraising a particular craft, or even let you make an INT/ Appraising check and a skill check using that Crafting skill, taking the higher.
Arcana: INT, Knowledge; You can use this skill when trying to recall information related to planar entities or factual information about any of the five Sources of Magic. You can also use this skill to manipulate magical devices.
Art: INT, Knowledge; This skill can help you determine factual information about art, such as the materials used or the message that the artist was trying to convey. Your MC might also let you add 1⁄2 your Art skill when trying to produce art, although if you have any points in a Crafting skill, you are more likely to just use that skill.
Astrology: INT, Knowledge; You can use this skill when recalling information about astrological symbols and their significance. Your MC might rule that you can make an INT/Astrology check to give you a circumstantial bonus on a CHA/Empathy check or an AWR/Intuiting check when interacting with someone, as your understanding of their astrological signs might lend you insight into their character or unconscious motives.
Astronomy: INT, Knowledge; You might use this skill whenever you want to recall or infer information related to space and the orbit of planets, satellites, and the like. Your MC might let you add 1⁄2 your Astronomy when trying to navigate, although if you have the Navigating skill you are likely to use that instead.
Athletics: STR, Athleticism; This skill represents your general athletic capacity. When climbing or swimming, and at your MC’s discretion when jumping, you might use this skill. If you have a climb speed or a swim speed, this skill will not come up as often.
Balancing: DEX, Acrobatics; You might use this skill when traversing tricky and narrow terrain, such as the lip of a cliff or the pinnacle of a rooftop.
Biology: INT, Knowledge; This skill will help you to recall or research any information related to biological studies. Your MC may allow you to make an INT/Biology check to gain a circumstantial bonus when making an INT/Nature check or an AWR/Animal Handling check.
Brewing*: INT, Crafting; If you have the appropriate tools, you can attempt to brew craft beers, wines, or spirits. Your MC might also allow you to attempt to make potions, using 1⁄2 of your Brewing skill in place of Alchemy. You may use this skill when trying to recall or discern intellectual information about the practice of brewing, and doing so does not require any tools.
Calligraphy*: INT, Crafting; When you have the appropriate tools, you can use this skill to create beautiful calligraphic works.
Carpentry*: INT, Crafting. When equipped with the relevant tools, you can use this skill to build or repair houses and other structures made primarily of wood.
Cartography*: INT, Crafting; When equipped with the relevant tools, you can use this skill to accurately map out regions or cities.
Chemistry: INT, Knowledge; You can use this skill to recall or research any information related to chemistry and chemical studies.
Cobbling*: INT, Crafting; If you have the appropriate time and tools, you can use this skill to repair shoes or make new ones.
Contorting: DEX, Acrobatics; This skill allows you to contort your body and squeeze through spaces that would otherwise be too tight for a creature of your size. Especially tight contortions will be more difficult during combat.
Cooking*: INT, Crafting; Given the appropriate time and tools, you can use this skill to cook delicious food. You can also make checks to determine the quality or sourcing of food and similar cooking-related topics, regardless of whether you have tools.
Dancing: DEX, Performance; You can use this skill to put on entertaining dance performances.
Deceiving: CHA, Influence; You might use this skill when trying to mislead someone, tell half-truths, or outright lie in a convincing way.
Disguising*: INT, Subterfuge; Provided that you have the relevant tools, such as makeup, a costume, hair dye, a wig, or similar cosmetics, you can use this skill to disguise yourself. Disguises made under duress will be more difficult than disguises made in leisure.
Distance Running: END, Stamina; This skill can help you keep up a steady running pace over a prolonged amount of time, allowing you to cover vast distances.
Dungeoneering: INT, Survival; When exploring a dungeon or subterranean area, you might use this skill to recall information about the area, to make logical inferences, or to know how best to use your gear.
Eavesdropping: AWR, Observation; You can use this skill when you want to overhear key information that other people are discussing without yourself being part of the conversation. After you succeed on an AWR/Eavesdropping check, your MC might award you a bonus to a check with the influence tag, given your better understanding of the social situation.
Economics: INT, Knowledge; This skill can help you recall or deduce information about the economy in a settled area and to better understand economic theory.
Empathy: CHA, Influence; You can use this skill to make other people feel seen and understood, as well as helping you understand what people are feeling.
Engineering: INT, Knowledge; This skill allows you to improve your knowledge in various types of engineering (architectural, mechanical, etc).
Entertaining: CHA, Performance; You can use this skill when you want to captivate a crowd by making a public performance of any kind.
Evading: INT, Subterfuge; You can use this skill to practice the art of hiding in plain sight. By knowing what people look for, you can avoid detection by changing your gait, sticking to crowded areas, or otherwise throwing off those that look for you.
Foraging: AWR, Survival; You might use this skill when looking for food in the wilderness or finding ingredients.
Forced March: END, Stamina; You can use this skill when trying to push beyond the normal travel pace that you could manage in a day, whether by walking a greater distance or by walking a normal distance with a greater load.
Forging*: INT, Subterfuge; This skill can help you replicate signatures or create official- looking documents. If you do well on an INT/Forging check, then your MC will likely give you a circumstantial bonus to INT/Disguising or CHA/Savoir Faire checks.
Fortuity: LUCK; Fortuity represents the likelihood that good things just happen to you. If your MC asks you to make a LUCK check to determine the likelihood of a positive outcome, you can add your Fortuity.
Geography: INT, Knowledge; You can use this skill when trying to remember where you are in relation to somewhere else, or when you want to deduce information about common geographical patterns in an area.
Glassblowing*: INT, Crafting; When you have the appropriate tools, you can use this skill to create stunning artistic glasswork, such as dining plates and even glass musical instruments.
Gossiping: CHA, Influence; You can use this skill to seed real or false information about a person, event, etc. among populated areas.
History: INT, Knowledge; This skill reflects your capacity for remembering historical events and your ability to quickly research historical events when given access to a library, university, or the like. Your MC might let you use this skill in tandem with another Knowledge skill when researching a particular field of knowledge, making an INT/History check and an INT check of the relevant Knowledge type.
Instrument*: CHA, Performance; When you gain points in this skill, specify one type of instrument. When you have that instrument, you can use this skill to make better performances with that instrument. Your MC might rule that you can apply 1⁄2 of your Skill Points to related instruments; for example, if you have Instrument (Lute) +6, then your MC might allow you to play a banjo with a +3 bonus.
Intimidating: CHA, Influence; You can use this skill when trying to peel back someone’s psyche and frighten them into cooperating with you.
Intuiting: AWR, Observation; This skill helps you assess when someone is being honest or if they might be hiding something.
Investigating: AWR, Observation; You might use this skill when looking for physical clues at a crime scene, or when looking for a secret door or hidden compartment in a room.
Jeweling*: INT, Crafting; When you have the appropriate tools, this skill can help you create gorgeous works of jewelry. Your MC might allow you to use your Jeweling skill in place of Appraising when you want to assess the value of a piece of jewelry.
Law: INT, Knowledge; You can use this skill when you want to recall or acquire information about the legal system in a settled area. You might also use this skill, along with the Entertaining and Persuading skills, to win a case in court.
Leadership: CHA, Influence; You might use this skill to bolster the resolve of a discouraged person or group of people, or to exert your status and influence over various officials and convince them to follow your commands.
Leatherworking*: INT, Crafting; When you have the appropriate tools, you can use this skill to make leather goods such as clothes, bags, or even armor.
Lockpicking*: INT, Subterfuge; When you have a set of lock picks, you can use this skill to attempt picking any nonmagially sealed lock.
Masonry*: INT, Crafting; When you have the appropriate tools, you can use this skill to carve rock into sculptures or architectural stonework.
Medicine*: INT, Knowledge; You can use this skill when trying to recall factual information about medicines, diseases, and the like, which can help you diagnose someone’s symptoms. If you have bandages, you can make an INT/Medicine check to remove the Bleeding condition from a creature. Attempting this costs 3 AP, and unless otherwise specified from the source of the Bleeding condition, the DC is 14 + the amount of Bleeding damage. If you have the proper medicines, you can attempt to treat someone with a disease. The DC for this treatment, as well as the types of medicine that you need, will be mentioned in the disease’s description.
Menacing: STR, Stamina; You can use this skill when trying to physically intimidate someone through a show of force.
Military: INT, Knowledge; This skill will help you know the proper terminology when speaking with members of a military and can help you when trying to recall information about a military institution.
Nature: INT, Survival; You might use this skill when trying to differentiate between edible and toxic mushrooms, recalling the behavior of wolf packs, or other information about the natural world.
Navigating*: AWR, Survival; If you have a compass, astrolabe, sextant, or even just a map, you can use this skill to find your way through an otherwise confusing area of wilderness. Your MC might rule that you can make this check without the relevant tools, but the DC will be higher.
Painting*: INT, Crafting; When you have the appropriate tools, you can use this skill to create beautiful paintings.
Perceiving: AWR, Observation; You might make use of this skill when relying on sensory input such as scanning a tree line for enemies, looking for concealed weapons, listening for footsteps, or trying to identify a strange odor.
Persuading: CHA, Influence; You can use this skill when trying to influence someone through sound arguments or emotional appeal.
Politics: INT, Knowledge; When you take this skill, choose a specific region. Your MC will determine whether this should be a single city or a whole nation, based on the campaign they intend to run. When making INT checks related to the politics of that region, you can add this skill. When making INT checks related to the politics of another region, you can add 1⁄2 this skill.
Pottery*: INT, Crafting; When you have the appropriate clay and tools, you can use this skill to make decorative and functional pottery.
Religion: INT, Knowledge; When you take this skill, choose a specific religion. You could pick one of the pantheons listed on Deities, or work with your MC to come up with another religious tradition. When making INT checks related to the customs and beliefs of that religion, you can add this skill. When making INT checks related to the customs and beliefs of any other religion, you can add 1⁄2 this skill.
Savoir Faire: CHA, Performance; You can use this skill to fit into any sort of situation. You can appear at home both with peasants and with aristocrats.
Scavenging: LUCK; You can use this skill when trying to find food or supplies in an abandoned area. Your MC might also allow you to use this skill to determine how much loot you find on a body.
Sheltering: AWR, Survival; You might use this skill when you’re in the wilderness to find a cave, hollow tree, or rocky bluff that can offer shelter from the elements.
Sleight of Hand: INT, Subterfuge; You can use this skill when attempting to pickpocket someone, or when trying to keep an item undiscovered as you are patted down.
Smithing*: INT, Crafting; When you have the appropriate metal and tools, you can use this skill to make wrought iron artistic works or to repair metal tools, weapons, and armor.
Sneaking: DEX, Survival; You could use this skill when skulking about and trying to remain physically out of sight.
Sprinting: STR, Athleticism; You can use this skill when attempting to cover a small distance in an incredibly short amount of time. This is usually not applicable in normal combat, but might be used in a chase sequence.
Tracking: AWR, Survival; You can use this skill when you are trying to follow a creature’s trail.
Tumbling: DEX, Acrobatics; This skill helps you fall in such a way that you don’t get hurt. In addition to allowing you to add dramatic flair to any performance you might put on, if you fall 40 ft or less, you can make a Tumbling check with a DC equal to the amount of feet you fell. If you succeed, halve the damage you would take and move 5 ft in a direction of your choice when you land.
Vehicles (Land)*: INT, Knowledge; You can use this skill to efficiently use land vehicles such as carriages or war carts.
Vehicles (Water)*: INT, Knowledge; You can use this skill to operate water vehicles, such as sailboats or galleons, with greater efficiency.
Weaving*: INT, Crafting; When you have the appropriate tools, you can use this skill to make textile goods such as clothing and blankets.
Woodcarving*: INT, Crafting; When you have the appropriate tools, you can use this skill to whittle toys, fletch arrows, repair a wagon wheel, and the like.
Optional Crafting Rules
If your MC decides, you might use these rules when making any Crafting check.
You can make one check per day with a Crafting skill. Your checks made with the same Crafting skill are cumulative (e.g., if you roll Woodcarving 9 on one day and Woodcarving 14 on the next day, your cumulative total is 23).
You can create a good of the appropriate type (such as leather armor if you use Leatherworking) once your cumulative number is double the sc of the object that you want to make. Once you make this object, reset your cumulative crafting score to 0.