Skills and Abilities

Normal Skills
(Sides + Skill Bonus) = Skill Die to Roll
Normal skills augment your own abilities and attributes; their skill bonus is directly added to your sides.

Helm - Required skill for vehicle piloting. Defaults to 1d20, plus maneuver modifiers. Used in cases where a vehicle has to dodge, or perform a difficult maneuver. Most beings with innate flight ability (for instance, Keoke when using her wings to fly) have this skill automatically at 1d(sides). A roll of 1 usually has damaging consequences, and a maximum roll always succeeds. Dodge, like character dodge, is all or nothing. Maneuvers usually have a difficulty based on hits - the more hits that must be rolled on 1d, the harder the maneuver is.

Generic Subskill Examples:
Helm:  Creature - Dragons, horses, lionaires, and more.
Helm:  Wheeled Land Vehicle - Cars, wagons, trucks, aircraft on wheels on the ground, and so on.

Specific Subskill Examples:
Helm:  Dragon - Flying on dragonback.
Helm:  Motorcycle - Driving a motorcycle.

Weaponskill - The ability to wield weapons, and pull off special tricks with said weapons. Defaults to normal combat dice. Some techniques require high weaponskill.

Generic Subskill Examples:
Weaponskill: Bows - The use of any type of bow.
Weaponskill: Guns - How to use any gun.
Weaponskill: Beam Weapons - How to fire a beam weapon.

Specific Subskill Examples:
Weaponskill: Crossbow - Shooting a crossbow.
Weaponskill: Handguns - Shooting a pistol/revolver-type firearm.
Weaponskill: Laser Pistol - Shooting a laser pistol.

Spellskill - The ability to use magic with greater skill, reducing energy cost and causing more damage. Defaults to normal combat dice. Some spells require high spellskill.

Generic Subskill Examples:
Spellskill: Fire - Using fire spells.
Spellskill: Heal - Using heal spells.

Specific Subskill Examples:
Spellskill: Flaming Fist - The spell 'Flaming Fist'.
Spellskill: Aura of Comfort - The spell 'Aura of Comfort'.

Gunner - The ability to use vehicular weapons. Defaults to 1d20, plus weapon modifiers. Weapon damage is intrinsic, based on the weapon itself alone.

Generic Subskill Examples:
Gunner: Beam Weapon - Using vehicle-style beam weapons.
Gunner: Missle Launcher - Firing the missles.

Specific Subskill Examples:
Gunner: Laser Turret - Firing a standard laser turret..
Gunner: Fightercraft Missles - Missle systems on a fightercraft.
 

Knowledge Skills:
(Sides - 20, minimum d20) + Skill = Skill Die to Roll
These skills require advanced knowledge, and therefore are valued at (sides - 20) + the skill bonus, where (sides - 20) is always at least d20.

Craftsman - The art of designing things. The complexity of the object and the craftsmanship desired may cause a penalty to this roll; creating new items requires determination of the time required to make the item, cost of materials, average retail price, and complexity of the item. Craftsman skill cannot be reduced below 1d20 by complexity modifiers, but can be reduced below 1d20 by quality modifiers. (No, a person who's never heard of swordsmanship can't just get lucky and create the Legendary Blade by rolling a 20 on 1d20.) The Craftsman roll is made when the item is designed:
 
 

- a roll of 1 indicates a subtly flawed design, any roll between 2 and 9 indicates a serflawed object (spend the time to build and half again the price to get another roll at it, otherwise it's three levels lower quality than intended, Shoddy at worst.) A roll of 10 to 14 indicates a somewhat flawed
 

Simple: Easily made, no moving parts, any 10-year-old could do reasonably well. Usually takes little time. Example: A wooden stake.

Average: Requires some skill for best results, needs normal equipment (like a forge and hammer in the case of blacksmithing work.) Example: A fletched arrow.

Difficult: Some moving parts, though still not too difficult with the right tools. Example: A crossbow or bicycle.

Complex: Many moving parts, requires actual skill and proper tools. Example: A suit of chain mail, a clock.

Very Complex: Very many moving parts, hard for anyone to do by hand. Example: A suit of full plate mail, a car.
 
 
 

Shoddy: This is a very poor piece of work, almost no attention paid to quality. At best, this is worth about 10% of retail price. If it is a weapon, it breaks if the wearer rolls a 5 or less at any time; if armor, it breaks if the attacker rolls more than twice the DR of the armor in damage. Always -2 to damage or DR - for guns, accuracy is usually down by -d10. Usually 1/5 normal time to make.

Cheap: This is a somewhat less than spectacular creation, and tends to be rather poor quality. At best this is 40% of retail price. If it is a weapon, it breaks on a 3 or less at any time; if armor, it breaks if the attacker rolls more than three times the DR of the armor in damage. Always -1 to damage or DR - for guns, accuracy is down -d5. Half time to make.

Good: A normal item, no plusses or minuses. Weapons break on a natural 1, armor tends to break only as a possible result of a critical hit. Normal price and time.

Fine: This item is very well-made - it is more accurate, more deadly, or more powerful than usual. They are only 50% likely to actually break on a 'break' result, and may have other bonuses depending on the item in question. Worth 250% as much, at least... Twice the time to make.

Excellent: This item is incredibly well-made... Bonuses are damn good, and it is exceptionally well crafted. Takes five times as long to make, is worth at least 400% normal price. Often requires very rare parts or materials.

Masterful: The work of a true master, finely detailed and exquisitely crafted. Takes twenty times as long to make, is worth at least 10 times as much as a 'normal' item, probably much much more. Usually requires extremely rare materials.

Legendary: This item is -the- best. The work of an ultimately skilled individual. Takes fifty times as long to make, is worth at least 25 times as much; odds are obtaining the materials for this is the object of a quest.

Generic Subskill Examples:
Craftsman: Armorer - Making weapons and armor.
Craftsman: Leatherworker - Making things out of leather.
Craftsman: Carpenter - Designing things out of wood.
Craftsman: Mechanic - Making complex machinery.
Craftsman: Electronics - Making electronic apparatus.

Specific Subskill Examples:
Craftsman: Medieval Armor - Renaissance designer.
Craftsman: Vehicular Weapons - Missle systems on a fightercraft.

Engineer - The act of modifying, repairing, or disabling things. Usually, repairing something restores 5% of the object's HP per hit rolled. The complexity of the object and the action attempted may cause a penalty to this roll.

Generic Subskill Examples:
Engineer: Mechanic - Fixing complex machinery.
Engineer: Electronics - Fixing electronic apparatus.

Specific Subskill Examples:
Engineer: Car Engine - Can diagnose problems in an automotive engine and fix them.
Engineer: Security Systems (Electronic) - Can set up or remove a security system.

Computers - The ability to use, program, and repair a computer system. Rolling a 1 has the usual bad effects. The complexity the task involves defines the roll to beat, though only the Narrator knows for sure. Computers are usually ranked by era, then by repair/program/operate, then by type of computer.

Physician - The ability to restore fellow beings without the use of magic. A healer can roll vs. 1d(sides) once per day; the patient regains 1/2 as many hits as rolled in addition to that gained by natural healing for the day. Only one healer may try per day. Note: UG in this case would apply to -any- creature. G would be, for instance, humanoids. S would be humans only, and US would be only specific injuries.

Skill Types
Ultrageneric - Applies to all situations.  10 * cost.
Generic - Swords, handguns, IBMs, fire spells, and similar generic classes. 5 * cost.
Specific - Rapiers, revolvers, Win95, fireball, other specific classes. 2 * cost.
UltraSpecific - DragonsDoom, the Sureshot, the Triple Fireball. 1 * cost.

XP spent on more specific skill bonuses can be transferred to more generic skill bonuses without penalty. (Applying your training to all cases.) The cost multiplier still applies, however.

Related Skills:
Applying an UltraSpecific bonus to another UltraSpecific weapon of the same specific category, you can get (at the DM's option) up to 1/2 your normal bonus.

Applying a Specific bonus to another Specific category, you can get (DM option) up to 1/2 your normal bonus.

Applying an UltraSpecific bonus to a Specific other category, you can get (DM option) up to 1/4 your normal bonus.

Only one related skill bonus may be used, and it is superceded or supercedes more generic skill bonuses.

Training
A person can train in one skill per day; whether this be as specific as the Triple Fireball mocha or as generic as all spells. Basic noncombat training provides only 5 XP per day and is ineffective past a bonus of +4 to skill... slow, but still worth some time. Active practice against a target (like a Practice Golem) is worth about 20 XP per day - still very slow, but not bad... and has a limit of +10 to skill. Anything thereafter -must- be earned in actual in-the-field experience.
 

+d20 is the maximum skill bonus that can be gained in any circumstances - you may not have higher than +d20 in any skill derivation.

Got a skill you think is missing? Write to ArcticOwl2 and tell him your idea.