Using Skills
For situations that fall under the ordinary duties of a regular practitioner, no roll is required.
Additionally, should players come up with a suitable elegant and insightful plan, then it is not the role of the GM to enforce a skill check to sabotage this. However, many moments of tension include the possibility of failure, in this case a skill check is made.
2d6 + Skill Rank + Characteristic Modifier
If the result is greater than or equal to the difficulty then the check is a success. Most times the difficulty is known ahead of time unless there are particularly inclement or mysterious circumstances. In some situations success or failure by 2 can have moderating results.
If you roll doubles then there are additional effects. Odd numbers usually result in a complication, while even numbers offer an opportunity. Double 1’s results in a disaster. On Double 6s your effort is aided by some supernatural power, who will expect to be thanked, consult the Oracle to determine who this is.
| Difficulty | Guideline |
|---|---|
| - | Trivial tasks, usually do not require a roll |
| 7 | Simple |
| 10 | Challenging |
| 13 | Master |
| 16+ | Legendary |
| Modifier | Situation |
|---|---|
| +/- 1 | Usefully favorable or unfavorable circumstances |
| +/- 2 | Highly inclement or fortuitous conditions |
| +1 | Having an associated skill of at least Expert (3) rank |
Sometimes a skill roll may be made with either a boon or a bane. These are usually the result of spells, active aid, or supernatural hinderance. When rolling with a boon roll an additional d6 and keep the two highest dice; a bane also rolls an additional die but instead the lower dice are kept. Boons and banes cancel each other out, possibly resulting in a roll with no additional dice. Multiple such effects stack however; so a skill check benefitting from two boons would roll a total of four dice - keeping the two highest.
Skill Rank
Track the total number of training points in each skill, these determine a character’s total skill rank. When rolling a skill check the rank is added to the result.
| Skill Rank | training points | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Tyro |
| 2 | 6 | |
| 3 | 12 | Expert |
| 4 | 20 | |
| 5 | 30 | Master |
| 6 | 42 | Grandmaster |
Colloquially the skill ranks have names. Characters of at least rank 3, experts, may provide aid in the form of a boon in relevant situations. Additionally for skill checks which could reasonably be covered by multiple skills, such as tracking (with bushcraft) a creature you are familiar with (via lore), you gain a +1 bonus to the roll if at least both skills are expert (3) rank.
Specializations are a focused subdomain of a particular skill. Your character is assumed to have basic competence in this area, and when applicable, your rank is considered one higher. Rogues automatically gain one specialization in each of their general and martial skills, otherwise they may be earned from certain traits or particularly insightful books. Under each skill are a list of example specializations, however these are by no means restrictive.
Artisanry, Language, Lore, and Exotic Arms are “specialized skills” and operate slightly differently. For each rank a character has in these skills they automatically gain a new specialization, however when operating outside of these areas it is often the case that they are no better off than someone without any ranks in that skill. In essence they are groups of distinct skills united under a single banner.
| General Skills | Martial Skills | Mystical Skills |
|---|---|---|
| Alchemy | Archery | Adjuration |
| Athletics | Brawl | Alteration |
| Artisanry* | Exotic Arms* | Conjuration |
| Beastmastery | Hand Weapon | Enchantment |
| Bushcraft | Great Weapon | Thaumaturgy |
| Concentration | Thrown | |
| Devicecraft | ||
| Diplomacy | ||
| Divination | ||
| Heal | ||
| Investigation | ||
| Language* | ||
| Lead | ||
| Lore* | ||
| Mathematics | ||
| Mining | ||
| Navigation | ||
| Perform | ||
| Ritual | ||
| Sail | ||
| Seneschal | ||
| Stealth | ||
| Trade |
General and Special Skills
Alchemy
An alchemist may extract useful materials form slain monsters, rare plants, or potent mineral substances. Each creature has a unique usage - which is not initially known to all alchemists - but the process is otherwise a simple one requiring only basic training, tools, and a few minutes of work. At the most basic this can create vials of venom from serpents, but also could include distilling its counterfactor from the blood of a mongoose. Unless you choose to use a live snake or engage in other such unwise practices there is usually no chance of failure for this process.
Alchemical goods will become spoiled, inert, hazardous, or otherwise unusable unless a skilled alchemist keeps them properly. A character with alchemist’s tools may maintain a number of such items equal to twice their ranks in Alchemy plus their Intelligence modifier.
Additionally the alchemist may labor over the course of a season on more complex formulae. Doing so requires a recipe and the appropriate ingredients. For more details see Alchemy
| Difficulty | Example |
|---|---|
| - | Create extracts from a fresh source |
| 7 | Assay the purity of gold, silver, or other known materials |
| 10 | Create an extract from a poor or incomplete source |
| 13 | Concoct a rare formulae from a formulae book |
Specializations: bombs, oils, elixirs, poisons
Artisanry
Aptitude with craftsmanship, including the fabrication and appraisal of such goods. As a specialized skill a character automatically gains a specialization for each rank. However, the skill itself is not as broadly applicable - an artisan working outside their area of expertise will not be able to apply their skill rank to such efforts.
Used for crafting.
| Difficulty | Example |
|---|---|
| 7 | Simple repairs in the field |
| 13 | Repair an exceedingly delicate object while travelling |
Specializations: clockwork, jewelry, masonry, weaponsmith, armorsmith, woodwork, glasswork, weaver
Athletics
Bend bars, lift gates, and other feats of bodily prowess and Strength. When used with Dexterity one can leap between rooftops or balance on a wave-tossed ship. Used also when fleeing from battle, without a cohesive strategy to retreat it becomes a contest of either Constitution or Dexterity for direct pursuit.
| Difficulty | Example |
|---|---|
| 7 | Break down a wooden door |
| 10 | Walk a tightrope |
| 13 | Swim across a perilous river |
| - DR | Take a penalty equal to armor’s damage reduction for tests of balance or flexibility |
In the context of tactical combat a character may freely ignore such obstacles as chasms or difficult terrain for a number of paces equal to their ranks in Athletics, minus any damage reduction from armor.
Specializations: balance, climb, jump, marathon, swim
Bushcraft
The ability to survive in the wilderness. Includes creating basic shelters, setting snares, rigging a travois, and following tracks.
| Difficulty | Example |
|---|---|
| 6 | Follow fresh tracks |
| 7 | Find supplies in typical terrain |
| 10 | Follow tracks after some weathering |
| 11 | Identify rare herb |
| 15 | Make camp during a monsoon |
Specializations: herblore, tracking, survival, one particular type of terrain
Concentration
spiritual AC
Devicecraft
Aptitude at finding traps, bypassing locks, setting pitfalls, and minor acts of legerdemain and dexterity. Much of the modern use of devicecraft revolves around clockwork from New Lankh. Advanced devices may also require the use of an Artisanry specialization.
Specializations: trapfinding, pickpocketing, lockpicking
Diplomacy
War may be diplomacy by other means, but the diplomat concerns themselves with victory instead of battle. This skill covers understanding the motives of others, and persuading them of your notion of truth. Either through honest or dishonest means. While usually based on Charisma, Wisdom can be used when providing wise and honest counsel in the hopes that your interlocutor will see sense.
| Difficulty | Crowd |
|---|---|
| 6 | Room of strangers |
| 8 | Large mob |
| 12 | Entire army, huge crowd |
| -1 | Poor social status |
| * | Apply modifiers from Reaction rolls, up to +/- 2 |
Specializations: suing for peace, deception, a particular type of person such as: nobility, Alcherans, or priests
Divination
Divination is the art of interpreting dreams, signs, and omens from the gods. Alongside passive observation of the world an expert in divination is capable of using cartomancy and haruspexy to pry more intrusively into the plans of She-Who-Lurks.
As the art of divination is highly subject to the unknown, both player and GM roll 2d6 when making a divination check. The GM then chooses one of these rolls to be the result for what determines the divination. Although initially mysterious there are patterns to which is chosen.
Specializations: predicting weather, haruspex, averting disaster
Heal
Application of the medical arts of both the mind and body. Including diagnostic practices, treatment of diseases, expurgation of poisons, and general palliation. Heal checks do not directly restore hit points, however a trained Healer tending to the wounded increases how many hit points they restore based on their rank. More details are in damage and healing.
Specializations: autopsy, treating wounds, diseases
Investigation
Language
Skill at speaking the many tongues of the land, as well as reading ancient secrets. Also includes the use of codes and ciphers. All characters learn one additional language per skill rank, written down as a specialization; in addition to automatically starting with their native language.
A character with at least one rank in both Language and Lore is literate, outside of this the ability to read is not common.
Languages
- Psuedophidian -
Specializations: forgery, ciphers
Lead
Ability to inspire loyalty in followers, and motivate them to direct action. If the efficacy of an ambush or loyalty of underlings would be in question a Lead check, possibly modified by Wisdom or Charisma addresses this. Notable for increasing your leadership score.
Specializations: a particular type of follower
Lore
| Difficulty | Example lore |
|---|---|
| 6 | Basic familiarity with a phenomena, a good plan to learn more or find a more detailed source later |
| 8 | Recall an overview of a complex history |
| 10 | Identify a rare monster, recognize a strange essence seep |
| 14+ | Descent initial theory when encountering a unique and unprecedented subject |
Knowledge of beasts, phenomenon, and the world at large. All sages have some knowledge of numerous fields, however as a specialized skill characters are entitled to choose one specialization per rank of Lore they have. Within a loremaster’s specialization they always know something, and if a roll is even required, are rolling to see just how deep their knowledge is. If in doubt provide a useful overview then reduce the difficulty by 2. Particularly when monster are involved, hand over a copy of their monster entry. Local variants, strange enchantments, or other complications may still be kept secret - but there is no need to be coy with a character who has specialized lore.
Suggestions for such specializations are:
- Realmlore: study of the effects of dominions, auras, and beings from beyond
- History: heraldry, politics, family lineages, and the origin and purpose of social structures
- Death: undead, funerary rites, autopsies
- Architecture
- Beasts
- Creatures of Chaos
- Lords of Law
Others may be created as needed, however keep in mind that the specific practice and mysteries of other skills are already covered by those. Alchemy already regards substances and their uses, and each magical technique covers the knowledge of spellcraft of that type.
Navigation
Perform
Ritual
Sail
Operating watercraft of all kinds, including basic repairs.
Specializations: large ships, ropework, small ships
Seneschal
Skill required to run operate an organization, understand contracts, or operate within a bureaucracy.
Specializations: legal codes, organization
Stealth
Moving undetected, setting ambushes, and remaining unseen.
Specializations: ambush, a particular environment (urban, wilderness, desert)
Trade
The ability to make money via mercantile means. Includes appraising goods, haggling, finding valuable goods and deals.
Specializations: a particular type of good, a specific market (such as Hapolis)
Martial Skills
Martial skills represent training with different types of weapons. Most importantly these are added to attack rolls with related weapons. Specializations for martial skills are always a particular weapon within that school. Such masters of the art of combat are able to make use of the mastery properties of that weapon.
Archery
Brawl
Adds to armor class
Exotic Arms
A specialized skill that applies to unique weapons. Ranks in this skill only apply to weapons you have a specialization in.
Hand Weapon
Great Weapon
Thrown Weapon
Used to make ranged attacks with hurled weaponry. Most notable for skill at hurling bombs and using slings.
Magical Techniques
Magical techniques are covered in more detail as their pertain to performing Sorcery. The techniques known to this age are: Adjuration, Alteration, Conjuration, Enchantment, and Thaumaturgy. In addition to determining what spells can be mastered and contributing to spellcasting rolls; a technique check may be called upon to identify or understand a spell being cast or related magical phenomenon.
Minor Skills
Some professions are unlikely to be relevant for most adventurers, but are still important for the day-to-day lives of many people in the Shrinelands. In general, adventurers can probably use relevant general skills for most tasks. Skills are meant to be rather broad and powerful. However, in the event more granularity is needed you are free to invent more skills, so long as you carefully consider the negative space you are carving out of the default skill list.
Where is the perception skill?
You may have notice there is no skill called something like “awareness”, “spot”, or “notice.” Such circumstances are instead related to a character’s Wisdom score.