Skills
Skills represent things your character is good at. Skills are picked up as a character progresses through his life, and reflect training and background. The skill list is open-ended. This means that ANYTHING can be a skill; it doesn't have to be on the list below. You might wish to choose flower arranging, origami, or interior decorating. The list below is simply a list of examples; feel free to add to it. Different skills may be appropriate in different settings. A medieval fantasy setting would not feature computers, for example.
A skill is not required to attempt a task. Having ranks in a skill indicates that you have particular training in that subject; however, even if you have no ranks in piloting, you can still try to land a damaged shuttlecraft, and having no ranks in pistols does not prevent you from taking a shot at an attacking alien.
Academic Skills
literature, accounting, law, history, linguistics, art, theology, philosophy, politics, economics, geography, journalism
Artistic Skills
painting, sculpting, calligraphy, pottery, poetry, literature, film-making, photography, printmaking, modelling
Combat Skills
tactics, reactions, unarmed fighting*, pistols, rifles, bows, heavy weapons, melee weapon*, light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, powered armor, shields
Crafting Skills
appraisal, carpentry, cooking, blacksmith, basket-weaving, stone-masonry, armorer, weaponsmith
Personal Skills
perception, insight, concentration, meditation, bravery, resistance, hardy
Gaming Skills
chess, checkers, dominoes, draughts, poker, blackjack, backgammon, pool, darts
Lore Skills
herbalism, alchemy, nature, religion, heraldry, accounting, law, history, local knowledge, bureaucracy
Magical Skills
infliction, evocation, movement, compulsion, illusion, infusion, summoning, enchantment, hexes, transformation, creation, abjuration, displacement, divination, healing
Hobby Skills
brewing, fishing, gardening, hunting, riddles, sewing, ornithology
Physical Skills
climbing, swimming, jumping, carrying, running, acrobatics, zero-g, throwing
Performance Skills
acting, singing, musical instrument, dancing, mime, magic, storytelling, comedy, fortune-telling, juggling, ventriloquism
Psionic Skills
biopsionics, clairsentience, clairvoyance, ergokinesis, metapsionics, telekinesis, telepathy, teleportation
Scientific Skills
physics, astronomy, chemistry, ecology, oceanography, geology, meteorology, biology, zoology, botany, mathematics, archaeology, criminology, economics, psychology, sociology, medicine, genetics, nanotechnology, xenology, climatology
Sporting Skills
football, tennis, volleyball, cricket, baseball, basketball, rugby, bowling, dodgeball, badminton, squash, table tennis, sailing, jousting
Subterfuge Skills
cryptology, appraisal, disguise, stealth, thievery, escape artist, bribery, forgery, interrogation
Social Skills
intimidate, flirtation, carousing, negotiating, bluffing, leadership, linguistics, hypnotism
Technical Skills
computers, engineering, demolitions, electronic, robotics
Trivia Skills
movies, rock 'n roll, historical period, celebrities, astrology, theater
Vehicle Skills
piloting, riding, driving, sailing, gunnery, navigation, astrogation
Outdoor Skills
survival, animal handling, tracking, farming, mining, dungeoneering, fishing, hunting, nature
Other Skills
bureaucracy, accounting, law, history, local knowledge
Sometimes entire categories of skills are referred to instead of single skills. When this happens, the category is noted in square brackets in order to avoid confusion. For example, an entry which says [outdoor] refers to the entire list of survival, animal handling, tracking, farming, mining, and any others.
When noting a skill, you do not need to indicate categories or placeholder titles. You simply note “chess” rather than “gaming (chess)”; similarly, you simply note “pistols” or “nunchukus” rather than “ranged weapon (pistols)” or “melee weapon (nunchaku)”.
Weapons. In combat, unarmed fighting, and weapon skills all add to relevant AGI, INT, or STR attack checks. Melee weapons include categories of weapon type (swords, axes, clubs, knives,etc.); ranged weapons similarly include weapon types, such as bows, pistols, rifles, or heavy weapons. Gunnery refers to vehicle or ship-mounted weapons. Unarmed combat types include (but are not limited to) boxing, wrestling, brawling, andmartial arts.
Armor. Armor is divided into light, medium, heavy, and powered armor. Each is a separate skill. Note that armor, like any other equipment, provides quality benefits only as far as the wearer's skill allows (see dice pools).
Other Skills
Computers includes use of scanners and starship sensor/comms systems.
Local knowledge is a catch-all term; the skill should actually be the name of a place.
Navigation refers to land-based travel. The space-based equivalent is astrogation.
What Skill Levels Mean
As a general rule, 1 skill rank is proficient, 3 is considered skilled, and is roughly equal to a bachelor’s degree; 6 is an expert, and is roughly equal to a doctorate; 10 is regarded as mastery; and 15 makes you an authority on that subject. These ranks correspond to derived dice pools of 1d6, 2d6, 3d6, 4d6, and 5d6.
Einstein had a score of 15 (5d6) in physics. Miyamoto Musashi had a score of 15 (5d6) in swords. Characters with skills that high are extremely rare.
Skill Ranks Skill Level Dice Pool
1 Proficient 1d6
3 Skilled 2d6
6 Expert 3d6
10 Mastery 4d6
15 Authority 5d6