System:About Skills
A Schooling (Character Generation) topic.
There are three categories of Skill available to characters, listed in separate tables below:
- Free - you can use these at their base value without spending any Schooling or Experience points.
- Purchasable - start at base value + 1, once you spend at least one Schooling or Experience point on them.
- Difficult or Unusual - talk to the GM about these ones. These also start at base value + 1 once you spend at least a Schooling or Experience point on them, but base value is lower, and they may shape other things about your character and their background.
Where division's involved in calculating the base value, fractions round up to the nearest whole number.
It becomes harder to Improve A Skill or Learn A New Skill after Character Generation time.
Free Skills:
[edit | edit source]Usually Skills can't be used at their base value without being bought (occasional exceptions may be permitted), but the following two Skills can be used at base level without spending any points:
| Skill | Base value | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| Brawling | Body | Boxing, wrestling and improvised weapons |
| Stealth | Body / 2 | Hiding, camouflage, sneaking, etc. |
Purchasable Skills:
[edit | edit source]Skills are bought using between one and three Schooling Points each. Each Schooling Point spent will increase the Skill by one point above its base value, which is calculated using one or two of the character’s Qualities (see the Skill table below).
| Skill | Base value | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| Actor | (Mind + Character) / 2 | Any form of stage performance |
| Animal Handler | (Body + Character) / 2 | Riding all animals and training them |
| Artist | (Mind + Character) / 2 | Any artistic endeavour |
| Athlete | Body | Swimming, running, etc. |
| Babbage Engine | Mind | Use also for computers, golems, etc. |
| Business | (Mind + Character) / 2 | Any financial or organisational work |
| Civil Servant | Mind | Familiar with government and bureaucracy |
| Crafts | (Body + Character) / 2 | Making things with the hands. |
| Cyclist | Body | Ability to ride and maintain a bicycle. |
| Detective | (Mind + Character) / 2 | Good at noticing small details |
| Diplomat | Character | At home and polite with foreigners |
| Driving | (Body + Mind) / 2 | Any ground vehicle not drawn by an animal |
| First Aid | Character | Emergency treatment to stop bleeding, etc. |
| Linguist | Character | Linguist/2 languages are initially known |
| Mariner | (Body + Character) / 2 | Sailing any surface craft. |
| Marksman | Mind | Directly aimed mechanical projectile weapons |
| Mechanic | Mind | Any form of engineering |
| Melée Weapons | (Body + Mind) / 2 | All close range non-projectile weapons |
| Military Arms | Mind | Use of field guns, explosives, etc. |
| Missile Weapons | (Body + Mind) / 2 | Use of physically powered projectile weapons. |
| Musician | (Body + Character) / 2 | Plays, sings, conducts or composes |
| Navvy | Body | Hard labour and working class society. |
| Politician | Character | Inspire crowds, convince individuals |
| Psychology | (Mind + Character) / 2 | Use to spot lies, calm people, etc. |
| Scholar | Mind | Detailed knowledge of Scholar/2 related fields |
| Scientist | Mind | Use of any science |
| Signaller | Mind | Knowledge of Morse and telegraphy |
| Socialite | Character | Knows the ways of high society |
| Voluptuary | Body | A devotee of food, drink and other pleasures |
Difficult or Unusual Skills
[edit | edit source]Taking difficult or unusual skills require GM agreement.
| Skill | Base value | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor | (Mind + Character) / 4 | Knowledge and licence to practice |
| Martial Arts (Armed) | (Body + Character) / 4 | Use exotic weapons. Allows multiple attacks. |
| Martial Arts (Unarmed) | (Body + Character) / 4 | Allows multiple attacks. |
| Pilot | (Body + Mind) / 4 | Use for aircraft, submersibles, etc. |
| Thief | (Body + Mind) / 4 | Pick pockets, locksmith, forgery, etc. |