Skills

Skills represent knowledge and abilities developed through learning, practice and experience.

Each skill has a default linked attribute. That attribute represents the character’s underlying capability; the skill’s training bonus represents their expertise.

General and Specialist Skills

Skills belong to one of two categories.

General skills cover activities that characters can reasonably attempt without formal training. An untrained character uses the linked attribute alone.

Specialist skills cover activities requiring learned knowledge or techniques. A character must have at least +5 training in the relevant specialist skill to attempt tasks that depend on that expertise.

This distinction applies to the task being attempted. Someone without medical training may follow instructions to apply pressure to a wound, but cannot perform surgery.

Having training does not make every task possible. Advanced activities may require further training, suitable tools, materials or other prerequisites.

Training Bonuses

Training improves in increments of +5, up to an initial maximum of +40 per skill.

These descriptions provide guidance. The numeric training bonus determines the skill’s contribution to a test.

For specialist skills, the first +5 represents foundational training sufficient to attempt basic tasks.

Using a Skill

When a test is required, calculate its target as:

Linked attribute + training bonus + applicable modifiers

For example, a character with Wits 35 and Medicine +10 has a target of 45 before difficulty and situational modifiers.

A general skill with no training bonus uses the linked attribute without an additional penalty simply for being untrained.

Full rules for making tests and interpreting their results are provided in Action Resolution.

Competence Without Rolling

Training also determines what a character can accomplish reliably.

Ordinary work does not require repeated tests when the character has sufficient competence, suitable tools and enough time. Tests are used when uncertainty, opposition, danger or time pressure makes the outcome matter.

An expert should not routinely fail basic professional tasks merely because a roll was made.

Skills and Careers

Careers provide access to teachers, practical experience and opportunities to develop relevant skills. They may also influence advancement costs.

A character’s current career does not permanently restrict which skills they can learn. Learning outside that career may require finding appropriate instruction or meeting other advancement requirements.

The detailed rules for purchasing training are defined in Advancement.

Skills and Race

Every race may learn every skill.

Differences in aptitude, cost, training opportunities and social circumstances may affect how a character develops a skill, but race never imposes a permanent exclusion.

Skill Definitions

Each individual skill entry specifies:

• Its default linked attribute.
• Whether it is general or specialist.
• The activities it covers.
• Any task-specific prerequisites.
• Examples of ordinary use and situations requiring a test.

A training bonus applies to the skill in which it was earned. It does not automatically grant expertise in another skill.