Skills

Table of Contents

Overview

Skills represent the ability to

  • do something because of understanding and/or experience
  • use something because of understanding and/or experience
  • understand something because of natural affinity or experience
  • recall knowledge because of good memory, personal experience, or time spent learning the skill

Skill Rolls

Skill Rolls use the corresponding Skill Roll Dice depending on a character’s rank.

Skill Rank Skill Roll Dice
Untrained 1d4
Novice 1d6
Adept 2d6
Expert 3d6
Master 4d6

When attempting an action where the narrator needs to determine success or failure, use the guideline below:

Difficulty Skill Roll Minimum (Minimum Roll for Success)
Simple 3
Plausible 4
Ambitious 6
Formidable 10
Insurmountable 18
Impossible 24

Combat Skill Rolls

When one character attacks another, both characters perform a Combat Skill Roll. This is a Skill Roll based on a character’s choice of Combat Skill.

Some bonuses or penalties only apply to a Combat Skill Roll when the character is attacking or defending. To differentiate between these, we use the terms Attacking Skill Roll and Defending Skill Roll.

An Attacking Skill Roll represents an attempt to land a hit against another character.

Attacking Skill Roll = Skill Dice Roll + Attack Modifiers

A Defending Skill Roll represents an attempt to block, parry, dodge, or otherwise thwart the attack.

Defending Skill Roll = Skill Dice Roll + Defense Modifiers

The Hit Result represents whether the attack landed successfully against the defending character.

If the Hit Result is greater than 0, the attack is successful. If the Hit Result is 0 or less, the attack is unsuccessful.

Hit Result = Attacking Skill Roll - Defending Skill Roll

When an attack succeeds, we need to calculate the Damage Dealt.

Damage Bonuses are based on the attacking character’s applicable skills and possessions.

Damage Reductions are based on the defending character’s applicable skills and possessions.

If the Damage Dealt is greater than 0, the defending character subtracts the Damage Dealt from their Hit Points.

Damage Dealt = Hit Result + Damage Bonuses - Damage Reductions

In these terms, one character attacking another character follows these steps:

  1. The attacking character chooses a Combat Skill and rolls the number of dice appropriate to their Skill Rank.
  2. The attacking character calculates their Attacking Skill Roll.
  3. The defending character chooses a skill and rolls the number of dice appropriate to their Skill Rank.
  4. The defending character calculates their Defending Skill Roll.
  5. The attacking character calculates the Hit Result. If the Hit Result is 0 or less, the attack is unsuccessful (do not perform steps 6 and 7).
  6. If the Hit Result is greater than 0, the attacking character calculates the Damage Dealt.
  7. The defending character subtracts the Damage Dealt from their Hit Points.

Combat Examples

Failed Attack

  1. The attacker has the Adept rank in the Polearm skill. The attacker decides to perform the Standard Attack action and chooses a character to attack.
  2. The attacker rolls 2d6, with a total result of 9.
  3. The defender has the Expert rank in the One-Handed Weapon skill. The defender rolls 3d6, with a total result of 12.
  4. The Hit Result is calculated (9 - 12 = -3) and the attacker fails to land a hit on the defender.

Successful Attack

  1. The attacker has the Adept rank in the Staves skill. The attacker decides to perform the Standard Attack action and chooses a character to attack.
  2. The attacker rolls 2d6, with a total result of 9.
  3. The defender has the Novice rank in the Spear skill. The defender rolls 1d6, with a total result of 5.
  4. The Hit Result is calculated (9 - 5 = 4) and the attacker succeeds in landing a hit on the defender.
  5. There are no Damage Bonuses or Damage Reductions, so the Damage Dealt is 4.
  6. The defender subtracts 4 from their current Hit Points.

Standard Attack Against Armored Defender

  1. The attacker has the Expert rank in the Two-Handed Weapons skill. The attacker decides to perform the Standard Attack action and chooses a character to attack.
  2. The attacker rolls 3d6, with a total result of 14.
  3. The defender has the Expert rank in the Polearms skill. The defender rolls 3d6, with a total result of 9.
  4. The Hit Result is calculated (14 - 9 = 5) and the attacker succeeds in landing a hit on the defender.
  5. The attacker is using a Greataxe, which has a Damage Bonus of +3.
  6. The defender is wearing Metal armor, which has a Damage Reduction of 4.
  7. The Damage Dealt is 5 + 3 - 4 = 4. The defender subtracts 4 from their current Hit Points.

Standard Attack Against Defender with Shield

  1. The attacker has the Adept rank in the Polearms skill. The attacker decides to perform the Standard Attack action and chooses a character to attack.
  2. The attacker rolls 2d6, with a total result of 10.
  3. The defender has the Adept rank in the One-Handed Weapons skill. The defender rolls 2d6, with a result of 9.
  4. The defender is using a Medium shield. The defender adds +2 to their Defending Skill Roll, for a total result of 11.
  5. The attacker fails to land a hit on the defender.

Simplified Skill List

Fundamental Skills

  • Endurance
  • Strength
  • Coordination
  • Problem-Solving
  • Memory
  • Emotional Intuition

Combat Skills

  • One-Handed Weapons
  • Two-Handed Weapons
  • Polearms
  • Bows
  • Crossbows
  • Slings
  • Unarmed Combat
  • Shields
  • Dodging

Mystical Power Skills

Mythological Patron

You gain the ability to channel the power of a mythological figure. This could be a famous warrior, healer, or leader from history.

Title Description Rank Action Cost
Healer Once per turn, you can request your patron’s power to heal a character you can see for 1d4 hit points. Novice 1
Mythical Armor Your armor temporarily resembles your patron’s mythical armor or Protective Exterior trait. Gain a Damage Reduction of 1 for the remainder of the fight. This can be used once per day. Novice 1
Group Healer Once per fight, you can request your patron’s power to heal up to 3 characters you can see for 1d6 hit points each. Adept 1
Mythical Weapon Once per day, your weapon temporarily resembles your patron’s mythical weapon. Your weapon gains a Damage Bonus of +2 for the remainder of the fight. Adept 1
Blessed Healing Once per day, your patron blesses a healing spell you cast. The spell grants 2x the maximum possible hit points. Expert —
Mythical Weaponcraft Once per fight, you channel your patron’s legendary skill with weapons. If the Hit Result is less than 0, the Hit Result becomes 1. Add a Damage Bonus of +2 to the attack. Expert —

Nature’s Blessing

You have the blessing of a spirit of nature. You gain powers appropriate to your nature spirit. Some options could be:

  • A semi-elemental theme based on a landscape:
    • Desert (sand, wind)
    • Forest (plant, earth)
    • Grassland (plant, wind)
    • Ocean (water, storm)
    • River (water)
    • Tundra (ice, wind)
    • Volcano (fire, rock)
  • A once-powerful character whose spirit still resides in their home territory:
    • Bear
    • Bison
    • Eagle
    • Elephant
    • Owl
    • Pike
    • Shark
    • Snake
    • Tiger
    • Whale
Title Description Rank Action Cost
Spirit Familiar You gain a small character or spirit thematically appropriate to your chosen spirit as a companion. Novice —
Nature’s Attack You manipulate a nearby part of nature (thematically appropriate to your chosen spirit) to attack a nearby character. Novice 1
Spirit Shape You gain the ability to shapeshift into a form thematically appropriate to your chosen spirit. Your alternate form must be no less than half and no greater than 1.5x your regular size. You can spend 1 action to revert the effect. Adept 1
Nature’s Barrage Once per fight, you can manipulate a nearby part of nature (thematically appropriate to your chosen spirit) to attack 4 nearby characters. Adept 1
Spirit’s Ally You can temporarily change the shape of an allied character to a form thematically appropriate to your chosen spirit. Your alternate form must be no less than half and no greater than 1.5x your regular size. This lasts for 1 hour or until you spend 1 action to revert the effect. Expert 1
Nature’s Wrath Once per fight, manipulate a large natural element in the vicinity (thematically appropriate to your chosen spirit) to attack a character. If the Hit Result is less than 0, the Hit Result becomes 1. Expert 2
Name Attack Modifier Damage Bonus Defense Modifier
Nature’s Attack +0 +0 +0
Nature’s Barrage +1 +2 +3
Nature’s Wrath +3 +6 +8

Storyteller

You are inspired by a fictional character from a story. You can bring characters or objects from your stories to life to assist you in battle. Outside of combat, you can tell stories about objects (weapons, armor, or other) to grant them a permanent magical effect.

Title Description Rank Action Cost
Summon Imaginary Character Once per fight, describe an Imaginary Character into existence (see stats below). The Imaginary Character disappears when it reaches 0 hit points, at the end of the fight, or after 30 minutes. You can spend 1 action to dismiss the character. Novice 2
Spin Yarn   Novice 1
Summon Storied Character Once per fight, describe a Storied Character into existence (see stats below). The Storied Character disappears when it reaches 0 hit points, at the end of the fight, or after 30 minutes. You can spend 1 action to dismiss the character. Adept 2
    Adept 1
Summon Fabled Character Once per day, describe a Fabled Character into existence (see stats below). The Fabled Character disappears when it reaches 0 hit points, at the end of the fight, or after 30 minutes. You can spend 1 action to dismiss the character. Expert 2
    Expert 1

Summoned Character Statistics

Imaginary Character  
Untrained Combat Choose a Combat Skill. The character has no rank in the chosen Combat Skill, but can use the Standard Attack ability.
Hit Points 20
Storied Character  
Novice Combat Choose a Combat Skill. The character has Novice rank in the chosen Combat Skill.
Hit Points 30
Fabled Character  
Adept Combat Choose a Combat Skill. The character has Adept rank in the chosen Combat Skill.
Hit Points 40

Fortuneteller

You pretend to (or perhaps, you can?) divine events that have yet to happen. Your keen insight can discern combat-related information about enemies. You can inspire allies by building up their confidence with predictions of good fortune. You can warn your allies of bad fortune ahead of time to increase their chances of avoiding danger.

Title Description Rank Action Cost
    Novice —
toss the stones roll 3d4. simple predictions about near future Novice —
    Adept —
    Adept —
read the burned bones roll Xd10 (based on number of bones being used) can only be done once for somebody Expert —
    Expert —

toss dice and each die gives a negative/neutral/positive result based on the roll

higher skill abilities have fortune tables with more specific fortunes

Movement Skills

  • Climbing
  • Jumping
  • Running
  • Sneaking
  • Swimming

General Skills

Herbalism

Title Description Rank Action Cost Range Limit
Learn Simple Potion Recipe Learn a new Simple Potion recipe from someone directly or from a recorded set of instructions. Novice 30 Same Area
Gather Common Ingredients Spend time in your environment gathering enough commonly available ingredients to craft 10 Simple Potions. Novice — Same Area
Craft Simple Potion In a location where you can set up your Herbalist’s Tools, combine common ingredients to create a Simple Potion. Novice 30 Same Area
Deduce Simple Potion Recipe Learn a new Simple Potion recipe by experimenting with a sample. Adept 120 Same Area
Distill Potion You can use your Herbalist’s tools to distill multiple potions into a single, more potent potion. Adept 60 Same Area
Gather Rare Ingredients Spend time in your environment gathering enough commonly available ingredients to craft 2 Complex Potions. Expert — Same Area
Craft Complex Potion In a location where you can set up your Herbalist’s Tools, combine common ingredients to create a Complex Potion. Expert 60 Same Area
Potion Name Description Category
Healing Potion Heals the drinker for 2 Hit Points. Simple
Poisonous Potion Damages the drinker for 2 Hit Points. Simple
Curative Potion Cures a Minor Malady. Simple
Infectious Potion Infects the drinker with a minor malady. They gain the Minor Malady condition. Simple
Wondrous Potion Cures a Major Malady. Rare
Devious Potion Infects the drinker with a major malady. They gain the Major Malady condition. Rare

Unless otherwise noted, a potion takes effect at the beginning of the drinker’s next turn.

Trading

Title Description Rank Action Cost
Toss it in for free! You persuade a character selling you something to include an item of relatively small value for free. Novice Once per character
It’s a steal! You convince a character to pay 50% above a fair price for an item you are selling. Adept Once per character
I’m good for it! A character is willing to sell you an item, even one of considerable value, on credit. Expert Once per character

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