Master Skills List

Table of Contents

Alien Tech: (Mandatory Focus: Race); Prerequisite: At Least One Of The Following Advantage- Alien Contactee, Advantage- Alien Ally, Disadvantage- Alien Threat, or Occupation; This Skill describes your familiarity with, and ability to utilize technology that is utterly alien to your Race. Possession of this skill does not equate to possession of alien technology.
Arts: (May Focus: Genre/Medium/Style/Etc.); No Prerequisite; This skill describes your affinity for and ability to practice art of all sorts, with the exception of Dance and other physical expressions of creativity. This Skill defines knowledge of art and artistic expression. This Skill does not impart artistic talent. Artistic Talent is an Advantage.
Athletics: (May Focus: Sport/Sports Medicine/Fitness/Physical Expression [Such as Dance]); No Prerequisite; Athletics describes the knowledge of body mechanics, exercise, and fitness. Athletics is a wide-ranging and varied Skill because it has so many possible applications. Unspecialized Athletics would simply denote a passion for physical well-being. Athletics is a catchall skill for any action that would involve physical prowess, such as climbing, leaping, and running to catch a departing bus.
Alchemy: (May Focus: Transmutation, Elixirs); Prerequisite: Teacher; Art and science of materials, their composition, and their interactions. A bridge between True Magic (Maejic) and Science. While the goal of turning lead to gold may be impossible, the creation of artificial life actually is.
Animal Training: (May Focus: Breaking, Show, Performance; Recommended Focus: Species); No Prerequisite; Covers all manner of beast wrangling with the aim of promoting wanted behaviors and eliminating unwanted behaviors in the target creature. This Skill is used primarily for extended tasks, but can also be used for knowledge of common training techniques, animal commands, and determining the status of an animal (trained, untrained).
Armed Melee: (Recommended Focus: Weapon Type [Sword, Dagger, Club], Style); No Prerequisite; Use of objects in combat that do not shoot. From effective methods of applying close-combat weapons to defending one's self from the same, this is the Skill of armed combat. While anyone can flail around a make-shift club, you actually know what you are doing.
Ballistic Weapons: (Required Focus: Weapon Type [Bow, Small Guns, etc.]); No Prerequisite; Use of objects in combat that do shoot. This Skill covers ranged weapons of all sorts and the proper care and feeding of the same. Covers not only good shooting practice, but also general knowledge of the weapons concerned. While not Weaponsmithing, individuals with Skill in Ballistic Weapons(Small Guns) should not only be proficient with hitting one's target, but also cleaning and storage of small arms and familiarity with different sorts of mundane ammunitions and their applications.
Barter: (No Foci); No Prerequisite; The art of haggling. Individuals skilled at Barter may expect to receive more for their own goods and pay less for the goods of others. In other words, Skilled Barterers are less likely to get ripped off.
Camouflage: (May Focus: Self-Concealment, Object-Concealment); No Prerequisite; The art of hiding objects or one's self in plain sight by tricking the eye in a variety of means. Camoflage is the Skill used when attempting to remain unseen by aid of special clothing or natural features, or when making sure one's traps or stashes are well-hidden.
Clerical: (May Focus: Networked, Paper-Free, Computerless, etc.); No Prerequisite; Skills and knowledge relating to office administration including filing, data entry, telephone etiquette and general organizational abilities. This Skill may be used to keep one's own office in running order or to efficiently infiltrate the operations of someone else's.
Combat Tactics: (May Focus: Style, Force Size, etc.); No Prerequisite; The defining skill of military commanders. Deals with understanding of military strategy, including the role of terrain, force deployment and general rules of engagement. While anyone may read Sun-Tzu, those who possess this Skill truly understand. Generally, this Skill should only be taken by those with combat experience, as book-learning has little meaning on the field of battle.
Cook: (May Focus: Style, Ethnicity [Chinese, etc.], Method [Stewing, Grilling, etc.]); No Prerequisite; The ability to turn raw plant and animal matter into nutritious and delicious meals. While anyone may nuke a microwave pizza, characters possessing this Skill know their way around a kitchen. Given appropriate ingredients, tools, and time, Skilled Cooks could feed an army, and feed it well.
Craft: (Required Focus: Medium; May Focus: Style); No Prerequisite; Craft is the productive Skill of working raw materials into desired goods. The Craft Skills include woodworking, pottery, leatherworking, sewing, and many others. Skilled craftspeople may demand high prices for their goods. Additionally, the Craft Skill may be used to analyze crafted goods in the Focused Medium.
Diplomacy: (May Focus: Individual, Group, National); No Prerequisite; This is the arena of politicians and other professionals whose primary purpose is easing the communication process between two dissimilar parties. Skilled diplomats are good at helping people get along. This Skill may also be employed by those who seek to upset the communication between two parties. Those who can forestall war can also cause it.
Disguise: (May Focus: Costume, Make-up, Special FX, etc.); No Prerequisite; The art of making a living subject appear to be something they are not using make-up, costumes, prosthetics and a variety of other such tools. While technically not the art of making one's self look pretty, this Skill may be used to skillfully enhance the features of an individual.
Drive: (Must Focus: Type [Car, Truck, Motorcycle, Forklift, etc.] May Focus: Style [Stunt, Race, etc.]); No Prerequisite; From tricycles to 18-wheelers, Drive describes a character's ability to go from A to B using a wheeled vehicle on land safely. Skilled drivers can additionally safely perform unsafe maneuvers such as driving into traffic, jumps, drifting.
Energy Weapons: (May Focus: Type); No Prerequisite; The Skill of both use and maintenance of weapons whose projectiles are not physical in nature. Lasers are a prime example. Those who possess this Skill know the strengths and weaknesses of energy weapons and how to make the most effective use of them. In the case of lasers, how to use a mirror to hit a target around a corner, for instance. Understanding the energy needs of these weapons and the proper method of recharging them is also granted by levels in this Skill.
Etiquette: (No Foci); No Prerequisite; Understanding and practical application of customs and unspoken societal expectations, particularly in a society that is alien to one's own. Individuals with high levels in Etiquette are not necessarily prim and proper. They understand at a near-native level what the expectations of the society in question are. Whether it be the dynamics of a small clique or the proper fork to use when dining with a Vothian warlord (the forks are not for eating, but for defending your food from others) those who understand Etiquette can, theoretically, get along with anyone.
First Aid: (Required Focus: Race [In practice, unfocused First Aid denotes a Focus on one's own Race]); No Prerequisite; Emergency application of medical techniques designed to stabilize a patient until and if further care is required. While not a substitute for life-saving surgery performed under sterile conditions, this Skill may very well save a life and the life you save might be your own. Individuals with this Skill know what to do in an emergency situation where injuries have occured. Stopping bleeding, emergency trachs, and splinting of limbs so the wounded may be moved when absolutely necessary are all covered by this knowledge.
Fish: (Recommended Focus: Type [Marine, Freshwater]; May Focus: Species); No Prerequisite; The art of convincing aquatic creatures that they would be much happier in one's boat. While a fly-fisher may go shark fishing, the results are not likely to be pleasant, hence the Recommended Focus. Skilled fishermen (and women) can make a decent living selling their catch or simply feed themselves. This Skill covers knowledge of appropriate bait and tackle for specific prey.
Gamble: (May Focus: Type [Cards, Dice, Roulette, etc.]); No Prerequisite; Understanding of games of chance, the strategy involved, tells, and bluffing. Skilled gamblers may occasionally take the house but they always take their "friends". The Gamble Skill does not cover cheating, specifically, but may be used for such a purpose.
Gaming: (May Focus: Type [Video, Cards, Board, etc.]); No Prerequisite; Understanding of games of skill, the strategy involved, tells, and bluffing. Skilled gamers may take their game to professional levels and compete with others from around the world. While the Gaming Skill does not cover cheating, specifically, it may be used to such nefarious ends.
Heavy Weapons: (Required Focus: Type [Rocket, Ballistic, Energy]); No Prerequisite; Knowledge of the care and proper application of really big guns. Mortars, rocket launchers, miniguns, and cannons all fit into this category. If a weapon cannot be held and fired by an average person without very specialized training, it is probably a Heavy Weapon. This Skill is used when you want to be extra certain that your target is very, very dead.
Hunt: (May Focus: Prey); No Prerequisite; The Skill of tracking prey. This Skill is typically, but not necessarily, used in a wilderness setting to acquire food. Skilled hunters are able to read signs of the passage of prey, know how to set traps and can spot good spots for an ambush. Very skilled hunters can find their quarry in nearly any environmental conditions. This Skill also grants knowledge of methods of dressing out carcasses, and the ability to spot the traps of other hunters.
Instruct: (May Focus: Method, Style); No Prerequisite; Teaching is not easy. It requires patience, an intimite knowlege of the subject matter, and an understanding of the learning process and the possible barriers to it. While the first two are beyond the scope of this Skill, the learning process is very well covered. Skilled instructors can, theoretically, teach anyone anything. The Instruct Skill can be used when attempting to teach Skills to other player characters. Successful Instruct rolls will halve the difficulty and time required to learn a new Skill and lower the difficulty to increase a Skill by 5.
Interface: (May Focus: Hardware, System, Style); No Prerequisite; Interface is the Skill of interacting with intelligent, uncreative, artificial creatures: Computers. It is the Skill of computer literacy. While it does not necessarily impart knowledge of specific archetectures, it does give knowledge, usually through experience of how computers tend to process data of all sorts and common forms of interfaces such as CLI (Command Line Interface) and WIMP (Window Icon Menu Pointing-device). Individuals with high Interface are adept at troubleshooting problems even on unfamiliar systems.
Investigate: (May Focus: Crime, Person, Story); No Prerequisite; Investigate is the Skill of following clues and piecing together of apparently disassociated bits of knowledge into a larger whole. While any individual may analyze data for patterns, a Skilled Investigator can reach conclusions faster than the untrained and may be able to make accurate leaps of logic beyond the understanding of mere mortals.
Language: (Required Focus: Dialect); Prerequisite: Teacher; Language is, most simply stated, the ability to converse in a language. True mastery of a Language Skill reflects not only a native's grasp of intonation and inflection, but also an impressive vocabulary combined with a mastery of phonetics, diction, grammar, and slang.
Lock Pick: (Recommended Focus: Type); No Prerequisite; The Skill of getting in when others want you out, Lock Pick is used to circumvent mechanical security measures. From diaries to bank vaults, with enough patience and Skill, you can open any lock, anywhere. With the stunning variety of modern locking mechanisms, true mastery is a nearly impossible goal. While often perceived as a hallmark of the robber, cops just as often employ such subtle techniques to find hidden things without anyone being the wiser.
Medicine: (Required Focus: Race; May Focus: Speciality); Prerequisite: Teacher; Unfocused Medicine reflects the General Practicioner: a family doctor or nursing staff adept at a wide range of healing arts. Focused Medicine is the realm of the Specialist who, while capable of dealing with a variety of ills, dedicates his or her career to the treatment of a specific ailment or system.
Missile Weapons: (Required Focus: Type [Bow, Sling, Crossbow, Ballistic, etc.]; May Focus: Subtype [Longbow, Compound Bow, Handgun, Rifle, Submachinegun, etc.]); Prerequisites: None; The Missile Weapon Skill Family covers all types of personal armament whose intended use is to hurl a projectile at a target via some sort of mechanical means. Levels in this Skill imparts not only increased accuracy, but also the knowledge of the care and safe keeping of the weapon.
Navigate: (Required Focus: Arena [Planetary, Interplanetary, Intersystemic, etc.]; May Focus: Type [Astrogation, Topographical, etc.]); Prerequisites: None; This is the Skill of finding the way between Point A and Point B. A Skilled navigator should be able to plot a safe course between any two points within his or her arena. Used when traveling in places where there are no road signs and, perhaps, no roads.
Occult: (Recommended Focus: Subject; May Focus: Subject, Topic); Prerequisites: At Least One Of The Following Teacher, Occupation, Advantage- Cultist, Disadvantage- Ex-Cultist; This Skill reflects knowledge of things hidden from the public eye. From fringe religions to obscure societies to archaic tomes of forgotten lore, the Skilled occultist is one who probably "knows too much". This Skill is concerned with the truly hidden and the Hidden Truth. In other words, if you can read about it in a book found in the local bookseller's "New Age" section, it is not Occult knowledge.
Parent: (No Foci); Prerequisite: Disadvantage- Ward; The Skill of rearing an immature specimen to adulthood. This covers everything from discipline to diapering and everything in between. A Skilled parent will raise small bundles of giggles and spit into healthy, well-adjusted, productive members of society. The alternative is simply to horrifying to consider.
Perform: (May Focus: Style); Prerequisites: None; Most simply, this is the Skill of creating art with one's self as the canvas. From interprative dance to heavy metal music, a Skilled performer knows how to move a crowd. Not only the realm of performing artists of any description, marketing persons, politicians, and even crafty criminals may all have high levels in this Skill.
Pickpocket: (No Foci); Prerequisites: None; The Skill of taking things from another in plain sight, and not getting caught, Pickpocket is used, of course, by petty theives but also by dirty cops (to plant evidence), secret agents, and illusionists. A Skilled pickpocket is able to remove (or place) articles from (or upon) another individual in plain sight without making any (apparent) bodily contact. Useful? Certainly. Legal? Probably not.
Pilot: (Required Focus: Craft; Recommended Focus: Class; May Focus: Style [Stunt, Combat, etc.]); Prerequisite: Teacher; Pilot is the Skill of controlling a craft that operates free of a solid supporting surface. Because of the wide-ranging variety amongst aerospace vehicles, Pilot is a Skill Family covering them all. While not required to Focus in a Class, note that there is a significant difference between Piloting a single-engine Cessna and the Spruce Goose with eight propellers and a maximum take-off weight of about 200 tons.
Politics: (Requred Focus: Arena [Local, State, National, International, Planetary, Interplanetary, etc.]); Prerequisites: None; The Skill of greasing wheels and knowing which palms should get the same treatment, Politics represents knowledge of how the System really works and how best to apply whatever influence one may muster.
Read: (Required Focus: Dialect); Prerequisite: Teacher; Yes, this is the Skill of comprending the written word. Simple, yes?

Last Updated:
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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Master Skills List

Introduction

Player's Guide

Narrator's Guide