List
of Skills
The
following list will give the player a better idea of what the Skills are and
what the character can do with them. If
a player chooses a skill for their character, they will get a fuller description
of that skill with their first turn.
Please remember that this is
only is only a guide-line for character generation. If you can think of some other skills that you want your
character to have, let me know and I will tell you if they fit into the game and
how much they will cost.
| MAGE CRAFT (GENERAL) FREE INTELLIGENCE |
This is the one Skill that all
Mages must master before they can call themselves ‘Mage’.
It gives the character a basic understanding of the nature of Magic and
how to manipulate it to their own ends. At
Level 1, this Skill simply allows the Mage to learn and cast Spells but at
higher Levels it will give the character an understanding into the nature of the
Multiverse and possibly even hint at the greatest secrets of Magic – Planar
Creation. Mage Craft (General) is a catch-all Skill and is assumed to include the years of training that the young Mage went through at their Academy. Without this Skill, it would be impossible to cast any Spells or channel the Magical energy that is all around. |
| MAGE CRAFT (SPECIFIC) 50 POINTS INTELLIGENCE |
This Skill is similar to
General Mage Craft but it gives the character an insight into a specific area of
the Magical Arts. This area can be
anything from Fire Magic to Mind Control or perhaps even the study of a certain
Mage and their style of Magic. At lower levels, the Skill will make it easier for the character to master Spells of their chosen field and at higher levels it will aid the character in the creation of new Spells and studies in the area of their choice. Taking this Skill will also give the character a free Spell in the field of their choice. |
| ACROBATICS 40 POINTS AGILITY |
This Skill will allow a
character to make basic acrobatic and gymnastic manoeuvres, such as cartwheels,
handstands and the like. At higher
Levels it will allow the character to walk on tight-ropes, make great leaps or
walk gently and silently, etc.. This Skill can be very useful for a character who intends to follow a less than honest profession in life. |
| ANIMAL HANDLING 30 POINTS CHARISMA |
This Skill allows the character
to train and look after a specific type of animal.
Common types are horses, dogs, hunting birds, etc., although virtually
any kind of animal can fall into this category.
If the character wishes to breed or raise these animals, they can going
to need somewhere to do this and this could prove to be expensive. The most common use for this Skill is to allow a character to have a trained dog or hawk to aid them. At the lower Levels, the character can make the animal obey simple commands such as come, go, attack and, at higher Levels, more complex commands can be given. |
| ARTISTIC ABILITY 20 POINTS CHARISMA |
With this Skill, the character
can choose an artistic field which they are skilled in.
This can be painting, sculpture, poetry, singing, playing a musical
instrument, even creative writing is they wish.
The player must state which ability they want their character to be
skilled in when they choose this Skill. At lower Levels the character can create work that is pleasing to the viewer, listener or reader while at higher Levels they can create pieces of true value and worth. |
| ASTROLOGY 40 POINTS WILL POWER |
The Astrology Skill allows a
character to foretell the future by the stars and their paths through the night
sky. At lower Levels, the character
will probably be able to tell the general personality and attitudes of a person
by the day and time they were born at and at higher Levels, it is possible that
the character could actually foretell the future accurately. Many Priests and Witches know the basics of Astrology and the use of this Skill is considered to be uncouth by some of the more powerful Mages. |
| ETIQUETTE 30 POINTS CHARISMA |
A character with this Skill
will know how to act in the presence of Lords and Barons and will be conversant
enough with court matters and diplomacy to be unlikely to ask embarrassing
questions. At higher Levels, the
character would be able to act as an ambassador for Shardar or as a negotiator
in political arguments. Etiquette will also give the character some basic knowledge of the politics of the land and who is siding with which Lord and against which organisation. |
| FIRST AID 25 POINTS WILL POWER |
This Skill allows the character
to bind simple wounds and wrap up sprains and twists.
At higher Levels it will allow the character to set broken bones and care
for poisons and diseases. With the
filthy and barbaric conditions of much of Shardar, this can be a very useful
Skill to have. |
| GAMBLING 30 POINTS CHARISMA |
With this Skill, the character is more likely to win at games of chance, either through careful study of the odds or possibly through cheating. At low Levels, it will not help much, just tipping the odds in the character’s favour slightly, but at higher Levels it is possible for the character to make a very comfortable living through gambling in taverns and markets |
| HISTORY 25 POINTS INTELLIGENCE |
With this Skill, the character
will know more about the background and history of Shardar than is common
knowledge. At lower Levels, the
character will know more precisely and in more detail what is commonly known,
while at higher Levels the character may well discover some of the hidden
secrets of the past. Once a character has a basic knowledge of the history of the land they may choose to specialise in one specific time in the past. The Mage Wars for example, or possibly the last civil war. |
| HORSE RIDING 15 POINTS AGILITY |
With this Skill, the character
can ride a horse comfortably and well. The
character will know the basics of how to care for the animal and will be able to
get it to perform to the best of its ability.
At higher Levels, the character will be able to judge a good horse by
sight, will be able to make a horse perform better than it ever thought possible
and will be a race quality jockey. This Skill is invaluable if the character ever wishes to use a war horse as those creatures need a lot of skilled handling. |
| LANGUAGE 25 POINTS INTELLIGENCE |
The Language Skill allows a
character to speak and read a tongue other than the standard Common tongue of
Shardar. This language might be the
ancient Runes that have been discovered in some of the older ruins of the land,
or maybe the tribal tongue of one of the barbaric tribes from the far
Northlands, or possibly even the language of distant Dargoth, learned from the
prisoners of war that are taken back to Shardar. The higher the Skill is taken at, the more competent the character is in that language. If the character wishes to know more than one extra language they will have to take the Skill more than once. |
| LOCKSMITH 30 POINTS AGILITY |
A character with this Skill can
open and close locks without having to possess the keys to them.
The higher the Level of this Skill, the more complex or secure a lock
that can be opened. Use of this
Skill is highly illegal in many situations and few characters boast of their
talents in this area. |
| MARTIAL ARTS 25 POINTS AGILITY |
A more refined version of
unarmed combat. A character with
this Skill is proficient in the use of one of the many forms of Martial Arts
that are available in Shardar. Most
of these Skills rely on Agility rather than Strength and are often more useful
for the more slightly built character. At higher Levels, the character can train themselves to such a degree that they can ignore physical pain and perform acts that verge one the supernatural. |
| PLANAR KNOWLEDGE (MAIN) 30 POINTS INTELLIGENCE |
This
Skill will give the character a basic knowledge of the four Major Planes of
Existence; Fire, Earth, Air and Water. It
will let the character know what the denizens of such Planes are likely to be
like and possibly even who the rulers of the Planes are. At higher Levels, the Skill will let the character know exactly what is going on in the Major Planes and could even aid the Mage if they ever try to travel to them. |
| PLANAR KNOWLEDGE (LESSER) 40 POINTS INTELLIGENCE |
This
Skill is very similar to the Main Planar Knowledge one but it will give the
character an insight and knowledge of one of the Lesser Planes. The player must choose which Plane this is, it could be Ice,
Death, Discord, Mud, Smoke, Shadows or any one of a hundred others.
If a players wishes to do so they can create a Plane of their own and
send the information to me and I will include it in the next newsletter if it
fits into the game. At higher Levels, the character will know the politics and intricacies of the Plane and this could be a great help if they ever try to enter the chosen Plane. |
| READ LIPS 30 POINTS WILL POWER |
This Skill allows the character
to read the lips of someone talking and understand what they are saying, even if
they cannot hear them. The higher
the Level this Skill is taken at, the more precise and correct the information
gathered will be. |
| RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE 25 POINTS INTELLIGENCE |
There are many religions on
Shardar and this Skill will give the character a basic knowledge of them.
At higher Levels, it is possible for the character to make a study of one
specific religion and find out about it in detail. In all their studies, no Mage has ever found any sign of there being any gods, but still the simple people follow their religions. The Priests are very popular in Shardar, more so than the Mages are and this is a continual grievance to many Mages. |
| SEAMANSHIP 25 POINTS INTELLIGENCE |
With this Skill, the character
can manage small boats or help out on larger ships. Most Mages who come from Ocean-Gate Academy have this skill
at least at low levels. At higher
Levels, this Skill w |
| SLEIGHT OF HAND 35 POINTS AGILITY |
With this Skill, a character can
perform many subtle actions such as palming small objects, picking pockets,
spinning a coin over their knuckles, etc..
The higher the Level of the Skill, the more competent the character will
be. |
| TRACKING 20 POINTS INTELLIGENCE |
This Skill gives the character a basic knowledge of how to follow a
person or animal by the tracks and spoor that they leave.
When this Skill is first taken, it will allow the character to follow a
person who is not trying to hide their trail through normal, non-rocky ground.
At higher Levels the tracking character can follow their prey through
virtually any terrain with little risk of losing them. |
| UNARMED COMBAT 20 POINTS STRENGTH |
This is a polite way of saying
street brawling although it can cover wrestling and boxing as well.
A character with this Skill is competent is self defence and can look
after themselves in bar-room brawls. If
taken at higher Levels, the character could be a prize-fighter or even a tavern
bully. |
| WEAPON SKILL 20 POINTS STRENGTH, AGILITY |
Most
Mages will find it necessary to defend themselves through mundane means at
some point in their careers and a Skill from this field will come in very
useful. For each Weapon that the Mage wants to be proficient in, they
have to take a separate Skill. For
instance, if the character wants to be able to use a sword, shield and a
long bow, this would take three skills. One
for sword, based on Strength, one for shield, based on Agility and one for
the long bow, also based on Agility. For weapons that rely mostly on brute strength, like long sword, battle axe and war-hammer, the governing Statistic is Strength. But with weapons that rely on dexterity and speed, such as bows, daggers and rapier, the governing Statistic is Agility. At lower Levels, the character is competent with the chosen weapon, while at higher Levels they can become masters in the weapon of their choice. |
| WOODSMANSHIP 30 POINTS WILL POWER |
This is a Skill that allows the character to survive
quite happily in the wilds through their own abilities.
It gives the character the knowledge of basic hunting techniques, how to
build shelters, make fires, what fungi are safe to eat, etc..
At lower Levels, this Skill will allow the character to survive in
temperate conditions with the minimum of equipment while at higher Levels the
character could live off the land in a barren forest, in the middle of winter
with only their bare hands. This Skill is purely for surviving in wooded or open areas. If the character wants the same knowledge about mountains, for instance, or arctic tundra, they will have to take a separate Skill with the same cost and governing Statistic as Woodsmanship. |