Open Skills

Open Skills

All characters have access to the skills on this list, and may freely spend CP on them.

Agriculture 2 CP (May be taken up to 5 times)

You cultivate an herbal and vegetable garden that produces crops at the start of each event. For each level of this skill you have, you may take one random pick from a selection of plant components at check-in. You may also choose to spend three picks to choose a single rare plant component of your choice.

Each random pick might give one or more plant components that are useful for alchemy or chemistry. Or, you might instead receive edible plants that can be used to cover maintenance for an event. Exact yields may vary from event to event depending on factors such as weather, but you are skilled enough to always grow some plants even in conditions of drought or famine.

Archery 5 CP

You may use a short bow or crossbow to make ten missile attacks with arrows. You must roleplay each shot, including drawing the arrow from a quiver or pouch and drawing the shot back as you aim. You may refresh these ten shots by spending one minute roleplaying gathering or fletching arrows.

If you have a padded, combat safe bow, you may use it as a blocking weapon, and may block missiles with it as well. Any block breaks your bow string, and you must spend three seconds of roleplay to re-string it before it can be fired again. You may not block with crossbows, but a hit to a crossbow will still break the string.

A World of Magic 0 CP

Ariath’s magic flows through you, allowing you to be augmented more strongly. This allows you to exceed the normal limit of three Grants at a time.

You may have up to three Granted attacks, three Granted defenses, and one of each other type of Grant.

Buckler 2 CP

(Weapon Style)

You may wield a buckler in combat, and may use it to block missiles.

Cold Hearted 2 CP

(Requires: At least one Dark Quality)

Your heart is inured to the deaths of your fellows. You gain the “Cold Hearted” trait.

You may perform Death Strikes at will, for no attribute cost. To do so, begin the Deathstrike as normal, but begin your call “With [Dark Quality,] Deathstrike One.”

Note that many creatures with exotic or unconventional metabolisms, or none at all, cannot be Deathstruck conventionally. Many undead, for instance, either turn to spirits immediately when struck down, or need specialized skills to kill. This skill is primarily of use to kill speaking peoples.

Crime of Passion 0 CP

Once per event you may spend 2 Endurance to perform a Deathstrike. If you believe you may have used this skill on someone with the “Folk” trait, which includes nearly all speaking people, you gain the “Cold Hearted” trait until the end of the current event.

Disarm Traps 2 CP

You may attempt to disarm traps. This includes disarming trapped boxes, traps on doors, and traps placed in rooms. You may not destroy the trap, take apart containers, or cut any part of a trap except for string or fishing wire.

Draw Steel 2 CP

You gain the “Weapon” trait for melee and missile attacks. This skill does not allow you to use the “Weapon” trait for firearms attacks. See the rules section on attack traits and flavor traits for more information.

Firearms 5 CP (Per battle, 1 endurance)

You own one or more firearms and may wield them in combat, as detailed in the rules section on Firearms. Once per battle, you may spend a point of endurance to fire a shot for “4 damage by [attack trait.]”

If you have the Florentine, Two Weapons, or Buckler skill you may count a pistol as if it were a Long melee weapon for purposes of wielding two weapons at once with those skills. You may not wield a firearm and a full sized shield at the same time.

First Aid 2 CP

You are able to Diagnose the following conditions: Dead, Damage, Stable, and Unstable. You may also Diagnose Elemental, Metabolic, and Physical traits, and attack effects except beneficial effects and Inflict.

You may spend one minute to Stabilize an unstable ally, or to cure a maimed limb. Place both hands over the recipient and call out “First Aid” to start the process, suspending their bleed out count as described in the Core Rules. Spend one minute either concentrating on them, or roleplaying mending their wounds with appropriate tools and supplies. If you are uninterrupted, at the end of the minute you may call either “Stabilize” or “Cure Maim [Limb]” where you name the limb you intend to cure.

Florentine 2 CP

(Weapon Style)

You may wield a short melee weapon in one hand while wielding a melee weapon of up to long size in the other.

Gadget 1 CP

You own a single modern, minor technological item that is difficult to obtain on Ariath. Depending on your character concept, you may have brought it with you when you arrived from Earth, crafted it yourself, or purchased it. Such items must be approved by staff when you take this skill, and may not give any game benefit, but may be convenient or useful in minor ways. Examples include portable music players (with headphones, audible only to you,) typewriters, and low-powered binoculars.

Gadgets may be loaned to other players if you wish, but doing so is at your own risk. You are also responsible for taking care that they are not broken and do not cause a combat hazard.

(This skill does not apply to light sources or firearms; there are separate skills for these items.)

Light 0 CP

You have some means of creating a dim light, whether supernatural or technological. You may use a glow stick, or a filtered light roughly that shape and size. You may also use a flashlight if appropriate to your character, but the light must be similarly filtered. Lights created with this skill may not be used to blind people or otherwise create a combat hazard, and you must turn them off or put them away if requested by a staff member to do so for safety reasons.

Lights may be handed off to other characters, but may not be thrown.

Lockpicking 2 CP

You may attempt to open game locks. You must actually use tools to pick locks, or successfully manipulate puzzle locks, in order to open doors or containers they are attached to. All locks firmly secure doors or containers they are attached to, and you cannot move or manipulate them until the lock is opened.

Martial Arts 3 CP

(Weapon Style)

You are skilled in unarmed combat. You may use one long and one short green claw prop in combat to represent your martial arts training, and may use them to block missile attacks as well. They are treated as claws and may benefit from skills or items that benefit natural weapons.

Martial Arts Master 3 CP

(Weapon Style)

(Requires: Martial Arts)

When fighting with Martial Arts, you may use two long martial arts props.

Music 1 CP

You have some means of creating soft music. You may use a hidden music player with songs appropriate to your character’s background. Once you place your music player, it must remain relatively hidden and cannot be moved. Your music may not be disturbing or game breaking to other players, whether by volume or lyrics. (Keep in mind the Rule of Etiquette regarding abusive and explicit language in the Core Rules when selecting songs.) Anyone may stop your music by calling out “By my Voice, Dispel Music;” if they do so, you must turn off the music until they leave the area.

Petriculture 2 CP (May be taken up to 5 times)

You cultivate a gem and mineral garden that produces at the start of each event. For each level of this skill you have, you may take one random pick from a selection of mineral components at check-in. You may also choose to spend three picks to choose a single rare mineral component of your choice.

Each random pick might give one or more mineral components that are useful for engineering or enchanting. Some unusual characters may be able to consume certain of these gems or metals for sustenance, to cover their maintenance. Exact yields may vary from event to event depending on factors such as climate, but you are skilled enough to always grow some rocks even in conditions of drought or scarcity.

Pure Channel 2 CP (May be taken up to 3 times)

Once per event per time purchased, you may open yourself to the pure source of your abilities and channel an attack that is harder to defend against. When making an attack with this skill, substitute a Flavor Trait you know for the Attack Trait. This is one of the few ways to use a Special trait in an attack.

If your attack is defended against and you use a skill (such as Swordsman’s Recovery) to recover the attack for later re-use, you do not regain your use of Pure Channel along with the attack.

Shield 3 CP

(Requires: Buckler)

(Weapon Style)

You may wield a full sized shield in combat, and may use it to block missile attacks as well. You may not use packet or firearms attacks while holding a full sized shield, but some skills might allow you to use touch effects with a shield in your other hand.

Slingshot 3 CP

You may use a slingshot prop to make ten missile attacks with packets. You must roleplay each shot, including drawing the stone from a pouch and drawing the shot back as you aim. You may refresh these ten shots by spending one minute roleplaying gathering sling stones.

If your slingshot prop is padded and combat safe, you may use it as a blocking weapon, and may use it to block missile attacks as well. Any block breaks your string, and you must spend three seconds of roleplay re-stringing your slingshot before it can be fired again.

Slingshots do not benefit from skills that increase Archery abilities. You cannot wield a slingshot in one hand and another weapon in the other.

Spear Style 3 CP

(Requires Weapon: Spear and Two Weapons)

(Weapon Style)

You may fight with a spear in one hand, and a short or long weapon in the other.

Swordsman’s Recovery 2 CP

When you use a melee or missile attack skill with a Paralyze, Drain, Stun, or Death effect, and the target responds with a defense and does not roleplay taking the effect, you may rest for five minutes in a safe place to recover the use of that skill. Any Endurance cost is still expended.

Thrown Weapon 3 CP

You can carry and use up to five thrown weapons. Once thrown, the weapon cannot be used again until it has been cleaned and sharpened. You may roleplay for one minute to clean and sharpen all of your available thrown weapons.

Two Weapons 2 CP

(Requires: Florentine)

(Weapon Style)

You may wield a long melee weapon in each hand. You may not use a spear while wielding a second weapon without the Spear Style skill.

Vapourist 2 CP (May be taken up to 5 times)

You own and operate devices that harvest biotech and nanotech “Vapour” from the air around you. At the start of each event, for each level of this skill you have, you may take one random pick from a selection of vapour components at check-in. You may also choose to spend three picks to choose a single rare vapour component of your choice.

Each random pick might give one or more vapour components that are useful for Shaping. Some unusual characters may be able to breathe in certain of these vapours for sustenance, to cover their maintenance. Exact yields may vary from event to event depending on factors such as weather and local vapour density, but you are skilled enough to always find some components even in arid conditions.

Weapon: Greatsword 2 CP

You may wield two handed swords in combat, and may block missiles with them as well.

Weapon: One-Handed Blades 2 CP

You may use one-handed daggers and swords in combat, and may block missiles with them as well.

Weapon: One-Handed Hafted 1 CP

You may use one handed axes, clubs, maces, and other non-sword weapons in combat, and may block missiles with them as well. Hafted weapons must be constructed so as to be visually distinct from swords.

Weapon: Spear 3 CP

You can use spears in combat, and may block missiles with them as well. Spears may only be used to make thrusting attacks, not slashing ones.You may wield them with one hand, or two. If you are using the spear with one hand, you cannot make attacks above your opponent’s stomach.

Weapon: Staff 1 CP

You may use staves in combat as two-handed weapons, and may block missiles with them as well.

Weapon: Two Handed Hafted 3 CP

You may use two handed clubs, maces, hammers, and polearms in combat, and may block missiles with them as well.

Weaponsmith 3 CP

You can repair weapons and shields at a forge. You may set up a forge prop near your sleeping area or in another Safe Place before the event starts, but once it is set up you cannot move it. To repair a weapon, spend one minute of roleplay at the forge with the destroyed item, and call out “Repair Weapon” or “Repair Shield.”

You may also similarly repair equipment that characters need for their power-casting Methods. One minute’s repair time will fix all of a person’s destroyed Method equipment.

In addition, you may sharpen or otherwise improve your own melee weapons or missile ammunition at the forge. (You may not gain this benefit with natural weaponry.) Spend one minute of roleplay at a forge with the weapon, and call out “Imbue by Craft.” You gain one missile or melee attack for “2 damage by [attack trait.]” You may only have one such attack active at a time, but it does not count against the number of Grants you may have.