Skills

A Skill is any ability that can be learned, and that applies to relatively specific tasks.

Skills can be and often are developed beyond the Core Dice limit.

Specific Skills

A specific skill is the learned ability to do any one task such as digging, or using a sword, or writing game rules. Specific skills can be developed apart from any Focus skills or simply beyond a Focus skill.

A mechanic who is particularly good with fixing transmissions would add his Focus dice (mechanic) and +X skill with transmissions. The +X would be a specific skill.

A bonus of +10 or better is considered professionally competent with any specific skill.

Example: Gideon Gunn has Gunslinger as a focus, and adds dice to anything a gunslinger could normally do. He has also developed Quick-draw with his pistols at +10 in addition to his Focus(+1) and whatever else he adds for Talents or Stats.

Plot Points can be used to develop specific skills as follows:

Specific skill within Focus : +2d6 = 1 Plop

Specific skill outside of Focus : +1d6 = 1 Plop

Unusual Skill within Focus: +1d6 = 1 Plop

Unusual Skill outside of Focus: +1 = 1 Plop.

Individual skills are never more expensive than Unusual.

Unusual Skills

Any specific skill that would be well out of the experience of the character (typically from a different time period) is an Unusual Skill, and costs more. This can also be used for skills related to powers such as a psionics or magic, or skills that are only taught to a select few such as combat piloting or an obscure martial arts discipline. They otherwise work like regular specific skills.

Example: If Gideon Gunn, an 1870’s gunslinger, wanted to pick up robotics, that would be – for him – and Unusual skill. Likewise, if Rigel Watson, Space Cadet, wanted to learn to ride a horse, this would be an unusual skill for him.

Higher Skill Levels

Skill levels can be increased indefinitely, but he higher the skill level, the more it will cost to further develop that skill. When a skill bonus exceeds the square of the Core Dice (+16 in most cases), the cost to further develop that skill will double. When a skill bonus exceeds +32 (or Core Dice cubed), the cost triples. When a skill bonus exceeds +48, the cost quadruples. We stop there.

Use the value before the development roll to determine the cost. So a skill at +15 still costs just the one Plop to improve.

Group Skills

It may be convenient to develop a set of skills that is less than a Focus, but more than one skill. These can cover broad hobbies (such as hunting or gaming) or specializations within a Focus (such as rigging within sailing). Group Skills add their value to any relevant Task roll, and are developed at +1/1Plop.

Next: Powers