All Skillz must start with the letter "S". Why? Because! (Simon says)
The following is a list of the basic skills used in the game. Many of them are quite broad in their scope, this is intentional, and some of them may even overlap.
A skill cannot exceed the level of the Characteristics that controls it (as indicated) by more than one tier. Gobbos may select which they use where they have a choice, eg Shouting has the option of Voice or Brainz.
When you make a skill roll use the dice from the controlling Characteristic and the Skill dice, take the better result of the two rolls. You may still make a skill roll even if you dont have a Skill, but you would be limited to the single dice of the controlling characteristic.
Basic skills.
Sneaking (Body): stealth skills, sneaky skills.
Striking (Brawn): melee, hitting with the body or items controlled by the body.
Shooting (Body): missiles, fired or thrown, mundane and magical.
Shouting (Voice/Brainz): echo location and aggressive vocal interaction skills (intimidate), hearing skills (vocals and audio are tied)
Searching (Brainz): tactile discovery
Spotting (Brainz): visual discovery
Scamming (Pity/Brainz): various persuasive interaction skills
Sportz (Body/Brawn): physical skills not covered elsewhere
Smartz (Brainz): mental skills not covered elsewhere
Scrounge (Brainz): find useful stuff, make use of stuff usefully, adapt or modify stuff for usefulness
Gobbo only skills.
Showoff (Body): cinematic actions, see below
Snicker (Blood): harvesting Giftz from the dead.
Smelter (Blood): grafting Giftz that have been harvested
Support (Cunning): assist other Gobbos to do something. Gobbos may use their Support skill to modify each others rolls, see below.
NPC's will not use all of these skills, but can be assumed to have some of them. As an on-the-fly assumption you can use a skill level one level below the characteristic level for average people, one extra dice type lower for weak skills, and equal to the characteristic for strong skills.
You can use class type words to identify specific skill strengths, Eg: a human warrior has characteristics of tier 4/d8 so all his expected skills will be at d6, skills he is weak in will be at d4 and skills he is strong in will be at d8. Using this you can setup templates using just the skills that you want to be strong (+) or weak (-), and default the rest.
Human Warrior: 4/4/4/4 - [Default d6] - [+Striking, -Sneaking -Smartz] So this warrior would have d8 Striking and d4 Sneaking. Defence vs Striking of 6.
You can use generic word modifiers such as "Inferior", "Weak", "Strong", "Veteran", to apply whole of character level shifts to their Skill dice, as follows:
'Veteran' Human Warrior: 4/4/4/4 - [Default Veteran d8] - [+Striking, -Smartz] In this case the Striking skill is d10 and thus Defence vs Striking of 7.
Sneaking (Cunning/Body): stealth skills, sneaky skills.
All creatures can be sneaky, but Gobbo's excel at it, to the point that they have a special skill for it. Normal creatures will just use their Body less one level as their default Sneaking skill, Gobbo's will use this skill level and a choice of their Cunning or their Body, usually whichever one is better. Sneaking is good for being unseen and unheard, for striking with surprise and for leaving no traces of your having been there (so sneaking can be used to counter a tracker). Sneaking can be fast or slow, it just becomes harder as you do it faster. It can also become easier if you are very careful, a small dark gobbo is very hard to see in the darkness unless they move, even if you are looking right at them...
Considerations: Light. Bulk. Movement. Camouflage.
Striking (Brawn/Cunning): melee, hitting with the body or items controlled by the body.
Melee attacks and strikes of all kinds, where muscle power is the prime method of delivery and damage. Gobbo's however have found that muscle power can be replaced by a deft strike to the ... delicate areas of the body. Being small and fast means you often are overpowered by your opponents, so the careful and astute application of a sharp pointy blade to a vital organ is a lesson that all Gobbo's learn at an early age. Gobbo's can elect to use Brawn or Cunning to deliver a Striking attack and the damage you inflict.
Considerations: Light. Co-operation.
Shooting (Body): missiles, fired or thrown, mundane and magical.
All forms of missile attacks, shooting throwing bolting and hurling, are covered under this skill. Arguably Shooting can apply to spell casting as well where the spell effect is cast or fired at an opponent.
Considerations: Light. Range. Visibility/Exposure.
Shouting (Voice/Brainz): echo location and aggressive vocal interaction skills (intimidate), hearing skills (vocals and audio are tied)
Shouting is the skill of using sound and voice to the best advantage, and for Gobbo's this can include echo location (ala bat style). Gobbo's (are part bat maybe) are able to use subtle sound emissions (your players have to say 'ping'-'pong' during their actions sub style) to echo locate in drakness, allowing them to use Voice at full value to replace any light penalties that may be applied. This sound effect is subtle, so wont be noticed if any other sound is currently ongoing, but if things are very quiet it can be heard, like when you are sneaking up on someone who is listening for you - in which case you might have a skill contest to detect where the 'ping' came from.
Searching (Brainz): tactile discovery
Searching is the skill you use when you tactilely seek to find something using fingers etc. An irregularity in the texture of a desk, flicking through a pile of diverse objects, patting down an enemy for hidden weapons.
Considerations: visibility, disguise, skill.
Spotting (Brainz): visual discovery
Seeing things that are concealed, hidden or camouflaged, even invisible (although Gobbo's can use their Voice to see invisible).
Considerations: light, visual mods, camouflage, hiddenness?
Scamming (Pity/Brainz): various persuasive interaction skills
The con artist, where you convince others of something they would never have believed if you weren't there. As poor, small, destitute, pitiful green creatures you can use your unfortunate circumstances to get people - well mostly humans 'cause everyone else is on to you - to do things for you. With enough whining and begging and crying you may even be able to get a dwarf to do something for you, when he just knows he should smash you on your head with a hammer.
Because Gobbos are what they are most other creatures have issues following their orders, so this skill is also used when controlling or ordering other creatures around, other than goblins. The tier of this skill is the number of non-goblins the Gobbo can control at any given time (as followers, servants, soldiers, hirelings etc). Goblins will count half for this purpose, so you can control 2 goblins for each tier. A non-controlled NPC will count one rating less in all scores (combat, skills, morale etc).
Considerations: racial mods, Pity, Bulk, Brains, circumstances
Sportz (Body/Brawn): physical skills not covered elsewhere. This is one of two 'catch-all' skills, dealing with physical and mental tests, either you got it or you don't.
Gobbo's are naturally gifted in nearly all areas and this is reflected in this skill. Some people are just good at everything they do, gobbo's are one of those people (annoying aren't they). If a physical activity is not specifically covered by another skill then you can use this skill to give you an extra dice. However, don't let your players just bump up this skill and use it for everything. Where a skill exists that is appropriate - use it!
Considerations:
Smartz (Brainz): mental skills not covered elsewhere. This is one of two 'catch-all' skills, dealing with physical and mental tests, either you got it or you don't.
Gobbo are smart, and if they aren't they are cunning, and if they aren't... well they are damn mean and that makes up for being dumb! So there. They are naturally gifted adopters with seriously good intuition, so they can usually make a good guess at things. Where a test is not covered by another appropriate skill gobbo's can use their Smartz to give you an extra dice. However, don't let your players just bump up this skill and use it for everything. Where a skill exists that is appropriate - use it!
Considerations:
Scrounge (Brainz): find useful stuff, make use of stuff usefully, adapt or modify stuff for usefulness.
Gobbo's are naturally gifted in their ability to find and adopt items and materials into usable forms - sort of like mini-McGyvers. They have the ability to spot alternative uses for things, allowing them to convert the available materials into something of use, particularly for use in the immediate situation. This doesn't seem to be a lasting thing, the adaptations quickly fail or are forgotten within a short period of time after their creation. Where-ever there is a need to 'something' and it is currently not available, the GM may allow gobbo's to scrounge around to see if they can find something as a patch.
Considerations:
These can be gained after game start/character creation via Giftz, eg the Arcane Magic Gift will give you the Spellz (Arcane) skill, likewise the Holy Gift will give you the Spellz (Divine) skill. Such extra skillz will be explained in the Giftz section.
Showoff is a narrative/cinematic skill that Gobbo's can use to inject change into the story that is being told, or to perform acts that are outrageously silly or difficult (cinematic). Non-players do not get Showoff cards.
At the start of every session each player may roll their Showoff skill vs a target of 6, if successful they gain a Showoff card for that session, and another for each Boost they roll. Players may elect to pay 1 Respect to gain a Showoff card, this can be decided after rolling for it.
Showoff cards may be played to enact one of the following and expend the Card:
If the GM cannot accept the request they reward the player with 1 Respect point instead (the card is still used).
Is a general foraging, finding, converting, McGyver type skill. Need more food, go scrounging for it. Need more ammo, go scrounging for it. Need to convert a Divine Pack into an Arcane Pack, work on the contents with scrounging. Basically whenever the players find themselves missing something, forgotten something or run out of something they should be allowed to use scrounging to find a solution. Often there should be a cost, hopefully from things they have sufficient of. It may take time and effort, which can impact the story flow. They may need to detour, go to some nearby location that isnt on their planned route. It may require them to undertake a mini-adventure, quickly constructed and thrown in by the GM after the player requests a need to scrounge. In that case tell them a quick story and that they will be permitted to roll after they complete the task required. Often you should give them a positive modifier if they are successful at the task (or even make it an automatic success). In this situation scrounging has been used to learn or find where the solution to their problem is. IN urban environments you can treat scrounging like streetwise.
Due to their upbringing and tight bonds, Gobbo's are exceptionally good at working as a team to achieve some task. Gobbo's may elect to take a Support Action in combats or in completing tasks and will give the target of the support the addition of the Supporters Skill dice.
Eg in melee 2 young gobbos have 1d4 Striking skill and 1d4 Brawn & Brainz, and the target has a defence of 6. Individually they will need to roll a double to get a hit, but if one of them Supports the other then they will roll 3d4 and have an improved chance of getting a double. If two Gobbo's were supporting then they would use 4d4.
The only limit to this level of support is the tier of the target Gobbo's dice. Depending on the action the target Gobbo will have a tier (dice type), this value is the limit of the number of Gobbo's that can help them.
To provide Support you must be able to perform the action the target is performing. Because of this Magic can be difficult to Support as you would need to be able to cast exactly the same spell (skill and Words).
To provide Support you must be in the immediate vicinity of the target Gobbo (Engaged with them).
The draw back to Support? If the task is fumbled then ALL Gobbo's suffer the consequences. Generally the gobbos must be grouped, this can make them a target.
You may NOT use a Showoff card whilst Supporting - only the Lead can Showoff.
These are unique skills of Gobbo's, allowing them to gather vital DNA material from victims and implant it into their eggs to create a new better self with Giftz.
Snicker is used to gather the Gift, usually a skill roll vs 4 (unless doing so during combat or under pressure). A single corpse (taking the sample will kill any still living victim) can only supply ONE sample, and that sample can only be implanted into ONE gobbo. When you take the sample you must specify the Gift you are taking before you roll, if the victim doesn't have the Gift then you fail.
Smelter is used to implant a newly collected Gift into your egg. To implement the new Giftz your current form must pass away causing the egg to hatch. A Smelter roll is usually NOT required unless the tier of the Gift is above the skill level of your Smelter. The tier of a Gift relates to what tier it will give you - eg a Gift of Brawn at level 6 (d10) would require a Smelter skill of d6 (d6 vs 6). Monstrous Gifts (one time applications) will be rated at a level, eg Magic-Arcane will be rated 8, so you would need a Smelter skill of d8 to avoid a roll. You can still roll and succeed if your Smelter skill is less but you are looking for a double so your chances are small.
You cannot Support a Snicker or Smelter roll.