Mythras’s skill system is incredibly flexible, allowing you to play just about any character concept you can conceive. Every skill has a use in the game. Sometimes though, it is useful to know which skills are most likely to have a direct impact on play or be required in certain tense situations. This can help when assigning skill points at either cultural, career or free skill assignment stages.
Athletics: Used in a variety of combat opposed rolls (resisting a Bash, for example)
Brawn: Good Brawn helps in removing impaled weapons – either one you have impaled, or one that’s been impaled in you.
Combat Style: The higher your combat style, the better you fight. Remember that a combat style covers several weapons, and has certain traits that come into play in certain circumstances. As well as being used to hit and defend against opponents, combat style is also used in opposed rolls for damage and certain Special Effects. It can also be used non-lethally. Why not use your Combat Style as a roll to intimidate opponents or as a way of identifying yourself to peers and contemporaries?
Endurance: A decent Endurance score helps in resisting the effects of Major and Serious Wounds. It is also used to resist certain targeted spells.
Evade: Essential for diving out of the way of missile weapons, charging monsters and certain targeted spells. It is also used for actively closing range or disengaging from a melee: it is a very useful skill.
Insight: Used for determining motivation, emotional state, plans and plots... Insight is an extremely useful skill for reading other people. In combat, use Insight to perhaps determine what an observed opponent is likely to do if he generates a Special Effect, or if a seemingly idle opponent is preparing a spell.
Passions: In combat, passions can be used to augment a combat style or other skill. If fighting for the clan’s honour, Loyalty to Clan is a highly relevant augmentation to a Combat Style. The same is true for non-combat situations. Things a character feels strongly about constantly influence how certain other skills are used: Influence or Deceit, for example. Know your Passions and consider how they can be used in different situations.
Willpower: Extremely useful for resisting certain spells, but also for resisting Influence and Deceit attempts. Willpower is always a good skill to develop.
Do not make the mistake of thinking that the above skills are the only ones that should be concentrated on for development: far from it. Mythras allows characters to develop both broad ranges of use- ful skills, and specialized skills for use in specific situations that reflect professional training and personal growth.
When it comes to investing skill points in skills during character creation, and in choosing skills to benefit from Experience rolls, think about your character’s concept and career. Focusing on only a handful of potentially useful skills will penalize the character in other areas that may not be immediately evident.
In Mythras, characters are not necessarily intended to be arche- types, but fully rounded individuals that have a wider range of tal- ents than merely fighting, sneaking or casting spells. Social skills are as every bit as useful as combat ones – especially if you need to talk your way out of trouble.
Developing a decent range of skills across a wide spectrum of areas improves your chances of succeeding in a multitude of situations. Within careers especially you have many options for developing a character that is unique, and goes against traditional archetypes and tropes. How about a warrior-poet? A duplicitous clan adviser? A scrupulous, honest diplomat fighting against the corrupt system? Even a lowly fisherman or farmer can, in time of need, become a hero of his people.
Mythras characters are what you make of them, and the rules provide you with the tools to create some truly memorable and unique characters that defy conventional moulds and stereotypes (although you can build such characters if you want to).