Each attribute covers a broad range of capabilities, including skills that a character can be proficient in. A skill represents a specific aspect of an attribute score, and Skill Points (SP) spent in a skill demonstrates a focus on that aspect. When creating a character, you gain a certain amount of SP that you can spend to train your skills. The amount of SP you have is 15 plus any extra you gain from your INT score.
Each Skill starts at a Rank F, meaning that you have no proficiency in it (Its Skill Score is 0) and cannot be used for a Skill Check. By spending 1 SP, you may raise its Rank. Just like attributes, you can raise the Rank all the way up to Rank A. Your Rank in a certain skill determines how good you are at it, and may open various ways of interacting with the world, fighting or even completely new paths of storyline that you hadn't considered before. This means that your “Skill Score” is increased by each Rank of the Skill.
The Skill Rank to Skill Score Increase are as follows:
In addition to the Skill Rank, your specific Skill gets a boost of Skill Score from an Attribute that governs over it. This boost from the governing attribute raises the Skill Score, though it can only be applied if you have at least one point of SP invested into the Skill itself, representing rudimentary knowledge.
The Attribute Rank to Skill Score Increase are as follows:
In other words, you count your Skill Score by adding the Skill Score granted by your Skill Rank to the Skill Score Boost granted by the governing attribute of that specific Skill.
There are two types of Skill Checks. Immediate Checks and Auto Checks. When using an Auto Check, you have at least 15 minutes to spare so that you can fully utilize your Skill. In other words, you take your time to make sure that you can use your Skill to its full capacity. However, depending on the nature of the Auto Check, you might need more time – or even a specific environment, such as a library. These are decided on case-by-case basis.
When making a Immediate Check, it means you try to utilize your Skill immediately and in the heat of the moment – such as during a battle. In this case, you roll 1d10 and compare the result to the Skill Score of the Skill you want to use. If the result is equal or under your Skill Score, your Immediate Check is a success. If the result is over the Skill Score, your Immediate Check fails.
There are also times when the game presents you with a Skill Challenge. A Skill Challenge is an Auto Check with a pre-determined time it takes to perform (sometimes capable of being even shorter than 15 minutes, depending on the situation). However, these Auto Checks can only be attempted and completed when you have a high enough Skill Rank to succeed in it. Sometimes there may be series of multiple Auto Checks involved, each requiring different Skill of certain Rank to pass successfully. In short, an Athletics Skill Challenge with a Difficulty Rank of B would require an Athletics skill of Rank B or A to succeed in it. Skill Challenges are many and various, ranging from trying pick a lock to trying to search forgotten lore, all the way to trying to ask a person out on a date.
When two Skills are compared between characters (Such as Stealth vs. Perception), the Skill with higher Rank prevails. If these Ranks are equal, the governing attributes are compared, and the higher one prevails. If even these are equal, the GM rolls a 1d2 to determine the victor.
The skills that you can gain proficiency in (and the attribute that governs them) are as follows:
Acrobatics (AGI)
A skill that is all about staying on your feet, keeping your balance or maneuvering in tight spots where great dexterity and grace is required. Acrobatic stunts, rolls, somersaults and what-not are also included.
Athletics (STR)
A skill that is all about showing your brawn, lifting heavy things, jumping great distances or swimming against a fast current. Flexing your muscles in an aesthetically pleasing manner and giving someone a piggyback-ride during the sunset is also included.
Arcana (EGO)
A skill that is all about how much you know about inhuman bloodlines, arcane spells, and the most common Arc-Relics, and how they all function. Identifying ancestral beasts of mages or seeking a weak point in a magic system are also included.
Computing (INT)
A skill that is all about how well-versed and natural you are at using computers, searching the web and trawling through information found. Excelling at difficult video games and hacking into password protected computers are also included, you nerd.
Crafting (_) (INT)
A skill that is all about how to create and repair items. For Crafting, you choose the 'category' which you can craft: for example, it may be swords, alchemical potions, bullets, vehicles, etc. This skill can be taken as many time as wanted, with each category being different.
The items that you create can be up to your Rank in this Skill – in other words, with Crafting Rank B you can create Rank B items. When crafting, you can create multiple items, however – as long as they add up to no more than your maximum Rank. So, with Crafting Rank B, you could create two Rank D items, or four Rank E items. Do note that normally, without [Master Crafter] Perk, it is impossible to craft Rank S items even if you have the Skill at that Rank.
To craft, you need at least one crafting material of the Rank of item that you are crafting, which are consumed upon finishing crafting. The rest, more mundane items, are considered something that you, as a crafter, would always have a steady supply of. Crafting itself, in it's very basic form, takes 1 Hour. This is the Basic Crafting Time. You can craft on any Phase, but this means that you enter the scenes of that Phase later, as degreed by the amount of time it took you to craft.
Your Basic Crafting Time is modified by the item you are trying to craft. This means that in certain cases, your crafting can take much longer time. However, this time can be divided into separate crafting sessions (1 Hour per session) and spread across multiple Phases. Once enough crafting sessions are done, you have completed the item in question.
The modifiers for the Basic Crafting Time are as follows, and are degreed by the GM when you start crafting:
Do note that an item(s) can fall into multiple categories when crafting. In addition, some items can have additional modifiers implemented to them by the decree of the GM.
You can also try to quick-craft items in time of great need. This turns your crafting into a Skill Check that you can only perform if you have immediate access to the materials you require (and the GM degrees it possible to craft as a quick-craft). When crafting this way, your Craft Skill Rank is counted as halved (rounded down) when it comes to quality and quantity of items you can produce. In other words, with a Crafting Skill Rank A, you could produce two Rank E items, or one Rank D item with quick-craft. Quick-craft can be done either as an Auto Check or as an Immediate Check.
Before the start of the game, you can buy basic components for items you can make. Components for one item of specific Rank cost 2 AP per Rank. So, for example, components for one basic Rank B healing potion would cost you 8 AP to prepare beforehand. However, in order to get your hands on ultra rare materials and to make something on the fly, you will need to hunt down materials, trade them for money or favors, or even steal them from unsuspecting victims… Still, this could lead to very powerful creations.
Deception (EGO)
A skill that is all about whether you can convincingly hide the truth, either verbally or through your actions, and spinning a lie out of nothing. Lying to your teachers, earning money through gambling maintaining a straight face are also included.
Intimidation (EGO)
A skill that is all about influencing someone through overt threats, hostile actions, and physical violence... typical bully stuff. Prying information out of a nerd and convincing delinquents to back down from a confrontation are also included.
Insight (WIL)
A skill that is all about whether you can determine the true intentions of a creature, such as when searching out a lie or predicting someone’s next move. Cold-reading, reading those who have trouble expressing themselves and analysing plans are also included.
Investigation (INT)
A skill that is all about looking around for clues and making deductions based on those clues, as well as searching for general stuff. Analysing wounds for what weapon caused them, poring through ancient texts for knowledge and investigating a crime scene are also included.
Lore (_) (WIL/INT/EGO)
A skill that is all about having specialized information on a narrow topic. Lore is alike with Crafting in that it requires you to choose a 'category'. The category might be Military Lore, Egyptian Lore, Werewolf Lore, or any similar category. Like Crafting, this skill can be taken as many time as wanted, with each category being different and thus, treated as a different skill. The GM determines what other subcategories he’ll allow as Lore skills, though these categories are always less broad than any of the other skills that allow you to recall knowledge, and they should never be able to fully take the place of another skill’s ability to recall knowledge. For instance, you couldn’t choose Lore: Magic in an attempt to recall the same breadth of knowledge covered by Arcana.
The attribute that governs this Skill is chosen by the GM and depends on the type of Lore itself.
Medicine (INT)
A skill that is all about identifying poisons, applying medicine and healing others who might be on death's door. Stabilizing a dying person, figuring out a cause of death, understanding the purpose of a chemical and analysing if person is truly dead are also included. We are not saying there will be dead people. Just... something to think about.
Nature (INT)
A skill that is all about your ability to recall lore about terrain, plants and animals, the weather, and natural cycles. Pacifying creatures, identifying natural poisons, identifying natural threats you may come across in the woods and finding natural remedies are also included. There also seems to be some sort of correlation between teenage girls, horses, high Nature skill and being part of 90's young adult novels...
Occult (INT)
A skill that is all about knowledge of ancient philosophies, esoteric lore, obscure mysticism, and supernatural creatures. Knowing hidden rituals, understanding eldritch lore, identifying creatures not of this world and deciphering ancient ciphers are also included.
Perception (WIL)
A skill that is all about spotting, hearing, or otherwise detecting the presence of something that is not immediately obvious. Listening to conversation through a closed door, finding naughty magazines hidden on the shelf and spying on skinny-dippers at night are also included. Your Perception also works in a passive way, informing if you can spot anyone nearby you. These are those who fail their Stealth skill contest versus your Perception.
Performance (EGO)
A skill that is all about how well you can delight an audience with music, dance, acting, storytelling, or some other form of entertainment. Being the popular guy who can play the guitar, creating distractions through performance and masking your voice as someone else's are also included.
Persuasion (EGO)
A skill that is all about influencing someone or a group of people with tact, social graces, or good nature in a cordial manner. Fostering friendships between people, negotiating peace between delinquents and talking to the opposite sex without sounding awkward are also included.
Religion (_) (WIL)
A skill that is all about your ability to recall lore about deities, rites and prayers, religious hierarchies, holy symbols, and the practices of secret cults. Knowledge of blessings, curses, scriptures, rites and other important aspects are also included. Like with Lore and Crafting, you choose the category yourself.
Riding (AGI)
A skill that is all about your aptitude when it comes to commandeering either a vehicle of some sort of a living animal as a mount. Staying on the saddle in rough terrain, pulling sweet stunts with your ride of choice and pulling difficult hairpin turns are also included. Both vehicles and living creatures have a Rank that tells of their power and in order to utilize them as mode of transportation, you must have a Riding skill of equal Rank.
Stealth (AGI)
A skill that is all about how to remain undetected, slinking past guards, slipping away without being noticed or sneaking up on someone without being seen. Concealing yourself, your tracks, trying to talk silently and performing covert actions are also included. Your Rank in Stealth is compared to the enemy's Rank in Perception to determine whether you can remain undetected from them.
Survival (WIL)
A skill that is all about living in the wilderness, foraging for food and building shelter, and knowing all the secrets of tracking and hiding your trail. Following tracks, identifying signs of an animal, predicting weather and avoiding natural hazards are also included. A skill for a true outdoorsman that may definitely come in handy in the environment you're going to end up in. Indeed, it might just be an easy way to popularity...
Thievery (AGI)
A skill that is all about disabling devices and picking locks, utilizing lockpicks to their fullest potential and performing general trickery. Planting an object, stealing someone's wallet, concealing an object on your person and making unseen hand signals are also included.