Skills

Skills are named in the form of a profession and can be used for any action which that profession should be good at- practical, mental or social. Militus (soldier) can be used to fight, understand and implement military tactics and to interact with other soldiers.

Skill tick boxes can be used to create a person, place or object related to that profession and “conjure” it into the narrative. They can also be ticked to create mini flashbacks where your character suddenly remembers that they did pack their lock-picks after all.  The various ways in which skills can be used and the things that can be created by ticking boxes are just suggestions.

Character creation: distribute 10 skill points between the skills you want. Maximum skill value during character creation is 3. You could therefore have 3 skills with a value of 3 each and one with a value of 1 or five skills each with a value of 2.

Those skilled marked as being combat skills can be used in combat to make attack and defence rolls. No other skills can be used to attack or defend in combat. As they are more useful they cost one more point to buy during character creation. For each combat skill a character has they will have one less skill point to distribute.

Advocatus- Lawyer

Understanding Imperial government, rules, regulations and laws. Arguing your case. Tick a box to create a lawyer, magistrate or praetorium (court and prison).

Artifex- Inventor

Inventing, crafting and utilising alchemical devices. Can also be used for engineering for example working out how to make a bridge or wall collapse. Tick a box to remember that you brought a specific alchemical device.

Caballarius- Horseman

Used to interact with horses and to ride them. Cannot be used for combat. Tick a box to come across a mutationes (roadside lodgings with full access to everything you need for horses).

Cantor- Performer

Singing, playing musical instruments, acting, dancing, storytelling. Tick a box to create a troop of acrobats, a circus or a church choir.

Cursarius (combat)- Corsair

Everything that a pirate can do from swinging on ropes to drinking others under the table. Includes sailing, rowing, swimming, tying knots and knowledge of the sea. Is a combat skill so can be used for most weapons that might be used at sea. Tick a box to create a pirate or a rowing boat.

Custodius (combat)- Watchman

Alertness, observation, endurance, local laws, combat with military weapons. Tick a box to create a local vigiles (militia) or firefighting horse drawn cart.

Gladiator (combat)- Fighter

Combat with gladiator style weapons, tactical combat and dirty tricks. Tick a box to create a gladiator, a secret gladiator fighting pit or training school or a armour repair shop.

Impostor- Charlatan

All forms of cheating, deceiving, bargaining, flattery, disguises. Tick a box to have a disguise on you or create a snake oil salesman.

Incantator- Wizard

Reading and understanding magical texts, casting spells. Tick a box to decide which spells you have prepared on the fly.

Philologus- Scholar

Scholar, scribe, book worm. Used to find libraries both private and public and use the books therein for research. Tick a box to create a library, scriptorium (book copying workshop) or even a person who knows what you need to know.

Quaesitor- Detective

This is a social skill used to find and question people who might have seen something, heard something or know something and question them either tactfully or through interrogation. Also allows for the examination of crime scenes and noticing and interpreting clues. Not very useful for examining bodies. Tick a box to find a witness.

Latro (combat)- Bandit

You must have been an outlaw of some kind in a past life (or not so past). Either a street thug, rural highwayman or organised crime gang member. You know how to fight with basic type weapons and unarmed, intimidate people, interact with the criminal fraternity. Tick a box to find an underworld contact.

Medicus- Physician

Knowledge of anatomy and healing. Used to examine bodies to find how they died, to perform first aid on your compatriots and to aid healing during downtime activities. Tick a box to create a fellow physician, a hospital or healing church or temple.

Mendicus- Beggar

Mendicus suggests an ascetic through choice rather than through poverty though you could choose to be either. Knowledge of the streets, the underworld, contacts in the gangs of street urchins and homeless communities that sleep under stairs and in the necropolis. Tick a box to create a homeless person who have witnessed something or find a contact in the criminal underworld.

Meretrix- Courtesan

A high class or street prostitute. Can be used to gain contacts in all sectors of society except perhaps eunuchs. Tick to learn a secret from a contact, to find and gain access to a lupanar (wolf’s den or brothel).

Militus (combat)- Soldier

What was your rank? Did you fight in any particular campaigns? Do you have any scars, tattoos or trophies? Were you a skirmisher (velites), legionnaire or cataphractus (heavily armoured horseman)? Tick to create a fellow soldier, veteran or a place to repair your armour.

Nauta- Sailor

Sail, row, predict the weather, catch fish, tie knots, perhaps know a little about sea monsters. Your not bad at navigating on land either as you can use a sextant or astrolabe. Tick a box to create a boat, a sailing ship, a fisherman or a ship’s captain willing to take you to that remote monster inhabited island.

Oikologus- Naturalist

Knowledge and experience with the natural world. Identify plants and animals. Perhaps gain some insights into monsters and other supernatural beings of the wild such as nymphs, naiads and dryads. Tick to find a particular plant or animal in the wild or even a spring, grove or rocky outcrop.

Orator- Speaker

Can be used for all forms of speaking and interacting with others from giving rousing speeches to persuasion, seduction and etiquette. Less suited for intimidation and deception than other skills.

Praedator (combat)- Hunter

This might represent a military archer and skirmisher or an animal hunter and trapper. Either way you now put your skills in tracking, trap laying and archery to use hunting monsters. Can be used with all hunter kit items and weapons. Tick a box to find a hunter, change the hunter equipment you brought with you, create a lure.

Ruptor- Burglar

Athletic and acrobatic, stealthy and good with ropes, lock picks and a crowbar. Tick a box to have the right bit of thieves’ kit on you or to find a thief, fence or underworld contact.

Sacerdos- Clergy

Feel free to be Christian, Jewish, Muslim or pagan or to mix things up a bit to be on the safe side. You have knowledge of other religions not just your own and can apply your knowledge to monster hunter to help you understand those monsters which perturb God’s holy works the most- ghosts, demons and monsters that can assume the guise of or possess a human. Tick a box to create a fellow priest, a roadside shrine, a temple, a church hospital or a ascetic sat atop his porphyry column.

Sicarius (combat)- Assassin

Stealth, use of poisons, sneak attacks, disguises. As a carnifex you specialise in delivering poisoned blows to vulnerable parts of the body especially from hiding. Use of throwing weapons, poisoned well weapons and touch range weapons.

Venator- Animal Handler

Knowledge of animals and how to interact with them. You may well have an animal companion though if it is highly trained and useful this requires purchase of the Animal Companion ars. Tick to find an animal, a rat catcher, a dog trainer or a stable or kennel.