The Basics of a Shinobi

Even the lowest of shinobi are expected to be able to perform the listed actions without much effort. Running on water (Move), Scaling Trees (Move), Focusing their Chakra (Body), Creating body substitution to defend from attacks (Ninjutsu), perform basic taijutsu attacks (Taijutsu) & remove themselves from Genjutsu constraints (Mind).

Skill List 

• Taijutsu: Represents hand to hand martial arts. 

• Bukijutsu: Represents weaponry based martial arts. The use of kunai, swords, bows and other specialty weaponry. 

• Ninjutsu: Ranged combat, including certain kinds of defense. 

• Genjutsu: Illusionary, Mind Altering, Misdirecting & Provoke. 

• Intelligence: Facts, trivia, science, history, languages, other lore.

• Move: Dodge, run, climb, swim, etc.

• Sensory: The ability to use the 5 senses. 

• Stealth: Sneak, hide, steal, infiltrate.

• Social: Empathy, charm, inspire, bluff, intimidate, negotiate, deceive.

• Survival: WIP

• Tinker: Build, repair, manipulate, and effectively utilize technology.

• Mind:  Mental fortitude. Resist interrogation, social, and Genjutsu based actions. Also used to determine Mental Stress. 

• Body: Internal Chakra, raw strength and endurance. Used when acts of raw strength are needed. Also used to determine physical stress. 

• Contacts: Networking, Relationships, Summoning Contracts, Business.

• Fuuinjutsu: Represents the ability to preform sealing jutsus. 

Skills in Red have not been fully expanded yet. 

Body

This skill represents Internal Chakra, raw strength and endurance. Used when acts of raw strength are needed. Also used to determine physical stress. 

Overcome: You can use Body to overcome any obstacles that require the application of brute force—most often to overcome a situation aspect on a zone—or any other physical impedance, like prison bars or locked gates. Of course, Body is the classic skill for arm-wrestling matches and other contests of applied strength, as well as marathons or other endurance-based challenges.

Create an Advantage: Body has a lot of potential for advantages in physical conflict, usually related to grappling and holding someone in place, making them Pinned or Locked Down. Body also can be used to ramp up your chakra output or create some other cool chakra effects. 

Attack: Body does not attack action. 

Defend: Though you don’t generally use Body to defend against attacks, you can use it to provide active opposition to someone else’s movement, provided you’re in a small enough space that you can effectively use your body to block access. You might also interpose something heavy and brace it to stop someone from getting through. This also is used to defend against having your chakra disrupted.

Bukijutsu

A ninja's use of weaponry in combat is known as "bukijutsu".  All ninja use a weapon at some point in their careers, but not all do so regularly. Weapons can be just as useful on the battlefield as any other jutsu in a ninja's arsenal, either due to the weapon's design, its special abilities, or the unique way in which a ninja combines it with his or her other skills. Bukijutsu does not require Jutsu Style Aspects in order to use it but those who use specialized styles will be leagues above those who do not have them. Thus a trained combatant can use styles and create awesome aspects while an untrained person is simply swinging around a weapon (use the attack action).  Look at the Bukijutsu page for weaponry style information. 

Overcome: Since you don’t really use Bukijutsu outside of a conflict, it’s not often used to overcome obstacles. You might use it to display your fighting prowess in a demonstration, or to participate in some kind of regulated bout or sport fighting, which would allow you to use this skill in a contest.

Create an Advantage: You’ll probably use Bukijutsu for most of the advantages you create in a physical conflict. Any number of special moves can be covered with advantages: a targeted strike to stun, a “dirty move,” disarming, and so on. 

Attack: You use Bukijutsu to use your body  to attack a target. Melee based weaponry is used on the same zone while ranged weaponry has a maximum zone reach of 2. 

Defend: You use Bukijutsu to defend against physical/tangible actions. As well as pretty much any action where violently interposing yourself could prevent something from happening.

Contacts

Contacts is the skill of knowing and making connections with people. It presumes proficiency with all means of networking available in the setting.

Overcome: You use Contacts to overcome any obstacle related to finding someone you need to find. Whether that’s old-fashioned “man on the street” type of work, polling your information network, or searching archives and computer databases, you’re able to hunt down people or somehow get access to them.

Create an Advantage: Contacts allows you to know who the perfect person to talk to is for anything you might need, or to decide that you know the perfect person already. It’s likely that you’ll create story details with this skill, represented by aspects.  You can also create an advantage that represents what the word on the street is about a particular individual, object, or location, based on what your contacts tell you. These aspects almost always deal with reputation more than fact, such as known as a Brutal Rouge Shinobi. Whether that person lives up to their reputation is anybody’s guess, though that doesn’t invalidate the aspect—people often have misleading reputations that complicate their lives. Contacts could also be used to create aspects that represent using your information network to plant or acquire information.

Attack: Contacts isn’t used for attacks; it’s hard to harm someone simply by knowing people.

Defend: Contacts can be used to defend against people creating social advantages against you, provided your information network can be brought to bear in the situation. You might also use it to keep someone from using Deceive or Contacts to go “off the grid”, or to interfere with Investigate attempts to find you.

Fuuinjutsu

Sealing Techniques are a type of jutsu that seal objects, living beings, chakra, along with a wide variety of other things within another object such as a scroll. Fūinjutsu can also be used for a multitude of utility actions such as to restrict movement, boost chakra reserves, increase someone physicals capabilities. Seals are made by the caster touching an object. 

Overcome: Attempt to dispel already created seals. 

Create an Advantage: Creating Aspects on People, Places or Things is the bread and butter of this skill. Without a Fuuinjutsu Style Aspect, character are only allowed to seal small objects into scrolls. 

Attack: This skill is generally not used for attack actions.

Defend: This skill is generally not used for defense actions.

Genjutsu 

Is one of the main jutsu categories which uses chakra. Unlike ninjutsu, the effects of genjutsu are not real, being only sensory illusions experienced by those who fall victim to it. Genjutsu is performed in a manner of different way through targeting ones sensory system. The most common way to utilize Genjutsu is with sight initiated Genjutsu but there are several others than can be chosen.  The Genjutsu skill requires a Jutsu Style Aspect in order to perform any actions with it. 

Overcome: Use Genjutsu to get someone to believe an illusionary lie. Genjutsu is the skill you use for determining if a mental alteration action works, whether on yourself or others.

Create an Advantage: Use Genjutsu to create illusion based momentary distractions making their target see things that are not actually there. You could cause an illusion to appear during a swordfight, forcing the target to defend from attack that did not actually happen, putting an target Off-Balance and setting up for the real attack. You could use Genjutsu to trick someone into revealing one of their aspects or other information. Genjutsu is all about completely warping the world around the target. 

Attack: Genjutsu is an indirect skill that creates a lot of opportunities you can capitalize on, but it doesn’t do direct harm to an individual. This can be changed with certain Jutsu. 

Defend: In order to use Genjutsu to make defend actions you must first have a Genjutsu related aspect tagged on the creature. As long as the target is under your Genjutsu you may perform defend actions using Genjutsu. 

Intelligence

Is the basic knowledge skill. This skill will be used to determine what a character already knows and what they can find out by means of studying. 

Overcome: You can use Intelligence to overcome any obstacle that requires applying your character’s knowledge to achieve a goal. For example, you might roll Intelligence to decipher some ancient scroll, under the presumption that your character might have researched it at some point. Frankly, you can roll this skill  as a go-to skill anytime you need to know if your character can answer a difficult question, where some tension exists in not knowing the answer.

Create an Advantage: Intelligence provides a lot of very flexible opportunities to create advantages, provided you can research the subject in question. More often than not, you’ll be using this skill to get a story detail, some obscure bit of information that you uncover or know already, but if that information gives you an edge in a future scene, it might take the form of an aspect. Likewise, you can use Intelligence to create advantages based on any subject matter your character might have studied, which gives you a fun way to add details to the setting.

Attack: Intelligence isn’t used in conflicts.

Defend: Intelligence isn’t used to defend.

Mind 

Determines ones Mental fortitude. This skill is used to defend from all social & genjutsu based actions.  Mind is also used to determine Mental Stress. 

Overcome: You can use Mind to pit yourself against obstacles that require mental effort. Puzzles and riddles can fall under this category, as well as any mentally absorbing task, like deciphering a code. Use Mind when it’s only a matter of time before you overcome the mental challenge, and intelligence if it takes something more than brute mental force to get past it. Many of the obstacles that you go up against with Mind might be made part of challenges, to reflect the effort involved.

Create an Advantage: You can use Mind to place aspects on yourself, representing a state of deep concentration or focus.

Attack: Mind isn’t used for attacks. 

Defend: Mind is the main skill you use to defend against mental attacks from Social and Genjutsu representing your control over your reactions and mental health. 

Move

Is the skill that determines all physical activity that a character could make such as running, swimming, climbing and more. This skill also is used to dodge Ninjutsu attacks.  

Overcome: Any time some type of physical action is needed the Move skill should be used. Running in a race, Swimming across a lake, running up a large building. All Overcome Move Actions. 

Create an Advantage: When you’re creating an advantage with Move you are performing dazzling acrobatic maneuvers in order to confound your foes. 

Attack: Move is not meant as an attack skill.

Defend: Move is a catch-all skill to roll for defense in a physical conflict, against close-quarters and ranged attacks. You can also use it to defend against characters trying to move past you, if you’re in a position to physically interfere with whoever’s making the attempt.

Ninjutsu

has the ability to affect the physical world in some way shape or form. Ninjutsu is a unique category of jutsu which forms the basis of the five nature releases (Earth, Wind, Fire, Water & lightning). There are also other non-elemental subtypes that can be accessed through Ninjutsu (Supplemental, Medical, Non-Elemental, Bloodline Related) Most Ninjutsu types including the various elements require permission aspects in order to utilize them. The character must have the Justu Style Aspect in order to use Elemental or Medical Ninjutsu appropriately. Though certain low level jutsu do not require any Jutsu Style Aspect in order to cast such as Body Flicker, Clone Jutsu, Body Substitution, Chakra Embue.  At its base without Stunts and Power Scale increases Ninjutsu has a maximum reach of 2 zones. 

Overcome: Ninjutsu has a large application even out of combat. Lighting a candle with a small fire jutsu, creating a hill to stand on with earth ninjutsu, unlocking sealed scrolls with seal ninjutsu, or healing an ally with Medical Ninjutsu. All of these kinds of actions fall under the Overcome Action. 

Create an Advantage: In physical conflicts, Ninjutsu can be used to perform a wide variety of moves, like trick shots, keeping someone under heavy fire with giant fire balls or send in a huge wave of water to disrupt the target's positioning. In cinematic games, you might even be able to disarm people and pin their sleeves to walls—pretty much anything you’ve seen in the Naruto anime that doesn't cause harm but clearly puts drama onto the battlefield. This can be adjusted by stunts. This skill is also utilized to do various things such as Medical Ninjutsu, Seals and more. 

Attack: Ninjutsu can not be used to attack unless an elemental affinity or other types of specializations are gained through the Jutsu Style Aspect. Once acquired, Ninjutsu is a useable skill to make attack actions. Ninjutsu has an outer range of 2 zones, which can be expanded by ninjutsu style stunts. 

Defend:  Ninjutsu is hard to pull off as a defensive action and failed attempts usually result in other issues occurring on the battlefield. 

The Difficulties of Ninjutsu

• Failing Ninjutsu actions usually results in something going wrong and the caster will suffer. 

• Potential Elemental Blitz reaction.

Taijutsu

is a basic form of techniques involving the martial arts or the optimization of natural human abilities. Taijutsu is executed by directly accessing the user's physical and mental energies, relying on the stamina and strength gained through training. It typically does not require chakra, though chakra may be used to enhance its techniques. Taijutsu generally requires no hand seals to perform, occasionally making use of certain stances or poses, and are far quicker to use than ninjutsu or genjutsu. Taijutsu is, simply put, combat through bare hand. It requires no aspects to use, but those who use specialized styles are leagues above someone who just knows how to punch and kick. Taijutsu can be used against targets within the same zone. 

Overcome: Since you don’t really use Taijutsu outside of a conflict, it’s not often used to overcome obstacles. You might use it to display your fighting prowess in a demonstration, or to participate in some kind of regulated bout or sport fighting, which would allow you to use this skill in a contest.

Create an Advantage: You’ll probably use Taijutsu for most of the advantages you create in a physical conflict. Any number of special moves can be covered with advantages: a targeted strike to stun, a “dirty move,” disarming, and so on. 

Attack: You use Taijutsu to use your body  to attack a target.

Defend: You use Taijutsu to defend against physical/tangible actions. As well as pretty much any action where violently interposing yourself could prevent something from happening.

Sensory

This skill represents a character's ability to use their 5 senses. Touch, Taste, Smell, See, Hear. 

Overcome: You don’t really use Sensory to overcome obstacles too often but when you do it’s used in a reactive way: noticing something in a scene, hearing a faint sound, spotting the concealed scroll in that guy’s waistband. 

Create an Advantage: You use Sensory to create aspects based on direct observation—looking over a room for details that stand out, finding an escape route in a debris-filled building, noticing someone sticking out in a crowd, etc. When you’re watching people, Sensory can tell you what’s going on with them externally; for internal changes use Social. You might also use Sensory to declare that your character spots something you can use to your advantage in a situation, such as a convenient Escape Route when you’re trying to get out of a building, or a Subtle Weakness in the enemy’s line of defense. For example, if you’re in a brawl you could make a Sensory roll to say that you spot a puddle on the floor, right next to your opponent’s feet that could cause him to slip.

Attack: Sensory isn’t really used for attacks.

Defend: You can use Sensory to defend against any uses of Stealth to get the drop on you or ambush you, or to discover that you’re being observed.

Social

This is the catch all skill for everything related to social encounters. Trying to charm someone, trying to socially intimidate or bluff this skill handles it all. 

Overcome: You can use your social skill for anything related to dealing with a social encounter. How well are you able to get your point across to others. Are people rioting in the streets and you must peacefully end the protest, that is this skill.

Create an Advantage: This skill has loads of applications on and off the battlefield. Inspiring your team to do better in the heat of battle or making the enemy doubt themselves is all part of this skill. 

Attack: You can make social attacks with the Social Skill that will affect the mental stress track, to do emotional harm to an opponent. Your relationship with the target and the circumstances you’re in figure a great deal into whether or not you can use this action.

Defend: You can not defend with Social. 

Stealth

The Stealth skill allows you to avoid detection, both when hiding in place and trying to move about unseen. Stealth is also responsible for Stealing.  

Overcome: You can use Stealth to get past any situation that primarily depends on you not being seen. Sneaking past sentries and security, hiding from a pursuer, avoiding leaving evidence as you pass through a place, and any other such uses all fall under the purview of Stealth.

Create an Advantage: You’ll mainly use Stealth to create aspects on yourself, setting yourself in an ideal position for an attack or ambush in a conflict. That way, you can be Well-Hidden when the guards pass by and take advantage of that, or Hard to Pin Down if you’re fighting in the dark.

Attack: Stealth isn’t used to make attacks. 

Defend: You can use this to foil Notice attempts to pinpoint you or seek you out, as well as to try to throw off the scent of an Sensory attempt from someone trying to track you.

Tinker

Is the catch all skill in regards to fixing or making things in the physical realm. Building a house by hand, gathering rice, fixing a door and such actions are all down with this skill. This skill also deals with technology.  

Overcome: Tinker allows you to build, break, or fix things, presuming you have the time and tools you need. Often, actions with Tinker happen as one component of a more complex situation, making it a popular skill for challenges. For example, if you’re just fixing a broken door, neither success nor failure is interesting; you should just succeed and move on. Now, if you’re trying to get open a scroll while a pack of oni is hunting you… that's when things get interesting. 

Create an Advantage: You can use Tinker to create aspects representing features of a piece of items or weaponry, pointing out useful features or strengths you can use to your advantage (Armor-Plated, Rugged Construction) or a vulnerability for you to exploit (Flaw in the sword, Hasty Work).  Creating Tinker advantages can also take the form of quick and dirty sabotage or jury-rigging on mechanical objects in the scene. For example, you might create a Makeshift Pulley to help you get to the platform above you, or throw something into the ballista that’s firing on you to give it a Jammed Pivoting Joint and make it harder to hit you.

Attack: You probably won’t use Tinker to attack in a conflict, unless the conflict is specifically about using machinery, like with siege weaponry. 

Defend: As with attacking, Tinker doesn’t defend, unless you’re somehow using it as the skill to control a piece of machinery that you block with.