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Chapter 6: Skills


[ | Rolling Skills | Expert Skills | How Weapon Skills Work | Choosing Skills | Creative | Engineering | Espionage | Mystical | Physical | Pilotry | Science | Technical | Technology | Weapons (Melee) | Weapons (Ranged) | Wilderness | ]

Physical Skills

Acrobatics

This skill hones athletic agility and balance. You are trained in a variety of fast and flexible moves involving both your feet and hands. This skill also covers gymnastics (movement over difficult terrain) and all inherent motions.

Similar to the Armour skill, the GM may decide to cancel penalties in combat related to awkwardness. Whereas doing a backflip can be dangerous, one sufficiently skilled in Acrobatics has no penalty to perform the maneuver. A good rule is every 3 or 4 levels in this skill removes one such combat penalty.

Example: An opponent comes from behind and you're face-down in quicksand. You want to dodge and encircle the opponent. The GM figures this is all worth at least three penalties (the sand, the encircling, attacking blind.) Your skill is level 8. The GM decides to cancel two penalties, but that Acrobatics does not help fighting an unseen opponent.

    Talents
    • Balancing on thin lines (tightropes.)
    • Swinging (ropes, rings, etc.)
    • Flipping and somersaulting.
    Perks
    • +1 Agility.
    • +1 Dodge.
    • +1 Gambit.
    Expert Performance
    • For every 3 or 4 levels in this skill, you cancel one penalty resulting from restricted movement or awkward maneuvers this scene.
    • Rolling will often be related to Pace when moving over difficult terrain (like cliffs and ropes.)

Aerial Sports

This skill involves the knowledge and ability to accurately carry out aerial maneuvers. Whether it's hang-gliding, parachuting, or any other sport involving high winds, you can properly handle yourself. Even with just the basic skill, you can at least tumble properly from a great height.

This skill is not available in Ancient settings. It would be mostly unchanged between Modern and Future settings. This skill is also used for piloting hand-operated flying machines.

    Talents
    • Hang-gliding.
    • Parachuting.
    • Paragliding.

    Perks
    • +1 Agility.
    • +1 Strength.
    • +2 Ki.

    Expert Performance
    • You move X*2 kph faster or slower during aerial maneuvers.
    • X*10% chance to recover 1 Chakra when finished a particularly tense jump.

Athletics

This is similar to the gaming skill, but instead represents your physical training for various physical competitions. Normally these competitions present a ball and rules of play. You know how to effectively train and the tricks to styles of play. A Media skill would know the history and stats of all popular sports (with Talents for each sport.)

Similar to Acrobatics, every 3 or 4 levels in Athletics can cancel penalties related to exhaustion and stress. If you are suffering from hunger, fatigue, worn-out arms, this skill makes you last just a little longer.

    Talents
    • Any single sport.
    Perks
    • Your Work is +20 minutes/seconds.
    • +1 Strike.
    • +1 Prevent.
    Expert Performance
    • +X to "combat" rolls for the purposes of a game. Normal combat bonuses do not apply to the sport; use this bonus only to play the game out.
    • Add the Quality of all teammates together. Whichever team has the highest Quality wins this period or round. Use this to avoid explicitly playing out the game.

Climbing

You know how to safely move over incredibly difficult terrain. You're familiar with climbing gear and know how to use ropes safely for tying and climbing. Hiking tough terrain, climbing mountains and trees, sidling a ledge, it all falls into this skill.

When fighting from a precarious position (hanging off a cliff, sidling a ledge, or hugging the roof of a vehicle), every 3 or 4 levels of this skill may cancel a penalty at the GM's discretion.

    Talents
    • Hiking.
    • Scaling.
    • Rappeling.
    Perks
    • +1 Gambit.
    • Climbing or hiking at half speed will never make you tired.
    • You move at Climbing speed over difficult terrain without penalty.
    Expert Performance
    • +X Speed for climbing speed.
    • Others being helped to climb have X/2 rerolls for climbing.

Dancing

This skill covers the knowledge of certain styles, what works well together, and general improvisation for dances. The bulk of this skill is your experience in moving your body. If you encounter a style you haven't seen, you'll pick it up pretty quickly. Combined with Acrobatics, you can pull off some absolutely stunning maneuvers on the stage.

This skill might sometimes be effective in canceling combat penalties, similar to Acrobatics.

    Talents
    • A particular style.
    Perks
    • +1 Charisma.
    • +1 Dodge.
    • +1 Stamina.
    Expert Performance
    • +X Charm while dancing to an audience.
    • (X*5)% chance to recover 1 Chakra when finished a night of dancing.

Extreme Sports

Whether it is on wheels or skis, you can perform various stunts under extreme conditions. Mountainbiking, Skateboarding, Waterskiing; all of these sports fall under this skill instead of Athletics. Even without actual experience in one of these sports, you will pick it up much faster simply by having this skill. Consider it your knowledge of operating and maintaining personal pedal vehicles or other such sports. At the highest levels, you can safely perform incredible-looking stunts.

If combat occurs during this activity, then every 3 or 4 levels in this skill could cancel a combat penalty arising from the activity.

    Talents
    • Skating.
    • Skiing.
    • Skateboarding.
    • Cycling.
    • Mountainbiking.

    Perks
    • +1 Agility
    • +1 Stamina.
    • +1 Free dice.

    Expert Performance
    • You move X kph faster through rugged or closed terrain without penalty.

Kinetics & Nutrition

You have studied the techniques and proper nutrition which go into building the body and maintaining energy. You know how to stretch, prepare for lifting, how to care for aching muscles, and what food lends itself to improved performance. At the higher levels, you are experienced in effective training techniques to build endurance in a student.

This skill may help deal with combat penalties related to exhaustion and pain. Like any skill, every 3 or 4 levels may cancel one penalty with GM's discretion.

    Talents
    • Endurance Training.
    • Weightlifing.
    • Nutrition.
    Perks
    • +1 Strength.
    • +1 Stamina.
    • +1 Speed.
    Expert Performance
    • Trainees recover more quickly from injury and develop muscle faster using Pace.
    • You have +X/2 Strength or +X/2 Stamina for the next stat check.

Running

You are trained to move over most terrain, running and stopping properly without injury or worry. This is your practiced ability to simply run.

At the GM's discretion, every 3 or 4 levels in this skill could cancel a combat penalty related to movement or terrain.

    Talents
    • Sprinting.
    • Jogging.
    • Distance Jumping.
    Perks
    • +1 Speed.
    • +1 Speed.
    • You can jog for +1 hour and sprint for +1 minute.
    Expert Performance
    • You have +X*5 to your Work for sprinting and jogging.
    • +X to Speed for the purposes of distance jumping.
    • +X/2 to Speed checks over tougher terrain.

Swimming

There are many different types of swimming which arise out of the basic techniques. You know how to float, tread, breathe, and move properly through the water. With these techniques, you can escape currents, dive properly (and beautifully if combined with Acrobatics), and study the depths of the ocean.

If combat occurs in the water, every 3 or 4 levels of this skill could offset one combat penalty incurred by the act of swimming. This is at the GM's discretion.

    Talents
    • Diving.
    • Competition Swimming.
    Perks
    • You have +30 seconds to holding your breath.
    • You can dive 20ft deeper without ill effects.
    • +2 kph to swimming speed.
    Expert Performance
    • You can hold your breath for X*3 more seconds if absolutely necessary.
    • +X/2 kph to your swimming.
    • You can keep up your max swimming speed for X*3 more minutes.
Copyright (©) 2006 by Charles Roy and Michael Vendittelli. Chaos Fantasy System created by Charles Roy and Michael Vendittelli.