Skills

Relevant abilities and attributes are abbreviated in parentheses beside the skill, and each skill has a (usually) brief description of what it entails as well as any special notes about it. Note that B=Body, M=Mind, S=Spirit, P=Power, F=Finesse, G=Grit, and V=Variable.

Acrobatics (B-F)


 * Neat tricks such as wall-running, back-flipping, etc. Can be used for Active Defense.

Block (B-G)


 * The ability to defend yourself, namely with a shield. Can be used for Active Defense.

Magic (M-V)


 * How good you are at casting magic, and a gauge of what spells you can feasibly use. Some spells use Spirit instead of Mind.

Medicine (M-F)


 * An understanding of medical knowledge and procedure, especially first aid. A Medicine check can be used on an injured character to heal them by a 1/4 heart per success. This usually requires supplies and focus to use without penalty. Healing a character with Medicine while in combat, while exceptionally difficult, is a double action that provokes an opportunity attack.

Melee (B-V)


 * Use of melee weapons and your own body to fight.

Perception (S-F)


 * Used to notice hidden details and individuals. Note that the skill denotes a talent for seeing the not-so-obvious, and not that anyone who doesn't have it is functionally blind and deaf.

Ranged (B-V)


 * Use of thrown weapons or those that fire projectiles.

Repair (M-F)


 * The construction and maintenance of mechanical objects, be they vehicles, firearms, or leaky pipes. Making repairs usually requires supplies and focus to use without penalty, and working while in combat, while exceptionally difficult, is a double action that provokes an opportunity attack.

Social (S-V)


 * Influencing others in social situations, whether through manipulation, coercion, or otherwise.

Stealth (B-F)


 * When behind cover or concealment after leaving an enemy's line of sight, you may attempt an opposed Stealth check as a free action against a Perception check. If you get more successes than your enemy, you become hidden against it, but if both of you tie in number of successes you can't become hidden. If an enemy hasn't seen you yet, you can take an action to hide without rolling.


 * If you managed to become hidden, it means that the enemy is unable to see or hear you, and is unaware of your specific location, although it may have an idea of your general location if it observed you moving toward your hiding place.


 * In order to remain hidden, you must make additional Stealth checks every time you take an action. If you tie, you will remain hidden but your enemies will be alerted. Not every action may allow you to remain hidden: Moving out into the open will obviously give you away, as will shouting, setting off a bomb, firing a gun within earshot, and so forth.


 * When you are hidden from an enemy, it cannot apply active defense bonuses against you, and it takes a -2k2 penalty to defense against your attacks. To be considered hidden while attacking an enemy, you must either be able to attack from a hidden position directly, or make a single move action after beginning your turn hidden to get into range while remaining out of the enemy's line of sight. This movement requires a successful Stealth check to avoid giving yourself away. Moving into range of one enemy may give you away to other enemies, but you are still considered hidden from the enemy you're approaching.

Survival (V-F)
 * Use of knowldege and perception to stay alive and gain an advantage in the great wilderness. Tracking creatures, pathfinding, and other outdoorsy actions fall under this.