Character Creation Part 3: Skills (cont.)

What follows is a list of the skills present in A Song in the Dark. Each skill is presented as a name, followed by the base formula for calculating starting skill level, and then a short description of what it covers and any important special rules.

Unarmed Combat [(STR + AGI) x2 +10]: This skill covers a character's abilities at unarmed combat: striking people with the fists or feet, or grappling them. Characters receive a bonus to their unarmed damage of 1 for every 10% over 70% they have in the Unarmed Combat skill.

Melee Combat [(STR + AGI) x 2]: This covers skill in use of close combat weapons, from clubs to bats to swords to axes. Any handheld weapon meant to strike and kill or maim another living target.

Archaic Weapons [(STR + DEX) x 2]: Archaic weapons refers to primitive, muscle powered projectile weapons, either thrown or mechanical, such as javelins, bows, or crossbows.

Small Arms [(PER + DEX) x2]: Covers the use of small personal firearms, such as pistols, SMGs, and rifles.

Heavy Weapons [(PER + DEX)]: Covers the use of heavy weapons, such as heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, and similar high powered weaponry, both single man, and crew loaded. Such weapons are generally very rare in the wastelands, but have been known to be salvaged, particularly from abandoned military bases.

Alien Weapons [(INT + PER + DEX) /2]: Weaponry is occasionally salvaged from Aralia patrols out outposts, and this skill covers the ability of characters to puzzle out their use, as Aralia technology and weaponry often works in strange ways or utilizes unusual technologies unfamiliar to the free human settlements.

First Aid [(INT x 3)]: First Aid measures the sum total of a character's medical knowledge, and is important in stabilizing wounds taken. Medical knowledge is largely primitive amongst most survivors in the wastes, with only basic knowledge of bandaging and the importance of sterilization, though in some rare villages, primitive surgery may be performed.

Maintenance [(INT + DEX)]: This covers the ability of a character to repair various mechanical and electrical devices scavenged from ruins, as well as basic weaponry like hand guns and rifles. As professional knowledge is scarce, this skill tends to represent an experimental instinct. A character with a 70% skill or higher in Maintenance recieves a +10% bonus to all Tech Lore rolls.

Tech Lore [(INT + PER) x 2]: The ruins of civilization are littered with all manner of technological and mechanical devices, most of them useless, some of them potentially vital to the survival of one's village. Being able to spot which is which is an important skill for those who roam the wastes, and this skill is what measure's a character's ability to identify an item, what it does, and how to use it.

Stealth [(PER + AGI) x 2]: Stealth is the ability to not be noticed, walking silently, and finding places and shadows to hide in. Whenever a character wants to hide, or get through an area or into an area without being seen, he rolls on this skill with a standard penalty equal to 2 times the PER of the individual one is trying to avoid being spotted by.

Cooking [(INT + PER + DEX) ]: Cooking is the knowledge of food and food preparation. It is most vital in the wastes, as knowing how to identify edible food, and even how to make otherwise inedible food edible, is vital to survival. With this skill, a character may rummage food stores to spot preserved foods and spices that are still usable, spot animals and fungus that can be consumed, and cook food so that it is safe to consume and even tasty with enough skill.

Navigation [(INT + PER)]: Finding your way around the wastes is a combination of instinct, intuition, and learning how to spot even the subtlest of differences in terrain and surroundings, drawing mental landmarks where most simply wouldn't see anything but more dead trees. With the sky blacked out, not even the stars or the sun can offer clear indication of direction, so often a navigators route may wind up being downright convoluted, as he follows what landmarks he can recall on the way between one place and another. This skill represents that difficult talent, and is important any time a character msut find their way from one place to another in the wastes.

Tactics [(INT + CHA)]: Tactics is the skill of being able to direct warriors to maximum effect in combat. A good leader improves the fighting ability of all those who fight with him. In game terms, this manifests as a bonus applied to all combat rolls on a successful check. The character with the highest Tactics skill makes a check at the beginning of a fight, and on a successful check, him and all his compatriots receive an additional +20% bonus to all combat rolls.

Tracking [(INT + PER) x 2)]: Tracking is the art of finding other creatures in the wastes, whether it's a single target, or just a general type of target. It can be used to track the whereabouts of an oncoming Aralia patrol, an escaping bandit, or to hunt for wildlife to feed the village, or even just the party.

Animal Handling [(CHA + WIL)]: With the primitive state of human society, the use of animals to serve man has become much more important, from beasts of burden used to ride or pull a load, to beasts trained to guard and kill. Animal Handling covers the ability to tame and control these animals. This can be a very dangerous skill however, especially when dealing with the changed and dangerous creatures that roam the wilds. The difficulty of taming a beast is generated by the GM during the creation of the creature, or listed with the rest of its statistics if it is a pregenerated monster.

Diplomacy [(CHA + PER + INT)]: Diplomacy is the skill of skillful conversation, being able to find out the information one desires, or convince an individual of an idea or conclusion. As a skill, this primarily takes the form of a single check at the beginning of an important conversation, modified by the opponent's CHA (or an average thereof if multiple targets need convincing). If the character succeeds, the GM may give him one clue as to what words might sway them to his way of thinking.

Bartering [(CHA + INT) x2]: Bartering is the skill of negotiating goods and services, and is the cornerstone of what passes for an economy among the free villages. If a successful Bartering check is made before a trade, the player bartering receives a 1% discount for every 5% the roll succeeds by.

Beast Lore [(INT + PER)]: Beast lore is the knowledge of the beasts and monsters that stalk the wilderness. It can be used to identify a creature, or at least the creature it evolved from, and possibly any important habits or behaviors. In combat, a successful Beast Lore check can be made to gain a knowledge of it's weak point, giving all party members an additional +5 to damage rolls against the creature if they succeed at a called shot.

Lockpicking [(PER + DEX)]: The skill of opening locked doors and containers without the appropriate key or combination, everything from safes, to door locks, to cash registers. This is an important skill for looting, as often the most valuable items, and especially guns and money, were kept behind lock and key in pre-Nightfall times.