Narateer

Skills List

The path to mastery begins with a single skill.

Skill Attributes

All skills share these attributes:

  • Skill Check Action Type: Major Action (minimum 1 AD)
  • Difficulty Rating: Default DR = 2
  • Linked Vital: The first Linked Vital sets the skill’s maximum level.
  • Auxiliary Attributes: Depending on the application of the skill, other Vitals may be switched in a skill check.

Available Skills

Acrobatics

Precise, agile movements requiring balance, reflexes, and coordination. Covers tumbling, leaping, evasive manoeuvres, and traversing difficult terrain. Essential for overcoming physical obstacles with speed and grace.

Linked Vital: Agility
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving agility, dexterity, and precise bodily control.

Applications:

  • Tumbling & Evasion: General rolling, diving, flips, and fluid evasive movements.
  • Aerial Movement: Generating momentum, leaping across distances, and swinging from ropes or ledges.
  • Balance & Recovery: Maintaining stability on narrow, unstable, or precarious surfaces.

Alchemy

The creation of transformative substances through chemical or mystical means. Covers potion-brewing, poisoncraft, and reactive mixtures. Essential for manipulating matter and producing potent consumables or effects.

Linked Vital: Cognition; Shift to Agility when brewing or handling substances.
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving chemical crafting, potion-making, or alchemical experimentation.

Applications:

  • Designing & Identification (Cognition): Designing or identifying potions, poisons, substances and predicting their effects.
  • Brewing & Handling (Agility): Brewing potions, poisons, or antidotes. Creating explosives, incendiaries, or acidic compounds.

Artifice

The construction, modification, and repair of physical devices and structures. Covers smithing, mechanical design, tradecraft, and fabrication. Essential for crafting and maintaining tools, traps, weapons, and gear.

Linked Vital: Cognition; Shifts to a different Vital in specific situations.
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving construction, repair, device crafting, or mechanical ingenuity.

Applications:

  • Design & Diagnosis (Cognition): Diagnosing mechanical faults, engineering complex devices, designing traps, appraising structural integrity.
  • Crafting & Assembly (Agility): Assembling delicate mechanisms, repairing fine instruments, crafting precision components, and setting intricate traps.
  • Forging & Shaping (Strength): Forging and shaping heavy metalwork, reinforcing structures, assembling large mechanical constructs.

Athletics

Physical power, endurance, and bodily control in high-exertion activities. Covers lifting, climbing, swimming, and sustained movement. Essential for overcoming challenges that demand raw Strength or stamina.

Linked Vital: Strength; Shift to Resilience for prolonged endurance tests.
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving physical strength, endurance, and sustained physical effort.

Applications:

  • Climbing & Load Bearing: Scaling surfaces, carrying heavy loads, supporting collapsing structures.
  • Breaking & Overcoming Resistance: Smashing barriers, forcing doors open, overpowering opponents physically.
  • Jumping & Leaping: Long-distance jumps, high leaps, vaulting obstacles through sheer physical power.
  • Endurance & Physical Resilience: Shift Vital to Resilience for sustaining prolonged effort, resisting fatigue, enduring harsh physical conditions.

Beastcraft

Interaction with beast type creatures. Covers training, calming, provoking, and interpreting instinctual behaviour. Essential for surviving and thriving alongside or against wild creatures.

Linked Vital: Presence; Shifts to a different Vital in specific situations.
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving influencing, interacting with, or understanding animals and instinct-driven creatures.

Applications:

  • Taming & Handling (Presence): Calming frightened or aggressive animals, asserting gentle authority, or teaching a beast new skills or tricks.
  • Instinctual Insight (Cognition): Assessing emotional states, interpreting intentions, and predicting instinctual responses of beast type creatures, including supernatural or monstrous beasts.
  • Provocation & Control (Presence): Drawing attention, asserting primal dominance, directing aggression or calming.
  • Intimidation (Strength): Physically intimidating or dominating creatures through sheer physical presence.

Finesse

Delicate manual dexterity and precise manipulation of small objects. Covers pickpocketing, sleight of hand, escape artistry, and intricate handiwork. Essential for subtle tasks requiring control and speed.

Linked Vital: Agility.
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving delicate, subtle, or precise physical manipulation.

Applications:

  • Pickpocketing & Concealment: Stealing or discreetly hiding small objects without detection.
  • Delicate Precision Tasks: Handling fragile or intricate items, carefully disarming traps, precise cutting or repairing.
  • Misdirection & Trickery: Executing sleight-of-hand manoeuvres, quick item swaps, and subtle manipulations.
  • Escape & Manipulation: Slipping out of bindings, undoing complex knots, and operating intricate mechanisms swiftly.

History

Knowledge of past events, societies, and traditions. Covers recalling historical facts, legends, and cultural insight. Essential for understanding the context and meaning behind ancient lore and civilizations.

Linked Vital: Cognition
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving knowledge of historical events, cultural traditions, or notable figures.

Applications:

  • Recalling Events: Remembering major wars, rulers, eras, and historical milestones.
  • Cultural Analysis: Recognizing ancient customs, ceremonies, and folklore.
  • Artifact Identification: Determining the historical significance or origin of relics and ruins.

Influence

Verbal and nonverbal techniques of persuasion, manipulation, and leadership. Covers negotiation, deception, intimidation, and rhetoric. Essential for shaping social interactions and steering outcomes.

Linked Vital: Presence; Shift to Strength when influence involves physical intimidation or threats.
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving persuasion, deception, leadership, or coercion of others.

Applications:

  • Negotiation & Diplomacy: Bargaining, convincing through reason or emotional appeal, and achieving compromise.
  • Deception & Misdirection: Effectively lying, misleading, or subtly manipulating perceptions.
  • Leadership & Authority: Rallying groups, issuing authoritative commands, and establishing dominance.
  • Intimidation & Coercion:
    • Presence: Threatening or coercing through verbal pressure or imposing demeanour.
    • Strength: Reinforcing threats or coercion with physical presence or direct physical intimidation.

Insight

Emotional perception and psychological awareness. Covers detecting lies, reading motives, and interpreting nonverbal cues. Essential for navigating complex social dynamics and resisting manipulation.

Linked Vital: Cognition; Shift to Resilience when resisting prolonged mental pressure or manipulation.
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving social perception, emotional analysis, and detecting deception.

Applications:

  • Detecting Lies & Manipulation: Recognizing inconsistencies in speech, behaviour, or intent.
  • Assessing Emotional States: Interpreting emotional cues, facial expressions, vocal tone, and subtle body language.
  • Understanding Power Dynamics: Identifying hidden rivalries, influence, tensions, or relationships within groups or individuals.
  • Resisting Mental Fatigue & Manipulation (Resilience): Withstanding extended deception, intense interrogation, psychological stress, or psychic pressure.

Languages

Fluency and comprehension across spoken and written tongues. Covers translation, interpretation, and decoding of foreign or ancient languages. Essential for communication across cultural and linguistic boundaries.

Linked Vital: Cognition; Shift to Agility when writing or forging language.
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving speaking, reading, translating, or decoding languages.

Applications:

  • Multilingual Fluency: Communicating across multiple known tongues. Gain 1 extra language per level.
  • Deciphering Scripts: Translating ancient texts, magical inscriptions, or cryptic writings.
  • Forging Documents (Agility): Crafting believable written materials, such as false letters or decrees.

Medicine

Diagnosis, stabilization, and treatment of injuries and afflictions. Covers field care, long-term healing, and knowledge of physical and magical pathology. Essential for preserving life and restoring function.

Linked Vital: Cognition; Shifts to a different Vital in specific situations.
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving diagnosis, stabilization, or treatment of injuries, poisons, diseases, or magical conditions.

Applications:

  • Stabilizing the Wounded:
    • Agility: Carefully stopping bleeding, immobilizing fractures, or administering treatments.
    • Strength: Bracing limbs, applying pressure.
  • Performing Medical Treatment:
    • Agility: Setting bones, stitching wounds, preparing antidotes, or applying poultices.
    • Strength: Realigning limbs, removing embedded objects.
  • Diagnosing Conditions (Cognition): Identifying symptoms, magical effects, toxins, infections, or underlying causes.
  • Treating Afflictions (Cognition): Designing cures for poisons and countering disease progression.

Melee

Close-quarters combat using weapons or unarmed techniques. Covers strikes, blocks, grapples, and tactical movement. Essential for engaging enemies in direct physical confrontation.

Linked Vital: Agility
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for close-combat exchanges, attacks, grapples, shoves, disarms, and similar Melee actions. Melee also governs ordinary Melee Exchange responses such as Clash and Full Guard.

Applications:

  • Weapon Exchanges and Deflection: Delivering accurate slashes, stabs, pressure, parries, and close-combat responses with melee weapons.
  • Grappling and Disarming: Controlling opponents through holds, throws, or joint locks.
  • Melee Exchange Responses: In combat, an aware responder may spend AD to Clash or use Full Guard in a Melee Exchange. The responder may Boost the roll within the usual Melee Skill Level limit. Full Guard can stop or reduce harm but cannot deal damage back.

Guard Note: In combat, Guard is the name for Melee Readiness when a fixed or passive defensive value is needed. Preferred Melee Exchange normally uses active response rolls instead of a fixed Guard value.

Damage Note: Melee determines your accuracy when making close combat attacks. When calculating damage, use the attack's active Damage Vital, capped by the weapon's Damage Vital Cap.

Observation

The ability to perceive, detect, and analyze environmental details. Covers scanning for threats, tracking movement, and uncovering hidden elements. Essential for awareness, investigation, and tactical insight.

Linked Vital: Cognition.
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving environmental awareness, deduction, or analysis of hidden or complex details.

Applications:

  • Situational Awareness: Spotting hidden enemies, detecting ambushes, or recognizing immediate environmental threats.
  • Examining Scenes and Clues: Identifying important evidence, recognizing patterns, and drawing logical conclusions.
  • Deciphering Complex Information: Analyzing documents, interpreting patterns, or breaking encoded information.
  • Uncovering Hidden Elements: Finding concealed objects, hidden doors, disguised motives, or inconsistencies in testimony.

Occult

Knowledge of magical, mystical, and divine phenomena. Covers arcane theory, religious doctrine, supernatural entities, and forbidden rituals. Essential for understanding and engaging with the unseen forces of the world.

Linked Vital: Cognition
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving magical theory, divine lore, mystical rituals, or supernatural symbols.

Applications:

  • Arcane Theory: Understanding spells, magical effects, and arcane constructs.
  • Divine Lore: Identifying religious rites, pantheons, and sacred artifacts.
  • Forbidden Knowledge: Interpreting occult symbols, summoning rituals, and supernatural phenomena.

Performance

Expressive and artistic communication to entertain or persuade. Covers music, storytelling, oratory, and ceremonial presence. Essential for inspiring audiences or commanding attention.

Linked Vital: Presence; Shift to Agility when resisting prolonged mental pressure or manipulation.
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving artistic, expressive, or ceremonial displays.

Applications:

  • Oratory and Speechcraft (Presence): Delivering persuasive speeches, storytelling, or formal declarations.
  • Musical and Theatrical Arts:
    • Agility: Executing intricate musical techniques, acting cues, or stage effects.
    • Presence: Inspiring, moving, or emotionally influencing an audience.
    • Agility: Performing dance routines, acrobatics, or physically intense displays.
  • Ritualistic or Ceremonial Expression (Presence): Leading religious rites, symbolic performances, or dramatic invocations.

Ranged

Precision and control when attacking from a distance. Covers use of bows, firearms, thrown weapons, and environmental targeting. Essential for striking effectively while avoiding close combat.

Linked Vital: Agility
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for ranged weapon attacks and distance-based targeting.

Applications:

  • Aiming and Shooting: Firing arrows, bolts, or bullets with accuracy using bows, crossbows, or firearms.
  • Throwing Weapons and Objects: Calculating arcs, force, and target impact.
  • Adjusting for Environmental Factors: Accounting for wind, motion, distance, or cover to improve accuracy during ranged engagements.

Note: Ranged determines your accuracy when making ranged combat attacks. When calculating damage, use the attack's active Damage Vital, capped by the weapon's Damage Vital Cap.

Stealth

Concealment, quiet movement, and avoiding detection. Covers infiltration, ambushes, and escaping notice in various environments. Essential for operating unnoticed or setting up tactical advantages.

Linked Vital: Agility
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving concealment, silent movement, or ambush tactics.

Applications:

  • Hiding and Camouflage: Blending into surroundings, using terrain, shadows, or cover to avoid detection.
  • Silent Movement: Navigating terrain quietly, avoiding sound, and slipping past notice.
  • Ambush and Surprise Attacks: Launching attacks from hiding, exploiting surprise for tactical advantage.

Survival

Wilderness expertise, resource gathering, and environmental adaptation. Covers tracking, shelter-building, foraging, and navigating dangerous terrain. Essential for enduring harsh conditions and thriving off the land.

Linked Vital: Cognition; Shifts to a different Vital in specific situations.
Effect: Skill Level sets the Boost limit and proactive-use limit for checks involving wilderness survival, navigation, and adaptation.

Applications:

  • Tracking and Scouting (Cognition): Reading tracks, identifying movement patterns, and analysing terrain.
  • Navigation and Orientation (Cognition): Finding paths, understanding landmarks, and avoiding natural hazards.
  • Foraging and Resource Gathering:
    • Cognition: Identifying edible plants, water sources, and usable materials.
    • Agility: Extracting fragile resources like herbs or roots without damage.
  • Shelter and Environmental Protection:
    • Cognition: Identifying natural shelter or safe refuge.
    • Strength: Constructing basic shelters or weatherproofing gear.
  • Enduring Harsh Conditions (Resilience): Surviving extreme temperatures, hunger, thirst, or physical exhaustion.