GURPS 4e Basic Set Characters

This is the ability to use a hand- (bolt-action to self-loader), and -2 for tartans, and other emblems. A suc-
held chemical-propellant or mass- grip (bipod to hand-held), for a total of cessful roll lets you recognize a knight
driver projectile weapon. Roll against -6 to skill until you familiarize yourself or a noble from his banner or shield,
Guns skill to hit your target. with all the differences. create attractive and proper arms
(without conflicting with existing
Make an IQ-based skill roll to take Modifiers: All applicable ranged designs), etc.
immediate action (e.g., eject a dud combat modifiers; -2 for an unfamiliar
round), should your weapon fail. action (e.g., an automatic when you’re In some settings, you might have to
used to a revolver) or grip (e.g., a specialize in a particular type of
You must specialize by weapon shoulder-fired antitank weapon when Heraldry: Coats of Arms (the usual
type. The available specialties vary by you’re used to a bipod), or for an unfa- specialty, described above), Corporate
TL, but include one or more of: miliar weapon of a known type (e.g., a Logos (defaults to Current Affairs
5.56mm rifle when you are used to a (Business)-3), or even Graffiti Tags
Grenade Launcher (GL): Any large- 7.62mm rifle); -4 or more for a (defaults to Streetwise-3).
bore, low-powered small arm that weapon in bad repair.
fires a bursting projectile. Includes Modifiers: Cultural Familiarity
under-barrel grenade launchers, flare Hazardous IQ/Average modifiers (p. 23). Up to +5 to recog-
pistols, and ultra-tech “tanglers.” Materials/TL† nize a well-known design, and down
to -5 for an obscure design or one that
Gyroc: Any kind of small arm that Default: IQ-5. was retired long ago.
fires miniature rockets.
This is the skill of transporting, Herb Lore/TL
Light Anti-Armor Weapon (LAW): storing, and disposing of hazardous
All forms of rocket launchers and materials (“HazMat”). It includes IQ/Very Hard
recoilless rifles. preparing the records that accompany
HazMat shipments; applying and Defaults: None.
Light Machine Gun (LMG): Any identifying warning labels and mark- Prerequisite: Naturalist.
machine gun fired from the hip or a ings; and knowledge of countermea-
bipod. sures, antidotes, and containment and This is the ability to manufacture
decontamination procedures. (To herbal concoctions that have magical
Musket: Any kind of smoothbore operate personal protective gear, use effects – healing balms, love potions,
long arm (usually, but not always, a the NBC Suit skill, p. 192.) etc. It only exists in magical game
black powder weapon) that fires a worlds, where it functions much as
solid projectile. You must specialize by type of Alchemy skill (p. 174). Unlike
HazMat. Common specialties are Alchemy, Herb Lore does not include
Pistol: All kinds of handguns, Biological, Chemical, and Radio- the ability to analyze “elixirs.” On the
including derringers, pepperboxes, active, but more exotic options (e.g., other hand, an expert at this skill can
revolvers, and automatics, but not Magical or Nanotech) may exist in locate magical ingredients for free in
machine pistols. some settings. Mundane specialties the wild by making a few Naturalist
default to one another at -5; exotic rolls, while an alchemist requires rare
Rifle: Any kind of rifled long arm – specialties often have no default at all. and expensive materials (such as alka-
assault rifle, hunting rifle, sniper rifle, hest, dragon’s blood, gemstones, and
etc. – that fires a solid projectile. Whenever you deal with HazMat in gold) to do his work.
any capacity, roll against the lower of
Shotgun: Any kind of smoothbore the skill used for the task (Driving, Hidden Lore† IQ/Average
long arm that fires multiple projectiles Freight Handling, etc.) and the appli-
(flechettes, shot, etc.). cable Hazardous Materials specialty Defaults: None.
or default. Note that the IQ-5 default
Submachine Gun (SMG): All short, represents any layman’s knowledge of This skill represents knowledge
fully automatic weapons that fire pis- household hazards. HazMat profes- that is lost, deliberately hidden, or
tol-caliber ammunition, including sionals deliberately keep certain simply neglected. Whatever the rea-
machine pistols. aspects of this skill (notably HazMat son, the general public is unaware of
markings) obscure to avoid alarming it. It is only available to those who
Most of these specialties default to the general public. The default does study it specifically.
one another at -2, but defaults involv- not apply when dealing with such
ing GL, Gyroc, or LAW are at -4 in things. You must specialize in a particular
either direction. The weapons covered body of secret knowledge. If you wish
by each specialty vary by TL. For Heraldry to enter play with Hidden Lore skills,
example, Guns (Rifle) covers muzzle- you must account for this specific
loaders at TL4, lever actions at TL5, IQ/Average knowledge in your character story.
and self-loaders at TL6+. In particular, The GM might even require you to
ammunition varies with TL, from Defaults: IQ-5 or Savoir-Faire purchase an Unusual Background
black powder and loose shot at TL4, to (High Society)-3. before you can learn Hidden Lore
smokeless powder cartridges at TL6, skills. Of course, the GM is also free to
to power cells and metallic slivers for This is the skill of recognizing and forbid Hidden Lore skills to starting
TL9+ electromagnetic guns. designing coats of arms, crests, flags, characters . . . or to PCs in general!

Familiarity is crucial here! Guns
(Rifle) covers both bolt-action
12.7mm sniper rifles and 5.56mm
assault rifles, but going from one to
the other gives you -2 for weapon type
(12.7mm to 5.56mm), -2 for action

SKILLS 199

To acquire Hidden Lore in play, p. 176). A successful skill roll lets you (usually with their cooperation). An
you must find a reliable source of rel- answer questions about history, and item’s size and shape govern its con-
evant information. The GM may might (at the GM’s option) allow you cealability. Some examples:
choose to tie skill increases in Hidden to remember a useful parallel: “Ah,
Lore to specific acts – such as reading yes. Hannibal faced a situation like +4: A BB-sized jewel, a postage
moldy tomes – instead of allowing you this once, and here’s what he did . . .” stamp.
to spend points freely. For instance, an
ancient manuscript might let you You must specialize. There are two +3: A pea-sized jewel.
spend up to eight points (and no general classes of specialty: +2: One lockpick, a huge jewel, a
more) on a specific Hidden Lore skill. dime, a TL9+ computer disk, a letter.
• A limited geographical region – +1: A set of lockpicks, a silver dol-
Remember that most Hidden Lore no larger than a small nation – over lar.
is secret because somebody powerful multiple eras. Examples: History 0: A TL8 floppy disk or CD, without
wants it kept that way. Thus, dis- (Bavarian), History (Irish), or History case.
cussing or revealing your knowledge (New York State). -1: A dagger, a slingshot, the tiniest
can be extremely hazardous. handgun or grenade.
• A single era (e.g., Victorian peri- -2: An average handgun (e.g., a
Possible Hidden Lore specialties od, 20th century) and one of a broad Luger), a grenade, a large knife.
include: geographical region (e.g., Europe), -3: A submachine gun, a short-
a culture (e.g., Muslim), or an sword, a short carbine.
Conspiracies: You know details idea (e.g., economic, esoteric, -4: A broadsword, an assault rifle.
about the conspiracies that underlie or military). Examples: History -5: A bastard sword, a battle rifle.
every aspect of society. This is factual (20th-Century American), History -6: A crossbow, a heavy sniper rifle.
knowledge (e.g., truths about the (Ottoman Muslim), or History
Illuminati), not the ability to analyze (Napoleonic Military). Things that move or make noise
conspiracies. Only available in set- give an additional -1 or more to skill.
tings where vast conspiracies really do The sheer variety of possible spe-
exist. cialties makes it impossible to list all Clothing also modifies effective
possible defaults. In general, if two skill. A Carmelite nun in full habit (+5
Demon Lore: You know the secrets specialties overlap at all, then GM to skill) could conceal a bazooka or a
of Hell, the goals of demons in the should permit a default at -2 to -4. battle-axe from an eyeball search. A
mortal world, and possibly even the Las Vegas showgirl in costume (-5 to
names of specific demons. Hobby Skill skill) would have trouble hiding even a
dagger. Of course, the showgirl might
Faerie Lore: You have detailed DX or IQ/Easy escape search entirely (unless the
knowledge of the faeries and their guards were bored) because “She
secret kingdom(s). Default: DX-4 or IQ-4, depending obviously couldn’t hide anything in
on the controlling attribute. that outfit!” Full nudity is -7 to skill.
Spirit Lore: You know about ghosts
and other spirit entities – names, Many fields of study have little to A proper concealment holster
motivations, etc. do with adventuring or making a liv- helps conceal a weapon; use the
ing – but people study them nonethe- equipment modifiers on p. 345.
Hiking HT/Average less. Each of these is a separate Hobby Clothing designed specifically to hide
Skill. Those that require agility or a things gives a bonus of up to +4.
Default: HT-5. delicate touch (e.g., juggling, kite fly-
ing, needlepoint, and origami) are To spot a concealed item, roll a
This skill represents training for DX/Easy skills that default to DX-4, Quick Contest of Search skill vs.
endurance walking, hiking, and while those that focus on knowledge Holdout. Search defaults to
marching. It includes knowledge of and trivia (e.g., comic books, rock Perception-5 if you haven’t studied it.
how to pace yourself in different con- music, science fiction, and tropical See Search (p. 219) for additional
ditions, and how best to carry a pack. fish) are IQ/Easy skills that default to rules.
Make a Hiking roll before each day’s IQ-4.
march; on a success, increase the dis- Housekeeping IQ/Easy
tance traveled by 20%. The GM may A few points in a Hobby Skill can
allow bonuses for good maps and make roleplaying more fun – and pos- Default: IQ-4.
good walking shoes, but not for ter- sibly come in handy once in a while.
rain. If a party is traveling together, all You do not need a teacher to learn or This is the ability to manage a
must make the Hiking roll in order to improve a Hobby Skill. However, you household. It covers both home eco-
get the increased distance. See Hiking cannot learn skills defined elsewhere nomics and domestic chores: clean-
(p. 351). in this chapter as Hobby Skills. ing, cooking (but not haute cuisine,
which requires the Cooking skill),
History† IQ/Hard Holdout minor repairs (any routine mainte-
nance task that calls for a roll against
Default: IQ-6. IQ/Average Carpentry, Sewing, or a similar skill at
+4 or better), etc. The main use of
This is the study of the recorded Defaults: IQ-5 or Sleight of Hand-3. Housekeeping is to qualify for the job
past (compare Archaeology skill,
This is the skill of concealing items
on your person or on other people

200 SKILLS

of “homemaker,” but it can come in Immovable Stance Projectile: Any solid projectile or
handy on adventures – for instance, to pseudo-solid energy bolt (e.g., Fireball
clean up evidence! DX/Hard spell) emitted from the hands. To use
this skill, you must have at least one
Hypnotism Defaults: None. unrestrained hand (although it need
Prerequisite: Trained By A Master. not be empty).
Defaults: None.
IQ/Hard This skill allows you to anchor These specialties default to one
yourself to the ground by properly another at -2.
This is the skill of inducing a sug- channeling your chi, using secret bal-
gestible state in another person ancing techniques, etc. Make a skill You use this skill to direct your
through verbal or mechanical means. roll whenever an attack (e.g., a shove attack, not to activate it; therefore,
It requires five seconds and a success- or the Push skill, p. 216) would result restrictions such as “you cannot be
ful skill roll to use. If you fail on a in knockback or a fall. gagged” apply strictly to your ability to
cooperative subject, you may try again. make ranged attacks. If you can trigger
The second attempt takes five min- On a success, you neither experi- your attack while restrained, no skill
utes, and the roll is at -5. If this ence knockback nor fall down. On a roll is needed to attack your restraints!
attempt fails, you may not try to hyp- failure, you are knocked back but still
notize the subject again that day. get the usual DX roll to avoid falling You can only learn this skill for
down. On a critical failure, you auto- ranged attacks. Use Brawling (p. 182)
A successful Hypnotism attempt matically suffer full knockback and to improve your odds with abilities
puts the subject to sleep. This counts you fall down. that require a touch.
as an anesthetic for the purpose of
Surgery. At the GM’s option, further This skill also helps against attacks Intelligence Analysis/TL
Hypnotism rolls might help the sub- with the Judo skill (p. 203). If you fail
ject remember something he had for- your active defense (or choose not to IQ/Hard
gotten, while Psychology rolls might defend) against a Judo throw, your
help him get over mental problems. attacker must win a Quick Contest of Defaults: IQ-6 or Strategy (any)-6.
Judo vs. your Immovable Stance skill,
A hypnotized individual is extreme- or his throw fails. This is the ability to analyze and
ly suggestible. Roll a Quick Contest of interpret intelligence data. It allows
Hypnotism vs. the victim’s Will for Modifiers: -1 per yard of potential you to deduce enemy plans and capa-
each suggestion. The subject resists knockback; +4 for Perfect Balance bilities, evaluate the accuracy of infor-
suggestions that threaten his life or his (p. 74). mation, rate the reliability of sources,
loved ones, or that go strongly against etc. In most game worlds, only intelli-
his character, at +5. You may also give Innate Attack† DX/Easy gence, military, and security services
“posthypnotic suggestions,” instruct- teach this skill – often only to those
ing the subject to do something in Default: DX-4. with a minimum level of Rank or
response to a trigger after the hypno- Security Clearance.
sis ends. The subject’s resistance roll This skill represents trained ability
for such suggestions takes place when with a “built-in” ranged attack: fiery The GM makes all Intelligence
he encounters the trigger. He resists at breath, super-powered energy bolts, Analysis rolls in secret. On a success,
+1 to Will per week since he was hyp- etc. Learn it to improve your odds of he provides details about the signifi-
notized. hitting with Afflictions (p. 35), cance and accuracy of your data, or
Bindings (p. 40), Innate Attacks insights into what it means in terms of
You cannot use Hypnotism as an (p. 61), magical jets and missiles, and enemy planning. When you encounter
attack, except in highly cinematic similar attacks that originate from you deliberately falsified data, the GM
games. You can use it on an unaware as opposed to a weapon in your hand. rolls a secret Quick Contest: your
or unwilling subject out of combat, Roll against skill to hit. Intelligence Analysis vs. the enemy’s
but he resists at Will+5. If he resists skill at disinformation (Forgery,
the initial attempt, he is considered You must specialize: Propaganda, etc.). If you win, the GM
uncooperative, and you may not make provides details on precisely what is
a second attempt that day. A subject Beam: Any energy blast, magical wrong with the information. It is up to
who is unfamiliar with Hypnotism jet, etc. emitted from the hands. To use you to deduce what this means, how-
might not know what you attempted, this skill, you must have at least one ever!
but he suspects something – possibly unrestrained hand (although it need
witchcraft! not be empty). This skill has nothing to do with
gathering intelligence. Use Current
In all cases, a hypnotic trance lasts Breath: Any attack emitted from Affairs (p.186) and Research (p. 217) to
1d hours unless you end it sooner. the mouth, such as dragon’s fire or sift through public sources; Forensics
acidic sputum. To use this skill, you (p. 196) and Search (p. 219) to find
Modifiers: +2 if you send hypnotic cannot be gagged and you must be physical clues; Observation (p. 211) for
suggestions via Telesend (see Tele- facing your target. human surveillance; and Electronics
communication, p. 91), since voices in Operation (p. 189) to work with the
the head are harder to ignore. Gaze: Any attack emitted from the satellite imagery, communications
eyes – heat vision, a petrifying stare, intercepts, and related “technical
etc. To use this skill, you cannot be means” common at TL7+.
blindfolded and you must be facing
your target.

SKILLS 201

You may take an optional specialty convince the subject that you are able your Size Modifier and subtract the
(p. 169) in one particular type of intel- and willing, perhaps even eager, to do subject’s. Appropriate Reputation mod-
ligence. A useful specialty at TL6+ is something awful to him. ifiers (positive or negative) certainly
Intelligence Analysis (Traffic count! You get -1 for Oblivious (p. 146)
Analysis): identifying the purpose and You can substitute an Intimidation and -1 to -4 for Shyness (p. 154).
organization of targets by examining attempt for any reaction roll; see Subtract the subject’s Fearlessness
intercepted communications traffic. Influence Rolls (p. 359). Exception: (p. 55) from your roll. The GM may
You cannot intimidate someone who assign a +1 or -1 for especially appro-
Modifiers: -1 to -5 for incomplete has the Unfazeable advantage! priate or clumsy dialog. Requests for
information; -3 if all your information aid are always at -3 or worse.
comes from a single source; -3 for The results of a successful
intelligence concerning an arcane sci- Intimidation attempt depend on the Invisibility Art
entific or bureaucratic principle, target. An honest citizen probably
unless you have skill in that area (e.g., cooperates, sullenly or with false IQ/Very Hard
Engineer (Electronics) for intelligence cheer. A low-life might lick your boots
regarding a radar installation). (even becoming genuinely loyal). A Defaults: None.
really tough sort might react well Prerequisites: Trained By A Master,
Interrogation without being frightened: “You’re my and both Hypnotism and Stealth at
kind of scum!” The GM decides, and 14+.
IQ/Average roleplays it. If you rolled a critical suc-
cess – or if the subject critically failed This is the fabled skill, often attrib-
Defaults: IQ-5, Intimidation-3, or his Will roll – your victim must make uted to ninja and other martial-arts
Psychology-4. a Fright Check in addition to the other masters, of being able to stand in plain
results of the Influence roll! sight without being noticed. It
This is the ability to question a pris- requires one second of concentration
oner. Only intelligence agencies, police Group Intimidation: You may to activate. After that time, roll a
and prison services, the military, and attempt to intimidate up to 25 people Quick Contest once per second: your
the underworld teach this skill. at once, at -1 to skill per five people (or Invisibility Art vs. the Vision roll of
fraction thereof) in the group. each person who can see you.
Roll a Quick Contest of Multiple intimidators can attempt to
Interrogation vs. the prisoner’s Will for intimidate proportionally larger Viewers must apply the current
each question. This requires 5 minutes groups; for instance, three thugs could darkness penalty to their Vision roll. A
per question. If you win, you get a try to intimidate up to 75 people! Base viewer who is concentrating on some-
truthful answer. If you tie or lose, the the skill penalty on the size of the tar- thing else or otherwise distracted is at
victim remains silent or lies. If you lose get group divided by the number of -3; one who is specifically looking for
by more than five points, he tells you a intimidators (round up). Resolve the intruders gets +3. If someone sees you
good, believable lie! The GM roleplays outcome with a single Quick Contest: and raises the alarm, by pointing and
the prisoner (or, if you are the prisoner, the highest effective Intimidation skill crying out, those who believe the
the GM will roleplay the interrogator) from among the intimidators vs. the warning get +3 on their next roll.
and makes all die rolls in secret. highest modified Will in the target
group. If you win, that person is unable to
Modifiers: -5 if the prisoner’s loyal- see you for one second. Otherwise, he
ty to his leader or cause is “Very Good” Specious Intimidation: You can can see you normally. Once someone
or “Excellent”; -3 for Low Empathy attempt a Quick Contest of Fast-Talk notices you, he is unaffected by this
(p. 142); +2 for a lengthy interrogation vs. the subject’s IQ before your skill until you can get out of sight
(over two hours); +3 if you use severe Intimidation attempt in order to somehow (which might be as easy as
threats; +6 if you use torture*. appear to be intimidating when you stepping into a shadow), whereupon
Increase these last two bonuses by +1 can’t back it up. If you win, you are at you may try again.
if you have the Callous disadvantage +3 on the subsequent Intimidation
(p. 125)! attempt, which can go a long way Note that this skill does not work at
toward offsetting the high Will and all in combat. In particular, if you
* “Torture” does not necessarily Fearlessness of martial arts masters, attack anyone, you will immediately
mean thumbscrews and the rack. world leaders, etc. If you tie or lose, become visible to everyone!
Exposing a prisoner to the object of his however, your Intimidation attempt
phobia (see Phobias, p. 148) is an effec- fails automatically, and you suffer a Modifiers: +3 if you use a smoke
tive torture, as is a believable threat “Very Bad” reaction instead of just a bomb or flash grenade before you
against a loved one. Note that tortur- “Bad” one! attempt your roll (you appear to van-
ing a prisoner is usually considered vile ish in a cloud of smoke). Your move-
behavior, likely bringing retribution. Modifiers: +1 to +4 for displays of ment modifies your skill roll rather
strength, bloodthirstiness, or supernat- than viewers’ Vision rolls: no modifier
Intimidation ural powers (GM’s judgment); increase if you stand still (Move 0), -1 if you
this bonus by +1 if you are Callous move at a slow walk (Move 1), -2 at a
Will/Average (p. 125). Appearance (p. 21) matters: +2 fast walk (Move 2), or -5 at a run
if you are Hideous, +3 if Monstrous, or (Move 3+). If you stand perfectly still
Defaults: Will-5 or Acting-3. +4 if Horrific. Size also matters: add (requires a successful Breath Control
or Meditation roll), you get +1.
This is the skill of hostile persua-
sion. The essence of Intimidation is to

202 SKILLS

Jeweler/TL weapon or drop a shield. If you grapple against an armed foe. In addition,
a foe using Judo, and he fails to break Karate gives an improved retreating
IQ/Hard free, you may make a Judo attack to bonus when you parry; see Retreat
throw him on your next turn, exactly (p. 377). For more on parrying bare-
Defaults: IQ-6, Smith (Copper)-4, as if you had parried his attack. handed, see Parrying Unarmed (p. 376).
or Smith (Lead and Tin)-4.
To use Judo, any hand with which To use Karate, any hand with
This is the ability to work with pre- you wish to parry or grapple must be which you wish to strike or parry must
cious metals, make jewelry, decorate empty. Because Judo relies heavily on be empty (but you are free to wear
weapons, etc. A successful skill roll footwork, all Judo rolls and Judo par- heavy gauntlets, brass knuckles, etc. to
allows you to identify a precious metal ries take a penalty equal to your increase damage). Because Karate
or gem, or determine the value of a encumbrance level. For instance, relies heavily on footwork, all Karate
precious bauble. Heavy encumbrance would give you attacks and parries take a penalty
-3 to hit or to parry an enemy attack. equal to your encumbrance level. For
Jitte/Sai instance, Heavy encumbrance would
Jumping give you -3 to hit or to parry an enemy
see Melee Weapon, p. 208 attack.
Defaults: None.
Judo DX/Easy Kiai

Defaults: None. DX/Hard HT/Hard

This skill represents any advanced This skill represents trained jump- Defaults: None.
training at unarmed throws and grap- ing ability. When you attempt a diffi- Prerequisites: Trained By A Master
ples – not just the eponymous cult jump, roll against the higher of or Weapon Master.
Japanese martial art. Jumping or DX. In addition, you may
use half your Jumping skill (round You can channel your chi outward
Judo allows you to parry two differ- down) instead of Basic Move when in a mighty shout (kiai) that freezes
ent attacks per turn, one with each calculating jumping distance. For lesser foes. This counts as an attack,
hand. Your Parry score is (skill/2) + 3, instance, Jumping-14 would let you and costs 1 FP per attempt, successful
rounded down. This parry is not at the jump if you had Basic Move 7. See or not.
usual -3 for parrying a weapon bare- Jumping (p. 352).
handed, greatly reducing the likeli- Roll a Quick Contest: your Kiai
hood of injury when you defend Karate DX/Hard skill vs. your target’s Will. You are at -1
against an armed foe. In addition, for every full two yards of distance.
Judo gives an improved retreating Defaults: None. Your victim resists at +1 if he is Hard
bonus when you parry; see Retreat of Hearing, at +2 if Deaf! If you win,
(p. 377). For complete rules for parry- This skill represents any advanced your target is mentally stunned (see
ing barehanded, see Parrying Unarmed training at unarmed striking, not just Effects of Stun, p. 420).
(p. 376). the Okinawan martial art of karate.
Roll against Karate to hit with a This skill only works against a sin-
On the turn immediately after a punch (at no -4 for the “off” hand), or gle victim; everyone can hear the
successful Judo parry, you may Karate-2 to hit with a kick. You cannot shout, but your chi is focused on that
attempt to throw your attacker if he is use Karate to attack with claws, teeth, one foe. However, a successful Kiai
within one yard. This counts as an etc., or with a blackjack – use roll gives you +2 to Intimidation rolls
attack; roll vs. Judo skill to hit. (Note Brawling (p. 182) for that. Karate skill vs. everyone within earshot.
that in an All-Out Attack, you cannot does let you make several special
attempt two throws, but you can make attacks, however; see Special Unarmed Knife
one attempt at +4.) Your foe may use Combat Techniques (p. 403).
any active defense – he can parry your see Melee Weapon, p. 208
hand with a weapon! If his defense Karate improves damage: if you
fails, you throw him. know Karate at DX level, add +1 per Knot-Tying
die to basic thrust damage when you
When you throw a foe, he falls calculate damage with Karate attacks: DX/Easy
where you please. On a battle map, he punches, kicks, elbow strikes, etc. Add
lands in any two hexes near you. One +2 per die if you know Karate at DX+1 Defaults: DX-4, Climbing-4, or
of these hexes must be his starting or better! Work out damage ahead of Seamanship-4.
hex, your hex, or any hex adjacent to time and record it on your character
one of those hexes. Your victim must sheet. This is the ability to tie a wide vari-
roll against HT; a failed roll means he ety of knots quickly and efficiently. A
is stunned! If you throw him into Karate allows you to parry two dif- successful skill roll lets you make a
someone else, that person must roll ferent attacks per turn, one with each noose, tie someone up, etc. If you bind
against the higher of ST+3 or DX+3 to hand. Your Parry score is (skill/2) + 3, someone using this skill, he must win
avoid being knocked down. rounded down. This parry is not at the a Quick Contest of Escape vs. your
usual -3 for parrying a weapon bare- Knot-Tying skill to free himself.
Finally, you may use your Judo skill handed, greatly reducing the likeli-
instead of your DX for any DX roll hood of injury when you defend Modifiers: +1 per level of High
made in close combat except to draw a Manual Dexterity (p. 59), or -3 per
level of Ham-Fisted (p. 138).

SKILLS 203

Law (British Police), or field, such as
Law (British Criminal) and Law
(French Criminal), default to one
another at -4. If both region and field
differ, the default is -6 or worse.

In some times and places, a Quick
Contest of Law (Criminal) between
the defense and prosecution will
determine the outcome of a trial. In
others, Law functions as an Influence
skill (see Influence Rolls, p. 359) used
to sway the rulings of the judge.

Law enforcers nearly always have a
point or two in Law (Police) for their
region. This represents knowledge of
“proper procedure” when it comes to
arrests, evidence handling, interroga-
tion, etc.

Leadership IQ/Average

Default: IQ-5.

Kusari Law† IQ/Hard This is the ability to coordinate a
group. Make a Leadership roll to lead
see Melee Weapon, p. 208 Default: IQ-6. NPCs into a dangerous or stressful sit-
uation. (PCs can decide for themselves
Lance This skill represents knowledge of if they want to follow you!)
law codes and jurisprudence. A suc-
DX/Average cessful roll lets you remember, You may attempt a Leadership roll
deduce, or figure out the answer to a in combat if you spend your turn
Defaults: DX-5 or Spear-3. question about the law. Few legal doing nothing but giving orders and
Prerequisite: Riding. questions have clear-cut answers, encouragement. On a success, every-
however – even an expert will hedge one on your side who can hear you
The ability to use the lance: a long, his advice! (including PCs) has +1 on all combat-
spear-like weapon wielded from related Fright Checks and morale
horseback. This is not a Melee You must specialize. There are two checks, and on self-control rolls for
Weapon skill (see p. 208). You may not general classes of specialty: disadvantages that would reduce com-
use a lance to parry – you must block bat efficiency (such as Berserk and
or dodge enemy attacks. Cowardice – or Bloodlust, if you wish
to take prisoners). A critical success
Lasso • The laws of a particular political gives +2. The bonus lasts until your
region (e.g., Canada or France) within next turn, at which time you may roll
Defaults: None. a specific field (constitutional, con- again. A group can have only one
tract, criminal, police, etc.). Examples: leader, however! If multiple people
Law (British Criminal), Law attempt Leadership rolls, no one gets a
(Canadian Constitutional), and Law bonus.
(U.S. Contract).
Note that a minimum level of
• A specialized body of law not Leadership is often a prerequisite for
associated with a political region. high Rank (p. 29).
Examples: Law (Catholic Canon), Law
DX/Average (International), and Law (Space). Modifiers: Any bonus for Charisma
(p. 41); -3 for Low Empathy (p. 142);
This is the skill of throwing the lar- -1 to -4 for Shyness (p. 154). -5 if the
iat: a long rope or thong with a sliding NPCs have never been in action with
noose at one end. Its intended purpose you; -5 if you are sending them into
is to snare animals, but it can also danger but not going yourself; +5 if
entangle opponents in combat – see their loyalty to you is “Good”; +10 if
Special Ranged Weapons (p. 410). their loyalty is “Very Good.” If their
loyalty is “Excellent,” you do not have
Specialties within the same region, to roll!
such as Law (British Criminal) and

204 SKILLS

Leatherworking Linguistics IQ/Hard does not include plasma weapons,
which are often called “flamers”; use
DX/Easy Defaults: None. Beam Weapons skill for those.)

Default: DX-4. Sprayer: Any weapon that emits a
gas or atomized liquid (nerve gas,
This is the ability to work with This is the study of the principles sleeping gas, etc.), including an ordi-
leather to make belts, saddles, armor, upon which languages are based. A nary spray can used as an improvised
etc. A successful skill roll lets you successful skill roll lets you identify a weapon.
repair or create leather goods. Make language from a snatch of speech or
an IQ-based roll to design items that writing. As well, make a skill roll once Squirt Gun: Any weapon that fires a
are more artistic than functional. per month when learning a language low-pressure stream of liquid at the
without a teacher. On a success, you rate of one squirt per pull of the trigger.
Modifiers: Equipment modifiers learn at full speed rather than at 1/4
(p. 345); +1 per level of High Manual speed (see Learning Languages, p. 25). Water Cannon: Any weapon that
Dexterity (p. 59), or -3 per level of fires a continuous jet of high-pressure
Ham-Fisted (p. 138). liquid, usually but not always water,
with the intent of causing knockback.

Lifting HT/Average Literature can be useful for finding clues to
hidden treasure, sunken lands, Ancient Secrets,
Defaults: None. and the like.

This is the trained ability to use Lip Reading These specialties default to one
your strength to its best advantage another at -4. The weapons covered by
when you lift. Roll once per lift. On a Per/Average each specialty vary by TL; e.g., Liquid
success, increase your Basic Lift by Projector (Flamethrower) covers fire-
5% per point by which you made your Default: Perception-10. siphons loaded with Greek fire at TL4,
roll. This has no effect on encum- while at TL6, it covers backpack tanks
brance, or on how much you can This is the ability to see what others that project thickened fuel.
carry. See Lifting and Moving Things are saying. You must be within seven
(p. 353). yards, or have some means of bringing
your point of view this close. A suc-
Light Walk cessful skill roll lets you make out one Modifiers: All applicable ranged
sentence of a discussion – assuming, combat modifiers; -2 for heavy
DX/Hard of course, that you know the language. weapons when you are used to
If your subjects suspect that you can portable weapons (e.g., a flamethrow-
Defaults: None. read lips, they can hide their mouths er mounted on a tank when you are
Prerequisites: Trained By A Master, or subvocalize to thwart you. A critical used to a backpack model), or for an
and both Acrobatics and Stealth at failure on a Lip Reading roll – if you unfamiliar weapon of a known type; -4
14+. are where your victims could see you – or more for a weapon in bad repair.
means that you stared so much you
This skill allows you to exert very were noticed! Literature IQ/Hard
little pressure when you walk. On a
successful Light Walk roll, you leave Modifiers: All Vision modifiers (see Default: IQ-6.
no visible tracks. Tracking rolls to fol- Vision, p. 358).
low you automatically fail unless they This is the study of the great writ-
rely on something more than sight; Liquid Projector/TL† ings. A student of literature would be
thus, a human tracker would be baf- knowledgeable in the realms of old
fled, but bloodhounds would suffer no DX/Easy poetry, dusty tomes, criticism, etc.
penalty at all. This can be useful for finding clues to
Default: DX-4. hidden treasure, sunken lands,
You can also attempt to walk over Ancient Secrets, and the like. The
fragile surfaces without falling This is the ability to use a weapon work in question must be available in
through. Maximum Move under such that projects a stream of liquid or gas. a language you read.
circumstances is 1/3 normal (GM’s Roll against Liquid Projector skill to
decision). Thin ice would require an hit your target. Modifiers: -5 if you’re illiterate (see
unmodified Light Walk roll, while rice Literacy, p. 24) and relying on oral tra-
paper would require a roll at -8! Make an IQ-based Liquid Projector dition, save in pre-literate cultures,
roll to take immediate action (e.g., where this is the norm.
Finally, a successful Light Walk roll patch a leak), should your weapon fail.
can give a bonus to Stealth when your
intention is to move quietly. This You must specialize by weapon
bonus equals half your margin of suc- type:
cess, rounded down. Minimum bonus
is +1. Flamethrower: Any weapon that
projects burning liquid or gas. (This

SKILLS 205

Lockpicking/TL If you make the roll and open the lock, challenges can take more time, at the
each point by which you succeeded GM’s discretion.)
IQ/Average shaves five seconds off the required
time. (Safecracking and similar Note that if the lock has a trap or
Default: IQ-5. alarm attached, you must make a sep-
arate Traps roll to circumvent it.
This is the ability to open locks
without the key or combination. Modifiers: Equipment modifiers
Each attempt requires (p. 345); -5 if working by touch (e.g., in
one minute. total darkness). Inside information
gives a bonus at GM’s discretion. If the
GM requires a DX-based roll (for
instance, to work with a particularly
delicate mechanism), modifiers for
High Manual Dexterity (p. 59) or
Ham-Fisted (p. 138) will apply.

Machinist/TL

IQ/Average

Defaults: IQ-5 or Mechanic (any)-5.

This is the skill of making and
modifying mechanical parts and tools.
A successful skill roll lets you build
parts from raw materials, manufac-
ture tools for use with another skill
(such as Armoury or Lockpicking), or
modify any simple mechanical device
not explicitly covered by another skill.
The GM may require an inventor to
make one or more Machinist rolls
before attempting an Engineer roll to
assemble a gadget.

Materials and component size vary
significantly with tech level. A TL5
machinist works mainly with brass
and steel components that can be seen
with the naked eye; a TL10 machinist
might work with carbon nanotubes.

Modifiers: Equipment modifiers
(p. 345).

Main-Gauche

see Melee Weapon, p. 208

Makeup/TL

IQ/Easy

Defaults: IQ-4 or Disguise-2.

This is the skill of using theatrical
makeup to enhance a performer’s
appearance. It is not just the ability to
make someone look “pretty” – you can
make yourself or others look older,
younger, or of a different race or
nationality. At TL6+, you can use pros-
thetics to further enhance the effect.
However, you cannot make someone
look taller or shorter than he actually
is.

206 SKILLS

Market Analysis others. To create or break codes, use powers. Types include Clockwork,
Cryptography skill (p. 186). Default: Steam Engine, Gasoline Engine,
IQ/Hard Cryptography-5. Diesel Engine, Gas Turbine, Fuel Cell,
Fission Reactor, Fusion Reactor, and
Defaults: IQ-6, Economics-5, or Pure: Generic “academic” mathe- Antimatter Reactor.
Merchant-4. matics. Make a skill roll to answer any
math-related question not covered by Vehicle Type: The controls, hull,
This is the skill of predicting the another specialty. Pure mathematics motive system, power plant, transmis-
short-term behavior of bond, stock, encompasses dozens of obscure sub- sion, and even the paint job of one spe-
and currency markets – usually in fields that will never affect the game. If cific type of vehicle listed under a vehi-
order to make money! It is the main job you must be an expert in something cle-operation skill such as Driving
skill of professional traders and specu- like “non-selfadjoint operator alge- (p. 188), Piloting (p. 214), or
lators. Make a skill roll to determine bras,” you may further note an option- Submarine (p. 223).
current market trends. On a critical al specialty (p. 169).
success, you also learn whether a trend Mechanic specialties default to one
will continue or reverse in the future. Statistics: The science of assem- another at -4, although the GM may
On a failure, you get no clear answer. bling and analyzing data for the pur- modify this for particularly close or dis-
On a critical failure, you guess wrong. pose of calculating probabilities, con- tant specialties. The systems covered by
structing models, and making fore- each specialty vary by TL. For instance,
Modifiers: The Talents (p. 89) of casts. Roll vs. skill to determine the Mechanic (Light Airplane) covers sin-
Business Acumen and Mathematical odds of a particular outcome, given gle-engine biplanes at early TL6, small
Ability both provide a bonus. sufficient data about similar situa- private jets at TL7, and so forth.
tions in the past.
Masonry IQ/Easy Familiarity is very important here.
Surveying: The science of deter- For instance, Mechanic/TL7 (Light
Default: IQ-4. mining the area of a portion of the Airplane) covers both propeller-pow-
Earth’s surface, the lengths and direc- ered seaplanes and small private jets,
This is the ability to build things tions of the bounding lines, and the but going from one to the other gives
out of brick or stone. contour of the surface. Make a skill you -2 for an unfamiliar item (prop-
roll to determine the dimensions of powered plane to jet) and -2 for an
Modifiers: Equipment modifiers any area you can see. More complex unfamiliar implementation (seaplane
(p. 345); -3 for simple engineering determinations require specialized to regular plane), for a net -4 to skill
(erecting scaffolding, moving large equipment. Defaults: Cartography-3 or until you familiarize yourself with all
blocks of stone, etc.) rather than Navigation (any)-4. the differences.
masonry per se.
These specialties default to one Modifiers: -2 for an unfamiliar item
Mathematics/TL† another at -5. within your specialty (e.g., a barge
when you’re used to battleships), or
IQ/Hard Mechanic/TL† for an unfamiliar implementation
(e.g., a powerboat engine when you’re
Defaults: IQ-6 and others. IQ/Average used to automobile engines); equip-
ment modifiers (p. 345).
This is the scientific study of quan- Defaults: IQ-5, Engineer (same)-4,
tities and magnitudes, and their rela- or Machinist-5. Meditation
tionships and attributes, through the
use of numbers and symbols. You This is the ability to diagnose and Will/Hard
must specialize: fix ordinary mechanical problems. A
successful skill roll will let you find or Defaults: Will-6 or Autohypnosis-4.
Applied: The branch of mathematics repair one problem.
that interacts directly with the physical This is the ability to calm the emo-
sciences and engineering, dealing with You must pick a specialty from tions, control the mind, and relax the
mathematical models of the behavior of within one of these four categories: body. To use this skill, you must con-
physical systems. Defaults: Engineer centrate for (20 - skill) seconds, mini-
(any)-5 or Physics-5. Machine Type: Any one class of mum one second, and then roll vs.
nonvehicular machine. Types include skill. On a success, you enter a trance-
Computer Science: The theoretical Micromachines (miniature machin- like state, which you can maintain for
study of data structures and computa- ery, invisible to the naked eye; TL9+), hours.
tion. Roll vs. skill to answer questions Nanomachines (molecular-scale
about what is possible with comput- machinery; TL10+), and Robotics A meditative trance is required for
ers. This gives you no special ability to (robots and automated factories; certain rituals and is a common
use computers! Default: Computer TL7+). preparation for prayer. In addition,
Programming-5. the GM may permit you to meditate
Motive System Type: Any one type on a particular moral dilemma. On a
Cryptology: The mathematical of propulsion system, regardless of successful Meditation roll, the GM
study of codes and ciphers. This gives vehicle type. Types include Legged, will “enlighten” you, providing a hint
you a theoretical understanding of Tracked, Wheeled, Rockets, and as to which course of action “feels”
encryption schemes, including how Reactionless Thrusters. right.
they change with TL and why
some schemes are more effective than Power Plant Type: Any one type
of power plant, no matter what it

SKILLS 207

Melee Weapon DX/Varies Rapier (DX/Average): Any long (over Polearm (DX/Average): Any very long
1 yard), light thrusting sword. Default: (at least 2 yards), unbalanced pole
Defaults: Special. Broadsword-4. weapon with a heavy striking head,
including the glaive, halberd, poleaxe, and
This is not one skill, but an entire Saber (DX/Average): Any light cut- countless others. Polearms become
collection of skills – one per class of and-thrust sword. Note that cavalry unready after an attack, but not after a
closely related melee weapons. Melee sabers are quite heavy, and use parry. Defaults: Spear-4, Staff-4, or Two-
Weapon skills are based on DX, and Broadsword instead. Defaults: Handed Axe/Mace-4.
default to DX-4 if Easy, DX-5 if Broadsword-4 or Shortsword-4.
Average, or DX-6 if Hard. See specific Spear (DX/Average): Any long, bal-
skill descriptions for other defaults. Smallsword (DX/Average): Any anced pole weapon with a thrusting
short (up to 1 yard), light thrusting point, including spears, javelins, tri-
Make a Melee Weapon roll to hit an sword or one-handed short staff (such dents, and fixed bayonets. Defaults:
opponent in combat. You may also use as the sticks used in the martial arts Polearm-4 or Staff-2.
these skills to parry. Your Parry arnis, escrima, and kali). Default:
defense is (skill/2) + 3, rounded down. Shortsword-4. Staff (DX/Average): Any long, bal-
anced pole without a striking head.
Melee weapons fall into broad cat- Flails This skill makes good use of the staff’s
egories on the basis of overall balance extensive parrying surface when
and function. When a rule refers to A flail is any flexible, unbalanced defending, giving +2 to your Parry
one of these categories, it applies to all weapon with its mass concentrated in score. Defaults: Polearm-4 or Spear-2.
weapons in that category and all the head. Such a weapon cannot parry
Melee Weapon skills used to wield if you have already attacked with it on Swords
them. For instance, “fencing your turn. Because flails tend to wrap
weapons” means “all weapons used around the target’s shield or weapon, A sword is a rigid, hilted blade with
with any of Main-Gauche, Rapier, attempts to block them are at -2 and a thrusting point, cutting edge, or both.
Saber, or Smallsword skill.” attempts to parry them are at -4. All swords are balanced, and can attack
Fencing weapons and knives cannot and parry without becoming unready.
Fencing Weapons parry them at all! An unarmed fighter
can parry a flail, but at -4 in addition Broadsword (DX/Average): Any bal-
Fencing weapons are light, one- to any penalty for parrying unarmed. anced, 2- to 4-foot blade wielded in
handed weapons, usually hilted one hand – broadsword, cavalry saber,
blades, optimized for parrying. If you The skills in this category default to scimitar, etc. This skill also covers any
have a fencing weapon, you get an one another at -3. stick or club of similar size and bal-
improved retreating bonus when you ance to these blades, as well as bastard
parry – see Retreat (p. 377). Flail (DX/Hard): Any one-handed swords, katanas, and longswords used
Furthermore, you have half the usual flail, such as a morningstar or nun- one-handed. Defaults: Force Sword-4,
penalty for parrying more than once chaku. Default: Axe/Mace-4. Rapier-4, Saber-4, Shortsword-2, or
with the same hand (see Parrying, Two-Handed Sword-4.
p. 376). Two-Handed Flail (DX/Hard): Any
two-handed flail. Defaults: Kusari-4 or Force Sword (DX/Average): Any
Note that fencing weapons are light Two-Handed Axe/Mace-4. sword with a “blade” made of energy
and likely to break when used to parry instead of matter. This generally refers
a heavier weapon. They cannot parry Impact Weapons to an ultra-tech weapon that projects
flail weapons at all! You must be rela- energy from a powered hilt, but
tively mobile to capitalize on their An impact weapon is any rigid, extends to similar effects produced
speed and maneuverability: all attacks unbalanced weapon with most of its using magic or psionics. Default: any
and parries take a penalty equal to mass concentrated in the head. Such a sword skill at -3.
your encumbrance level (e.g., Heavy weapon cannot parry if you have
encumbrance gives -3 to hit or to already attacked with it on your turn. Jitte/Sai (DX/Average): Any tined,
parry). one-handed sword designed to catch
The skills in this category default to rigid weapons. Jitte/Sai weapons are
The skills in this category default to one another at -3. built for disarming, and give +2 in the
one another at -3. They also default to Quick Contest to disarm an opponent
sword skills, as noted below. Axe/Mace (DX/Average): Any short- (see Knocking a Weapon Away, p. 401).
Furthermore, if you attempt to disarm
or medium-length, one-handed impact on the turn immediately after you
parry your opponent’s weapon, you
weapon, such as an axe, hatchet, need not roll to hit his weapon first.
Just state that you are attempting to
knobbed club, or pick. Default: Flail-4. disarm and move directly to the Quick
Contest! This still counts as an attack.
Two-Handed Axe/Mace Defaults: Force Sword-4, Main-
Gauche-4, or Shortsword-3.
Main-Gauche (DX/Average): Any (DX/Average): Any long, two-handed
weapon normally wielded with Knife Knife (DX/Easy): Any rigid, hilted
or Jitte/Sai skill (see below), used in impact weapon, such as a baseball blade less than one foot long, from a
the “off” hand. With this skill, you may pocketknife to a bowie knife. A knife
ignore the penalty for using the “off” bat, battleaxe, maul, or warhammer.
hand on defense (attacks are still at -4)
and the -1 for parrying with a knife. To Defaults: Polearm-4 or Two-Handed
wield a knife as a primary weapon, use
Knife skill. Defaults: Jitte/Sai-4 or Flail-4.
Knife-4.
Pole Weapons

Pole weapons are long (usually
wooden) shafts, often adorned with
striking heads. All require two hands.

208 SKILLS

has a very small parrying surface, hold it against the forearm in close specialize in such goods; -2 in an unfa-
which gives you -1 to your Parry score. combat. This grip lets you jab for miliar area, until you have had time to
Defaults: Force Sword-3, Main- thrust+1 crushing damage and parry familiarize yourself with local market
Gauche-3, or Shortsword-3. close-combat attacks at (skill/2) + 3, conditions; Cultural Familiarity modi-
rounded down. Roll vs. skill to change fiers (p. 23). These last two modifiers
Shortsword (DX/Average): Any bal- grips. On a success, the grip change is “stack,” and frequently occur together.
anced, one-handed weapon 1-2 feet in a free action. On a failure, you must
length – including the shortsword and spend the entire turn changing grips. A Metallurgy/TL
any club of comparable size and critical failure means you throw your
balance (e.g., a police baton). weapon away! Default: Shortsword-3. IQ/Hard
Defaults: Broadsword-2, Force
Sword-4, Jitte/Sai-3, Knife-4, Saber-4, Mental Strength Defaults: Chemistry-5, Jeweler-8, or
Smallsword-4, or Tonfa-3. Smith (any)-8.
Will/Easy
Two-Handed Sword (DX/Average): This is the study of metals and
Any balanced, two-handed blade over 4 Defaults: None. their properties. A successful roll lets
feet in length: greatswords, zweihan- Prerequisites: Trained By A Master you identify metals or alloys, or solve
ders, etc. This skill also covers or Weapon Master*. a problem concerning metals, their
quarterstaffs wielded like swords, as * At the GM’s option, a mage or psi use, mining, or refining.
well as bastard swords, katanas, and may also learn this skill.
longswords used two-handed. Defaults: Meteorology/TL†
Broadsword-4 or Force Sword-4. You can actively focus your mind
to resist mental attacks. This skill IQ/Average
Whips replaces Will when you resist magic
spells, psi powers, Hypnotism, Default: IQ-5.
A whip is a flexible weapon made Invisibility Art, Kiai, and similar abili-
from a length of chain, leather, wire, ties. Mental Strength does not replace This is the study of the weather,
etc. A whip can be up to seven yards most normal Will rolls. Furthermore, and the ability to predict it. It includes
long – but note that a whip two yards it does not work if you are stunned, familiarity with technological aids
or more in length cannot strike at one asleep, or unconscious – for that, buy such as barometers and satellite maps,
yard or closer, and is slow to ready the Mind Shield advantage (p. 70). but you can still function without your
after an attack. A whip tends to wind instruments. (If you can’t, you’re a
around its target, making it an excel- Merchant IQ/Average meter-reader, not a meteorologist!)
lent disarming and entangling
weapon. However, a whip’s lack of Defaults: IQ-5, Finance-6, or When you wish to predict the
rigidity makes it a poor parrying Market Analysis-4. weather, the GM rolls against your skill
weapon. For details, see Special Melee in secret. On a success, he tells the
Weapon Rules (p. 404). This is the skill of buying, selling, truth; on a failure, he answers ran-
and trading retail and wholesale domly, or lies. Each skill roll predicts
The skills in this category default to goods. It involves bargaining, sales- the weather for one day. If one day’s
one another at -3. manship, and an understanding of roll fails, subsequent ones can’t suc-
trade practices. It covers all types of ceed. For instance, a three-day forecast
Force Whip (DX/Average): Any whip merchandise, but many merchants would require three skill rolls: the first
made of pure energy instead of matter. have an optional specialty (p. 169) in a for tomorrow, the second for the next
These are usually ultra-tech devices single class of goods. day, and the third for the day after that.
that project energy from a powered
hilt, but magical or psi-tech versions Make a skill roll to judge the value A successful roll also allows you to
are possible. Most force whips can of any piece of common goods, find deduce what sort of general climate to
lash the target but not ensnare him. out where any commodity is bought expect when you visit a new area.
and sold, find the local fair market
Kusari (DX/Hard): A weighted value of any commodity, etc. At TL4 or less, this skill is called
chain wielded in two hands. Default: Weather Sense, and you get +2 to skill
Two-Handed Flail-4. When two merchants haggle, the in your home area. At TL5 and up,
GM may settle it with a Quick Contest. Meteorology is a scientific skill, and
Monowire Whip (DX/Hard): A whip The winner adds or subtracts 10% of you must specialize by planet type; see
made of a weighted length of fair value, depending on whether he Planet Types (p. 180) for details.
monomolecular wire attached to a was trying to sell or buy.
handle. Modifiers: Time is a major factor!
If you have this skill at any level, There is no penalty to predict tomor-
Whip (DX/Average): Any ordinary you get +1 on reaction rolls when buy- row’s weather, but you have -1 for 2
whip. ing or selling. If you have this skill at days, -2 for 3 days, -4 for 4 days, -6 for
level 20 or better, you get +2. 5 days, and an additional -2 per day
Other Weapons for each further day. Instrumentation
Modifiers: -3 for Gullibility (p. 137); becomes useful with the development
Some hand weapons defy easy -3 for Low Empathy (p. 142); -1 to -4 for of the barometer at TL4, after which
classification. For instance: Shyness (p. 154). -3 for illegal goods, equipment modifiers (p. 345) apply.
unless you have Streetwise at 12+ or You must know this skill at better than
Tonfa (DX/Average): A tonfa is a default to claim bonuses for good
baton with a protruding handle on one equipment.
side. It can function as a baton, but
you can also grasp it by the handle and

SKILLS 209

Mimicry† If you succeed, anyone who reads skill level of IQ-2 with the rest. Roll at
your mind must win a Quick Contest -1 per “instrument group” after the
IQ/Hard of his mind-reading ability vs. your first used in the piece; e.g., a jazz com-
Mind Block skill in order to get useful position for a saxophone section,
Defaults: IQ-6 and others. information. Otherwise, he gets noth- drums, and bass would require a roll
ing but poetry, multiplication tables, at -2.
This is the ability to imitate voices. etc. However, if you ever critically fail
The Voice advantage (p. 97) gives +2 to a Mind Block roll, you thought about To compose for an orchestra or
skill. You must specialize: precisely what the mind reader want- band with a conductor requires Group
ed to know – in detail – right there in Performance (Conducting) skill
Animal Sounds: Lets you emulate a the forefront of your mind! (p. 198) at IQ level. Roll at -1 per gen-
lion’s roar, a wolf’s howl, a frog’s croak, eral class of instruments after the first
etc. You can only imitate animals that This skill only works against mind used in the piece. Classes include
have distinctive sounds. Make a skill reading, not mind control or other brass, percussion, strings, and wood-
roll to attract animals of the type mim- mental attacks. If you have a super- winds. Treat choir, harp, organ, or
icked – or predators that normally natural mind shield, Mind Block acts piano as its own class.
hunt those animals – if any are nearby. as a last-ditch defense: only mental
To fool people, you must win a Quick probes that pierce your magical or This skill includes the ability to
Contest of Mimicry vs. the listeners’ psionic defenses and contact your read, write, and transcribe music in
Naturalist-3 or Perception-6. Default: mind will encounter the block. your culture’s notation system (if any).
Naturalist-6. Treat different systems – and different
Modifiers: +2 if you do nothing but musical traditions – as familiarities
Bird Calls: Allows you to reproduce concentrate on blocking; -3 if you are (see Familiarity, p. 169).
the whistles, chirps, and other sounds mentally or physically stunned; -2 or
made by birds. Otherwise, this more to hide emotions rather than Musical Influence
works as Animal Sounds. Default: thoughts, depending on how strong
Naturalist-6. the GM rules your emotions are – it’s IQ/Very Hard
hard to block your emotions while
Speech: Enables you to imitate sneaking up on your most hated Defaults: None.
vocal sounds. This does not allow you enemy! Prerequisites: Musical Ability 1 and
to converse in a foreign language, but either Musical Instrument or Singing
if you have heard it, you can repro- Monowire Whip at 12+.
duce the sound of it. If you are trying
to mimic a specific person, roll at -3. see Melee Weapon, p. 208 This cinematic skill allows you to
Treat this roll as a Quick Contest vs. influence the emotions of others by
the IQ of anyone who knows the per- Mount DX/Average playing a musical instrument or
son mimicked well. Defaults: Acting-6 singing. In some settings, this is a
or Linguistics-4. Default: DX-5. magical or psionic talent, or a special
form of hypnotism, and works with
Animal Sounds and Bird Calls This is the trained ability to serve any instrument, as well as with voice.
default to one another at -6. There is as a mount for a rider. If your Mount In other settings, this skill is associat-
no default between these specialties skill exceeds your rider’s Riding level, ed with a specific type of magical or
and Speech. he may use the average of the two ultra-tech instrument.
skills (round up) whenever he must
Note that if you have the Mimicry make a Riding roll. If you have any To attempt Musical Influence, you
advantage (p. 68), there is no need to points in this skill, your rider gets a must first get your audience to sit and
learn this skill! minimum +1 to skill. To throw an listen to your performance. You must
unwelcome rider, win Quick Contest also make a successful Musical
Mind Block of Mount vs. his Riding skill. Instrument or Singing roll. You may
then roll against your Musical
Will/Average Musical Composition Influence skill. On a success, you can
adjust the reaction roll of your audi-
Defaults: Will-5 or Meditation-5. IQ/Hard ence – to you or to anyone present –
up or down by an amount equal to
This ability allows you to establish Defaults: Musical Instrument-2, or your margin of success, to a maxi-
a mental block against psionic or mag- to Poetry-2 for song. mum of +3 (+4 for critical success).
ical attempts to eavesdrop on your
thoughts and emotions. The tech- This is the ability to compose a If you have only a few seconds, or
niques involved are wholly mundane – piece of music. A successful skill roll if the audience is not paying full atten-
for instance, doing complicated math- means the piece is a pleasant listening tion to your performance, you may
ematical calculations, or repeating experience. adjust reaction rolls by ±1 at most,
poetry over and over again. With suffi- regardless of your margin of success.
cient training, anyone can learn this To compose for an ensemble or
skill. band without a conductor, you must Listeners who do not wish to be
have a skill level of IQ with at least one influenced may resist with Will. Hard
To maintain a block, you must instrument in the composition and a of Hearing (p. 138) gives +4 to resist,
make a Mind Block roll once per and those with Deafness (p. 129) are
minute. You must roll every second in completely immune. However, some
combat or other stressful situations.

210 SKILLS

science-fiction devices generate vibra- tells you where you are or lets you This is the ability to use a net as a
tions that affect the body, in which plot a course. thrown or melee weapon. For detailed
case a listener’s sense of hearing is net rules, see Special Ranged Weapons
irrelevant. You must specialize: (p. 410).

It is up to the GM to determine Sea: Navigation by the stars and Observation
whether this skill works on animals as ocean currents. Modifiers: +3 if you
well as sapient beings. In classic have Absolute Direction (p. 34), or a Per/Average
fantasy, it just might! high-tech global positioning system
or inertial compass; -5 (and no use of Defaults: Perception-5 or
Musical Instrument† Astronomy default) if you lack high- Shadowing-5.
tech aids, the weather is bad, and the
IQ/Hard stars are hidden. Defaults: This is the talent of observing dan-
Astronomy-5 or Seamanship-5. gerous or “interesting” situations
Defaults: Special. without letting others know that you
Air: Navigation by the stars and by are watching. Use this skill to moni-
This is the ability to play a musical the terrain below. Modifiers are as for tor a location, a group of people, or
instrument. With a successful skill Navigation (Sea). Default: your immediate surroundings for
roll, you give a competent perform- Astronomy-5. concealed or tactically significant
ance. You must specialize in a partic- details. This is not the same as gath-
ular instrument. Defaults between Land: Navigation using landmarks ering clues or making a hands-on
specialties range from -3 for similar and the stars; also called “orienteer- search (use Forensics and Search,
instruments to “no default” for utterly ing.” Modifiers: +3 if you have respectively) – you always use
unrelated ones, such as Musical Absolute Direction or a high-tech Observation from a distance.
Instrument (Drums) and Musical substitute. Defaults: IQ-5,
Instrument (Harp). Cartography-4, or Mathematics A successful skill roll lets you
(Surveying)-4. gather information that is not specif-
This skill includes the ability to ically hidden. For instance, you could
read music in your culture’s notation Space: Navigating through ordi- case a bank for obvious cameras
system (if any). Treat different sys- nary interplanetary and interstellar before a robbery, learn the schedule
tems as familiarities (see Familiarity, space, usually at less than the speed of sentries, estimate the size of a
p. 169). of light (but some science-fiction crowd, or gauge the strength of
“warp drives” let you travel at faster- troops moving in the open. The GM
Naturalist† than-light speeds in normal space). may require an Intelligence Analysis
Modifiers: +2 for 3D Spatial Sense roll to interpret what you observe.
IQ/Hard (p. 34). Defaults: Astronomy-4 or
Mathematics (Applied)-4. To spot deliberately hidden details
Defaults: IQ-6 or Biology-3. – e.g., someone trying to sneak up on
Hyperspace: Also called “astroga- you, an armed man hiding in the
This skill – crucial for fantasy tion.” Similar to Navigation (Space), crowd, or a concealed machine-gun
druids and rangers – represents prac- but used when traveling through nest – you must win a Quick Contest
tical (as opposed to scientific) knowl- “jump space” or “hyperspace.” In set- of Observation skill vs. the Stealth,
edge of nature in its many forms. It tings with multiple faster-than-light Shadowing, or Camouflage skill (as
includes just enough Biology to tell drive technologies, there may be one appropriate) of the other party. The
dangerous plants and animals from Navigation specialty per drive type. GM should roll the Contest in secret,
benign ones; just enough Geology to Modifiers are as for Navigation and should not say, “You don’t see the
locate a cave to shelter in; and just (Space). Defaults: Astronomy-4 or machine gun nest concealed in the
enough Meteorology to know when to Mathematics (Applied)-4. bushes.”
take shelter. Roll vs. skill to do any of
these things. Air, Land, and Sea default to one If your attempt fails, you get no
another at -2. Space and Hyperspace details on an obvious item, or fail to
In settings where it is possible to default to one another at -5. There are spot a hidden one. On a critical fail-
visit other worlds, you must specialize no defaults between these two groups. ure, someone spots you and reacts
by planet. The specialties for planets poorly to the attention . . .
of the same type (see Planet Types, Modifiers: -1 to -10 for being in an
p. 180) default to one another at -4. unfamiliar area (GM’s discretion, but Modifiers: Acute Senses (p. 35), as
Any larger difference results in no an unfamiliar world, star system, etc. appropriate; modifiers for cover,
default. should give at least -5); equipment darkness, or size; -1 to -10 if the tar-
modifiers (p. 345). get is concealed by high-tech camou-
Navigation/TL† flage or “stealth” technology; +1 to
NBC Suit/TL +10 if you possess suitable surveil-
IQ/Average lance devices (a thermograph to spot
see Environment Suit, p. 192 a concealed sniper, binoculars to
Defaults: Special. observe troop movements, etc.) and
Net DX/Hard succeed at the skill roll to operate
This is the ability to find your them.
position through careful observation Default: Cloak-5.
of your surroundings and the use of
instrumentation. A successful roll

SKILLS 211

Occultism IQ/Average structure, etc. from fossil evidence. A Parachuting/TL
successful roll – with equipment
Default: IQ-5. modifiers (p. 345) for lab facilities – DX/Easy
identifies the approximate age of a
This is the study of the mysterious fossil. Default: DX-4.
and the supernatural. An occultist is
an expert on ancient rituals, haunt- You must specialize: This is the ability to survive a para-
ings, mysticism, primitive magical chute jump. Roll once per jump.
beliefs, psychic phenomena, etc. Note Micropaleontology: The study of Failure could mean anything from
that an occultist does not have to fossils too small to be seen with the drifting off course to panic that makes
believe in the material he studies! naked eye. This skill requires a lab. you drop your gear (GM’s option). A
critical failure means the chute did
In worlds where everyone knows Paleoanthropology: The study of not open or was fatally fouled (see
that paranormal powers exist, human fossils and tools, and the rela- Falling, p. 431). For a jump under bad
Occultism covers lore about these tion of primitive tribes to their habi- conditions, make a second roll on
powers and their users. A good roll tats. Also defaults to Anthropology-2. landing – for instance, to survive an
might provide insights into phenome- “ankle-breaker” landing without
na that aren’t related to known pow- Paleobotany: The study of vegetable injury, or to dodge trees on the way
ers. However, Occultism provides no fossils. down. Make an IQ-based roll to pack a
details on how talented individuals parachute.
invoke their powers. For instance, a Paleozoology: The study of prehis-
fantasy occultist would know what toric animals from fossilized bones, Modifiers: -2 if your body weight
magic can accomplish, and could pro- food, feces, footprints, etc. plus encumbrance exceeds your Basic
vide advice on slaying demons, but Lift¥10.
without Thaumatology skill (p. 225), These specialties default to one
he could not explain the gestures, another at -2.
words, and symbols used by wizards.
Note that an occultist does not have to believe
In campaigns where many super- in the material he studies!
natural forces coexist, the GM may
require occultists to specialize in such Panhandling Parry Missile Weapons
fields as Demonology (the study of
demons, possession, and pacts), IQ/Easy DX/Hard
Pneumatology (the study of spirits),
and Vampirology (the study of Defaults: IQ-4, Fast Talk-2, or Defaults: None.
vampires). Public Speaking-3.
This skill lets you parry thrown or
Packing This is the art of effective begging: missile weapons with a ready melee
who to approach, how to approach weapon. If you are wearing wrist-
IQ/Average them, and how to avoid legal entan- bands or gloves with DR 2+, or have at
glements. Roll once per hour of beg- least this much natural DR, you can
Defaults: IQ-5 or Animal Handling ging. also parry with your hands. Your
(Equines)-5. Parry score is (skill/2) + 3, rounded
On a success, you net $2.00 times down – but based on Parry Missile
This is the ability to get loads on your margin of success. On a critical Weapons skill, not your Melee
and off of pack animals quickly and success, you get some sort of unex- Weapon or unarmed combat skill.
efficiently. It also lets you get the best pected bonus – perhaps someone buys
performance from pack animals on you dinner or gives you a useful or Modifiers (to Parry): +4 to parry
the road, judge such beasts before saleable item (e.g., a raincoat or a new large thrown weapons (e.g., axes and
purchase, and select the best route for pair of shoes). On a failure, you spears); +2 to parry small thrown
a pack train. If the beasts are ornery receive nothing. On a critical failure, weapons (e.g., knives and shuriken);
or badly trained (GM’s judgment), you you are assaulted or have a run-in no modifier to parry arrows; -2 to
must make a successful Animal with the law. parry smaller low-tech missiles (e.g.,
Handling roll before you can attempt crossbow bolts and blowpipe darts).
a Packing roll. A caravan without at Modifiers: Any bonus for Charisma You cannot parry bullets or similar
least one master packer (Packing at (p. 41); +3 for Pitiable (p. 22); -1 to -4 high-tech projectiles! (Exception:
15+) moves at 80% its normal speed. for Shyness (p. 154). You may, if you Enhanced Time Sense allows you to
wish, apply the opposite of your usual parry bullets at -5.)
Paleontology/TL† appearance modifier – that is, a penal-
ty for being attractive or a bonus for Performance
IQ/Hard being unattractive – unless you are
Horrific or Monstrous (p. 21). The GM IQ/Average
Defaults: Biology-4 and others. may assign a bonus if there is a lot of
foot traffic in the area, or a penalty if Defaults: IQ-5, Acting-2, or Public
This is the science of fossil study. there is no one around. Speaking-2.
Make a skill roll to recognize fossils or
to deduce an organism’s habitat,

212 SKILLS

This is the ability to act on the You do not necessarily believe in This is the science dealing with the
stage or screen. It is different from the ideals of the philosophy you study. properties and interactions of matter
Acting in that you are trying to If you do, you may ask the GM to and energy. Beyond the basics (such
impress and entertain people – not make a secret roll against your as the behavior of moving bodies), a
deceive them. If you studied this skill Philosophy skill when you are faced physicist’s knowledge includes what-
formally, it includes the knowledge with a moral dilemma. On a success, ever is understood about electricity,
expected of a professional actor from the GM will “enlighten” you and pro- gravity, heat, light, magnetism, radia-
your culture and tech level (stage vide a hint as to which course of tion, and sound at his tech level.
directions, actor-agent-producer action “feels” right given your beliefs.
relations, etc.). At TL6+, most physicists have an
Photography/TL optional specialty (p. 169): acoustics,
Modifiers: +2 for Voice (p. 97); -1 to astrophysics, geophysics, nuclear
-4 for Shyness (p. 154); -2 for IQ/Average physics, optics, particle physics, quan-
Stuttering (p. 157). tum physics, relativity, solid-state
Defaults: IQ-5 or Electronics physics, etc. Some settings offer exotic
Persuade Operation (Media)-5. options, such as hyperspace physics
(the science of hyperspace and jump
see Enthrallment, p. 191 This is the ability to use a camera points), parachronic physics (the
competently, use a darkroom (TL5+) study of other realities and timelines),
Pharmacy/TL† or digital imaging software (TL8+), paraphysics (the physics of psi phe-
etc., and to produce recognizable and nomena), probability physics (the
IQ/Hard attractive photos. You may roll at study of probability manipulation),
default to use a camera, but not to and temporal physics (the science of
Defaults: IQ-6 and others. develop film or prints in a darkroom. time travel).

This is the skill of preparing medi- Modifiers: -3 for an unfamiliar cam- Physiology/TL†
cines to treat illness. (To work with era; -3 for a motion-picture camera.
noxious drugs, use Poisons skill, IQ/Hard
p. 214.) You must specialize: Physician/TL
Defaults: IQ-6, Diagnosis-5,
Herbal: The ability to make and IQ/Hard Physician-5, or Surgery-5.
administer remedies prepared from
plants. Make a Naturalist roll to locate Defaults: IQ-7, First Aid-11, or This is the study of the human
herbs. Before TL5, this is the only spe- Veterinary-5. body and its function. A physiologist
cialty available. It replaces Physician knows how bones, muscles, and
(below) and is frequently used in con- This is the ability to aid the sick organs work, and where they are
junction with Esoteric Medicine and the injured, prescribe drugs and located. In settings with multiple sapi-
(p. 192). At TL5+, this specialty care, etc. Make a skill roll to hasten ent species, you must specialize by
remains available, but Pharmacy natural recovery from injury (see race. Defaults between species (if any)
(Synthetic) is much more common. Recovery, p. 423), and whenever the are up to the GM.
Prerequisite: Naturalist. Defaults: GM requires a roll to test general med-
Biology-5, Herb Lore-5, or ical competence or knowledge. Apply Pickpocket
Naturalist-5. physiology modifiers (p. 181) if your
patient is of a different species from DX/Hard
Synthetic: The skill of preparing you.
drugs under “laboratory” conditions. Defaults: DX-6, Filch-5, or Sleight
To prescribe drugs, use Physician skill. At TL4 and below, this skill does not of Hand-4.
This specialty is only available at exist in most game worlds. Instead,
TL5+. Defaults: Chemistry-5 or use Esoteric Medicine (p. 192), This is the ability to steal a purse,
Physician-5. Pharmacy (Herbal) (above), or both. knife, etc., from someone’s person – or
to “plant” something on him.
Philosophy† IQ/Hard At TL5+, medical knowledge is
divided between Pharmacy If your victim is aware someone
Default: IQ-6. (Synthetic) and Physician. A physician may try to pick his pocket, or if he is
knows a great deal about drugs. He generally wary, you must win a Quick
This is the study of a system of can identify most drugs fairly easily Contest of Pickpocket vs. the higher of
principles to live by. You must special- (at -5 without laboratory facilities but his Perception or Streetwise skill. To
ize in a particular school of philoso- +3 if he takes the risk of smelling/tast- outwit a third party who is watching
phy; e.g., Confucianism, Marxism, or ing the substance), but he cannot for- you and the victim, you must win a
Stoicism. (If you study a religious phi- mulate them unless he also learns Quick Contest of Pickpocket vs. the
losophy, buy Theology skill, p. 226.) Pharmacy. watcher’s Observation skill.
When confronted with someone who
subscribes to this philosophy, a suc- Physics/TL Modifiers: +5 if the victim is dis-
cessful Philosophy roll might provide tracted; +10 if he is asleep or drunk;
insights into his behavior. IQ/Very Hard up to -5 for goods in an inner pocket;
and up to -10 for a ring or similar
Default: IQ-6. jewelry.
Prerequisite: Mathematics (Applied)
at TL5+.

SKILLS 213

Piloting/TL† DX/Average Helicopter: Any aircraft that uses Vertol: Any aircraft that flies by
rotors for both lift and thrust. brute-force application of thrust
Default: IQ-6. Defaults: Autogyro-2, Vertol-4, or rather than by using rotors or wings.
other Piloting at -5. Defaults: Contragravity-3, Helicopter-
This is the ability to operate a spe- 4, or other Piloting at -5.
cific type of aircraft or spacecraft. The High-Performance Airplane: Any
default is to IQ, because it takes intel- winged aircraft capable of flying faster Modifiers: +1 for 3D Spatial Sense
ligence to figure out the controls in an than 600 mph. Defaults: Aerospace, (p. 34); +1 for Perfect Balance (p. 74).
emergency, but when you learn this Heavy Airplane, or Light Airplane at -2 for an unfamiliar vehicle within
skill, always base it on DX. -2, or other Piloting at -4. your specialty (e.g., a twin-engine
plane when you are used to single-
Roll against Piloting for takeoffs High-Performance Spacecraft: Any engine craft); -2 or more for unusually
and landings, and in any hazardous space vehicle capable of accelerations primitive or extremely complex con-
situation. Failure by 1 indicates a of 0.1G or more. Defaults: Aerospace-4 trols; -4 or more for a plane in bad
rough job; failure by more indicates or Low-Performance Spacecraft-2. repair; -2 or more for bad flying
damage to the vehicle. A critical failure conditions.
is a crash! If you have skill 15+, a criti- Light Airplane: Any winged aircraft
cal failure requires an immediate sec- weighing 10 tons or less and flying at Poetry
ond roll. Only if the second roll is a fail- 600 mph or slower. Defaults: Glider,
ure does a mishap occur. Otherwise, it Heavy Airplane, High-Performance IQ/Average
was a “near thing,” averted by experi- Airplane, or Ultralight at -2, or other
ence. Air combat requires frequent Piloting at -4. Defaults: IQ-5 or Writing-5.
Piloting rolls as well.
Lighter-Than-Air: Any kind of air- This is the ability to compose
Make an IQ-based Piloting roll for ship or balloon. Default: other Piloting “good” poetry of any type native to
basic map reading or practical mete- at -5. your culture, in any language you
orology, or to recall aviation laws and know. A successful roll lets you write
regulations. Lightsail: Any spacecraft that uses a one good poem in an appropriate
lightsail, regardless of thrust. Default: amount of time (GM’s decision).
Remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) Low-Performance Spacecraft-4. A failed roll might mean that you
use this skill if the pilot uses some couldn’t get inspired – or that your
form of telepresence to mimic actual- Low-G Wings: Muscle-powered audience just didn’t care for your work
ly being in the cockpit. Otherwise, strap-on wings used in a low-gravity (for whatever reason).
make a DX-based roll against the environment with an atmosphere.
appropriate skill for the task the RPV Learn Flight (p. 195) for endurance Modifiers: The time modifiers
is performing (e.g., Forward Observer flying. Default: Glider-4. under Time Spent (p. 346) will often
for a surveillance drone). apply; Cultural Familiarity modifiers
Low-Performance Spacecraft: Any (p. 23); Language modifiers (p. 23).
You must specialize: space vehicle that accelerates at less
than 0.1G. Defaults: Aerospace-4 or Poisons/TL
Aerospace: Any vehicle capable of High-Performance Spacecraft-2.
atmospheric flight to and from orbit. IQ/Hard
Defaults: High-Performance Airplane- Ultralight: Any winged aircraft
2 or other Piloting at -4. weighing 0.5 tons or less and flying at Defaults: IQ-6, Chemistry-5,
200 mph or slower. Defaults: Glider or Pharmacy (any)-3, or Physician-3.
Autogyro: Any rotor-equipped air- Light Airplane at -2, other Airplane
craft that uses its rotors for lift but not specialties at -4, or other Piloting at -5.
thrust. Defaults: Helicopter-3, any
Airplane specialty at -4, or other
Piloting at -5.

Contragravity: Any aircraft that
relies on ultra-tech or magical levita-
tion. Defaults: Vertol-3 or other
Piloting at -5.

Flight Pack: Any “strap-on” aircraft.
Defaults: Vertol-4 or other Piloting at
-5.

Glider: Any kind of unpowered,
winged aircraft. Defaults: Light
Airplane or Ultralight at -2, or other
Piloting at -4.

Heavy Airplane: Any winged air-
craft weighing over 10 tons and flying
at 600 mph or slower. Defaults: High-
Performance Airplane or Light
Airplane at -2, or other Piloting at -4.

214 SKILLS

This skill represents practical can triple your ST by accepting an Modifiers: Physiology modifiers
knowledge of poisons. A successful extra -10 to the skill roll. (p. 181).
skill roll lets you (among other things)
recognize a poison-bearing plant in You can also use this skill in non- Pressure Secrets
the wild; extract the poison in a useful combat situations. For instance, you
form; recognize a poison by its taste in could use Power Blow to double or IQ/Very Hard
food or drink; identify a poison by triple your ST momentarily in order to
observing its effects (+3 if you are poi- move a heavy object. Such feats cost 1 Defaults: None.
soned); know a proper antidote; or FP and require a skill roll, as described Prerequisites: Trained By A Master
recognize or prepare the antidote above. and Pressure Points at 16+.
from its sources. Each of these feats
requires a separate roll. Modifiers: -10 if used instantly, This skill represents knowledge of
dropping to -5 after 1 turn of concen- the most vulnerable vital points of the
Modifiers: Acute Taste and Smell tration, -4 after 2 turns, -3 after 4 human body. It allows you to maim
(p. 35) gives a bonus to notice or rec- turns, -2 after 8 turns, -1 after 16 and kill by crushing and tearing vital
ognize a poison by taste or by scent. turns, and no penalty after 32 turns. organs and nerve clusters with deadly
Likewise, Discriminatory Smell and precision.
Discriminatory Taste (p. 49) give +4 to Pressure Points
these tasks when working by smell or To use this ability, you must make a
by taste, respectively. IQ/Hard successful unarmed attack. This
attack is at -2 in addition to any hit
Polearm Defaults: None*. location modifier (see Hit Location,
Prerequisites: Trained By A Master p. 398). If you hit, make a Pressure
see Melee Weapon, p. 208 or Weapon Master. Secrets roll.
* May default to Esoteric
Politics Medicine-4 in a cinematic campaign. On a success, any damage that pen-
etrates DR is doubled – or tripled if you
IQ/Average This is the art of striking pressure targeted the vital organs. In effect,
points in order to disable an oppo- your hands and feet have become
Defaults: IQ-5 or Diplomacy-5. nent. To use this ability, you must impaling weapons!
make a successful attack with Karate
This is the ability to get into office (or other appropriate combat skill; see You can also use this ability with
and get along with other politicians. It below). This attack is at -2 in addition locks and similar grappling attacks.
has nothing to do with administra- to any hit location modifier (see Hit This represents knowledge of exactly
tion! You can only learn Politics in Location, p. 398). If at least one point where to apply pressure to tear or
office or by working for someone in of damage penetrates the target’s DR, sprain joints and ligaments. After
office. A successful skill roll will give roll a Quick Contest of Pressure Points applying the lock, make a Pressure
you +2 on reactions from fellow vs. the victim’s HT. Secrets roll. On a success, double the
politicians. The GM may opt to han- damage, shock, or harmful effects of
dle an election as a Quick Contest of If you win, you temporarily disable the lock for that turn.
Politics. your target. A limb is paralyzed and
effectively crippled for 5d seconds. A This skill is unrealistic and poten-
Modifiers: +2 for Voice (p. 97); -3 hit to a torso pressure point interferes tially unbalancing. The GM should
for Low Empathy (p. 142); -1 to -4 with the victim’s breathing, resulting carefully weigh its impact before
for Shyness (p. 154). In some jurisdic- in suffocation (see Suffocation, allowing it, and may wish to make it
tions, money is another important p. 436); he may roll against HT every very difficult for PCs to learn – or even
modifier . . . second to recover. A hit to the face restrict it to deadly NPC opponents.
stuns the victim; he gets an IQ roll
Power Blow every second to recover. A blow to the Modifiers: Physiology modifiers
skull blinds the victim for 2d seconds; (p. 181).
Will/Hard see Blindness (p. 124).
Professional Skill
Defaults: None. You can also use Pressure Points
Prerequisites: Trained By A Master with Judo. Roll the Quick Contest DX or IQ/Average
or Weapon Master. described above after successfully
applying a lock. This is in addition to Defaults: Special.
This is the ability to draw on your any other effects of the lock.
inner strength to deliver a devastating Many realistic job skills are more
blow in melee combat. Roll once per The GM may permit warriors to useful for making a living than for
attack. Power Blow costs 1 FP per learn specialties of this skill for use adventuring. Most such skills do not
attempt, successful or not. with crushing weapons. Examples appear in this skill list – but you can
include Pressure Points (Bow) for use still learn them if you want! Each is a
If successful, double your ST for with blunt arrows, Pressure Points separate Professional Skill. If your
damage purposes for the next attack (Shortsword) for use with a baton, “adventuring” skills aren’t useful for
only. This attack takes all normal mod- and Pressure Points (Staff) for use earning money, a Professional Skill
ifiers, and must occur immediately with a staff. can help you earn a steady income. To
after the Power Blow roll. If you know qualify for most jobs, you will need
Power Blow at better than skill 20, you the relevant Professional Skill at
12+ (unless you are supposed to be
incompetent!).

SKILLS 215

Most professions encompass a civilian world. Use familiarity (p. 169) Experimental-5; Experimental does
body of knowledge. The associated to reflect the differences between not default to Applied, as a shrewd
Professional Skills are IQ/Average and these areas. observer of people may lack training
default to IQ-5, because the smarter in scientific procedures.
you are, the better you can recall and Propaganda works on groups, not
employ the techniques used at your individuals. The GM should set the Modifiers: +3 if you know the sub-
job. Examples include air traffic con- effective Will of the target group based ject well; +3 if the subject is of a
troller, barber, brewer, cooper, distiller, on its size, composition, and resist- known deviant personality type; +1 for
dyer, florist, game designer, journalist, ance to the desired outcome, and then Sensitive or +3 for Empathy (p. 51), or
prostitute, tanner, vintner, and use the Influence Rolls (p. 359) rules to -3 for Low Empathy (p. 142), if diag-
zookeeper. determine the results. Success might nosing a subject in your presence; -3
inform the target audience or even for Callous (p. 125), unless specifically
A few professions – glassblower, alter its perceptions. Propaganda rolling to deduce someone’s weak-
tailor, weaver, etc. – focus more on attempts nearly always take more time nesses so you can exploit them.
precision than on recall. These and exposure than ordinary Influence
Professional Skills are DX/Average rolls, however; how much time is up Public Speaking
and default to DX-5. to the GM.
IQ/Average
At the GM’s option, a given Prospecting/TL
Professional Skill might also default to Defaults: IQ-5, Acting-5,
other skills. For instance, “Journalist” IQ/Average Performance-2, or Politics-5.
would logically default to Writing-3.
Defaults: IQ-5 or Geology (any)-4. This is general talent with the spo-
The skills associated with highly ken word. A successful skill roll lets
paid or respected professions often This is the skill of finding valuable you (for instance) give a good political
have prerequisites. For instance, “Air minerals. A successful Prospecting roll speech, entertain a group around a
Traffic Controller” might require lets you locate minerals, judge good campfire, incite or calm a riot, or put
Electronics Operation (Sensors) skill. ore from a small sample (and gauge its on a successful “court jester” act.
Like defaults, prerequisites are up to commercial value), and find water by
the GM. using an “eye for country,” as Public Speaking includes skill with
described for Survival skill (p. 223). debate, oratory, and rhetoric, as well
You are free to create your own as ability with less formal activities
Professional Skills, subject to GM This skill is “applied geology,” and such as “punning” and storytelling.
approval. They should be unique and requires on-site examination. Not all speakers possess talent in all of
well defined, not just a compilation of Prospecting from a distance – using these areas. You may take an optional
existing skills. For example: maps, instrument readings, and specialty (p. 169) to represent this.
extrapolation – uses Geology skill
Bartender instead. Modifiers: Any bonus for Charisma
IQ/Average (p. 41); +2 for Voice (p. 97); -1 to -4 for
Modifiers: Equipment modifiers Shyness (p. 154); -2 for Stuttering
Defaults: IQ-5 or Carousing-3. (p. 345); -1 in a new area of a familiar (p. 157); Cultural Familiarity modi-
type, or -2 or more in an unfamiliar fiers (p. 23); Language modifiers
This is the skill of maintaining a type of area, until you have been there (p. 24).
professional-quality bar and interact- for at least a month.
ing with customers in a professional Push
yet friendly way. A successful skill roll Psychology
lets you mix drinks, recall local laws DX/Hard
regarding alcohol, gauge the intoxica- IQ/Hard
tion level of a customer, or calm an Defaults: None.
unruly drunk before the bouncer Defaults: IQ-6 or Sociology-4. Prerequisite: Trained By A Master.
needs to get involved. At higher levels,
this skill takes on an element of show- This is the skill of applied psycholo- This skill allows you to channel
manship, allowing you to present gy, which may be learned by academic your chi in order to “gently” push
drinks in unique and attractive ways, study or lengthy observation of human away an adversary or cause him to
and to mix them with showy tricks nature. Roll against skill to predict the lose his balance. Roll against Push
and flourishes. general behavior of an individual or skill to hit. This counts as a barehand-
small group in a particular situation – ed attack (see Shove, p. 372), and your
Propaganda/TL especially a stressful situation. target may attempt any legal active
defense.
IQ/Average In settings with multiple sapient
species, you must specialize by race. If you hit, use the higher of your ST
Defaults: IQ-5, Merchant-5, or Defaults between specialties are up to or your Push skill as your effective ST.
Psychology-4. the GM. Roll swing damage for that ST, and
double the result. For instance, if you
This is the skill of indirect persua- If the GM desires extra detail, he had ST 10 and Push-15, you would roll
sion through the media. It is used for may rule that Psychology is split into swing damage for ST 15 (2d+1), and
psychological warfare by intelligence two specialties: Applied (described double it. This damage inflicts knock-
and military organizations, and above) and Experimental (for back (see Knockback, p. 378) but never
for advertising and marketing in the scientists who run rats in mazes and actual physical injury.
so forth). Applied defaults to

216 SKILLS

Rapier sacrifice – can give bonuses to spell Modifiers: Language modifiers
rolls. You must always make a suc- (p. 24), for research materials in a for-
see Melee Weapon, p. 208 cessful Religious Ritual roll to claim eign tongue.
such a bonus. In other settings, a
Religious Ritual† priest’s magic is only as good as his rit- Riding†
ual. If this is the case, your roll to work
IQ/Hard magic is against the lower of Religious DX/Average
Ritual and your actual spell skill.
Defaults: Ritual Magic (same)-6 or Defaults: DX-5 or Animal Handling
Theology (same)-4. Research/TL (same)-3.

This is the ability to perform reli- IQ/Average This is the ability to ride a particu-
gious rites – masses, funerals, wed- lar kind of mount. Make a skill roll
dings, etc. – before a congregation. Defaults: IQ-5 or Writing-3. when you first try to mount a riding
You must specialize by religion. This Prerequisite: literacy in at least one animal, and again each time some-
skill includes detailed knowledge of language (see p. 24)*. thing happens to frighten or challenge
the ritual motions, prayers, and trap- * At TL8+, Computer Operation is the creature (e.g., a jump).
pings of the faith, as well as the ability also a prerequisite.
to capture and hold the attention of You must specialize by riding
worshipers. For religions that practice This is the ability to do library and beast. Defaults between specialties
sacrifice, Religious Ritual also covers file research. Roll against skill to find vary from 0 to -10. For instance, if you
familiarity with sacrificial tools and a useful piece of data in an appropri- have Riding (Horse), Riding (Mule) is
methods. ate place of research . . . if the infor- essentially the same skill (no default
mation is there to be found. penalty), Riding (Camel) would
To be a priest or holy man at TL1+, default at -3, Riding (Dolphin) at -6,
you must have both Religious Ritual At the GM’s option, when research- and Riding (Dragon) at a whopping
and Theology skill (p. 226) for your ing material connected with a “book- -10!
religion. TL0 shamans need only learn learned” skill such as Forensics,
Religious Ritual. Literature, or Physics, you may roll Modifiers: +5 if the animal knows
against that skill at -2 instead, if that and likes you; +1 or more for a mount
In worlds where priests can per- would be better than your Research with the Mount skill (p. 210); -10 if the
form miracles, each magical ritual or skill or default (but this is not a animal has not been trained for riding.
spell is a separate skill, but certain general default level).
“mundane” religious rituals – such as

SKILLS 217

Ritual Magic† on. You may also substitute an even if not regulation, and what is for-
Influence roll against Savoir-Faire for bidden although there is nothing in
IQ/Very Hard any reaction roll required in a social writing against it. Military Rank
situation involving that subculture; determines relative standing.
Default: Religious Ritual (same)-6. see Influence Rolls (p. 359). Roll
once per encounter. Police: As Savoir-Faire (Military),
This skill gives an understanding of but for civilian police service. This
the intellectual and mystical processes You must specialize. Common spe- gives knowledge of the social proto-
involved in the rituals of a particular cialties include: cols for police officers; use Law
tradition of spirit invocation. Make a (Police) for the legal protocols. Police
skill roll to determine the purpose of a Dojo: How to greet masters, wear Rank determines relative standing.
ritual conducted in your presence, the weapons, and issue challenges at a
type of entity being summoned, etc. karate dojo, kung fu kwoon, fencing Servant: Knowledge of how to
salle, or similar academy of the mar- serve the upper class. Certain proce-
You must specialize by tradition; tial arts. Recognized skill determines dures are always done just so (the
e.g., Voodoo or Witchcraft. Specialties relative standing. In certain places and salad fork goes outside the dinner
default to one another at -5. The times, to flout tradition is to risk vio- fork, the Duke is announced before
processes involved are comparable, lent retribution! For competitive mar- the Earl, etc.), and certain attitudes in
but the specific rituals and spirits dif- tial arts (only), this skill defaults to any a servant are unacceptable.
fer significantly. relevant Games skill at -3.
Savoir-Faire (High Society) is the
In worlds with working ritual High Society: The manners of those most common specialty, and you may
magic, Ritual Magic skill is the pri- of “good” birth and breeding. Status list this as simply “Savoir-Faire” on
mary skill of sorcerers. All rituals of determines relative standing. Roll your character sheet. Savoir Faire
power default to it! See the appropri- against skill whenever you must (High Society) and (Servant) default
ate worldbook for details. impersonate someone more than to one another at -2. There are no
three Status levels away from your defaults between other types of
This is the skill of invoking spirits own. If your Status is negative and Savoir-Faire.
to produce magical effects for nonreli- you are trying to pass yourself off as
gious reasons. The equivalent skill for someone of Status 1+, or vice versa, Modifiers: Cultural Familiarity
the more direct, flashy magic of fanta- this roll is at -2. modifiers (p. 23). +2 if you are of high-
sy is Thaumatology (p. 225); knowl- er standing than those you are trying
edge of religious rites associated with a Mafia: Proper conduct within a for- to impress, or -2 if you are of lower
tradition is Religious Ritual (p. 217). mal criminal organization. This standing (“standing” might mean
includes such things as codes of Rank, Status, skill level, or something
Running HT/Average silence and showing proper deference else). +2 if you seem to have important
to “made men.” These protocols often friends. -4 for Clueless (p. 126); -3 for
Default: HT-5. ape those of high society . . . but the Low Empathy (p. 142); -1 for Oblivious
penalties for misconduct are far more (p. 146); -1 to -4 for Shyness (p. 154).
This skill represents training in severe. Default: Streetwise-3.
both sprints and long-distance run- Scrounging
ning. Roll against the higher of Military: The customs, traditions,
Running or HT to avoid fatigue or and regulations of military service. Per/Easy
injury due to running. When racing This also includes knowledge of the
someone of equal Move on foot, roll a unwritten rules: what is acceptable Default: Perception-4.
Quick Contest of Running skill to
determine the winner.

Note that you must have legs and
be capable of land movement to learn
this skill.

Saber

see Melee Weapon, p. 208

Savoir-Faire†

IQ/Easy

Defaults: IQ-4 and others.

This is the skill of appropriate
behavior in a subculture that has an
established code of conduct – for
instance, high society or the military.
When dealing with that social group, a
successful skill roll lets you interact
without embarrassing yourself, detect
pretenders to high standing, and so

218 SKILLS

This is the ability to find, salvage, skin search. In general, if the net as it does with looks. If you are not
or improvise useful items that others bonus to the concealer’s Holdout roll willing to “vamp” someone to get what
can’t locate. Each attempt takes an is +3 or more, a skin search is required. you want, you won’t have this skill – or
hour. You do not necessarily steal your If his Holdout is at -2 or worse for size, want it.
booty; you just locate it – somehow – a skin search will automatically find
and then acquire it by any means nec- the hidden item. You may substitute an Influence
essary. Note that if you find something roll against Sex Appeal for any reac-
that is “nailed down,” you must decide Modifiers: +1 for a “pat-down” of tion roll made by someone who is
how to try to get it (which might an unresisting person (takes one attracted to members of your sex; see
require a roll on another skill). minute), +3 for a thorough “skin Influence Rolls (p. 359).
search” of a person’s hair and clothing
Modifiers: As the GM sees fit, for (takes three minutes), or +5 for a com- Usually, you may make only one
the rarity of the item sought. plete search, including body cavities attempt per “target,” although the GM
(takes five minutes). Bonuses for might allow another attempt after a
Scuba/TL Acute Touch (p. 35) and Sensitive few weeks.
Touch (p. 83) apply to all hands-on
IQ/Average searches. On a successful Electronics Modifiers: +2 for Voice (p. 97); -3 for
Operation (Security) roll, specialized Low Empathy (p. 142); -1 for Oblivious
Defaults: IQ-5 or Diving Suit-2. sensors – metal detectors, X-ray (p. 146); -1 to -4 for Shyness (p. 154); -2
Prerequisite: Swimming. machines, etc. – give from +1 to +5 to for Stuttering (p. 157). Apply any
find items they can detect (a metal bonus for above-average appearance
This is the ability to use self-con- detector won’t help you find plastic (p. 21) – or double the penalty for
tained underwater breathing appara- explosives!). below-average appearance!
tus (scuba). Roll when you first enter
the water, and again every 30 minutes Sewing/TL DX/Easy Shadowing
thereafter, to avoid inhaling water
(treat as drowning; see Suffocation, Default: DX-4. IQ/Average
p. 436). If you know this skill above
default level, a successful roll also lets This is the ability to work with Defaults: IQ-5, Observation-5, or
you spot problems with the equipment fabric using the tools of your tech Stealth-4 (on foot only).
before you put it on. level. A successful skill roll lets you
repair damaged clothing (or any This is the ability to follow anoth-
Modifiers: -2 to -4 for unfamiliar other item made of cloth), modify er person through a crowd without
scuba rigs; e.g., closed-circuit gear garments (useful when you must being noticed. (In the wilderness, use
when you’re used to open-circuit. wear another person’s clothing, per- Tracking and Stealth.) Roll a Quick
haps to impersonate him), or create Contest every 10 minutes: your
Seamanship/TL new clothing or costumes from suit- Shadowing vs. the subject’s Vision
able materials. roll. If you lose, you lost the subject; if
see Crewman, p. 185 you lose by more than 5, you were
Make an IQ-based roll to design seen.
Search Per/Average clothing, at +1 if you have Fashion
Sense (p. 21). Once the subject is aware you are
Defaults: Perception-5 or shadowing him, roll a Quick Contest
Criminology-5. Before TL7, someone knows this every five minutes: your Shadowing
skill in almost every household. At skill vs. his Shadowing or Stealth
This is the ability to search people, TL7+, it is rare for anyone but a pro- skill. If he wins, he eludes you. If he
baggage, and vehicles for items that fessional seamstress or tailor to know loses by more than 5, he thinks he
aren’t in plain sight. The GM rolls Sewing – most people work at default eluded you. If you critically fail, you
once – in secret – per item of interest. (at +4 for a simple task like reattach- lose him and follow the wrong person.
For deliberately concealed items, this ing a button) and discard items that
is a Quick Contest of your Search skill they cannot mend. Following someone in a vehicle is
vs. the Holdout or Smuggling skill harder than shadowing on foot. Use
used to hide the item. If you fail, the Modifiers: Equipment modifiers the same rules, but you roll at -2 (and
GM simply says, “You found noth- (p. 345); modifiers for High Manual may not use your Stealth default).
ing.” (It defeats the purpose to say, Dexterity (p. 59) or Ham-Fisted
“You don’t find the gun under his (p. 138). Modifiers: -3 if the subject knows
jacket.”) you. Distinctive appearance gives a
Sex Appeal HT/Average penalty – see Build (p. 18), Unnatural
If more than one person is search- Features (p. 22), and specific disadvan-
ing, roll separately for each searcher. Default: HT-3. tages (e.g., Hunchback, p. 139) for
details. If you belong to a visibly dif-
The GM should avoid unnecessary This is the ability to impress those ferent race than most of the people
rolls. For instance, no human can get who are attracted to members of your around you, the penalty is up to the
a sawed-off shotgun through a body sex. It has as much to do with attitude GM; it is never smaller in magnitude
search. Likewise, a knife or jewel sim- than the difference between your Size
ply cannot be found on a normally Modifier and that of those around
dressed person without an X-ray or you.

SKILLS 219

Shield† DX/Easy benefits of area defenses, fire support, Defaults: Submariner-5 or Submarine
or tactical communications). (Large Sub)-5.
Default: DX-4.
A critical failure under any circum- Modifiers: -2 to master an unfamil-
This is the ability to use a shield, stances means an appropriate disaster. iar vessel (e.g., an aircraft carrier
both to block and to attack. Your Depending on the TL and situation, when you’re used to a battleship); -2
active defense with any kind of shield this could mean running aground, col- for an unfamiliar crew; -2 or more for
– your Block score – is (skill/2) + 3, liding with another vessel, being dis- a vehicle in bad repair.
rounded down. You must specialize: masted, losing your screws or rudder,
or simply giving an order that your Shortsword
Shield: Any shield held in place crew disregards. Whether they then
with straps. Such shields have the save your ship for you, or mutiny and see Melee Weapon, p. 208
advantage that you can hold (but not flee, is up to the GM.
wield) something in your shield hand,
but the disadvantage of being slow to A critical failure under any circumstances
put on or take off. This is the most means an appropriate disaster: running
common specialty – list it as “Shield” aground, colliding with another vessel, being
on character sheets. dismasted, losing your screws or rudder, or
simply giving an order that your crew disregards.
Buckler: Any kind of shield, usually
a small one, held in the hand. A buck-
ler occupies one hand completely, but
you can ready it in only one turn and
drop it as a free action.

Force: Any shield with a blocking
“surface” formed from energy rather
than matter.

Shield, Shield (Buckler), and
Shield (Force) default to one another
at -2.

Shiphandling/TL† You must specialize: Singing HT/Easy

IQ/Hard Airship: Blimps, zeppelins, and Default: HT-4.
similar large airships. Prerequisites:
Defaults: IQ-6 and others. Airshipman, Leadership, and
Prerequisites: see below. Navigation (Air). Defaults:
Airshipman-5 or Piloting (Lighter-
This is the ability to act as the mas- Than-Air)-5. This is the ability to sing in a pleas-
ter of a large vessel. It involves direct- ing fashion. A successful roll means
ing the crew in the tasks necessary to Ship: Surface vessels, from tug- the audience liked your song.
control the vehicle’s speed and direc- boats to carriers. Prerequisites:
tion. It also covers such duties as keep- Leadership, Navigation (Sea), and Modifiers: Language Modifiers
ing the captain’s log and inspecting the Seamanship. Defaults: Seamanship-5, (p. 24), if you are singing in a foreign
crew. Someone with Shiphandling or to Boating (Large Powerboat)-5 for language; -2 if the audience does not
skill (at better than default!) should ships with engines or Boating understand the language; +2 for Voice
stand watch at all times when the ves- (Sailboat)-5 for tall ships. (p. 97); -2 for Stuttering (p. 157).
sel is underway. Roll vs. skill when
encountering hazards or maneuvering Spaceship: Slower-than-light space- Skating HT/Hard
for battle. craft. Prerequisites: Leadership,
Navigation (Space), and Spacer. Default: HT-6.
A failed roll when encountering Defaults: Spacer-5 or any spaceship
hazards means the vessel is damaged. Piloting-5. When you are moving on skates,
This might mean anything from this skill replaces Hiking skill (p. 200)
scratched paint to crippling damage Starship: Faster-than-light space- for routine travel and Running skill
that requires extensive repairs. craft. Prerequisites: Leadership, (p. 218) for racing. The GM may also
Navigation (Hyperspace), and Spacer. require DX-based skill rolls in combat
A failed roll in battle means the ves- Defaults: Spacer-5 or any spaceship or chases, or for hazardous maneu-
sel did not go exactly where intended. Piloting-5. vers, conditions, or speeds. Under
The details depend on the vessel, the those circumstances, any failure indi-
tech level, and the GM’s judgment, but Submarine: All forms of large sub- cates a fall, while critical failure
might include weapons being mersibles. Prerequisites: Leadership, results in 1d-2 damage to a randomly
“masked” (unable to engage the Navigation (Sea), and Submariner. chosen limb.
enemy), a failed boarding attempt, or
drifting out of formation with
your fleet (which might deny you the

220 SKILLS

Skiing HT/Hard This is the ability to work non- Soldier/TL IQ/Average
precious metals by hand. You must
Default: HT-6. specialize: Default: IQ-5.

This replaces Hiking skill (p. 200) Copper: Copper itself and its alloys, This skill represents a combination
when you are skiing cross-country including brass and bronze. of basic military training – the lessons
and Running skill (p. 218) when you Traditionally, a smith who worked taught at “boot camp” or its equivalent
are racing. Roll once per day of rou- with these metals was called a in your game world – and actual com-
tine travel. The GM may require “brownsmith.” Default: Jeweler-4. bat experience. Only those who have
much more frequent skill rolls – usu- served in an army, militia, etc. are like-
ally DX-based – in combat or chases, Iron: The skill of being a black- ly to know it.
or for hazardous maneuvers, condi- smith. Also covers steel, at tech levels
tions, or speeds. In those situations, where it exists. The GM may require a Soldier roll
any failure indicates a fall, while crit- whenever circumstances would test
ical failure means 1d damage to a ran- Lead and Tin: Any of the softer, your battlefield discipline (knowing
domly chosen limb. “white” metals, including alloys such when to shoot, use concealment, take
as pewter. The traditional name for cover, etc.) or skill at practical field
Sleight of Hand such a smith was “whitesmith.” survival (e.g., keeping your feet dry
Default: Jeweler-4. and eating when you get the chance).
DX/Hard Roll daily during prolonged military
These specialties default to one action. Failure means an inconven-
Default: Filch-5. another at -4. ience – perhaps a minor piece of
equipment fails. Critical failure indi-
This is the ability to “palm” small This skill is IQ-based, but ST is cates a disaster: “friendly fire” inci-
objects, do coin and card tricks, etc. important, and some tools have a dent, trench foot, etc.
Make a skill roll to perform one piece “Minimum ST,” just like weapons.
of simple “stage magic.” A failed roll Soldier includes basic lessons in
means you blew the trick. Smuggling IQ/Average many fields covered by other skills.
For instance, a TL8 soldier learns to
When you use this skill to steal, you Default: IQ-5. strip his rifle without learning
must win a Quick Contest of Sleight of Armoury (Small Arms), to use a radio
Hand vs. the Vision roll or This is the ability to conceal items without learning Electronics
Observation skill of potential witness- in baggage and vehicles. You can also Operation (Comm), to dig a foxhole
es to perform the theft unnoticed. use it to hide an object in a room or a without learning Engineer (Combat),
building. Roll against skill to hide an and so forth. In a situation where
You can also use this skill to cheat item from casual inspection. In an someone with one of those skills
at cards, dice, etc. A successful Sleight active search, the searchers must win would roll at +4 or better for a routine
of Hand roll gives from +1 to +5 on a Quick Contest of Search vs. your task (see Task Difficulty, p. 345), the
your Gambling roll. Any failure causes Smuggling skill to find the item. GM may let you roll against Soldier
you to be denounced as a cheater! In skill instead. You do not receive the
both cases, the exact results are up to Modifiers: Equipment modifiers bonus that someone with the full-
the GM. (p. 345) for specialized smuggling fledged skill would get, but you do suf-
gear. The difference between the Size fer any situational penalties.
Modifiers: +3 if the light is dim; +3 Modifier (p. 19) of the package, vehi-
if you have a confederate to distract cle, or room in which you are hiding Soldier can only substitute for skill
attention; +5 if you have prepared in the item and that of the item itself; rolls to do things that would be a
advance (cards up your sleeve, etc.); -3 e.g., to hide a bottle of liquor (SM -5) believable part of basic training. This
if the person you want to fool knows in a family car (SM +3), you would roll means the routine use of standard
Sleight of Hand himself; modifiers for at +8. equipment by ordinary troops – not
High Manual Dexterity (p. 59) or research, improvisation, or design,
Ham-Fisted (p. 138). Sociology and never the operation of new or
secret technologies! Soldier cannot
Sling DX/Hard IQ/Hard replace weapon skills, either; you
must buy all such skills separately.
Default: DX-6. Defaults: IQ-6, Anthropology-3, or
Psychology-4.

This is the ability to use the sling or This is the study of societies and Example: If someone with
staff sling. social relationships. A successful skill Electronics Operation (Comm) would
roll lets you judge how well a large be at +4 to call HQ on a standard-issue
Smallsword group of people will work together; radio, you could do so with a success-
deduce the social pressures contribut- ful Soldier roll. However, you could
see Melee Weapon, p. 208 ing to a crime wave, revolution, war, not use Soldier to fix a broken radio,
etc.; or predict the most probable out- use an enemy radio, or transmit coded
Smith/TL† come of dissimilar societies coming signals.
into contact.
IQ/Average

Defaults: IQ-5 and others.

SKILLS 221

Spacer/TL Sports skill. Most Sports skills are conceal yourself anywhere except in a
DX/Average and default to DX-5, but totally bare room, or move so quietly
see Crewman, p. 185 those that put a premium on strength that nobody will hear you, or follow
(e.g., rugby) might default to ST-5. someone without being noticed. (To
Spear Some Sports skills might default to follow someone through a crowd, use
one another or to other skills as well. Shadowing, p. 219.)
see Melee Weapon, p. 208
Make an IQ-based roll to recall the If someone is specifically on the
Spear Thrower basic rules of your sport. Detailed alert for intruders, the GM will roll a
knowledge of the full rules governing Quick Contest between your Stealth
DX/Average leagues and tournaments – as would and the sentinel’s Perception.
be expected of a coach or referee – is
Defaults: DX-5 or Thrown Weapon covered by the relevant Games skill You can also use this skill to stalk
(Spear)-4. (p. 197). game. A successful roll (and about 30
minutes) gets you within 30 yards of
This is the ability to use the spear The GM may rule that certain most animals. Another roll, at -5, gets
thrower: a long, flat stick with a notch Sports are useful in combat situations. you within 15 yards.
or a loop at one end. It increases the For instance, Sports (Baseball) might
force with which you can hurl a javelin let you use a bat to parry hurled rocks Modifiers: A penalty equal to your
or similar weapon. It takes one turn to and grenades at (skill/2) + 3, Sports encumbrance level. -5 to hide in an
position the spear in the thrower after (Bullfighting) might give a Parry equal area without “natural” hiding places,
both are in hand and ready. to (skill/2) + 3 against a slam by a or +3 or more if there are many hiding
beast that uses a “running head butt,” places. -5 to move silently if you are
Modifiers: -5 in tight quarters (less and you might be able to roll against moving faster than Move 1. -5 to fool
than two yards of overhead clear- Sports (Rugby) to hit with a slam. those with Discriminatory Smell (e.g.,
ance). dogs).

Speed-Reading A successful Streetwise roll might let you learn
where any sort of illegal “action” is; which local
IQ/Average cops or bureaucrats can be bought, and for how
much; and how to contact the local underworld.
Defaults: None.
Staff Strategy† IQ/Hard
This is the ability to read much
faster than normal. Whenever time is see Melee Weapon, p. 208 Defaults: IQ-6, Intelligence
of the essence (for instance, when Analysis-6, or Tactics-6.
reading the instructions on a para- Stage Combat
chute as you fall), multiply your read- This is the ability to plan military
ing speed by a factor of 1 + (skill/10); DX/Average actions and predict the actions of the
e.g., Speed-Reading-12 would give a enemy. In most settings, only the
factor of 2.2. Make a skill roll to deter- Defaults: Combat Art or Sport-2, an military teaches this skill.
mine whether you retain what you actual combat skill-3, or Performance-
have read. 3. A successful Strategy roll lets you
deduce, in advance, enemy military
On a failure, your recall is shaky. This skill allows you to perform a plans unless another person with this
Every time you try to remember or use choreographed fight safely, yet in an skill leads them. In that case, the GM
what you read, you must make an IQ entertaining manner. A critical failure rolls a Quick Contest of Strategy. The
roll at a penalty equal to your margin indicates an injury: 1d-2 damage to a amount of information gained
of failure. Roll at +5 if you have random location. depends on how well you roll (but not
Eidetic Memory, or +10 for on the quality of the foe’s plans). If
Photographic Memory. If this roll Modifiers: -4 for an unfamiliar you fail an uncontested roll or lose a
fails, you cannot recall the informa- weapon. Quick Contest, the GM gives you false
tion; on a critical failure, you recall information.
badly flawed information but believe Stealth
it to be true! To eliminate this IQ roll, You must specialize in a type of
you must go back and reread the DX/Average strategy – Land, Naval, Space, etc.
material slowly. These specialties default to one
Defaults: DX-5 or IQ-5.
Modifiers: Language modifiers
(p. 24). This is the ability to hide and to
move silently. A successful roll lets you
Sports

DX/Average

Defaults: DX-5 and others.

This is the ability to play a particu-
lar sport well – perhaps well enough to
earn a living. Each sport is a separate

222 SKILLS

another at -4. The specific units being Suit or Scuba. Defaults: Large Sub-5 This is skill at using invasive med-
commanded are less important; even or Mini-Sub-4. ical techniques to treat sickness or
the units of another nation or tech injury. Roll once per operation. On a
level would give -1 or -2 at most (GM’s Large Sub: Any crewed, long-dura- success, the operation proceeded
judgment), as long as you had accurate tion submersible, including attack without complications. On a failure,
information about their capabilities. subs and missile subs. Defaults: Free- the patient took damage – 2d for a
Flooding Sub-5 or Mini-Sub-4. simple amputation, 3d for other pro-
Streetwise IQ/Average cedures. Surgery rolls can also facili-
Mini-Sub: Any small, closed, short- tate recovery from wounds; see
Default: IQ-5. duration submersible, typical of those Surgery (p. 424).
used for scientific research. Defaults:
This is the skill of getting along in Free-Flooding Sub-4 or Large Sub-4. This skill represents general surgi-
rough company. A successful cal expertise, which is relatively rare in
Streetwise roll might let you learn Modifiers: -2 for an unfamiliar sub- real life. Most surgeons have an option-
(among other things) where any sort marine within your specialty (e.g., a al specialty (p. 169) in a certain part of
of illegal “action” is; which local cops diesel attack sub when you are used to the body (brain, heart, etc.) or a specif-
or bureaucrats can be bought, and for a nuclear missile sub); -4 or more for ic type of surgery (cosmetic surgery,
how much; and how to contact the a vessel in bad repair; -1 to -10 for nav- microsurgery, transplant surgery, etc.).
local underworld. Note that you might igational hazards.
also be able to get this information by Modifiers: Equipment modifiers
asking a Contact (p. 44). This skill is a Submariner/TL (p. 345); physiology modifiers (p. 181);
measure of your ability to make new -3 if the area or equipment cannot be
connections as needed. see Crewman, p. 185 properly cleaned and sterilized; -3 for
head or chest surgery; -5 for undiag-
You may substitute an Influence Suggest nosed problems. If you lack Physician
roll against Streetwise for any reaction skill, you are at -5 to do anything but
roll made in an underworld or “bad see Enthrallment, p. 191 “field-expedient” surgery (e.g., stitch
neighborhood” situation; see Influence wounds or extract arrowheads, bul-
Rolls (p. 359). Sumo Wrestling lets, and shrapnel).

Modifiers: +3 if you have a tough DX/Average Survival†
reputation (either “good” or “bad”) in
the area; -3 if you are obviously a Defaults: None. Per/Average
stranger in the area. -3 for Low
Empathy (p. 142); -1 for Oblivious This unarmed combat skill repre- Defaults: Perception-5 or Naturalist
(p. 146); -1 to -4 for Shyness (p. 154). sents any training at grabbing, shov- (same planet)-3.
ing, and tripping – not just the tradi-
Submarine/TL† tional Japanese sport of sumo. Roll This is the ability to “live off the
against the higher of DX or Sumo land,” find safe food and water, avoid
DX/Average Wrestling to hit with a grapple, slam, hazards, build shelter, etc. You may
or shove, or to make or resist a take- look after up to 10 other people. To
Default: IQ-6. down. If you know this skill at DX+1 live safely in a wilderness situation,
level, add +1 to ST whenever you you must make a successful Survival
This is the ability to operate a spe- make or resist a grapple or takedown, roll once per day. Failure inflicts 2d-4
cific type of underwater vehicle. As and whenever you attempt to break injury on you and anyone in your care;
with Piloting, the default is to IQ, but free, and +1 per die to your damage roll separately for each victim.
when you learn the skill, always base it when you slam or shove. These bonus-
on DX. es increase to +2 if you know Sumo at This skill also gives an “eye for
DX+2 or better. country.” A successful roll shows you
Roll against Submarine to dive or the best direction of travel to find
to surface, to maneuver in underwater When you defend with bare hands, flowing water, a mountain pass, or
combat, or to negotiate hazardous Sumo Wrestling allows you to parry whatever other terrain feature you
waters. Failure can mean anything once per turn. You must use both desire – assuming that it exists.
from a slight drift off course to a colli- hands. Your Parry score is (skill/2) + 3,
sion; critical failure may strand the rounded down. This parry is meant to Finally, you can use this skill to trap
vessel underwater! ward off slams, grapples, and bare- wild animals. (A city-bred thief could
handed slaps. You parry at -2 vs. kicks use Traps skill, but he’s used to differ-
Make an IQ-based Submarine roll and -3 vs. weapons. For complete ent game . . . so the roll would be at a
for basic chart reading or practical rules for parrying barehanded, see -5.) Make one roll per trap. It takes
oceanography, or to recall nautical Parrying Unarmed (p. 376). about 30 minutes to improvise a trap
laws and regulations. from ordinary materials, or 10 minutes
Surgery/TL to set and hide a commercial steel trap.
You must specialize: Pit traps for large game take several
IQ/Very Hard hours to dig.
Free-Flooding Sub: Any small, open
submersible. The crew is exposed to Defaults: First Aid-12, Physician-5, Survival often requires skill rolls
the water, and must wear underwater Physiology-8, or Veterinary-5. based on scores other than Percep-
breathing gear. Prerequisites: Diving
Prerequisites: First Aid or
Physician.

SKILLS 223

tion. The GM might ask for a ST-based When racing someone of equal water Tactics
roll to dig a pit trap or erect a log shel- Move, roll a Quick Contest of
ter, a DX-based roll to start a fire using Swimming to determine the winner. IQ/Hard
primitive techniques (flint sparking, See Swimming (p. 354).
bow and palette, etc.), or even a HT- Defaults: IQ-6 or Strategy (any)-6.
based roll to avoid nutritional defi- Note that Swimming does not
ciencies from an improvised diet. cover high diving – that’s Sports This is the ability to outguess and
(Diving). outmaneuver the enemy in small-unit
You must specialize by terrain or personal combat. In most settings,
type. Land-dwellers may choose from Symbol Drawing† only the military teaches this skill.
Arctic, Desert, Island/Beach, Jungle,
Mountain, Plains, Swampland, and IQ/Hard When commanding a small unit,
Woodlands. Aquatic beings may take roll against Tactics to place your
any of Bank, Deep Ocean Vent, Fresh- Defaults: Special. troops correctly for an ambush, know
Water Lake, Open Ocean, Reef, where to post sentries, etc. At the GM’s
River/Stream, Salt-Water Sea, and This is the art of scribing magical option, a successful roll might even
Tropical Lagoon. Amphibious individ- symbols. Depending on your magical provide clues as to immediate enemy
uals can pick from either list! tradition, you might carve these sym- plans. To outmaneuver enemy units,
bols with a ritual dagger, draw them you must win a Quick Contest of
Land specialties default to one on the ground or an altar using blood Tactics with their leader. All of this
another at -3, while aquatic specialties or ceremonial powders, write them in only applies when you lead a group
default among themselves at -4. ink, trace them in the air with a wand small enough that you can give each
Island/Beach and Tropical Lagoon or your fingers, or something else. You warrior orders personally – or through
default to each other at -4, as do must specialize in a particular magical at most one subordinate. Thus, radio
Swampland and River/Stream, but tradition. and similar technologies can greatly
there are no other defaults between enhance your command abilities!
land and aquatic specialties. In traditions where magical power
flows from the caster, nature, spirits, In personal combat, you may make
In settings where it is possible to etc. as opposed to the symbols them- a Tactics roll before the fight begins if
visit other worlds, you must also spe- selves, the symbols provide a focus you had any time to prepare. On a suc-
cialize by planet. Each Survival spe- that aids magic use. Roll against cess, you start the fight in an advanta-
cialty defaults to the same terrain type Symbol Drawing before each ritual. geous position – e.g., behind cover or
for a different planet at -4. The defaults On a success, add half your margin of on higher ground – as determined by
between terrain types given above are success (round down) to your skill the GM. The better the roll, the greater
at an extra -4 between different plan- with the next ritual you conduct over your advantage. If you fail, or do not
ets. All this assumes the two planets the symbols. This kind of Symbol attempt a Tactics roll, you are in a ran-
are of the same planet type (see Planet Drawing defaults to Ritual Magic dom location (or one of the GM’s
Types, p. 180). There is no default at all (same)-4. For instance, Symbol choosing) when combat begins.
between Survival skills for two planets Drawing (Voodoo) defaults to Ritual Fighters without Tactics skill always
of different planet types. Magic (Voodoo)-4, and lets you draw start combat this way.
the vevers used in Voodoo ritual.
At the GM’s option, extreme man- Even in an ambush or similar “sur-
made terrain may call for unique spe- In traditions where the symbols prise” situation, the GM will use the
cialties; e.g., Survival (Radioactive themselves imbue items or places (or better of your Tactics skill and your
Wasteland). Most such specialties even people, in the case of tattoos) Perception to see if you spotted the
have no default of any kind. with magic, the magic is only as good danger on time.
as the symbols. Roll against the lower
See also Urban Survival, p. 228. of Symbol Drawing and your skill with Teaching IQ/Average
the enchantment itself. This is most
Modifiers: Up to -5 for extreme common in rune magic. Each runic Default: IQ-5.
weather conditions. Equipment modi- alphabet is a separate Symbol
fiers (p. 345). Drawing skill with no default. For This is the ability to instruct others.
instance, Symbol Drawing (Futhark If you have Teaching at level 12+, you
Sway Emotions Runes) would let you scribe the runes may act as a teacher for game purpos-
used in Norse magic. es. For more on teaching and learning,
see Enthrallment, p. 191 see Improvement Through Study
More-exotic traditions may have (p. 292).
Swimming their own rules; see the appropriate
HT/Easy worldbook for more information. Modifiers: -3 for Callous (p. 125); -1
Default: HT-4. to -4 for Shyness (p. 142). Apply both
Modifiers: -1 or more if using non- the teacher’s and the student’s
This is the skill of swimming traditional means to mark the sym- Language penalties (p. 24) in the
(whether on purpose or to keep afloat bols; -1 or more if placing the symbols language of instruction.
in emergencies) and lifesaving. Roll on any surface other than those
against the higher of Swimming or HT prescribed by your tradition.
to avoid fatigue while swimming or
injury due to aquatic misfortunes.

224 SKILLS

In traditions where magical power flows from the
caster, nature, spirits, etc., as opposed to the symbols
themselves, the symbols provide a focus that aids
magic use.

Teamster† Thaumatology when you see it cast, deduce the rami-
fications of a critical success or failure
IQ/Average IQ/Very Hard with magic, determine the spells need-
ed to enchant a magic item to perform
Defaults: IQ-5, Animal Handling Default: IQ-7*. as desired, etc. The better your roll,
(same)-4, or Riding (same)-2. * There is no default in a nonmag- the more insight the GM will provide.
ical setting, or for those who have
This is the skill of driving a team of never witnessed “real” magic. This is the study of fantasy magic –
animals pulling a wagon, chariot, etc. fireball spells, rings of power, etc. The
It includes the ability to harness and This is the academic study of mag- equivalent skill for traditional, spirit-
care for the beasts, and judge them for ical theory and the “physics” of mana. mediated sorcery is Ritual Magic
quality before purchase. If the animals Anyone may learn this skill, but it is (p. 218), while holy magic might
are ornery or badly trained (GM’s easier for a mage; add Magery to IQ require Religious Ritual (p. 217) or
judgment), you must make a success- when learning this skill, just as for Theology (p. 226). However, a
ful Animal Handling roll before you spells. Thaumatology roll at -5 will allow a
can attempt a Teamster roll. thaumatologist to relate these differ-
The main use for this skill is magi- ent varieties of magic to “standard”
For normal travel, make a cal research. When creating a new wizardry. Exceptionally weird powers
Teamster roll once per day. When spell, use the rules for inventing (see or otherworldly artifacts might give a
moving at a gallop (80% or more of Chapter 17), but replace Engineer skill larger penalty!
the animals’ full Move) or when exe- with Thaumatology. A successful skill
cuting complex maneuvers with a roll can also identify an unknown spell
chariot in combat, roll every 10
seconds.

A failure usually means nothing
worse than lost time or a wider turn
than intended. A critical failure – or
any failure at a gallop – spills the
wagon or chariot. Treat this as a five-
yard fall for each passenger and
animal involved (see Falling, p. 431).
As well, roll 2d for each beast; on a 12,
a leg is broken! You will have to make
Animal Handling rolls to calm the
beasts. Time required to reload the
cargo depends on the load, terrain,
and weather.

You must specialize by animal
type; the most common specialty is
Teamster (Equines), which covers
horses and mules. Teamster special-
ties default to one another at -3.

Modifiers: -2 for more than four
animals; -2 for a team of unfamiliar
animals; up to -5 for bad terrain.

SKILLS 225

Theology† Throwing Art Tonfa

IQ/Hard DX/Hard see Melee Weapon, p. 208

Defaults: IQ-6 or Religious Ritual Defaults: None. Tracking Per/Average
(same)-4. Prerequisites: Trained By A Master
or Weapon Master. Defaults: Perception-5 or
This is the study of a particular Naturalist-5.
religion: its gods, cosmology, doc- This is the cinematic ability to
trines, scriptures, etc. You must spe- throw anything you are strong enough This is the ability to follow a man
cialize by religion. There are usually to lift: knives, medicine balls, televi- or an animal by its tracks. Make a
no defaults between specialties, but sions . . . anything! Roll against skill to Tracking roll to pick up the trail, then
the GM might permit a default at -4 hit. Furthermore, if you know roll periodically to avoid losing it. The
or so for belief systems that have sim- Throwing Art at DX level, add +1 to ST frequency and difficulty of these rolls
ilar origins, or where one is derived when figuring throwing distance, and depend on the terrain:
from the other. +1 per die of damage with thrown
weapons. These bonuses increase to Jungle, Plains, or Woodlands: Roll
Alternatively, you may study the +2 if you know Throwing Art at DX+1 every 30 minutes.
similarities and differences between or better. If you are a Weapon Master,
religions; this is Theology this bonus is instead of the usual dam- Arctic, Desert, Island/Beach, or
(Comparative). The Theology of any age bonus for your weapon. Mountain: Roll at -2 every 15 minutes.
religion routinely studied by scholars
in your game world defaults to this You can use the items you throw as Swampland: Roll at -4 every 5 min-
specialty at -5. improvised weapons. Treat forks, utes.
kitchen knives, and other long, sharp
To be a priest or holy man at objects as daggers. Any small, blunt Urban: Roll at -6 every minute!
TL1+, you must have both Theology object does thrust+1 crushing dam-
and Religious Ritual skill (p. 217) for age. Baseball bats do swing+1 crush- You may also use this skill to cover
your religion. TL0 shamans need ing. Pencils do thrust-3 impaling. your tracks. This doubles your travel
only learn Religious Ritual. Playing cards do thrust-3 cutting. time! A successful roll means you have
hidden your tracks well enough that
You do not necessarily believe in Throwing Art lets you throw any- only someone else with this skill can
the religion you study – faith comes thing covered by the Throwing and see them. If another tracker follows
from within, not from book learning! Thrown Weapon skills. If you have you, the Tracking rolls above become
If you do, you may ask the GM to Throwing Art, you do not need those Quick Contests of Tracking skill. If he
make a secret roll against your skills. loses any of the Contests, he loses your
Theology skill when confronted with trail.
moral uncertainty. On a success, the Thrown Weapon†
GM will advise you on which course of To stalk game once you have
action “feels” right, given your beliefs DX/Easy tracked it, use the Stealth skill (p. 222).
and understanding of scripture.
Defaults: DX-4 and others. Modifiers: -5 if the trail is more
Throwing than a day old, or -10 if more than a
This is the ability to hurl any one week old. +3 if you are following a
DX/Average type of thrown weapon. You must spe- man, or +6 if following a group of
cialize: men. Superior senses help a lot:
Defaults: DX-3 or Dropping-4. bonuses for Acute Vision (p. 35) and
Axe/Mace: Any axe, hatchet, or Discriminatory Smell (p. 49) usually
This is the ability to throw any mace balanced for throwing (but not apply, and many superhuman senses
small, relatively smooth object that an unbalanced battleaxe or maul!). (Infravision, Subsonic Hearing, etc.)
fits in the palm of your hand. give situational bonuses.
Examples include baseballs, hand Dart: Any sort of small, finned dart.
grenades, and rocks. (Boomerangs, Games (Darts) defaults to this skill at Traps/TL
javelins, knives, etc. require their own no penalty. Default: Throwing-2.
specialized skills; see Thrown Weapon, IQ/Average
below.) Roll against skill to hit. Harpoon: Any sort of tethered spear.
Furthermore, if you know Throwing Default: Thrown Weapon (Spear)-2. Defaults: IQ-5 or Lockpicking-3*.
at DX+1 level, add +1 to ST when fig- * Also defaults to DX-5 if you are
uring throwing distance (but not dam- Knife: Any sort of knife. disarming or resetting a trap, but not if
age). Add +2 to ST for Throwing at Shuriken: Any sort of hiltless blade, you are detecting or building one.
DX+2 or better. notably shuriken (“ninja stars”).
Default: Throwing-2. This is the skill of building and nul-
If you do not have this skill, roll Spear: Any sort of spear, javelin, lifying traps. A successful Traps roll
against your default to hit a specific etc. Defaults: Spear Thrower-4 or will (among other things) disarm a
target, but against full DX to lob an Thrown Weapon (Harpoon)-2. trap once you have found it, reset it
object into a general area. Stick: Any balanced and shaped after you pass, or build a new trap
throwing stick, such as a boomerang. (given suitable materials). Time
This type of throwing stick does not required is as for Lockpicking (p. 206).
return to the user.

226 SKILLS

To detect a trap, make a Perception- Modifiers: Infinitely variable. The Bonuses for Acute Vision (p. 35) apply
based skill roll. more sophisticated the trap, the hard- to rolls to detect traps (only).
er it will be to disarm, reset, build, or
Note that for the purposes of Traps find – and a given trap might be (for Two-Handed Axe/Mace
skill, detection devices are “traps.” instance) easy to find but hard to dis-
Thus, this skill covers everything from arm. The GM should be creative! see Melee Weapon, p. 208
covered pits to elaborate electronic Equipment modifiers (p. 345) apply to
security systems! most rolls to set or disarm traps.

Example of Character Creation (concluded)

Dai has spent 203 of his 250 points, leaving him with To reflect Dai’s medieval background, we decide that
47 points for skills. Reading through the skill list, we see he is a fair hand with the shortsword. But not too good
dozens of skills that suit a master thief – but since we’re – swords are expensive, and Dai grew up poor. We give
on a budget, we settle on the following. him the Shortsword skill (p. 209) at 15. Shortsword is
DX/Average, so this costs 2 points.
First, a thief must be stealthy. For this, Dai needs the
Stealth skill (p. 222). We want this to be reliable, so we As an ISWAT officer, Dai should know how to shoot.
choose skill level 16. At that level, only a roll of 17 or 18 A slim target pistol sounds like his kind of gun.
will fail . . . and that’s a failure for anyone. Stealth is a Reviewing the Guns skill (p. 198), we see that pistols call
DX/Average skill. Since Dai’s DX is 15, level 16 is DX+1 for the “Pistol” specialty. Guns are new to Dai, so we
for him. From the Skill Cost Table (p. 170), we learn that spend only 1 point. Since Guns (Pistol) is DX/Easy, this
a level of Attribute+1 in an Average skill costs 4 points. buys DX level: a very adequate 15.

Any thief worth his salt can pick pockets and open To conceal all these weapons, Dai needs Holdout skill
locks. This calls for Pickpocket (p. 213) and Lockpicking (p. 200). This is IQ/Average. Dai doesn’t routinely carry
(p. 206). We want to buy Dai a 15 in both – not as high concealed weapons, so we just give him IQ level – 12 –
as his Stealth, but still reliable. Pickpocket is DX/Hard. for 2 points.
Skill 15 is DX level, and from the table, we see this costs
4 points for a Hard skill. Lockpicking, on the other We decide to give Dai some “background skills” next.
hand, is IQ/Average. With Dai’s IQ 12, skill 15 is IQ+3 He grew up on the street, so Urban Survival (p. 228) fits:
level. This costs 12 points – it’s very expensive to raise a it’s the ability to scrounge food and shelter in the city. A
skill so far above its controlling attribute! Per/Average skill, 1 point buys Per-1 level, or 14. Filch
(p. 195) covers shoplifting. It’s DX/Average; 1 point buys
We also want Dai to be an adept second-story man DX-1, also 14. Survival has a social side, too. We give
and escape artist, so we spend 1 point apiece on Dai Fast-Talk (p. 195) to talk his way out of jams and
Climbing (p. 183) and Escape (p. 192). Climbing is Streetwise (p. 223) to deal with professional criminals.
DX/Average; 1 point buys DX-1 level, giving skill 14. Both are IQ/Average. We buy IQ level (12) in each, at 2
Escape is DX/Hard; 1 point is only good for DX-2 level, points a skill.
or skill 13. Of course, we selected these skills knowing
that Dai’s Flexibility advantage would give +3 to both! Dai has now spent 44 of his remaining 47 points. We
His Perfect Balance adds another +1 to Climbing, too. decide to put his last three points into skills that com-
His final levels are Climbing at 18 and Escape at 16. plement his advantages.

To case an area before he strikes, Dai needs Rereading the descriptions of his advantages, we see
Observation skill (p. 211). This is Per/Average. But Dai’s that Perfect Balance gives +1 to Acrobatics (p. 174).
Perception is a whopping 15, so he doesn’t need to That’s definitely Dai’s style! Acrobatics is DX/Hard, so 2
spend many points: 2 points buys Observation at Per points buys DX-1 level, or 14. With the +1 for Perfect
level (15), which is more than good enough. Balance, he gets a 15.

Since stealth can fail, we want to give Dai some com- We also discover that Absolute Direction gives +3 to
bat skills for backup. We decide that he prefers knives. Body Sense (p. 181): the skill of reorienting yourself
Knife skill (p. 208) is fine for melee combat, but we also after teleportation. This sounds ideal for Dai! We put 1
want Dai to be good at the quick draw and with throw- point into Body Sense, which is DX/Hard. This buys
ing knives. Fast-Draw (p. 194) and Thrown Weapon DX-2 level, or 13. The +3 for Absolute Direction makes
(p. 226) fit the bill. Both require a specialty – in this case, this 16.
“Knife.” All of these skills are DX/Easy. With Dai’s low
ST, he’ll need superb aim to make a knife effective, so we At this stage, Dai has spent all 250 points. If we want-
settle on 17 in Knife and Thrown Weapon (Knife). This ed to add more abilities, we could add more disadvan-
is DX+2 level, which costs 4 points per skill. Fast-Draw tages to pay for them – but we want Dai to be carefree,
(Knife) is a neat trick, but skill 15 is plenty. This costs 1 not saddled with problems.
point.
Now it’s time to write it all down. Dai’s character
sheet appears on p. 311.

SKILLS 227

Two-Handed Flail Modifiers: +5 if you have a dummy This skill represents training at
or confederate to distract your audi- grappling and pinning. Roll against
see Melee Weapon, p. 208 ence (it’s easier to “see” a face talk the higher of DX or Wrestling to hit
than it is to believe the voice comes with a grapple, or to make or resist a
Two-Handed Sword from an immobile object); -3 if the takedown. Furthermore, if you know
audience has reason to be suspicious. Wrestling at DX+1 level, add +1 to ST
see Melee Weapon, p. 208 for the purpose of making or resisting
any choke, grapple, neck snap, take-
Typing Veterinary/TL down, or pin, and whenever you
attempt to break free. Add +2 to ST for
DX/Easy IQ/Hard Wrestling at DX+2 or better.

Defaults: DX-4 and others. Defaults: Animal Handling (any)-6, When you defend with bare hands,
Physician-5, or Surgery-5. Wrestling allows you to parry once
This is the skill of using a type- per turn. You must use both hands.
writer. Typing speed is skill ¥ 3 words This is the ability to care for a sick Your Parry score is (skill/2) + 3,
per minute (wpm) on a manual, skill ¥ or wounded animal. You may take an rounded down. This parry is at -3 vs.
5 wpm on an electric typewriter or optional specialty (p. 169) in a particu- weapons. For complete rules for par-
computer keyboard. lar type of animal. rying barehanded, see Parrying
Unarmed (p. 376).
This skill defaults at -3 to any skill Modifiers: +5 if the animal knows
that involves a lot of typing, notably and trusts you; -2 or worse if the ani-
Administration, Computer Operation, mal is of an unfamiliar type.
Research, and Writing, and
Professional Skills such as Journalist. Weather Sense Writing IQ/Average
If you have such a skill, Typing skill is
redundant (unless you wish to work as see Meteorology, p. 209 Default: IQ-5
a professional typist).
Weird Science
Urban Survival This is the ability to write in a clear
IQ/Very Hard or entertaining manner. A successful
Per/Average roll means the work is readable and
Defaults: None. accurate.
Default: Perception-5.
This skill allows you to formulate This is mostly useful to earn a liv-
This talent covers the physical part astonishing new crackpot scientific ing or write for GURPS, but can
of staying alive in a city environment, theories that are far ahead of their sometimes help on adventures . . . or
whether it’s overpopulated or empty. time . . . or at least utterly different after them. The report of a spy, soldier,
(The social problems of city survival from the usual assumptions of your or private investigator is far more use-
are covered by Streetwise skill.) A suc- tech level. You may attempt a Weird ful if it is well-written!
cessful skill roll allows you to find Science roll whenever you work on a
clean rainwater; locate manholes from new invention (see Chapter 17) or Modifiers: The time modifiers
above or below; quickly locate build- investigate an existing item of weird under Time Spent (p. 346) will often
ing entrances, exits, stairwells, etc.; technology (e.g., a UFO). apply; -5 if you are writing about an
recognize and avoid physically dan- unfamiliar subject; Language modi-
gerous areas, such as crumbling build- On a success, you get +5 on an fiers (p. 24).
ings; make and read city maps; find invention attempt (but only +1 if using
your way out of strange city areas; the Gadgeteer advantage, since Zen Archery
find a warm place to sleep outside in Gadgeteer already gives you favorable
cold weather; and locate common die rolls for thinking “outside the IQ/Very Hard
types of buildings or businesses with- box”). If investigating weird technolo-
out asking anyone, just by your “feel” gy, success gives +2 to any skill roll Defaults: None.
for the way cities are laid out. you make for this purpose – and the Prerequisites: Trained By A Master
GM might even allow a default skill or Weapon Master, Bow at 18+, and
roll to operate the device! Meditation.

Vacc Suit/TL On a critical success, you get these This skill allows you to strike diffi-
bonuses and some incredible insight cult targets with ease when using a
see Environment Suit, p. 192 into a totally different problem! bow. On a success, add up the penal-
Critical failures are always spectacu- ties for size and speed/range, and then
Ventriloquism IQ/Hard lar, although not necessarily fatal or divide them by three (round down).
even dangerous.
Defaults: None. Modifiers: -10 if used instantly,
dropping to -5 after 1 turn of concen-
This is the ability to disguise and Whip tration, -4 after 2 turns, -3 after 4
“throw” your voice a short distance. A turns, -2 after 8 turns, -1 after 16
successful roll lets you throw see Melee Weapon, p. 208 turns, and no penalty after 32 turns.
your voice well enough to fool your
audience. Wrestling DX/Average

Defaults: None.

228 SKILLS

TECHNIQUES

You (or your GM!) may want a way not be a valid technique for Boxing Average. This affects point cost – see
to improve your ability with a specific skill, which is all about punching! To Technique Cost Table (p. 230).
application of a skill without increas- get better at the primary task covered
ing the overall skill level. This is realis- by a skill, you must improve the skill Example 1: Motion-picture photog-
tic – people do train at particular tasks itself. raphy is rarely dangerous, and you
to the exclusion of others – but allow- can usually do a second take if you
ing this in the game makes play (and Prerequisites fail; therefore, Motion-Picture Camera
character sheets) more complex. As a is an Average technique.
result, the following section is purely The skill with which a technique is
optional. associated is automatically its prereq- Example 2: On a failed kick, you
uisite – that is, you must have at least can fall down – a potentially fatal turn
A “technique” is any feat that you one point in a skill before you can of events in combat – so Kicking is a
can practice and perfect separately improve its techniques. If more than Hard technique.
from the skill that allows you to per- one skill lets you perform the task cov-
form that task. It is a specific action ered by the technique, any of these Maximum Level
covered by the parent skill, studied on skills can count as the prerequisite.
its own. It differs from an optional The GM may require other skills Tightly focused practice can only
specialty (p. 169), which covers a body and advantages as prerequisites for take you so far. Eventually, you’ll have
of theory, not an action. Techniques particularly complex techniques. to learn new fundamentals in order to
work a lot like skills, but with a few improve. To reflect this, techniques
important differences. Example 1: The prerequisite of often specify an upper limit relative to
Motion-Picture Camera is Photogra- parent skill. On attaining this level, the
CREATING phy skill. only way to improve further is to raise
TECHNIQUES the underlying skill. For a technique
Example 2: Either Brawling or that covers an important use of a skill,
There are six steps to creating a Karate skill can be the prerequisite of maximum level is usually equal to pre-
technique. We’ll walk through these Kicking, since both allow you to kick. requisite skill level. More peripheral
steps using two examples. Even those techniques might be able to exceed
who plan to use only the sample tech- Defaults and Specialties prerequisite skill level, or have no
niques at the end of this section maximum level.
should read these rules, as they A technique always defaults to one
explain the basic concepts involved. of its prerequisites. Usually, the Example 1: An adventurer could
default penalty equals the modifier make a career of motion-picture pho-
Concept and Name given for the feat in the skill descrip- tography without affecting game bal-
tion or elsewhere. There can be more ance. Thus, it seems believable and
Decide what you want the tech- than one default. If a technique offers fair to leave Motion-Picture Camera
nique to do, in general terms, and give a choice of defaults, those who learn it open-ended and specify no maximum
it a name that clearly describes the must specialize in the version of the level.
feat it represents. technique associated with the chosen
default. Example 2: Kicking is a potent
Example 1: Both still and motion- attack, and one of the main reasons to
picture cameras require Photography Example 1: Photography skill states learn Brawling or Karate skill; there-
skill (p. 213). A photographer could that motion-picture cameras are used fore, Kicking cannot be improved past
study just motion-picture equipment at -3, so Motion-Picture Camera prerequisite skill level.
in order to get rid of the -3 to use it; defaults to Photography-3.
therefore, “Motion-Picture Camera” Description
would be a reasonable Photography Example 2: Both Brawling and
technique. Karate let you kick at -2 to skill, so The prerequisite skill description
Kicking defaults to Brawling-2 or provides the necessary rules for most
Example 2: Karate skill (p. 203) Karate-2. Those who use the Brawling techniques, but some techniques sup-
covers both kicks and punches. A default must specialize in Kicking ply optional additional detail, or out-
karateka could spend extra time on (Brawling), while those who use the line entirely new uses of the skill.
kicks, with the goal of eliminating the Karate default must specialize in
-2 to kicking attacks. Thus, “Kicking” Kicking (Karate). Example 1: There isn’t a lot to be
would be a logical technique for said about Motion-Picture Camera – it
Karate. Difficulty Level lets you use motion-picture cameras,
per Photography skill.
A technique should never be the Techniques come in only two diffi-
“core” action undertaken with the culties: Average and Hard. Feats that Example 2: Kicking does +1 dam-
skill. For instance, Punching would have severe negative consequences on age relative to a punch, and you must
a failure, or that allow only one roll vs. DX to avoid a fall if you miss.
attempt, are Hard; all others are These rules bear mentioning in any
formal description of Kicking.

SKILLS 229

BUYING AND (p. 23), language (p. 23), equipment This technique lets you attack
IMPROVING (p. 345), tech level (p. 168), and so someone behind you without changing
TECHNIQUES forth – apply to its techniques, as do facing. You must know that he is there!
any special critical success or failure Roll against Back Kick to hit, but oth-
Buying a technique is a lot like results. erwise resolve this as a normal kick.
buying a skill – point cost depends on After attempting a Back Kick, all your
difficulty and desired relative skill SAMPLE COMBAT active defenses are at -2 until next turn.
level – but there are two differences. TECHNIQUES
You buy up a technique relative to its Choke Hold
default, not relative to a controlling Special moves in combat are by far
attribute, and you determine its point the most common techniques, and Hard
cost using the Technique Cost Table can give warriors a “bag of tricks” sim-
(below) instead of the Skill Cost Table ilar to a wizard’s spells. If a combat Defaults: Judo-2 or Wrestling-3.
(p. 170). technique has multiple defaults, you Prerequisites: Judo or Wrestling;
must specialize by prerequisite skill. cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
To improve a technique, pay the For instance, learning a technique for
difference in point cost between the Axe/Mace skill gives no special ability This technique lets you to “buy off”
desired level and your current level – with the Broadsword version of that the basic -2 to Judo or -3 to Wrestling
exactly as for a skill. And just as skills technique! when using the rules given under
increase for free when you raise attrib- Choke Hold on p. 404.
utes, techniques improve for free Techniques marked with a * are
when you raise the skill on which they not particularly realistic. The GM may Disarming
are based. For instance, if you have wish to restrict these “cinematic” tech-
Karate-15 and Kicking-15, and raise niques – even at default – to PCs with Hard
Karate to 16, Kicking also goes to 16 Trained By A Master (p. 93) or
at no extra charge! Weapon Master (p. 99). Default: prerequisite skill.
Prerequisite: Any unarmed combat
You need not buy a technique to Arm Lock or Melee Weapon skill; cannot exceed
use it. If you have even one point in a prerequisite skill+5.
skill, you may use all that skill’s tech- Average
niques at default. To avoid a cluttered If you know this technique above
character sheet, though, only note Defaults: Judo or Wrestling. default, you may use it instead of the
techniques that you know at better Prerequisites: Judo or Wrestling; underlying skill whenever you attack
than default level. cannot exceed prerequisite skill+4. to disarm (see Striking at Weapons,
p. 400). For instance, if you have
Technique Cost Table Difficulty of Technique Broadsword-14 and Disarming
(Broadsword)-17, you disarm as if you
Your Final Average Hard had Broadsword-17.
Skill Level*
0 points 0 points Dual-Weapon Attack*
Default
Default+1 1 point 2 points Hard
Default+2
Default+3 2 points 3 points Default: prerequisite skill-4.
Default+4 Prerequisite: Any one-handed
3 points 4 points Melee Weapon skill; cannot exceed
+1 prerequisite skill*.
4 points 5 points * You may learn this technique for
Guns (Pistol), even in a realistic cam-
+1 point +1 point paign.

* Most techniques have maximum This technique allows you to Normally, you are at -4 to attack
levels. For instance, a technique that improve your effective Judo or with two weapons at once unless you
“cannot exceed prerequisite skill level” Wrestling skill for the purpose of make an All-Out Attack. This tech-
and that defaults to skill-5 tops out at applying an arm lock. For rules gov- nique lets you “buy off” that penalty.
default+5. erning arm locks, see Arm Lock (Note that you must still learn Off-
(p. 403). Hand Weapon Training, p. 232, to
USING reduce the -4 for using the “off” hand!)
TECHNIQUES Back Kick Hard For detailed rules, see Dual-Weapon
Attacks (p. 417).
A technique works just like a skill Default: Karate-4. cannot
in play: make a success roll (see Prerequisites: Karate; Elbow Strike
Chapter 10) against your level in the exceed Karate skill.
technique. Unless noted otherwise, all Average
general modifiers to a skill – for culture
Defaults: Brawling-2 or Karate-2.
Prerequisites: Brawling or Karate;
cannot exceed prerequisite skill.

230 SKILLS

This technique lets you “buy off” This technique lets you use a bow target parries at -2. However, if you
the -2 penalty to strike with the elbow. effectively from horseback. The modi- miss – or if your target successfully
See Elbow Strike (p. 404) for more fiers for firing from horseback (p. 397) defends – you fall down unless you can
information. can never reduce your Bow skill below make a DX-4 or Acrobatics-2 roll. Hit
your Horse Archery level. (Other or miss, a Jump Kick leaves you at -2
Feint penalties apply normally.) For on all your active defenses until your
instance, if you had Bow-13 and next turn.
Hard Horse Archery-11, the penalties for
archery from horseback would never Kicking
Default: prerequisite skill. reduce your skill below 11, before
Prerequisite: Any unarmed combat other modifiers. Hard
or Melee Weapon skill; cannot exceed
prerequisite skill+4. Jump Kick Defaults: Brawling-2 or Karate-2.
Prerequisite: Brawling or Karate;
If you know this technique above Hard cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
default, you may use it instead of the
underlying skill whenever you feint Default: Karate-4. This technique lets you improve
(see Feint, p. 365). For instance, if you Prerequisite: Karate; cannot exceed your kicking ability. Roll against
have Broadsword-14 and Feint Karate skill. Kicking to hit. A kick does
(Broadsword)-16, you feint as if you thrust/crushing damage based on ST.
had Broadsword-16. This technique lets you leap into Use Brawling or Karate skill – not
the air and kick at full extension, your Kicking level – to determine your
Finger Lock increasing range and damage. It is a damage bonus, and use only the high-
showy but dangerous move! Roll est bonus. If you miss with a kick, roll
Hard against Jump Kick to hit. Add one vs. Kicking skill or DX to avoid falling.
yard to reach and +2 to damage. Your
Default: Arm Lock-3
Prerequisite: Arm Lock; cannot
exceed Arm Lock.

This technique lets you grab fin-
gers and twist them painfully. Use the
rules for Arm Lock (p. 403), except
that all damage is to the hand – which
is easier to cripple than the arm.

Ground Fighting

Hard

Default: prerequisite skill-4.
Prerequisite: Any unarmed combat
or Melee Weapon skill; cannot exceed
prerequisite skill.

This technique lets you “buy off”
the -4 for attacking from your back.
Roll against this technique instead of
the prerequisite skill whenever you
use that skill to attack from the
ground. For instance, if you had
Wrestling-14 and Ground Fighting
(Wrestling)-13, you could grapple
from the ground at skill 13.

In addition, make a roll against
Ground Fighting whenever you must
defend yourself from your back. On a
success, you defend at -1 instead of
at -3.

Horse Archery

Hard

Default: Bow-4.
Prerequisites: Bow and Riding; can-
not exceed Bow skill.

SKILLS 231

Knee Strike With the GM’s permission, you can exactly the same way, but uses a leg
learn this technique for any DX-based instead of a pole, and defaults to Judo-
Average skill that requires only one hand. 3, Karate-3, or Sumo Wrestling-3.

Defaults: Brawling-1 or Karate-1. Retain Weapon Whirlwind Attack*
Prerequisite: Brawling or Karate;
cannot exceed prerequisite skill. Hard Hard

This technique lets you “buy off” Default: prerequisite skill. Default: prerequisite skill-5.
the -1 penalty to strike with the knee – Prerequisite: Any Melee Weapon Prerequisites: Broadsword, Staff, or
see Knee Strike (p. 404). skill; cannot exceed prerequisite Two-Handed Sword; cannot exceed
skill+5. prerequisite skill.
Neck Snap
If you know this technique above Whirlwind Attack is a special All-
Hard default, you may use it instead of the Out Attack that lets you attack every
underlying skill whenever someone foe adjacent to you with lightning
Default: ST-4; cannot exceed ST+3. attempts to disarm you (see Striking at speed! If you use this technique, it is
Weapons, p. 400). For instance, if you all you can do that turn, no matter
This brute-force attack consists of have Staff-13 and Retain Weapon how fast or skilled you are.
grabbing and suddenly twisting the (Staff)-16, you resist disarm attempts Furthermore, since this is an All-Out
victim’s head, with the intent of snap- as if you had Staff-16. Attack, you will have no active defens-
ping the neck – see Neck Snap o es afterward – see All-Out Attack
Wrench Limb (p. 404). Unlike most You can also learn this technique (p. 365).
techniques, Neck Snap defaults to ST, for missile weapons, such as guns and
not a skill. Wrestling gives its usual bows. In that case, it defaults to DX When you launch a Whirlwind
skill-based ST bonus. and cannot exceed DX+5. Attack, you spin in place, attacking all
adjacent foes within one yard. You
Double Defaults and Techniques must attack them in clockwise or
counterclockwise order – your choice.
A skill cannot default to another skill known only by default (see All your attacks must be swung
Double Defaults, p. 173). However, techniques are not skills. If two tech- attacks, and you cannot combine a
niques are based on the same underlying skill, one can default to the Whirlwind Attack with other tech-
other, even if you only know the intermediate technique at default. niques (such as Disarming) or with
cinematic skills (such as Power Blow).
Example: Finger Lock defaults to Arm Lock-3, and Arm Lock
defaults to Judo or Wrestling. Effectively, Finger Lock also defaults to Determine a random hit location
Judo-3 or Wrestling-3. for each target, and then roll against
Whirlwind Attack to hit, with the
Off-Hand Weapon Sweep usual hit location penalties. You oppo-
Training nent may defend normally. Resolve
Hard each attack completely before moving
Hard on to the next one. If any of the attacks
Default: prerequisite skill-3. is a critical miss (or if any of your
Default: prerequisite skill-4. Prerequisites: Polearm, Spear, or opponents critically succeeds on his
Prerequisite: Any Melee Weapon Staff; cannot exceed prerequisite skill. defense), that attack and all remaining
skill; cannot exceed prerequisite skill. attacks are critical misses – roll on the
This technique lets you sweep your Critical Miss Table (p. 556) once per
This technique lets you “buy off” adversary’s legs out from under him attack!
the -4 for using your “off” hand with using a pole weapon. Roll against
one specific Melee Weapon skill. Use Sweep to hit. The target may defend You may end a Whirlwind Attack
your level with this technique instead normally. If he fails, roll a Quick facing in any direction you wish.
of the prerequisite skill whenever you Contest: your Sweep or ST vs. your
use that skill to attack or parry with victim’s ST or DX. Use the higher value SAMPLE
your off hand. For instance, if you had in both cases. If the victim loses, he NONCOMBAT
Rapier-14 and Off-Hand Weapon falls down unless he can make an TECHNIQUES
Training (Rapier)-14, you could attack Acrobatics-5 roll to somersault in the
and parry at full skill with your off air and land safely. Nearly any task that calls for a skill
hand. roll at a penalty could become a tech-
Unarmed fighters call this tech- nique. The main purpose of such
nique “Sweeping Kick.” It works techniques is to buy off skill penalties,
but the GM might wish to provide
additional details.

232 SKILLS

The “opposite” technique, Rope
Down, defaults to Climbing-1 and can
be improved to Climbing+3. Sliding
down a rope is significantly easier
than any kind of climbing!

Scaling Hard

Default: Climbing-3. cannot
Prerequisite: Climbing;
exceed prerequisite skill.

This technique lets you eliminate
some or all of the -3 to skill for climb-
ing a relatively smooth, vertical sur-
face such as a building or rock face
(see Climbing, p. 349).

Set Trap

Hard

Default: Explosives (Demolition)-2.
Prerequisite: Explosives (Demoli-
tion); cannot exceed prerequisite skill.

With study, you can gain familiari-
ty with “trap” triggers, allowing you to
set traps without the usual -2 to skill.
Assassins, commandos, spies, etc.
often improve this technique.

Impersonate No-Landing Extraction Slip Handcuffs

Average Hard Hard

Default: Mimicry (Speech)-3. Default: Piloting-4. Default: Escape-5.
Prerequisite: Mimicry (Speech); Prerequisite: Piloting; cannot Prerequisite: Escape; cannot exceed
cannot exceed prerequisite skill. exceed prerequisite skill. prerequisite skill.

Through practice, you can improve This technique lets you pick up This technique represents study of
your ability to mimic one specific per- cargo from the ground without land- a specific set of tricks for slipping out
son, gradually buying off the -3 to ing. You can only fetch cargos outfit- of handcuffs. With the GM’s permis-
impersonate him. Each person mim- ted with special no-landing extraction sion, you can learn similar techniques
icked is a separate technique. apparatus. Someone on the ground for other restraints commonly used in
must make a successful Freight your game world.
Lifesaving Handling roll to prepare the cargo
(takes 2d hours). A failed Freight Work by Touch
Hard Handling or No-Landing Extraction
roll means a missed pick-up or dam- Hard
Default: Swimming-5. aged cargo. Critical failure indicates
Prerequisite: Swimming; cannot the cargo is lost (critically injured, if a Default: Lockpicking-5.
exceed prerequisite skill. living passenger). Prerequisite: Lockpicking; cannot
exceed prerequisite skill.
You can study lifesaving separately Rope Up
from swimming in order to eliminate Lockpicking is normally at -5 if you
the basic -5 for that task. See Average must work by touch, but if you rou-
Lifesaving (p. 355) for detailed rules. tinely practice this way, it will eventu-
Default: Climbing-2. ally become second nature.
Motion-Picture Camera Prerequisite: Climbing; cannot
exceed prerequisite skill. The GM might permit you to learn
Average a Work by Touch technique for other
A climber normally has -2 to climb “thief” skills – e.g., Explosives and
Default: Photography-3. a dangling rope (see Climbing, p. 349). Traps – allowing you to operate in
Prerequisite: Photography. With practice, you can buy off this total darkness, which is a common
penalty. way to use such skills . . .
This technique, common among
professional cameramen, allows you
to buy off the -3 to use a motion-pic-
ture camera with Photography skill.

SKILLS 233

CHAPTER FIVE

MAGIC

These rules only matter to wizards, and only in worlds where magic exists. If you are not creating a wizard for a magical
setting, you can safely skip this chapter.

Magic is a powerful force manipulated using skills called spells. By casting spells, a wizard can direct magical energy –

known as mana – to produce almost any effect. This is a fickle art in some settings, a precise science in others.

The best wizards have an inborn ability

to learn and use magic, called Magery

(p. 66). Anyone with any degree of

Magery is called a mage. In many game Glossary of
worlds, only mages can use magic. In all Magical Terms

worlds, they are abort: To stop the casting of a spell before its completion.
better with backfire: A critical failure when casting a spell.
magic than base skill: Your unmodified skill with a spell; compare with effective
non-mages.

skill.

basic spell: A spell with no other spells as prerequisites.

cancel: To end your own spell before it would normally be over.

caster: The person casting a spell.

class: A group of spells that use the same special rules. Three examples

appear in this glossary: Melee spells, Missile spells, and Resisted spells.

college: A group of spells that deal with the same subject – fire, heal-

ing, etc.

effective skill: Your base skill, plus any modifiers (usually penalties)

for range, circumstances, etc. A caster rolls against effective skill.

Enchantment spell: A spell for creating permanent magic items.

See Magic Items, p. 480.

energy: The “cost” to cast a spell. You may pay this in

either FP or HP. Some game worlds offer alternative

energy sources.

grimoire: The list of spells you know (and more generally, any book of

spells).

mage: Anyone with the Magery advantage.

Magery: The advantage of being “in tune” with magic; see p. 66.

maintain: To continue a spell after it would normally end. This costs

more energy, unless you have high skill.

mana: The ambient magical energy manipulated by spells. Different

areas (or worlds) have different levels of mana; see Mana (p. 235).

Melee spell: A spell that “charges” your hand or a magic staff with

harmful energies that affect the first target you strike.

Missile spell: A spell that summons a magical projectile that you must

“throw” at the subject.

Prerequisites: A requirement for learning a spell. Means exactly what

it means for skills; see Prerequisites (p. 169).

Resisted spell: Any spell that must overcome the “power” of its subject

before it works.

spell: A skill that produces a specific magical effect when used suc-

cessfully.

subject: The person, place, or thing on which a spell is cast.

wizard: Any user of magic, whether he is a mage or not.

234 MAGIC

LEARNING MAGIC

Anyone can learn most spells – reduce the time required to learn PREREQUISITES
although in some worlds, you must be spells (but not the point cost) by 10%
a mage to use the spells you know. per Magery level, to a minimum of Any spell but the most basic has
Some spells specify a particular level 60% the usual time at Magery 4; e.g., one or more prerequisites: require-
of Magery as a prerequisites: if you Magery 3 would let you learn spells in ments you must meet in order to learn
lack the required Magery level, you 70% the usual time. the spell. If the prerequisite is another
cannot learn the spell. spell, you must have at least one point
The maximum level of Magery in the prerequisite spell before you
Each magic spell is a separate skill, available in your world is up to the can study the advanced spell. Some
learned just like any other skill. Most GM. Most GMs will want to limit PCs spells require a minimum Magery
spells are IQ/Hard skills, but a few to Magery 3 or 4. level; for instance, “Magery 2” means
potent spells are IQ/Very Hard. Spells you must have Magery 2 (or higher) to
have no default – you can only cast If you know more than a few spells, learn the spell. A few spells require a
spells you know. you may wish to make a “grimoire.” minimum basic attribute score, an
This is a list of the spells you know advantage, or even a mundane skill.
Add your Magery to IQ when you and your skill with each, along with
learn spells. For instance, if you have the energy cost, time to cast, duration,
IQ 12 and Magery 3, you learn spells etc. for each spell. This saves a lot of
as if you had IQ 15. In addition, reference time in play!

Mana

Mana is the ambient energy that empowers magic. Normal Mana: Only mages can cast spells. These
Magic will work only if the mana level of the game world spells work normally, according to all rules given in this
or specific area allows it, as follows: chapter. This is the default mana level in most fantasy
settings: mages use magic, others don’t.
Very High Mana: Anyone who knows spells can cast
them. A mage who spends FP to cast a spell on his turn Low Mana: Only mages can cast spells, and all spells
gets those FP back at the start of his next turn. However, perform at -5 to skill, for all purposes. (Magic items are
all failures are treated as critical failures – and actual similarly affected; see Power of a Magic Item, p. 481.)
critical failures produce spectacular disasters! Very high However, critical failures have mild effects or no effect
mana is extremely rare in most settings. at all.

High Mana: Anyone who knows spells can cast them. No Mana: No one can use magic at all. Magic items
This mana level is rare in most worlds, but some game do not function (but regain their powers when taken to
worlds have high mana throughout. an area with mana). This mana level occurs in isolated
spots in magical worlds, but entire game worlds can
lack mana, making magic use impossible.

CASTING SPELLS

You must know a spell in order to p. 239). If your roll is less than or equal On a failure, the spell does not work.
cast it, unless you possess a magic item to your effective skill, the spell works. If If success would have cost energy, you
that lets you cast it (see Magic Items, it is greater than your effective skill, the lose one energy point; otherwise, you
p. 480). Tell the GM what spell you are spell fails. lose nothing. (Exception: You must pay
casting, then take Concentrate maneu- the full energy cost even on a failure for
vers for the requisite number of turns On a success, mark off the spell’s an Information spell; see Information
(see Time Required, p. 236). At the end energy cost against your FP or HP (see Spells, p. 241.) On a critical failure, you
of the last second of concentration, Energy Cost, p. 236). Its effects take must spend the full energy cost and the
make a success roll for the spell. place immediately. On a critical suc- spell fails . . . badly! The GM may use
cess, the spell works especially well. the Critical Spell Failure Table or impro-
Casting a spell works like any other Details are up to the GM, who should vise some other “backfire” he finds
use of a skill. Roll 3d and compare the be both generous and creative. amusing.
total to your effective skill: your base Whatever else occurs, there is never an
skill with the spell adjusted by any energy cost if you get a critical success
applicable modifiers. Modifiers depend when you cast a spell.
on the class of spell (see Spell Classes,

MAGIC 235

DISTRACTION in combat. Make the skill roll at the need to cast it. If you know it well
AND INJURY end of the last turn of concentration. enough, you can cast it at no cost.
You may “abort” an unfinished spell Exception: Never reduce the cost of a
If you use an active defense against before it is cast, at no penalty, but you Blocking spell; see Blocking Spells
an attack, or are knocked back, must start over if you wish to try (p. 241).
knocked down, injured, grappled, or again.
otherwise distracted while concentrat-
ing, make a Will roll at -3 to continue Critical Spell Failure
casting your spell. On a failure, your Table
spell is spoiled and you must start
over. Roll 3d on the table below. If the result is inappropriate – or if it is
the result that the caster intended – roll again. The GM is free to impro-
If you are stunned while concen- vise instead of using the table. Improvisations should be appropriate to
trating, your spell is automatically the spell and the situation, and should never kill the caster outright.
spoiled.
3 – Spell fails entirely. Caster takes 1d of injury.
If you are injured but not stunned 4 – Spell is cast on caster (if harmful) or on a random nearby foe (if
while concentrating, and succeed on
the roll to avoid distraction, you may beneficial).
cast your spell. However, the shock 5-6 – Spell is cast on one of the caster’s companions (if harmful) or on
penalty for your injury reduces your
effective skill. See p. 419 for details on a random nearby foe (if beneficial).
shock. 7 – Spell affects someone or something other than its intended target –

CASTER AND friend, foe, or random object. Roll randomly or make an interesting
SUBJECT choice.
8 – Spell fails entirely. Caster takes 1 point of injury.
The “caster” of a spell is the person 9 – Spell fails entirely. Caster is stunned (IQ roll to recover).
who is attempting to cast it. 10-11 – Spell produces nothing but a loud noise, bright flash of light,
awful odor, etc.
The “subject” of a spell is the per- 12 – Spell produces a weak and useless shadow of the intended effect.
son, place, or thing upon which the 13 – Spell produces the reverse of the intended effect.
spell is cast. If you are casting a spell 14 – Spell seems to work, but it is only a useless illusion. The GM
on yourself, you are both caster and should do his best to convince the wizard and his companions that
subject. The subject can also be anoth- the spell did work!
er being, an inanimate object, or even 15-16 – Spell has the reverse of the intended effect, on the wrong tar-
a patch of ground. If the subject is a get. Roll randomly.
place, the caster can “touch” it by 17 – Spell fails entirely. Caster temporarily forgets the spell. Make an IQ
extending a hand over it or touching roll after a week, and again each following week, until he remem-
the ground, as appropriate for the bers.
spell. 18 – Spell fails entirely. A demon or other malign entity appropriate to
the setting appears and attacks the caster. (The GM may waive this
TIME REQUIRED result if, in his opinion, caster and spell were both lily-white, pure
good in intent.)
Most spells take one second to cast.
Take the Concentrate maneuver for Example: If a spell takes three sec- If your base skill with a spell – mod-
one turn and attempt your skill roll at onds to cast, you must spend three ified only by the -5 for low mana, if
the end of your turn. If you succeed, turns doing nothing but concentrat- applicable – is 15 or higher, reduce the
the spell takes effect instantly. ing. You roll the dice at the end of your cost to cast the spell by 1. If you have
Whether you succeed or fail, your turn third turn. skill 20 or higher, reduce the cost by 2.
ends as soon as you roll the dice. Cost continues to decrease by 1 per
ENERGY COST full five skill levels beyond skill 20.
Example: Wat wants to cast Create Apply the same reduction to the cost
Fire, a one-second spell. On his turn, Each spell has an energy cost. to maintain a spell. Calculate the
Wat says, “I’m concentrating on When you cast the spell, you must pay entire cost for a spell (for instance, by
Create Fire.” This uses his entire turn. this cost in either FP or HP. The better multiplying cost for the size of the
He then rolls the dice for his spell. If you know the spell, the less energy you subject or the area affected) before
he succeeds, he creates fire – but applying energy cost reductions for
either way, Wat’s turn ends.

Some spells take more than one
second to cast. This requires multiple,
consecutive Concentrate maneuvers

236 MAGIC

high skill. Energy is still going into the enough), but not necessarily both. only the spell with the most powerful
spell, but your skill lets you draw it You are allowed to move one yard effects counts – multiple instances of a
from the surrounding mana rather per second while taking the given spell do not “stack” or add in any
than supplying it yourself! Concentrate maneuver. Time: As way. Spells that heal, damage, or oth-
listed. Cost: Reduced by 1. erwise permanently affect the subject
You normally pay the energy cost Skill 20-24 – Ritual: None! You simply are an exception: you may cast such
of a spell in FP. You can recover lost stare into space as you concentrate. spells repeatedly, healing or damaging
FP by resting. A mage with the Time: Halved (round fractions up the subject by the full amount each
Recover Energy spell (p. 248) recovers to the next second). Minimum cast- time.
FP faster than normal. ing time is still one second. Cost:
Reduced by 2. Magery and Effect
Burning HP Skill 25-29 – Ritual: None. Time:
Divided by 4 (round up). Cost: Talented mages may exceed the
You may also expend life energy to Reduced by 3. usual limits for spells that allow a
pay the cost of a spell. Mark off some Skill 30 or more – As above, but for finite number of “levels of effect” (dice
or all of the cost against HP instead of every five levels of skill beyond skill of damage, bonuses to skill, etc.). The
FP – the spell is actually harming you! 25 (that is, at levels 30, 35, 40, etc.), upper limit is the higher of the stan-
You are at -1 on your spell roll per HP halve casting time again and reduce dard number of levels or the caster’s
used. This is instead of the usual shock energy cost by one more point. Magery level.
penalty for injury, and High Pain
Threshold has no effect. Certain spells always require a spe- Example: Major Healing (p. 248)
cific ritual. Such requirements over- allows you to spend 1, 2, 3, or 4 ener-
Using HP to power spells is dan- ride the rules above. For instance, gy points to heal 2, 4, 6, or 8 HP. It has
gerous, but it may be necessary if you high skill has no effect on the cost to four levels of effect. Magery 10 would
are badly fatigued and must cast cast Blocking spells (p. 241) or the let you revise this limit to 10 levels of
another spell. You may “burn” HP time to cast Missile spells (p. 240). effect – you could spend 1-10 energy
until you fall unconscious. Should a points to heal 2-20 HP!
failed HT roll indicate that you have
died, you do not actually spend the Canceling Spells
HP. Instead, you fall unconscious.
Sometimes, you will want to end a spell before its full duration is up.
Treat HP lost this way just like any If you specify a shorter duration when you cast the spell, the spell lasts
other injury. exactly the time desired. If you suddenly decide to “cancel” a spell
before its time is up, though, you must pay one energy point (from FP
MAGIC RITUALS or HP) to do so, regardless of the spell or your skill level.

To cast a spell, you must usually LIMITS ON The GM is free not to use this rule
perform a ritual that involves gestures EFFECT if he thinks it would be unbalanced. Of
and speech. If you can’t perform the course, if he puts a limit on the high-
ritual, you can’t cast the spell! For The effects of many spells vary est level of Magery available, this is
instance, if the ritual for a spell with the energy spent. For instance, a not a problem!
requires you to speak, you cannot cast healing spell might heal 1 HP per
the spell if you are gagged or under a energy point, or a combat spell might DURATION OF
spell of silence. inflict 1d damage per point. SPELLS AND
MAINTAINING
The higher your skill with a spell, If the spell description sets no SPELLS
the easier it is to cast: it takes less time, upper limit, then you may spend as
requires less energy, and has less strin- much energy as you can afford! The Some spells produce an instanta-
gent ritual requirements. See the list more you spend, the greater the effect. neous effect when cast and then end
below for details. In all cases, “skill” immediately. Other spells last for a
refers to base skill, not effective skill. If the spell specifies a finite range fixed “duration” (given for the particu-
The only modifier that matters here is of effects and associated energy costs, lar spell, but most often one minute)
the -5 for low mana, if applicable. though, you cannot exceed the upper and then wear off – unless you
limit without a high level of Magery maintain them.
Skill 9 or less – Ritual: You must have (see below).
both hands and both feet free for
elaborate ritual movements, and If either type of variable spell is cast
you must speak certain words of on the same subject more than once,
power in a firm voice. Time:
Doubled. Cost: As listed.

Skill 10-14 – Ritual: You must speak a
few quiet words and make a ges-
ture. Time: As listed. Cost: As listed.

Skill 15-19 – Ritual: You must speak a
word or two or make a small ges-
ture (a couple of fingers are

MAGIC 237

If you can maintain a spell, the Ceremonial Magic
energy cost to do so is given in its
description, following the casting cost. If you know a spell at skill 15+ and have a group of willing assistants,
When the spell reaches the end of its you may opt to cast the spell by leading your assistants in an elaborate
duration, you may continue the spell ritual that maximizes the spell’s power. Such “ceremonial magic” is
by paying its maintenance cost. If you time-consuming, but lets you cast more powerful spells than you could
do, the spell continues for another cast on your own.
interval equal to its duration. This
takes no time and requires no skill When you work ceremonial magic, multiply casting time by 10.
roll. Distance is not a factor. Energy cost does not change, but your assistants can supplement your
energy input as follows:
Example: The Light spell (p. 249)
notes “Duration: 1 minute” and “Cost: Each mage who knows the spell at level 15+: as much energy as he
1 to cast; 1 to maintain.” It ends after wishes to contribute.
a minute unless, at the end of that
minute, you spend one more energy Each non-mage who knows the spell at level 15+: up to 3 points.
point to maintain it. If you do, it lasts Each mage who knows the spell at level 14 or lower: up to 3 points.
another minute. Each unskilled spectator who supports the casting (by chanting, hold-
ing candles, etc.): 1 point, to a maximum of 100 points from all specta-
You may repeat this process for as tors.
long as you wish, provided you can Each spectator who opposes the casting: -5 points, to a maximum
supply the required energy. As long as penalty of -100 points from all spectators!
you are conscious, you know when
one of your spells needs to be Sum the energy from all sources to find the total energy available. If
renewed. However, you cannot main- this exceeds the cost to cast the spell, you receive a skill bonus.
tain a spell while you sleep, and you
cannot “hand off” a spell to someone Extra Energy Skill Bonus
else so he can maintain it for you. 20% +1
40% +2
High Skill and Cost to 60% +3
Maintain 100% +4

Energy cost reduction for high skill Add another +1 per additional 100% of the required energy.
also applies to the cost to maintain a At the end of the ritual, make a skill roll to cast the spell. Apply all
spell. This can reduce maintenance standard modifiers for magic use and any bonus for extra energy.
cost to zero. For instance, if you know Regardless of the outcome of the die roll, all contributed energy is spent
a spell at skill 15-19, you may reduce when you roll the dice.
its maintenance cost by 1; if this cost
is 1 to begin with, you can maintain Notes on Ceremonial Magic
the spell indefinitely at no energy cost!
• High skill does not reduce casting time or energy cost.
Concentration and • A group aids concentration. If you are distracted during the ritual,
Maintenance roll at Will as opposed to Will-3 to avoid distraction.
• Ceremonial magic is hard to coordinate. A roll of 16 is always a
You can maintain a spell without failure, and a roll of 17-18 is always a critical failure – even if effective
concentration unless the spell requires skill is 16+.
constant manipulation and change; • Once the spell is cast, the participants can continue to provide ener-
e.g., to maneuver a levitating object. gy to maintain the spell. The composition of the group may change, as
Spells like this require you to take the long as the ritual continues uninterrupted. Thus, ceremonial magic lets
Concentrate maneuver only. If you are you maintain a spell indefinitely.
distracted, injured, or stunned, you
must make a Will roll at -3. If you fail, CASTING SPELLS following modifiers whenever you cast
the spell does not end, but it remains WHILE spells while you have other spells active:
in precisely the state it was in when MAINTAINING
you were distracted, and does not OTHER SPELLS -3 per spell you are concentrating
respond to change until you can con- on at the moment. See the individual
centrate on it again. On a critical fail- You can only cast one new spell at a spell descriptions to learn which spells
ure, the spell ends. require concentration.
time. However, you can cast new spells
Casting another spell does not -1 per other spell you have “on” at
break concentration, but you suffer a before older ones end. Apply the the moment. A spell that lasts perma-
skill penalty for doing two things at nently (as indicated in the spell
once (see below). description) does not carry a penalty.

238 MAGIC

DIFFERENT KINDS OF MAGIC

There are many different types of • Name a target location. For The size of the area governs the
magic. Spells fall into “colleges” instance, if you specify “One yard energy cost, but not the difficulty of
according to subject matter and beyond the other side of this door,” the roll. The cost listed for an Area
“classes” according to the way they you’ll get whoever is standing on the spell is its “base cost.” The actual cost
work. other side of the door. If there is to cast the spell is equal to base cost
nobody there, you wasted the spell. multiplied by the radius of the area of
COLLEGES OF effect in yards (minimum one yard):
MAGIC • Name a subject; e.g., “The closest ¥1 for a one-yard radius, ¥2 for a two-
person in the next room,” or, “George, yard radius, ¥3 for a three-yard radius,
Spells related by subject matter – who I know is around here some- and so on.
e.g., fire, healing, or mind control – where.” The GM determines the actu-
belong to the same college. The basic al range to the subject. This is risky! If Some Area spells have a fractional
spells of a college are prerequisites for the subject is farther away than you base cost, such as 1/2 or 1/10. You
the more advanced ones. Some spells think – or simply absent – you are must spend a minimum of one energy
fall into more than one college. For inviting failure or even critical failure! point on these spells. A few Area spells
instance, Earth to Air (p. 243) is both specify a minimum cost; you must
an Earth and an Air spell. This is only No physical barrier affects a always pay the minimum cost, even if
important when counting prerequi- Regular spell. Unless the spell back- this is larger than the base cost multi-
sites. fires, a Regular spell never hits the plied by the desired radius.
wrong target.
Most wizards specialize in only a If an Area spell affects living
few colleges. This is the most efficient Area Spells beings, it affects everyone in the area
way to learn advanced magic. of effect. You may choose to affect
However, you may learn spells from as These spells affect an area rather only a part of the area, rather than the
many colleges as you wish. than an individual. They are cast on a whole circle, but the cost is still the
surface – floor, ground, etc. – and their same.
SPELL CLASSES effects extend four yards (12 feet) up
from that surface. A few Area spells If you cannot touch some part of
Each spell falls into one or more work differently; see the individual the affected area, apply a skill penalty
classes that define how it works in spell descriptions for details. equal to your distance in yards from
play. These classes are not mutually the nearest edge of the area.
exclusive, except as noted below.
Otherwise, Area spells work like
Regular Spells Regular spells.

Most spells fall into this class. A Area Spells on a Battle Map
Regular spell affects only one subject.
Its energy cost assumes a human- Represent Area spells on a battle map as follows. The area of effect
sized subject – that is, one with Size of a spell cast over a one-yard radius is a single hex. The area of effect
Modifier 0. For a subject with a posi- of a spell cast over a
tive SM, multiply cost by 1 + SM: ¥2 two-yard radius
energy for SM +1, ¥3 for SM +2, ¥4 for is a central hex
SM +3, and so on. There is no cost and all adjacent
reduction for a subject with a negative hexes. The area
SM. A few Regular spells give special of effect of a
cost schemes that override these rules. spell cast over
a three-yard
Regular spells work best if you can radius is a cen-
touch or see the subject. You do not tral two-yard
have to see through your own eyes; area of effect
any spell that lets you see by magical plus the ring of
means will do. hexes adjacent
to that. And so
If you cannot touch the subject, on, building up
apply a skill penalty equal to your dis- larger areas by
tance in yards from the subject; e.g., -5 adding succes-
at five yards. Figure distance at the sive rings of
moment you roll the dice for the spell. adjacent hexes.

If you cannot touch or see the sub-
ject, there is a further -5 penalty. There
are two ways to direct such a spell:

MAGIC 239

Melee Spells through the target’s armor or shield On your next turn, you have three
and affects him. options with your missile: make a
Melee spells “charge” your hand or ranged attack with it, hold it, or
magic staff (see box) with harmful Note that some Melee spells are enlarge it. If you opt to enlarge your
energies that affect the first target you Resisted (see p. 241). These spells missile, you must concentrate for
strike. These spells require two skill require a second roll against spell skill, another second. At the end of your
rolls: a roll against spell skill to cast when the spell actually takes effect, to turn, you may invest more energy in
the spell, and a normal melee attack overcome the target’s resistance. the spell – anything from one point to
roll to hit your target with your hand points equal to your Magery level. This
or staff. Missile Spells does not require a skill roll.

To cast a Melee spell, concentrate This class of spells encompasses The turn after that, you have the
for the required time, roll against spell long-distance “projectile” or “bolt” same options: attack, hold, or enlarge.
skill at the end of the final turn of con- attacks, such as Fireball (p. 247) and On your fourth and subsequent turns,
centration, and pay the energy cost. Lightning (p. 244). Missile spells you may only attack or hold. You can-
There is no distance modifier – you require two skill rolls: a roll against not spend more than three seconds
are casting the spell on yourself! On a spell skill to cast the spell, and a roll building up a Missile spell.
success, you energize your hand or against Innate Attack skill (p. 201) to
staff with the spell’s magic. On your hit the target. Once you stop enlarging a Missile
next turn, you must do one of two spell, you may “hold” it in hand, ready
things with your spell: hold it or attack To cast a Missile spell, you must to attack. You do not have to launch
with it. concentrate for one second. At the end the missile until you want to. While
of your turn, roll against your skill holding a Missile spell, you may move
If you hold your spell, your hand or with the spell. There is no modifier for up to your full Move, take a Wait or
staff remains “charged.” This has no distance – you are creating a magical Aim maneuver, or even attack using
energy cost and requires no skill roll. missile in your hand. On a success, the hand that isn’t “holding” the mis-
You cannot cast another spell while you may invest one or more points of sile. You may defend normally.
holding a Melee spell. You can take energy in the spell, to a maximum However, you cannot cast another
any other combat maneuver (but an number of energy points equal to your spell.
attack with the energized hand or staff Magery level. The missile then appears
discharges the spell). A parry with that in your hand, “charged” to the desired There is one drawback: if you are
hand or staff does not discharge the level. injured while you have a missile “in
spell; an attack is part of the ritual, and
nothing else works. Magic Staffs

A held Melee spell on a staff per- A “magic staff” is any wand or staff imbued with the power to extend
sists only for as long as you wield the your reach for the purpose of casting spells (see Staff, p. 481). It gives
staff. If you lose hold of your staff, three main benefits:
even for an instant, the spell drains
away harmlessly. If someone grabs • Touching a subject with your staff lets you cast spells on that sub-
your staff, and you are both holding ject at no distance penalty. This is useful in situations where you must
onto it on your turn, your attempt to cast a spell on a subject you cannot touch with your hand (e.g., when
wrench it free counts as an attack, and casting a healing spell on someone trapped under rubble).
your opponent instantly suffers the
spell’s effects! • Pointing with a staff reduces the range to a distant subject by the
length of the staff. This is valuable for Regular spells, as a one-yard
To attack, roll against DX or an wand shaves -1 off distance penalties, while a two-yard quarterstaff
unarmed combat skill to hit with a eliminates -2! You can point as part of the ritual to cast a spell. Tell the
hand, or the appropriate Melee GM you are pointing at the subject when you start concentrating. (This
Weapon skill to hit with a staff. This is might warn an unwilling subject!)
a standard melee attack. Your target
may attempt any active defense. If he • A staff can carry Melee spells. This gives them more reach, and lets
succeeds, your spell is not triggered; you strike and parry without putting your hand in harm’s way.
you may try again next turn. If he fails,
your melee attack does its usual dam- A magic staff can be any length up to two yards. A wand is Reach C,
age and your spell affects him imme- too light to do damage, and uses Knife or Main-Gauche skill. A long
diately. wand or short staff is Reach 1, functions as a baton in combat, and uses
Shortsword or Smallsword skill. A full-length staff is Reach 2, counts as
Armor protects normally against a quarterstaff in combat, and uses Staff or Two-Handed Sword skill. In
some Melee spells, not at all against most game worlds, a suitable ordinary item can be enchanted as a
others. If the spell is one that ignores magic staff for $30, but it must be made from once-living materials
armor, neither an unarmed parry (wood, bone, ivory, coral, etc.).
(even with an armored limb) nor a
block will protect the target from the
spell. Even if such a defense wards off
the melee attack, the spell arcs

240 MAGIC

hand,” you must make a Will roll. If Dissipating Held Melee and Missile Spells
you fail, the missile immediately
affects you! You sometimes need to dispel a held Melee or Missile spell quickly,
without taking a full turn to make an attack – for instance, so you can
When you are ready to attack, roll concentrate on another spell. You can do this as a free action at any
against your Innate Attack skill to hit. point during your turn; simply state that you are dissipating the spell
This is a standard ranged attack, sub- and it “evaporates” harmlessly.
ject to the usual modifiers for target
size, speed, and range. Once launched, You can also get rid of a Missile spell (not a Melee spell) by “drop-
the missile flies in a straight line to the ping” it at your feet. This, too, is a free action. This does not damage
target. Physical barriers affect it just as you, unless the missile is explosive, but it damages whatever you are
they would affect any missile weapon. standing on. Missiles that inflict burning damage are liable to set fires!

Your target may block or dodge, the spell fails, the GM says, “You sense The subject always has a chance to
but not parry. If he fails, he is hit and nothing.” On a critical failure, the GM resist, even if he is unconscious. A con-
the spell affects him. The strength of lies to you! Regardless of the outcome, scious subject is aware that something
the effect depends on the energy you must always pay the full energy is happening, and may choose not to
invested. Most Missile spells inflict 1d cost for the spell. resist. Individuals who are uncon-
of damage per point of energy. scious, unfamiliar with magic, or wary
Damage Resistance – whether natural Information spells generally allow of hostile magic always try to resist.
or from armor – protects normally only one attempt per day by each cast-
against damaging Missile spells. er (or ceremonial group). “Seek” spells To resolve a Resisted spell, you
are an exception to this. must first succeed at your skill roll. If
Blocking Spells the spell has a single subject (that is, it
Except where specifically noted, isn’t an Area spell), you have a penalty
A Blocking spell is cast instantly as Information spells have no duration. equal to the subject’s Magic Resistance
a defense against either a physical They grant a momentary glimpse of (p. 67), if any – even if he is willing! On
attack or another spell. It is the magi- insight and end immediately; there- a failure, the spell fails and the subject
cal equivalent of a block, parry, or fore, you cannot maintain them. notices nothing. On a success, note
dodge (and often counts as one of your margin of success; e.g., if you
these defenses; see the spell descrip- Resisted Spells rolled a 6 against an effective skill of
tion for details). You may cast only one 13, you succeeded by 7. If the subject is
Blocking spell per turn, no matter how A spell of any type can also be living or sapient, the Rule of 16 applies
skilled you are. You cannot attempt a “Resisted.” A spell like this works auto- (see The Rule of 16, p. 349). There is no
Blocking spell against a critical hit. matically only on a critical success. On such limit if the subject is a spell.
a regular success, your spell must
If you try a Blocking spell, it auto- defeat the subject’s resistance to work.
matically interrupts your own concen-
tration. You lose any spell you were Long-Distance Modifiers
preparing exactly as if you had failed
the Will roll to resist a distraction. If Use these modifiers for Information spells that work over long dis-
you are holding (not casting) a Melee tances, such as “Seek” spells. Certain advantages also use these range
spell, it is unaffected. If you are holding penalties. If the distance falls between two values, use the higher.
a Missile spell, you cannot enlarge it
further but may retain it for later use. Distance Penalty
Up to 200 yards 0
Blocking spells do not get an ener- 1/2 mile -1
gy cost reduction for high skill. 1 mile -2
3 miles -3
Information Spells 10 miles -4
30 miles -5
Information spells are cast to gain 100 miles -6
knowledge. Some require you to touch 300 miles -7
the subject, while others function at a 1,000 miles -8
distance; see Long-Distance Modifiers
(box) for range penalties. Spells Add another -2 per additional
intended to find things are at -1 per factor of 10.
“known” item you choose to ignore in
your search. Most Information spells
have additional special modifiers, so
be sure to read the spell description
carefully.

When you cast an Information
spell, the GM rolls for you in secret. If
the spell succeeds, the GM gives you
the desired information – the better
the roll, the better the information. If

MAGIC 241

The subject then attempts a resist- the subject. If you lose or tie, the spell record your margin of success if you
ance roll. A character resists using the has no effect – but you must still pay succeed. Everyone in the area gets a
attribute or other trait indicated in the the full energy cost! A conscious sub- resistance roll, and those with Magic
spell description – usually HT or Will. ject feels a slight mental or physical Resistance get double the usual bene-
The subject’s Magic Resistance, if any, wrench (depending on which attribute fit. Your spell affects those who make
adds to his resistance. A spell resists he resisted with), but no other effect. their roll by less than you did.
using the caster’s effective skill when You know whether or not the subject
he cast the spell. resisted your spell. Special Spells

Compare the subject’s resistance Resisted Area Spells: When casting These spells follow special rules
roll to your skill roll in a Quick an Area spell that is Resisted, make given in the spell description.
Contest. If you win, your spell affects the usual success roll for the spell and

SPELL LIST

Alternative Magic On the following pages are 93
Systems spells, picked for their utility in a
beginning fantasy or horror cam-
This chapter describes the “standard” magic system. It will work as paign. But this is only a glimpse of
is, or with minor changes, for wizards in most worlds inspired by fan- what magic can do – see GURPS
tasy literature. Some visions of magic will demand a radical redesign, Magic for hundreds more spells!
however. Two sample variants appear below.
Each spell includes:
Clerical Magic
Name of Spell and the Class(es) it
To handle the powers of magic-using priests, start with the standard belongs to. A “(VH)” indicates an
magic system, but read “Magery” as “Power Investiture” (see p. 77) and IQ/Very Hard spell; otherwise, it’s
“mana” as “sanctity.” Sanctity levels range from “no sanctity” (the tem- IQ/Hard.
ple of an opposed deity) to “very high sanctity” (in the god’s presence).
Description: The spell’s effects, spe-
Clerics have Power Investiture instead of Magery, and their spells cial rules, etc. If the spell requires par-
have no prerequisites. A priest may acquire a new spell simply by pray- ticular items, assume it uses them up
ing for it, as long as he has at least one point to spend on the spell. This unless the description states other-
benefit is balanced by the fact that he can only learn those spells offered wise.
by his god (GM’s decision) and by the fact that his god may alter the
outcome of his magic – or suspend his magical powers – for reasons he Duration: The time the spell’s
is unlikely to comprehend. effects last. If you maintain the spell,
it lasts for another period equal to
Ritual Magic this. Spells with an instantaneous
effect do not list duration and cannot
Magic use depends on a single “core skill,” typically Ritual Magic be maintained.
(p. 218) or Thaumatology (p. 225). Each college of magic is an IQ/Very
Hard “college skill” or “path” that defaults to the core skill at -6. College Cost: The energy (FP or HP) spent
skills have the core skill as a prerequisite and may never exceed the core when you cast the spell. If given as
skill. Base Cost, this is the cost per yard of
radius of an Area spell. Maintainable
Ritual mages can cast spells at default! Each spell is a Hard tech- spells also give a cost to maintain.
nique with a default to the associated college skill. For each prerequi-
site the spell or its prerequisites would have in the standard system, the Time to Cast: If no time is given,
default is at a cumulative -1 (e.g., a spell with one prerequisite that itself the spell requires one second of con-
has one prerequisite defaults to college skill-2). To raise a spell past its centration and takes place at the end
default level, the mage must have at least one point in the college skill, of your turn.
but he can ignore the spell’s prerequisites under the standard system.
Spells cannot exceed the associated college skill. Prerequisites: Other spells you
must know (have placed at least one
Magery adds to core skill, college skills, and spells. If standard and point in the spell) before you may
ritual magic coexist, normal Magery and Ritual Magery are separate study this spell, as well as any Magery,
advantages. IQ, or other requirements.

All other rules are the same. AIR SPELLS

These spells deal with the tradi-
tional magical “element” of air. Except
as noted, assume that “air” is normal
breathing air at one atmosphere of
pressure.

242 MAGIC

Purify Air Cost: 1 to 10. 1 produces a gentle Duration: 1 minute.
breeze; 4 a wind; 6 a heavy wind; 8 or Cost: 4 to cast; 2 to maintain.
Area more a violent blast. Cost to maintain Prerequisites: Create Air and
is the same as to cast. Destroy Water (p. 253).
This spell removes all impurities
from the air in its area of effect. It is Prerequisite: Create Air. Walk on Air
often used to neutralize the effects of
poisonous gas or vapors. Note that a No-Smell Regular
room full of smoke may safely be puri-
fied one section at a time – but truly Regular Temporarily grants the subject the
deadly vapors must all be removed at Walk on Air advantage (p. 97). If the
once, or some may escape. Removes the subject’s odor and subject falls for any reason (e.g.,
makes it (or him) totally undetectable injury), the spell is broken! If the spell
This spell also turns old “stale” air by smell. Any possessions are also is recast immediately, he falls for only
into fresh breathable air. The air in a affected. This spell changes no other one second (about 5 yards) and then
one-yard radius, if not renewed from properties of the subject. “lands” on the air (taking 1d damage)
the outside, will last 45 minutes for – unless he hits ground before then. If
one person at rest, less for multiple Duration: 1 hour. he’s 10 feet over a lava pit, too bad!
persons or someone violently Cost: 2; same to maintain.
exercising (GM’s discretion). Prerequisite: Purify Air. Duration: 1 minute.
Cost: 3 to cast; 2 to maintain.
Duration: Works instantly. Predict Weather Prerequisite: Shape Air.
Purification is permanent.
Information Earth to Air
Base Cost: 1. Cannot be main-
tained; must be recast. Lets the caster forecast the weather Regular
accurately for a given location over a
Create Air given time. This forecast does not take This spell turns earth or stone into
magical meddling into account, or air, which can be valuable to someone
Area predict the actions of other wizards! who is trapped underground! The
more energy the caster spends, the
This spell manufactures air where Cost: Twice the length of the fore- more earth he can transform, but he is
none exists. When cast where there is cast, in days. Double the cost for a limited to regular shapes with the
already air, it produces an outward location outside the general area (say, largest dimension no more than four
breeze lasting about five seconds. over the horizon). Quadruple the cost times the smallest one. This spell is
When cast in a vacuum, it instantly for a place on another continent. This also considered an Earth spell.
creates breathable air. When cast spell cannot predict weather on other
within earth, stone, or other material, planets or planes. Duration: Permanent.
it fills any empty spaces with air, but Cost: 1 to transform one cubic foot
does not burst the stone. When cast Time to cast: 5 seconds per day of earth/stone to air, giving enough air
underwater, it makes bubbles! It can- forecast. for one person to breathe for 1
not be cast inside a living being. minute. To transform larger quantities
Prerequisites: At least four Air of earth/stone at once, the cost is 5 per
Duration: Breeze, bubbles, etc. last spells. cubic yard.
5 seconds. Air created is permanent. Time to cast: 2 seconds.
Breathe Water Prerequisites: Create Air and Shape
Base Cost: 1. Cannot be main- Earth (p. 245).
tained; must be recast. Regular

Prerequisite: Purify Air. Lets the subject breathe water as
though it were air. Subject does not
Shape Air lose the ability to breathe ordinary air!
This spell is also considered a Water
Regular spell.

This spell lets the caster create
movements of air over a small area.
The caster must choose a starting
point (calculate distance penalties to
that point). The wind starts there and
blows in a stream one yard wide, for a
distance in yards equal to 5 times the
energy put into the spell, and then dis-
sipates. This may cause knockback
(see Knockback, p. 378) on someone it
hits; each second, roll 1d per full 2
points of energy in the spell. Treat this
as damage for knockback purposes
only (this spell does not cause injury).

Duration: 1 minute.

MAGIC 243

Stench BODY CONTROL Clumsiness
SPELLS
Area Regular; Resisted by HT
These spells directly affect the
Produces a cloud of vile, yellowish body. Except as noted, they only affect The subject suffers -1 to his DX and
gas that reeks of brimstone. Until it living beings. DX-based skills for every point of
dissipates, anyone who breathes it energy put into the spell.
must make a HT roll or take 1d dam- Itch
age. Roll once per minute. Those in Duration: 1 minute.
the area also begin to suffocate (see Regular; Resisted by HT Cost: 1 to 5 to cast; half that
Suffocation, p. 436). The cloud is amount to maintain (round up).
heavy, and “rolls” downhill if the Causes the subject to itch fiercely Prerequisite: Spasm.
ground is not level. The rate of dissi- in a spot of the caster’s choice. The
pation depends on the area and pres- subject is at -2 DX until he takes one Hinder
ence of wind; indoors, it usually lasts full turn to scratch (more, if armor,
until the spell expires, but outdoors on etc. is in the way!). Only one Itch spell Regular; Resisted by HT
a windy day, it might only last 10 sec- can affect a given subject at a time.
onds or so. The subject is at -1 to his Move and
Duration: Until the subject takes a Dodge scores for every point of energy
Duration: 5 minutes, except in turn to scratch. put into the spell. This spell is also
windy areas. considered a Movement spell.
Cost: 2. Cannot be maintained;
Base Cost: 1. Cannot be main- must be recast. Duration: 1 minute.
tained; must be recast. Cost: 1 to 4 to cast; same to main-
Spasm tain.
Prerequisite: Purify Air. Prerequisite: Clumsiness or Haste
Regular; Resisted by HT (p. 251).
Lightning
Can be directed against any of the Rooted Feet
Missile subject’s voluntary muscles. Directed
against a hand, it causes the subject to Regular; Resisted by ST
Lets the caster shoot a bolt of light- drop whatever he is holding (usually a
ning from his fingertip. This has 1/2D weapon). If the subject is in the mid- The subject’s feet are glued in
50, Max 100, Acc 3. Treat any metal dle of a lengthy spell requiring ges- place! He may try another resistance
armor as DR 1 against this spell! If the tures, he must make a DX roll or start roll at -5 every turn, against the origi-
target is wounded, he must make a HT over. Ingenious casters will find other nal spell skill roll, to break free. While
roll, at -1 per 2 HP suffered, or be uses . . . the spell continues, the subject’s skill
stunned. He may attempt a HT roll with any weapon except a ranged
each turn thereafter to recover. Duration: A moment. weapon is at -2 and his Dodge score is
Against electronic equipment, treat Cost: 2. Cannot be maintained; cut in half (round down).
this attack as if it had the Surge dam- must be recast.
age modifier (see Surge, p. 105). Prerequisite: Itch. Duration: 1 minute, or until subject
breaks free.
Lightning behaves unpredictably Pain
around conductors. A lightning bolt Cost: 3. Cannot be maintained;
cannot be fired through a metal grid, Regular; Resisted by HT must be recast.
between bars, from within a car, etc. –
it jumps to the metal and is lost. The subject feels a stab of agoniz- Prerequisite: Hinder.
However, the GM may (for instance) ing pain. He must make a Will roll to
allow a wizard to shoot a lightning avoid crying out. If he is in a precari- Paralyze Limb
bolt into a metal floor. This would not ous position (climbing, for instance),
electrocute those on it, but could he must make a DX roll to avoid catas- Melee; Resisted by HT
shock them all, interrupting concen- trophe! His DX and all DX-based skills
tration and doing slight damage (no are at -3 for the next turn only. If the The caster must strike the subject
more than 1 point, and possibly none subject is in the middle of a spell on a limb to trigger this spell (hits else-
at all). The GM may encourage cre- requiring gestures, he must roll vs. where have no effect). Armor does not
ative use of lightning until it becomes Will or start over. High Pain Threshold protect. Resolve resistance on contact.
a nuisance . . . gives +3 to the Will and DX rolls If the caster wins, the subject’s limb is
above; Low Pain Threshold gives -4. paralyzed; it is considered crippled for
Cost: Any amount up to your one minute.
Magery level per second, for three sec- Duration: 1 second.
onds. The bolt does 1d-1 burning Cost: 2. Cannot be maintained; Duration: 1 minute.
damage per energy point. must be recast. Cost: 3. Cannot be maintained;
Prerequisite: Spasm. must be recast.
Time to cast: 1 to 3 seconds (the Prerequisites: Magery 1 and five
caster’s fingers sparkle as the spell Body Control spells, including Pain.
builds up).
Wither Limb
Prerequisites: Magery 1 and at least
six other Air spells. Melee; Resisted by HT

The caster must strike the subject
on a limb to trigger this spell. Armor

244 MAGIC

does not protect. Resolve resistance Truthsayer Seek Earth
on contact. If the caster wins, the sub-
ject’s limb withers immediately; it is Information; Resisted by Will Information
crippled for all purposes. The subject
also takes 1d damage. This tells whether the subject is This spell tells the caster the direc-
lying or not. May be cast in two ways: tion and approximate distance of the
Duration: Permanent unless healed nearest significant amount of any one
magically. 1. To tell whether the subject has type of earth, metal, or stone. Use the
told any lies in the last five minutes. long-distance modifiers (p. 241). Any
Cost: 5. known sources of that material may
Prerequisites: Magery 2 and 2. To tell whether the last thing the be excluded if the caster specifically
Paralyze Limb. subject said was a lie. mentions them before beginning.

Deathtouch May also give an indication of how Cost: 3.
great the lie is. If the caster is not Time to cast: 10 seconds.
Melee touching the subject, calculate range
as for a Regular spell. Shape Earth
The caster must strike the subject
to trigger this spell; hit location is Cost: 2. Regular
irrelevant. The subject takes 1d dam- Prerequisite: Sense Emotion.
age per point of energy in the spell. Lets the caster move earth and
Armor does not protect. This spell Mind-Reading shape it into any form. If the form is
does affect the undead. stable (e.g., a hill), it remains perma-
Regular; Resisted by Will nently after shaping. An unstable form
Cost: 1 to 3. (e.g., a column or wall) lasts only
Prerequisite: Wither Limb. Lets the caster read the subject’s while the spell continues – no special
mind. Works on any living being, but concentration is required – and then
COMMUNICATION is most useful on sapient creatures. collapses.
AND EMPATHY Detects only surface thoughts (what
SPELLS the subject is thinking at that Earth moved with this spell travels
moment). The subject is not aware his at only Move 2. It can harm no one
These spells deal with discerning mind is being read, except in the case except by flowing over an immobile
(or concealing) thought and intent. of a critical failure. person and burying him. If earth is
For spells that manipulate emotions moved onto a person to bury him – or
and loyalties, see Mind Control Spells Modifiers: -2 if the caster does not from beneath him, to create a hole –
(p. 250). know the subject’s native language; -2 he may move normally on his next
if the subject is of a different race – or turn, to escape. He is trapped only if
Sense Foes -4 or more if the subject is totally he fails to do so.
alien!
Information; Area Anyone buried by this spell may try
Duration: 1 minute. to claw his way out of the loose earth.
Tells the caster if the subject has Cost: 4 to cast; 2 to maintain. One roll, at ST-4, is allowed per turn.
hostile intent, and what the degree of Time to cast: 10 seconds. GMs may make this roll harder if the
hostility is. Can be cast on one person Prerequisite: Truthsayer. victim is buried under more than two
or a whole area. If cast over an area, cubic yards of earth! The victim can
this spell only detects that someone is Hide Thoughts hold his breath (see Holding Your
hostile, without telling who. Breath, p. 351), but he eventually risks
Regular suffocation (see Suffocation, p. 436).
Base Cost: 1 (minimum 2).
This spell resists all mind-reading Duration: 1 minute.
Sense Emotion and thought-control attempts on the Cost: 1 per cubic yard of earth
subject. The “attacking” ability must shaped (minimum 2); half that to
Regular win a Quick Contest against this spell maintain (round up).
in order to affect the subject. If the Prerequisite: Seek Earth.
Lets the caster know what emo- attacking ability pierces Hide
tions the subject is feeling at the Thoughts, the subject still gets his nor- Earth to Stone
moment. It works on any living being, mal resistance roll (roll separately).
but is not much use except on sapient This spell does not affect previously Regular
creatures! This also tells how loyal the established mental control.
subject is to the caster (see Loyalty of Turns an item of earth or clay into
Hirelings, p. 518). Duration: 10 minutes. hard stone (but not gemstone).
Cost: 3 to cast; 1 to maintain.
Cost: 2. Prerequisite: Truthsayer. Duration: Permanent.
Prerequisite: Sense Foes. Cost: 3 per cubic yard (minimum
EARTH SPELLS 3).
Prerequisites: Magery 1 and Shape
These spells deal with the tradi- Earth.
tional magical “element” of earth.
Except as noted, none of these spells
affect stone or metal.

MAGIC 245

Earth to Air animation, in a tiny spherical cham- 3 – for an effect as though a blow-
ber 50 feet underground, until rescued torch had been held to the subject:
Regular by tunneling or the reverse of this ignites dry firewood or clothes being
spell. A mage who casts Entombment worn in one second, leather in two
As listed under Air Spells (p. 243). on himself may elect to stay awake, seconds, heavy wood in six seconds.
but this is unwise unless he also
Create Earth knows Earth to Air! 4 – for an effect as though burning
magnesium or phosphorus had been
Regular Duration: Permanent, unless held to the subject: ignites coal in one
reversed by this spell. second, heavy wood in two seconds.
Lets the caster create good, solid
earth where none existed before. This Cost: 10 (but only 6 to reverse an Cost to maintain is the same as the
earth must be created in contact with entombment). original cost to cast.
the ground – not hanging in the air or
floating in the sea! Time to cast: 3 seconds. Create Fire
Prerequisites: Magery 2 and five
Duration: Permanent. Earth spells. Area
Cost: 2 per cubic yard to create
earth from nothingness (minimum 2); ENCHANTMENT Fills the area of effect with fire that
1 per cubic yard to solidify mud into SPELLS requires no fuel (if cast in midair, it
good earth (minimum 1). produces a sphere of flame, which
Prerequisite: Earth to Stone. Enchantment spells allow mages to falls to the ground). This is real fire,
create permanent magic items, and and will eventually ignite any flamma-
Flesh to Stone constitute both a college of magic and ble objects it touches. Cannot be cast
a class of spells. Since they are only within rock, foes, etc.
Regular; Resisted by HT ever used to create artifacts, they
appear with the other rules for arti- Duration: 1 minute.
“Petrifies” a living subject (and all facts in Chapter 17 (see Enchantment Base Cost: 2; half that to maintain.
his gear!), turning him to stone. Must Spells, p. 480). Ordinary fires set by this spell do not
affect the entire subject. require maintenance.
FIRE SPELLS Prerequisite: Ignite Fire.
Duration: Permanent, unless
reversed by Stone to Flesh. These spells deal with the tradi- Shape Fire
tional magical “element” of fire.
Cost: 10. Should the volume of a particular fire Area
Time to cast: 2 seconds. matter in play, assume that the flames
Prerequisite: Earth to Stone. created or controlled by Fire spells Lets the caster control the shape of
shoot six feet high. See Flame (p. 433) any flame. Each shape change requires
Stone to Earth for rules for setting things on fire. a second of concentration. Once
shaped, the flame keeps that shape
Regular Ignite Fire until the spell expires, without concen-
tration. Moving a flame requires con-
Turns any kind of stone (including Regular stant concentration (the flame moves
gemstone) into simple earth. Must be at Move 5, on the caster’s turn). A nat-
cast on a whole stone or block, rather This spell produces a single spot of ural fire cannot move to a place that it
than a part of it. heat, and is used to set fire to a readily can’t burn, but flame made with the
flammable object. It works best on Create Fire spell needs no fuel and can
Duration: Permanent. paper and cloth, and cannot affect any move almost anywhere.
Cost: 6 per cubic yard (minimum item that would not burn in an ordi-
6). nary fire. In particular, it cannot set Flame shaped with this spell nor-
Prerequisites: Earth to Stone or any fire to a living being! Once ignited, the mally retains its volume. If the fire is
four Earth spells. fire burns normally. “spread out” across twice its original
area, it only does half damage; if
Stone to Flesh Duration: One second. spread across three times its original
Cost: Depends on the amount of area, it does 1/3 damage, and so on.
Regular heat desired:
Duration: 1 minute.
Reverses the effects of Flesh to 1 – for an effect as though a match Base Cost: 2; half that to maintain.
Stone and brings the victim back to life had been held to the subject: lights a Prerequisite: Ignite Fire.
(stunned). Cannot be used to animate candle, pipe, or tinder in one second.
a statue that was never alive. Deflect Energy
2 – for an effect as though a torch
Duration: Permanent. had been held to the subject: ignites Blocking
Cost: 10. paper or loose cloth in one second,
Time to cast: 5 seconds. ordinary clothes being worn in four Deflects one energy attack about to
Prerequisites: Magery 2, Flesh to seconds. hit the subject – including a beam
Stone, and Stone to Earth. weapon attack or a Fireball or
Lightning spell. Counts as a parry for
Entombment combat purposes. If the caster is not

Regular; Resisted by HT

The earth instantly swallows the
subject. He remains in suspended

246 MAGIC

the subject, apply distance modifiers as Resist Cold Cost: Any amount up to twice your
for a Regular spell. Deflected attacks Magery level per second, for three sec-
may still hit a target beyond the subject. Regular onds. The fireball does 1d burning
damage per full 2 points of energy.
Cost: 1. The subject (person, creature, or
Prerequisites: Magery 1 and Shape object) and anything he carries Time to cast: 1 to 3 seconds.
Fire. become immune to the effects of cold Prerequisite: Fireball.
and frostbite (but not falling ice,
Extinguish Fire magical ice spears, etc.). GATE SPELLS

Area Duration: 1 minute. These spells manipulate time,
Cost: 2 to cast; 1 to maintain. Cost space, and dimensions.
Puts out all ordinary and magical doubles if subject must resist cold of
fires in its area of effect. Has no effect -40° or more; cost triples if subject Planar Summons
on molten steel, lava, plasma, etc. must resist the cold of absolute zero.
Prerequisite: Heat. Special
Duration: Once out, a fire stays out.
Base Cost: 3. Resist Fire Summons a creature, such as a
Prerequisite: Ignite Fire. demon or a Thing Man Was Not
Regular Meant To Know, from another plane
Heat of existence. The GM determines the
The subject (person, creature, or predisposition and abilities of this
Regular object) and anything he carries being. Each plane requires a different
become immune to the effects of heat Planar Summons spell. Some excep-
This spell raises the temperature of and fire (but not electricity). tionally potent entities might require
an object. It does not necessarily pro- their own unique spells!
duce fire, though most things burn if Duration: 1 minute.
heated enough. Heat radiates away Cost: 2 to cast; 1 to maintain. Cost When the creature appears, the cast-
normally. (Use this as a guideline for doubles if subject must resist a blast er must immediately try to control it.
playable effects – don’t try to turn the furnace or volcano; cost triples if sub- Treat this as a Quick Contest between
spell into a physics exercise!) ject must resist the heat of a star, the caster’s Planar Summons skill and
nuclear bomb, etc. Only the first level the entity’s Will. The caster is at +4 if he
Any wizard planning to make of protection is necessary against knows the creature’s “true name.”
extensive use of this spell should arm combat-type Fire spells.
himself with a list of the melting Prerequisites: Extinguish Fire and If the caster wins, he can give the
points of various materials. The spell Cold. creature a single command, which it
can have drawbacks. If you were in must carry out. On completing this
jail, you might melt your way through Fireball task – or after one hour in any event –
the bars . . . but the radiated heat the entity usually vanishes. However,
would probably broil you first. Missile some powerful entities can stay for as
long as they wish . . .
Duration: 1 minute. Each minute Lets the caster throw a ball of fire
raises the target’s temperature by 20°. from his hand. This has 1/2D 25, Max If the caster ties or loses, the crea-
Maximum temperature possible with 50, Acc 1. When it strikes something, it ture reacts badly. An “evil” being com-
this spell is 2,800°. vanishes in a puff of flame. This spell is mits violence or vandalism, while a
likely to ignite flammable targets. “good” one is more likely to depart in a
Cost: 1 for an object up to the size huff and put in a bad word with the
of a fist, 2 for an object up to one cubic Cost: Any amount up to your caster’s gods. Wild or chaotic creatures
yard, and 2 per cubic yard for a larger Magery level per second, for three sec- are liable to engage in theft and mis-
object. Temperature change can be onds. The fireball does 1d burning chief. Extremely alien entities might
doubled to 40° per minute for double damage per energy point. react in disturbing and unpredictable
cost, tripled to 60° per minute for ways.
triple cost, and so on. Slower heating Time to cast: 1 to 3 seconds.
costs no less. Same cost to maintain. Prerequisites: Magery 1, Create Duration: Until the task is done or
Fire, and Shape Fire. one hour, whichever is less. Usually.
Time to cast: 1 minute.
Prerequisites: Create Fire and Explosive Fireball Cost: 1 point per 10 character
Shape Fire. points used to build the summoned
Missile entity. Minimum energy cost is 20
Cold (although this will not always sum-
Creates a fireball that affects both mon a 200-point being). The GM
Regular its target and things nearby. This has secretly determines the capabilities of
1/2D 25, Max 50, Acc 1. Can be thrown all summoned creatures.
This spell is the reverse of Heat at a wall, floor, etc. (at +4 to hit) to
(above). It can reduce the temperature catch foes in the blast. The target and Time to cast: 5 minutes.
of any object to absolute zero, if main- anyone closer to the target than one Prerequisites: Magery 1 and at least
tained for long enough. yard take full damage. Those further one spell from each of 10 different
away divide damage by 3 times their colleges.
Duration, Cost, and Time to cast: As distance in yards (round down).
for Heat, except each minute lowers
the target’s temperature by 20°.

Prerequisite: Heat.

MAGIC 247

Plane Shift (VH) Since restored HP vanish after one Minor Healing
hour and the spell cannot be main-
Special tained, this spell is only a stopgap Regular
measure.
This spell bodily transports the Restores up to 3 HP to the subject.
caster – along with anything he is car- Duration: 1 hour. Does not eliminate disease or poison,
rying (up to Heavy encumbrance) – to Cost: Any amount; the energy spent but cures the damage they cause.
a particular plane of existence. Each by the caster goes to the subject as
plane requires its own Plane Shift restored HP (e.g., if the caster spends This spell is risky when used more
spell. This is a one-way trip. To get 5 energy, the subject regains 5 lost than once per day by the same caster
back, the caster must know Plane HP). Casting cost is not reduced by on the same subject. If you try, roll at
Shift for his home plane or get a wiz- high skill. Cannot be maintained; -3 for the first repetition, -6 for the sec-
ard in the other plane to cast Banish must be recast. ond, and so on.
(p. 252) on him. Prerequisite: Lend Energy.
If you have the Physician skill at
This spell gives the caster no special Recover Energy level 15 or higher, a critical failure
immunity to his surroundings. To safe- with this spell counts only as an ordi-
ly visit a plane where the natural con- Special nary failure – unless you are trying the
ditions are vacuum, flame, etc., you spell more than once per day on the
must learn the necessary protective This spell allows the caster to rest same subject.
spells. and recover Fatigue Points more
quickly than normal by drawing ener- Cost: 1 to 3. The same amount is
Duration: Permanent. gy from the mana around him. A nor- restored to the subject.
Cost: 20. mal person recovers 1 FP every 10
Time to cast: 5 seconds. minutes. A mage who knows this spell Prerequisite: Lend Vitality.
Prerequisite: Planar Summons for at skill 15 or higher recovers 1 FP
the same plane. every 5 minutes. A mage who knows Major Healing (VH)
this spell at skill 20 or higher recovers
HEALING SPELLS 1 FP every 2 minutes. No further Regular
improvement is possible. Note that
Anyone who tries to heal himself this spell works on the caster himself; Restores up to 8 HP to the subject.
has a skill penalty equal to the amount it cannot restore FP to others. Does not eliminate disease or poison,
of injury he has. For example, a wiz- but cures the damage they cause.
ard who is missing 4 HP rolls at -4 to The mage must rest quietly, but no
heal himself. ritual or die roll is required. While Otherwise, this spell functions just
resting, he can maintain ordinary like Minor Healing: it is at -3 per cast-
A critical failure with a Healing spells, but not those that require con- ing on the same subject in one day,
spell always has some appropriate bad centration. and Physician skill at level 15 or high-
effect on the patient, aggravating the er mitigates the effects of a critical
injury, creating a new wound, or the This spell does not function in low- failure.
like. or no-mana areas.
The penalties for repeated casting
Lend Energy Cost: None. accrue separately for Minor Healing
Prerequisites: Magery 1 and Lend and Major Healing. For instance, a
Regular Energy. caster could cast both spells on the
same subject in the same day at no
Restores the subject’s lost Fatigue Awaken penalty.
Points, at an energy cost to the caster.
Cannot increase the subject’s FP score Area Cost: 1 to 4. Twice the amount
above its normal maximum. spent is restored to the subject.
This spell renders the subject(s)
Cost: Any amount; the energy spent awake and alert. It instantly counters Prerequisites: Magery 1 and Minor
by the caster goes to the subject as the effects of stunning. If the subject Healing.
restored FP (e.g., if the caster spends 5 is very fatigued (less than 1/3 basic
energy, the subject regains 5 lost FP). FP), this spell renders him alert for an Great Healing (VH)
Casting cost is not reduced by high hour but costs him 1 FP at the end of
skill. that time. It has no effect on those Regular
with 0 or fewer FP. Sleeping or uncon-
Prerequisite: Magery 1 or Empathy scious subjects get a HT roll to awak- Restores all of the subject’s missing
(p. 51). en, at a bonus equal to the caster’s HP. Does not eliminate disease or poi-
margin of success. A subject rolls at -3 son, nor does it restore crippled or
Lend Vitality if unconscious due to injury, at -6 if missing body parts, but it can heal HP
drugged. lost to any of these things.
Regular
Base Cost: 1. A given subject can only benefit
Temporarily restores the subject’s Prerequisite: Lend Vitality. from this spell once per day, whether
lost Hit Points, at an energy cost to the cast by the same caster or by a differ-
caster. Cannot increase the subject’s ent caster each time.
HP score above its normal maximum.
If you have the Physician skill at
level 15 or higher, a critical failure with
this spell counts only as an ordinary
failure.

248 MAGIC