Game System:Skills

From Eldritch Wiki

The following is information on the Skill system used in Eldritch MUSH.

Overview

Skills are learned abilities, the result of training, study, or experience. Anything that can be taught or learned is covered by a skill, either by the skill itself or a Specialty in it. The character's background, education, and life experiences determine what skills he would be likely to have. When a character performs a task, the player typically combines an Attribute with a Skill the character possesses in order to determine the task's bonus. Unlike Attributes (for humans, at least), Skills in Eldritch are rated from zero to ten points. Be sure to check the Specialties section as well.

Players who attempt a task using a Skill in which they have no points suffer a -2 penalty to their roll. Depending on the complexity of the task, the Narrator can increase this penalty further or declare that the task can't be performed at all. A reasonably intelligent character with no medical knowledge might be able to set a broken bone with some difficulty, for example, but successfully performing open-heart surgery would be impossible. It's unusual for a character to have a Skill above level 6. Still, diligent study, practice, training or experience can make a person rise above even the highest of acceptable limitations, showing the world why they're Player Characters, and everyone else is just an NPC. Skills are bought with Skill and/or Character Points (From Chargen Drawbacks) on a 1:1 basis.

Scores

Lvl	Description
1	Beginner. You're only starting to understand the skill, and how it's used. Success optional.
2	Student. You've got a handle on the rudiments of the skill, and use it routinely.
3	Adept. You usually achieve at least minimal success in your attempts to use the skill.
4	Professional. If the skill (were) is your lively hood, you (would) do okay for yourself (given the chance).
5	Expert. It's part of who you are; a large part of what defines you is contained within this skill.
6+	Master. From here on up, you can be considered a true authority in the matter your skill encompasses.

Note - Above descriptions work on the assumption that the Attribute corresponding to the roll is at least at a base level '3'.

Acrobatics Beloved skill of ex-cheerleaders, blind assassins, and physics-defying martial artists, this is the ability to perform tumbles, somersaults, and other complex maneuvers. It is also used to dodge attacks, climb obstacles, and perform similar tasks of agility. This skill also allows the character to perform certain combat maneuvers that he otherwise wouldn't have available, and is much more adept at dodging attacks than he would be with Brawl. Acrobatics can replace Larceny when trying to move silently (use the higher of the two skills for attempting to sneak around), and can replace Sports for certain activities such as swimming, climbing and gymnastics.	Art Producing works of art demands both imagination and skill. It requires both the spark of creativity and hard-won technique to carve a sculpture, paint a picture or take a photograph. This skill represents the ability required to create or perform works of static, visual art. By the same token, this skill can also be used to gauge the merit of a work of art and critique it objectively. It's difficult to gauge exactly what constitutes Arts as opposed to Expression. In basic terms, the difference lies within the type of creativity and skill needed for the work being produced. Art is very much about the visual, and static portrayal of the artist's vision. Reviewing Specialties should help clear any doubts.	Brawl This skill governs all types of hand-to-hand combat, from boxing to Kung Fu to no-holds-barred street fighting. A character can pick up this Ability from a wide variety of sources. Maybe she was a martial arts student for years. Maybe she learned some techniques in the military. Maybe she simply learned how to use her fists on the rough streets where she grew up. Characters use Brawl when they fight using hands and feet (and knees, elbows, teeth, etc.); and can use it for defense, whether it's close-quarters dodging or blocking. Some can even deflect blades and other Lethal weapons barehanded. Brawl can be used for improvised weapons, with a penalty of -2 to the roll.
Computer This is the nerdly art of keyboard slinging for fun and profit. With this skill your character can make a computer do whatever he wants, including both programming and hacking. No skill is needed to simply use a computer—just about anybody can find the "on" switch and use a mouse and keyboard. The Computer skill lets your character do fun things like breaking into confidential databases, writing programs, and getting the most out of demon databases and digital television. It also covers hardware, software, and modern electronic devices such as video game consoles, blackberries, and cellphones. And of course, lest we forget: vast amounts of teh pr0n.	Control This skill governs driving, piloting, or riding any and all types of transportation, from horses to cars to helicopters. Nowadays, most forms of transport (cars, motorcycles, bicycles, etc.) are common and easy to obtain, and most people have some basic familiarity with them. Control doesn't cover mundane tasks such as driving to the corner market, however. It's for putting a vehicle through its paces and maneuvers under difficult conditions. Cars, motorcycles, and bicycles are available normally. For details on using Control for piloting helicopters or riding horses, see the Forced Specialty rules. Control also makes use of the Unfamiliar Aspect rules.	Craft Craft is the skill to make and repair useful objects, from chairs to clothing to car engines. Most people learn these skills in a kind of apprenticeship, starting at a job doing small tasks and working their way up as their aptitude increases. Some people learn their trade as part of a family business. Others begin with a hobby that becomes a full-time pursuit. Most of these trades require an extensive set of tools and a workshop in which to operate, but some craftspeople get by with just a box of tools and whatever flat surface is handy. Characters use Craft when building or repairing objects or equipment. Craft is somewhat varied. For details on this, see the Unfamiliar Aspect rules.
Empathy This skill represents a person's ability to gauge the mental and emotional state of others and pick up clues about their motives or intentions. Different people possess this ability in differing degrees, from poker players to corporate negotiators to police interrogators. Regardless of the application, the technique is the same: Human beings give away clues about their mental state in the tone of their voice, their body language and myriad other tiny details often referred to as "tells." By asking a few questions or observing a subject’s actions and reading these tells, characters with this skill can learn a lot about what someone is thinking—or trying to hide.	Expression It's not easy to express oneself; but for those that have this particular skill, that's what it's all about. Expression covers a second type of art. While the Art skill covers the non-verbal visual arts, Expression is concerned with conveying feeling through words and moving images. This is the skill possessed by writers, poets, lyricists, musicians and directors. It may take someone with Art to draw the cartoon, and someone with Perform to sing or play the instrument; but without Expression, they would lack the guidance to make it truly shine, or the song to sing or play. People with Expression tend to either wear their heart on their sleeve, or be bitter egomaniacs; though this is not mandatory.	Influence The ability to deceive, seduce, intimidate, or manipulate people for selfish pleasure... or money... oh yeah, or a good cause. Influence allows your character to pick up somebody at a bar (who could turn out to be a detective), scare people into giving up important information (which could turn out false), or otherwise persuade others to do what he wants. Influence is a person's ability to use her charm and appearance to sway the opinions of others, or command it. It represents the character's prowess when it comes to social extroversion and guile. Opposite to Empathy, which allows you to understand, Influence allows you to manipulate and impose.
Knowledge Knowledge is a wide-ranging skill that represents the sum of a person's higher education in the Social Sciences and Humanities—everything from history to accounting, literature to journalism, psychology to politics, and the study of law. Characters don't necessarily have to be college graduates in order to possess this Skill. An inner-city kid with access to a library and a voracious appetite for knowledge could have a high rating in Knowledge. A college graduate who spent more time partying than studying could have a very low rating, not to mention that they may have studied an area covered by some other skill. Medical doctors might have low Knowledge, for example, but History professors should not.	Larceny Larceny is a measure of the character's knowledge of the technical aspects of crime and of the criminal lifestyle. It also gauges the character's mastery of legerdemain, sleight of hand, gambling, pickpocketing, lock-picking, con games and the other necessary skills for survival outside the law. These would include avoiding notice, moving quietly, and generally avoiding detection, such as by hiding. A less common but truly useful side-effect of Larceny is a knack of disguise and convincing dishonesty. It's not just for criminals though; officers of the law and those who interact with criminals, even if they aren't one themselves, also tend to possess high levels of this skill, albeit often personalized with Specialties.	Linguistics If you want to hablar espanol, or sound good ordering at a French restaurant, or read the Old Church Latin edition of the Necronomicon, you need to learn a few languages. This skill represents the character's linguistic expertise. It's not just about knowing lots of languages, no matter how obscure; it's about understanding etymological science. Every character starts with their native language for free at Fluency 3. Every additional point in this skill grants the character 3 Fluency points to spend. Players can spend Fluency points any way they choose; and disparity in Fluency is often common.
Marksman This ability governs a person’s capacity to operate and maintain ranged weapons, from bows and arrows to pistols, rifles and machine guns. Marksman can be learned in a variety of ways, whether as a hobby, part of a profession or a matter of day-to-day survival. Characters use Marksman to shoot at a target, to assemble or disassemble a ranged weapon, or to fix one that has been jammed or damaged. Certain things might not be what the character generally uses this skill for. It's not that common in this day and age to use a bow or a crossbow. It's not hard to learn, nor obscure, but regardless of this, Marksman falls under the Unfamiliar Aspect rules.	Medicine Medicine governs the myriad skills necessary to diagnose and treat human illness and injury. Some people come by this ability by absorbing folk knowledge and remedies passed down through generations of healers and midwives. Others spend years in medical school and emerge with a white coat and many years of loans to repay. Characters use Medicine to diagnose illnesses and injury and to treat them. It can also be used to determine the cause of a person's death or to identify the properties of medicines and pharmaceuticals. Medicine can be used to boost healing or even apply minor healing after combat. This one's heavy on the Specialties, as well.	Melee Melee governs the skill and experience to use close-combat weapons in a fight, whether it's a broken beer bottle, a knife or an ancient bronze sword. In a world of firearms, Melee is an Ability that can be difficult to come by. Some people learn the techniques as part of a martial art, while others pick up a little bit here and there in street fights and bar brawls. In game terms, handling a bat isn't all that different from swinging a sword or an axe. Characters use Melee when they want to hit someone with a hand-to-hand weapon, like an iron bar, baseball bat, knife, sword, or two-by-four. Most common amongst fighters of the supernatural.
Notice Most people are reasonably alert and aware of their surroundings, but those with high levels of the Notice skill have honed their powers of observation to an exceptional degree. Constant alertness might be a part of their profession, as it is with a police detective or a bodyguard, or it might be a matter of survival, as it is with a soldier or a gang leader. It's an overall indicator of how detailed the character's idea of what's physically nearby is, covering imput from all five senses. Characters use Notice when they are searching a room for telltale clues. It’s also used to detect hidden enemies or to foil sneak attacks, and picking faces out of a crowd.	Occult This is a broad-based ability that governs a person's familiarity with the supernatural, from the practice of magic to legends about demons, ghosts and monsters. Some people learn Occult through the stories of their grandparents or the folk tales of their people. Others pursue the subject out of morbid fascination or pure curiosity, poring over library resources and surfing Internet sites in pursuit of arcane secrets. Access to arcane libraries is often a huge help when it comes to identifying demons, their weaknesses, and other such things. Magic users have a special fondness for this skill, as it is essential when performing rituals and casting magic spells.	Perform This ability covers the gamut of live artistic expression, from public speaking to musicianship to dancing to acting (including impersonating someone else).It also imparts knowledge of the society surrounding a particular art form, as well as how well your character fits into it. This is the third 'artistic' skill; while Art comprises non-verbal visual arts and Expression comprises the written word and channeling of creativity, Perform is most clearly all about being skillful at awing a crowd with your act. Just having Perform does not allow you to play any instrument; for details on playing musical instruments, see the Forced Specialty rules. For closely related instruments, see the Unfamiliar Aspect rules.
Science This broad-based ability covers the natural and physical sciences. Most people with this Ability acquired it through study in school, but a keen mind and high school science classes could be enough for a person to continue her studies without ever getting a college degree. Characters use Science when they are identifying chemical compounds, making homemade explosives, plating metals or creating an electric field. It can come in handy when trying to identify the "super" portion of the supernatural and the "para" part of the paranormal. A favorite skill of the super- (re: mad) scientist, it is most effective with a lab, and maybe a hot assistant.	Sports It's one thing to say that someone is strong but another thing entirely to say that she is athletic. This ability describes a character’s physical fitness, coordination and endurance, as well as her skill in applying herself to strenuous physical activity. Aside from that, though, it also covers every manner of sports, from baseball to surfing to lacrosse to soccer to tennis to quiddit - anyway!. Characters with Sports are athletic people who like physical exercise and often revel in it. In a pinch, you can use Sports -2 instead of Brawl or Melee, but only if you have a Specialty in a sport that would apply. Chess, while being a sport, does not fall into this category.	Thrown This ability represents a person’s skill at hitting a target using a thrown object, whether it's a rock, a baseball or a knife. Most people who possess this ability pick it up casually, having learned the basic hand-eye techniques as children, though specialized weapons such as throwing knives and hatchets require dedicated practice to use well. This is especially useful for magic users that like to toss damaging spells, as it is what they likely have to roll to hit. Characters use this ability when they want to hit a distant foe with a thrown knife, a spear or a loose brick. The variety of what the character can throw and how far is somewhat dependent on their strength.