Skills



Important Note: I did not write many of the skill descriptions. Over half of them are taken verbatum from the Feng Shui RPG corebook!


Skills in this system will be quite broad, in an effort to reduce the number of skills that each character needs. There are two types of skills. Regular skills, and Info skills.

Info Skills:
Info skills, as is obvious from their name, are pure information skills. These include things like specilized knowlege of geography, organizations that exist in the world, or something more inconsiquential like knowlege of teen idols. All Info skills are based on Intellegence.

You may make a roll on any of your info skills whenever you wish to know something that your character should know, but you do not. The GM assigns a difficulty (but will not always tell you what the difficulty is) and you make a roll. If you succeed, you will get the information you needed.

The more broad the info skill, the higher the difficulty of any specific information. The Info: Galbadia skill will be difficult to use for information on a specific Galbadian city, because it covers the whole country. However, chosing the Info: Deling City skill instead won't tell you about anything outside the city.

Information skills can be on literaly anything in the game, so there is no need to list them specificaly. Just use your imagination, and pick something that is useful, or adds color to your character. Feel free to ask the GM for suggestions.

Regular Skills:
Regular skills provide three benifits. First, there is the actual physical use to which the skill can be put. The Martial Arts skill indicates that a character is trained in hand to hand fighting, the Pilot skill is used to pilot boats, planes, and to drive cars. The second benifit is information. Persons with the Demolition skill nessisarily know a great deal about bombs. Someone who can repair machinery needs to know at least some mechanical theory. Finally, each skill grants a limited number of contats. During the course of learning any skill, your character will have come into contact with other people who practice the skill, or do things that are related to the skill. For instance, someone with a high guns skill will know gun dealers, other sharpshooters, and possibly gun designers or manufacturers.

Making a skill roll for a physical action has already been described under the basic rules section. When using a skill for information purposes, the character simply rolls, adds the skills action value, and takes a look at the final result. The higher the number, the more likely the character knows what the player wants to know. For example, if a player needs to know how many miles they can get out of the fuel they have left in their car, they can roll their Drive skill, and tell the GM the result. If the roll was high enough, the GM tells the player exactly what they need to know. If not, then the player gets partial information, or perhaps nothing at all.

Making a contacts roll is similar. Again, the player makes a standard roll, and adds the skill's action value. The higher the roll, the more important a person the character will know locally. Lets say that the characters want to get into a Galbadian military dance, but they don't know anyone at the party. A Brawler with the Martial Arts skill can make a contacts roll. If successful, perhaps he notices someone he met and made friends with at a tournement. The higher his roll, the more important that person could be. The GM decides the difficulty of finding a particular contact type in any area. There aren't likely to be a lot of Esther scientists in the tiny villiage of Windhill.


Below is a list of the skills in the game, organized into a table that explains what each skill can do, what sorts of information it provides, and what kind of contacts one can reach using it.


Skill Descriptions
Artilery - Perception Physical Ablility - As military special forces, you get to use some really big guns from time to time. This skill covers firing anything too big to be held by a human being, from tank weaponry to missiles to huge emplaced cannons. If you have this skill, you can scare whole cities. Unfortunently, there's a high chance you'll also be a little hard of hearing.
Knowelge - You know the specifications of various kinds of heavy weaponry. You know about units that specialize in artilery combat. You are familier with the best tactics involving artillery. You know what amunition goes in what kinds of guns, and where one might get amunition. You know how to perform routine maintenance and very basic repairs on the big guns. If you're really good at this skill, you can identify particular guns simply by the sound of them firing.
Contacts - You know other artilery operators. You know weapons and amunition dealers, leagal and otherwise. You know a variety of military personell involved in training, deployment, and storage of artilery weapons.
Artisic Ability - Int or Cha Physical Ability - You can perform some artistic endeavor with skill and talent. When this skill is chosen the player picks a particular form of art, such as painting, music, etc. Feel free to be specific. For instance, if you chose music, choose an instrument to specialize in as well. More ranks in this skill increase both your skill and your talent. You will always be best at your chosen specialty, but you can still attempt other artistic prusuits better than someone who has no artistic training at all. You can create works of art, entertain people, possibly even earn a little money. Alternately, an identity as an artist can be a great cover for someone who doesn't want to be known as a mercinary.
Knowledge - You know the theory of your chosen field of art. You understand art sensabilities in general, and could fit in during an art discussion. You know the names of famous artists of your time, and historicaly. You are familier with the great works of art in your field, and where they are located. You know where the best museums are, and you are familier with the sort of etiquette that art socieities expect.
Contacts - You know other artists within your specialty. You know people who sell supplies for your chosen form of art. If you're a physical artist, you know museum curators, art dealers, and fans. If you're an entertainer, you know booking agents, groupies, and roadies. If your skill is high enough, the GM may roll contact rolls secretly for you, as you will eventualy be reconized by fans just walking around.
Awareness - Perception Physical Ability - You are aware of the flow of magic in the world around you. You can spot static spells and machines that utilize magic. You can see what Spellshards lie within a particular monster or item. You can identify spells by examining their magical weave. You may even be able to sense the presence of particularly powerful monsters or Guardian Forces.
Knowledge - You know the basics of magical theory. You know where the most magicaly active areas on the planet are, and where the 'dead zones' are. You are familier with basic monster lore, and can identify the most common Guardian forces. You can match a Spellshard to any familier spell. You know of the most common magical and magi-technical items, such as SeeD Spell Matricies.
Contacts - You know instructors and tutors in the mystic arts. You know other students of magic. You know at least one member of the Shumi tribe. You know magic researchers, and magic-cartographers.
Computer - Intellegence Physical Ability - You can operate and use computers. You can write programs on computers and attempt to bypass security. You can also attempt to increase a system's security. You can extract data from, or save data to a computer. You can transfer data between computers, and attempt to operate machines remotely, if they are connected to a computer system. You can attempt to cover up the traces of your access to a computer system. You can put a computer together, or repair a computer, provided you have all the components you need. You can design webpages and other such content for networked systems.
Knowledge - You are familier with computer basics and computer theory. You know about common software and operating systems. You know of famous computer experts and designers. You know the currently accepted limits of computers, and what general uses they have. You know about the major governmental networks and how far they extend. You know computer models and components. You know computer games, and are probably good at several of them.
Contacts - You know computer dealers, software dealers, less legal alternatives for both. You know computer programmers and hackers. You know people who work in heavily computerized industries. You know at least a few professionals that work in Esther, possibly natives but not nessisarily. You know computer enthusists and video game 'athletes'.
Deciet - Charisma Physical Ability - You can lie convincingly, and spot other people's lies. You can disguise yourself either to hide or to mimic an individual or a type. (Such as a specific nation's soldier) You can imitate voices. You can forge credentials and fake skills you don't actualy have.
Knowledge - You know the tricks of the con-man's trade including knowlege of specific scams and grifts. You know by reputation law officers and other officials involved in stopping scams. You know the penalties for various forms of fraud and deception. You know the reputations of the more famous scam artists of your time. You know many colorful anecdotes of scams and grifts, some of which may involve you as a participant.
Contacts - You know other con-men. You know shadey lawers and bail-bondsmen. You know, but are not likely to be friendly with, cops, fraud-squad officers, and prison guards. You may know low-level gangsters and their associates.
Demolitions - Dexterity Physical Ability - You wreck stuff real good. "Stuff" is defined as vehicles, electronic equipment, machinery, buildings, and other architecture such as bridges. The difficulty of using this skill depends on the ruggedness of the thing you're trying to destroy, and the means by which you're trying to destroy it. It is more difficult to destroy better constructed buildings, and the bigger the bombs you have, the more easily you can blow things up. You can also wreck something so that it is unstable but appears to be fine, this too, is more difficult. You can also attempt to disable or disarm explosive devices.
Knowledge - You know the chemical properties of explosives and the physics of explosions. You know enough about electronic equipment and computers to disable them. You know enough about architecture to know what to take out to collapse a building. You know the tools of the trade.
Contacts - You know miltary personell responsible for dealing with explosives. You know which of them are shadey enough to 'misplace' some explosives that you might need.
Detective - Perception Physical Ability - You can make shrewd deductions based on the facts and your knowlege of human nature. You can pick locks and search an area without leaving traces of your presence. You can tell when people are lying or have something to hide. The difficulty for a detective check will either depend on the obscurity of the evidence, or the Charisma of the person you are interrogating.
Knowledge - You are familier with police procedure and the law. You are familer with the history of famous cases. You are aquainted with the repuations of famous cops and criminals. You know the latest forensic techniques used for investigation.
Contacts - You know police officers and other law enforcement types from whom you can get tips and other information. Some of these people may dislike you for your use of their techniques 'outside the system' however.
Engineering - Intellegence Physical Ability - You can build, operate, and identify larger and more complex machinery. You can repair nearly anything, given time and the right tools. You can design and build new machines, again, given time, the right tools, and the right materials. You can spot the weak points on any machine with a successful roll. The difficulty is determined by the toughness and complexity of the machine. You can reverse-engineer machines to discover how they work.
Knowlege - You understand the physics of machines, and the metaphysics of incorporating magic into machinery. You know a lot about the more common machines being used. You have been to the Esther capital, and know minimal facts about it's layout. You know what current research is underway, and what things are now possible with machines. You know a lot of generalized science and some basic architecture.
Contacts - You know engineers and mechanics. You know scientists and buisnessmen who employ them or work in cutting edge technology firms. You know operators, including possibly some specialized ones, such as astronauts. You have a few contacts in Esther, mainly instructors and engineering students.
Fix-It - Perception Physical Ability - You can repair or at least jury-rig any mundane peice of machinery given time and the proper tools. Some machines may not be fully repairable without parts. Some machines will be so far gone they can't be repaired, depending on the events that damaged them. You may make a roll at any time when caught in a tight spot to see if you have a jury-rigged item that is appropriate to the situation. This is the "Hey, I just happen to have a ____ right here!" effect. The GM choses the difficulty of the check, depending on how strange the item you need is. Gearhead characters may do this without needing to roll, if they wish to spend a Luck point.
Knowledge - You know all about mundane (non-magical) technology from a practical point of view. You know the right tools to use for any situation. You know practical tips for any home or industrial situation. You can get stains out of any material. (Laugh if you want, but wait until someone's beautiful trenchoat has Marlboro Ichor all over it.)
Contacts - You know junk dealers, other fix-it artists, people at Fisherman's Horizon, and folks at your Garden and home town that come to you to get things fixed.
Gambling - Luck Physical Ability - You have a knack for games of chance. When you play them, you win more often than the odds would strictly allow. Games of chance include everything from stock speculation to traditional casino games. You're adept at finding hidden high stakes games. You can perform slight of hand tricks such as cocking a die or hidng a card in your sleeve. You can spot other people cheating.
Knowlege - You know the rules, odds, and statistics relating to the more popular games of chance like the back of your hand. You know all the best casinos and other gambling hangouts. You know how to dress for gambling and gambler's ettiquette.
Contacts - You know gamblers, bookies, casino workers, vice-cops, and ganbling groupies of either sex.
Guns - Dexterity Physical Ability - You can fire guns with a high degree of accuracy. You can perform maintenance and basic repairs on guns. You can identify specific gun models when you see them.
Knowledge - You know the history and technical specifications of guns. You can rattle on about gun makes and models. You know manufactuerers and dealers of guns. You know the great shooters of the past and present.
Contacts - You know gun dealers and gunsmiths, legal and otherwise. You know gun enthusiests and professionals. You know journalists that work for gun magazines.
Instruction - Intellegence Physical Ability - You can teach people things you yourself know, allowing them to learn more quickly and better than they would have on their own. Characters with this skill can qualify to get an Instructor's liscence, allowing them to work in-garden rather than going on missions, and giving them a boost to pay. Personel without this skill can never reach the rank of Headmaster or Sergeant Dean. When instructing another character in learning or improving a skill, the Instructor adds the student's Intellegence to her Instruction Action value. For every ten points of the result, rounding down, the cost of learning the skill is reduced by 1 xp. Instructors can only teach skills they know, and can only teach to 2 points less than their own AV. Instructors may teach Special Techniques or limit breaks that they know in similar fashion, though they may only teach techniques and breaks that are not the most advanced one in that path. So if a Gunblade Specialist wants to teach Trigger 2, he needs to at least know Trigger 3 himself, to be able to teach it.
Knowledge - You know the theory of teaching, both regular teaching and practical instruction of the sort that SeeDs often recive. You know the tests and training excercises that every type of SeeD must pass. You are familier with a wide range of academic subjects on a generalist level. You are familier with the procedures for getting a SeeD trainee her first GF, and you are knowlegeable about Field Exams. You are kept in the loop about upcoming exams and training events. You know the classrooms and libraries of a particular garden inside out.
Contacts - SeeDs you've trained, other instructors, the garden Administration and Library staff, Trainee students of yours, and teachers in the private sector, outside SeeD. You may also know reasearchers and experts in various fields that SeeDs would be interested in.
Intimidation - Charisma Physical Ability - You can make people feel frightened, self concious, or inadiquate. You may do this by virtue of your great size, powerful strength, or merely a really vicious stare. The difficulty for Intimidation rolls is the Willpower of the person you're trying to intimidate. If intimidating a group, your difficulty is the highest Willpower. You may recive bonuses or penalties to the roll depending on the current situation, such as who has the upper hand, etc. Once you have intimidated someone they won't nessisarily do anything you say, but they will be much more likely to go along with your suggestions.
Knowledge - Not Applicable.
Contacts - Not Applicable.
Intrusion - Agility Physical Ability - You are good at getting into places you shouldn't be. You can bypass security system, climb walls, sneak quietly, and hide in the darkness. You can also beef up security systems. The GM determines the difficulty of any particular Intrusion check, depending on the general situation, and how tight the security you're trying to bypass is.
Knowledge - You know security systems and basic guard procedures. You know what equipment you need and how to find quality gear. You know the great jobs of the past, and the greats of sneaking, some of which are known only by nickname or the job they pulled.
Contacts - You know people who sell security gear, security professionals, and other spooks.
Leadership - Charisma Physical Ability - You exude an air of authority. Those who reconize you as a legitimate superior will follow your commands to the best of their ability. Those who do not reconize you as such may still do what you say, simply because you seem to expect it. In a pinch, you can try to browbeat someone into following your orders, the difficulty of this check is the subject's Willpower. You cannot browbeat anyone who possesses the Leadership skill.
Knowledge - You know the SeeD theory of leadership, and you can quote the SeeD Code to the last punctuation mark.
Contacts - You know officers above you in the SeeD hierarchy, and any subordinates you may have. You know other officers outside your chain of command from various meetings and functions.
Martial Arts - Agility Physical Ability - You can use a weapon with deadly accuracy in hand to hand combat. You can perform flips and leaps, as well as tumbling manuvers. You are proficient with a variety of weapons and unarmed fighting, but a master of none.
Knowledge - You know the basics of unarmed combat. You know the great fighters of the past and present. You know the tenents of the SeeD combat school.
Contacts - You know other SeeDs, instructors, students, and martial arts enthusists. You know people involved in martial arts tournements, and you may know people from rival schools of martial arts.
Medicine - Intellegence Physical Ability - Curative magic has mostly removed the need for many forms of medicine, but it still remains a viable field. There are things that curative magic cannot fix, and there are times when students are denied Cure magic to help teach them a lesson. You can treat wounds, broken bones, and anything else that might be covered under first aid. You can diagnose basic medical conditions and diseases. If your skill bonus is high enough, you may be able to act as a combat surgeon. In a pinch, you can act as a vet.
Knowledge - You know the basic biology and physiology of human beings. You know a lot about common wounds and diseases. You know what to do and what not to do with a casualty. You know famous doctors and paramedics by reputation.
Contacts - You know other field medics, doctors, and paramedics.
Navigation - Intellegence Physical Ability - The world is full of a lot of empty spaces. You can determine where exactly you are, and get back to a place that's not quite so empty. You can read maps, plot courses, and identify warnings about reefs and such. You can determine direction using only the stars and sun, if you have to.
Knowledge - You know the basics of sea and air travel. You know how best to keep from getting lost, and how to keep landmarks in sight and useful. You know the basic geography of the planet.
Contacts - You know fishermen, pilots, cartographers, and journalists.
Pilot - Dexterity Physical Ability - You can drive or pilot just about anything from cars to boats to planes, and even spaceships. You can perform basic maintenance on your vehicles and effect minor repairs. You can identify various different forms of craft, and determine what country military vehicles hail from by silouette alone. You can perform stunts and get the most out of any vehicle.
Knowledge - You know vehicle types and models. You know enough about how they operate to do your job. You can quote statistics about the technical aspects of vehicles. You know anectdotes about famous vehicles such as the Ragnarok.
Contacts - You know other pilots, mechanics, and vehicle dealers. You know people who sell fuel and own repair shops. You know people involved in racing.
Police - Perception Physical Ability - This skill is very similar to the Detective skills, and it would be redundant to chose them both. This skill may only be taken by students who studied at Galbadia Garden. You know all the investagative techniques described under the Detective skill, but you also know police procedure and crowd control. You are familier with the basics of urban pacification, and you know how to train military personell to be sensative to the task of policing rather than fighting.
Knowledge - You know the things that people with the Detective skill know, and in addition, you know theories of policing and urban management. You know procedures and laws from a variety of different governments.
Contacts - You know cops, low level criminals, the police instructors at Galbadia Garden, and your fellow Police students.
Seduction - Charisma Physical Ability - You can manipulate others into feeling an attraction for you. This attraction most often is, but doesn't have to be, sexual. You can also manipulate people into hero-worshiping you, or envying you. The difficulty of such attempts depends on the willpower of the target. You are skilled in the end results of such manipulation, be it acting like a proper hero to a kid, or satsifying your latest lover in the bedroom.
Knowledge - You know a lot about human nature, at least as far as it relates to the heart and people's desires.
Contacts - You are slowly building a little black book of past conquests. You may contact your old flames at any time, but the results are unpredictable. Half of them still want you, and would do anything for you. Half of them feel so betrayed that they have either been training to kill you, or have been putting money into an account to hire an assasin. You will not know which is which until you contact them again!
Sorcery - Intellegence Physical Ability - You can cast magic, either because you are a Sorceress, or because you have Junctioned a Guardian Force and possess a Spell Matrix. You can Draw Spellshards out of targets. You can Draw magic directly and cast it. You can examine magical items and see if they are working properly or not. Given time, and use of the Awareness skill, you can dismantle permenant spells and wards. If you have taken the Blue Mage archetype, you can manifest Monster abilities that you've absorbed.
Knowledge - You know magical theory, and you can speak about it at length. You know the basic spells and magical items avaliable to SeeD forces. You know about Sorceresses, Blue Mages, and Monsters. You are familier with the legends of famous sorceresses and Blue Mages, past and present.
Contacts - You know mages, alchemists, and dealers in mystic curiosities. You know other students of magic.
Survival - Perception Physical Ability - You know how to survive in a wilderness environment, with or without advanced gear. You can identify poisnous plants and clean water. You can construct emergency shelters and predict weather. You rarely, if ever, become lost out of doors. You know how to hunt, fish, and trap food.
Knowledge - You know basic geography. You know weather conditions, from a practical standpoint of their potential danger. You know a lot about mundane animals and plants, and you know about the various monsters that have some survival value to offer. You know how to judge terrain for maximum survival and comfort.
Contacts - You know other survivalists, outdoorsmen, and hunters. You know people in the fish and game industries. You know people who sell survival gear.
Tactics - Intellegence Physical Ability - You can assess combat situations and make snap decisions based on sound military doctrine. You can review troops and asses their strengths and weaknesses. You can identify the strengths and weaknesses of enemy forces. You can give effective orders to troops to increase the effectiveness of a friendly fighting force. You can train troops.
Knowledge - You know military doctrine and stratagy. You have extensivly read the books on military history. You can quote at length from battle manuals. You know the general strengths and weaknesses of the various fighting forces in the world. You know the particular monster types that like to attack en-masse. You know the differences in tactics required when fighting monsters versus humans.
Contacts - You know SeeD officers, especialy those slated for command positions. You have met and taken at least one class from Squall Lionheart. You know other tactics students, and you are periodicaly invited to planning sessions and officer's parties.
Taming - Willpower Physical Ability - You know how to attempt the difficult and emergent skill of Monster taming. You can subdue monsters rather than killing them. You can capture monsters, and train them to be friendly and follow your commands. You can take care of monsters and keep them in the peak of health. You can track monsters and identify lairs and ambush points.
Knowledge - You know a lot about monsters, their types, strengths, weaknesses, habitats, and habits. You know training theory, and basic Lunar theory. You are familier with the Lunar Cry, it's implications, and it's triggers. You can identify monsters by sight, and sometimes smell. You know the unique physiology of monsters.
Contacts - You know other trainers, and trainer-instructors. You know people who sell hunting gear and survival gear, all of which think you're crazy.
Weapon Focus - Agl or Dex Physical Ability - You have chosen to focus in a specific weapon. This allows you to learn special techniques and limit breaks associated with your weapon. You can attack and defend effectively with your weapon of choice.
Knowledge - You know the ins and outs of your specfic weapons. You know all about the special techniques and limit breaks associated with it. You know all of the various models, and you know by reputation famous users of your weapon.
Contacts - You know other users of your weapon, dealers, smiths, and journalists who write about your weapon.
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