Skills in General
Unless stated otherwise, a skill may only be bought once. Skills all have points cost listed beside their name. A character's skills determine what they can and cannot do, frequently a skill will allow a character to offset a penalty they would otherwise accrue in a certain situation. Note that some "skills" are really more "traits" than anything else, none the less we have used the term "skill" for convenience.
Note that where two skills have the same effects but different names, both may be bought, and their effects stack. Where two skills have the same name but different costs, only one may be bought.
The Bold and Formidable Skills of the Warrior
Combat skills are broken down into a series of Combat Styles. A character gets one Combat Style for free, to learn a second takes a teacher and 5XP, a third requires a teacher and 10 XP and so on and so forth, adding 5XP each time.
A combat style can only be used with certain weapons. A character cannot use the skills associated with a style with weapons not associated with that style.
The Shining Dance of Swords
This is the style favoured by duellists, a sword in one hand, a main-gauche in the other. It places emphasis on speed, agility and technique. A character with this path may use one handed swords, and a parrying dagger, buckler or second one handed sword in their off hand.
Footwork (3)
You have exceptionally fine footwork, this allows you to call Dodge twice per encounter.
Swordsmanship (3)
You are exceptionally skilled with your sword. You may call Parry twice per encounter so long as you are wielding a one handed sword.
Offhand Parry (3)
Your are exceptionally skilled with an offhand parrying weapon, and may call Parry twice per encounter while so armed.
Weak Spot (3)
You have a strong sense for the weak points in an opponent's armour. Whenever you wish, you may make a Through attack. Before making such an attack, however, you must make a count of 10 - if you are hit, or have to call a Dodge or Parry in this time you must restart. Once the ten count is completed your next attack is a Through attack. If this attack misses the count is wasted.
Artful Thrust (5)
You can deliver attacks of devastating accuracy and potency. Whenever you wish you may make a Critical attack. This attack must be preceded by a count of 20, during which you must not take a hit, or call a Dodge or Parry. If the attack misses the call is wasted. At the GMs discression, this skill may not work on nonhumanoid targets.
Flick of the Wrist (3)
You may call Disarm once per encounter.
Uncanny Reflexes (5)
You may dodge Swift attacks.
Lightning Strike (3)
You may make two Swift attacks per encounter.
Scratch (1)
You may choose to strike an opponent for nonlethal damage, or no damage at all if you so wish.
Witty Riposte (3)
Once per encounter, you may make a cutting and witty comment (and yes, you really should make an effort at phys... er... aur-repping it), allowing you to call a Distract - 10 against your opponent.
The Bloody Path of Steel
This is the style favoured by mercenaries, thugs and other professional fighting persons. It places emphasis on killing the other guy before he kills you. A character on this path may use any weapon they wish, both ranged and melee. In addition, only characters using this style of combat may wear armour or use shields.
Weapon Specialisation (3)
You do +1 damage with a particular type of weapon. This can be applied to either ranged or melee weapons. You may take this skill more than once, each time for a different weapon.
Defensive Specialisation (2)
You gain one Parry per encounter with a particular type of melee weapon. You may take this skill more than once, each time for a different weapon.
Combat Reflexes (2)
You gain one Dodge per encounter.
Armoured Combat (3)
You are adept at only taking blows on the parts of you that are covered in metal. You gain two Dodges per encounter while wearing armour.
Ambidexterity (5)
You may use a weapon in your off hand at no penalty (usually a weapon held in the off hand will do one less damage than it should).
Dirty Tricks (1)
Once per encounter you can negate any call made by a character fighting with the Shining Dance of Swords style, you may then make the same call yourself immediately (without a count, even if one was required by the original call).
Signature Weapon (1)
One of your weapons - and it must be one specific weapon, not a weapon type, has a special significance for you. You gain +2 Base Luck while bearing it. If you lose the weapon you lose all benefits of this skill.
Black Arrow (1)
You have one specific arrow (or bolt, or whatever) that has spepcial significance for you. You gain +2 Base Luck while you are carrying this arrow, until the first time you fire it in a given adventure, at which point it will strike (if it hits) for a Lucky Critical. Note that you cannot apply "signature weapon" and "black arrow" to the same weapon.
Mighty Blow (3)
You may make two Mighty attacks per encounter if you are using a single handed weapon or staff, or four if you are using a double handed weapon. If you are also Strong, all of your attacks count as Mighty. You may not make mighty attacks with daggers.
Survivor (3)
You have +1 hit per location.
Hafted Trip (3)
You may make Trip attacks with hafted weapons (staves, polearms etc)
The Silken Wind of Death
This is the style favoured by the assassins of the Brotherhood of Silk. It emphasises a quick, clean kill. A character on this path may use only daggers and weapons taken from opponents with the Steal Weapon skill.
Shifting Cloak of Night (6)
You are uncannily swift, almost impossible to hit. You gain five Dodges per encounter.
Steal Weapon (5)
Once per encounter, you can lightly touch an opponent's weapon and call Disarm. If the disarm attempt succeeds, you may now use this weapon freely until the end of the encounter, at which point style dictates that you must cast it at the feet of its original owner - preferably after killing them with it. Catching the weapon causes you no damage.
Chink in the Armour (3)
You may make Through attacks against your targets. To make a Through attack you must first have Dodged an attack by the target, or must make a successful Backstab attempt. Should attack be dodged or parried, the attack is wasted.
Critical Strike (5)
You may make Critical attacks against your targets. To make a Critical attack you must first have Dodged two consecutive attacks by the target. If the attack is dodged or parried, the attack is wasted.
Lethal Strike (7)
Having Dodged three consecutive attacks by your target, you may strike for an Instant Kill. Should the instant kill be dodged or parried, the attack is wasted.
Uncanny Reflexes (5)
You may dodge Swift attacks.
Hands Without Shadow (7)
Your attacks count as Swift
The Whirling Storm of Blades
This is the style of berzerkers and dervishes. It emphasises speed and fury in equal measure. A character on this path may use one handed or two handed weapons, but not hafted weapons.
Ambidexterity (3)
You may wield a weapon in your off hand without penalty. Otherwise attacks made with the off hand have their damage reduced by 1.
Berzerk (3)
You may, if you wish, enter a berzerk frenzy (or trance, depending on the flavour you're going for). While in a frenzy you may notuse any skills from outside this style, but you do not fall over, and your limbs do not stop functioning, when you are reduced to 0 hits on a location. Berzerk characters sometimes lose the ability to distinguish friend from foe, but this is a roleplaying decision. Furthermore, a Berzerk character may not be Distracted
Dervish (5)
While Berzerk, and wielding two weapons, you do +1 damage. Note that unless you also take Ambidexterity you still do one less damage with the off hand.
Unstoppable Frenzy (5)
While Berzerk and wielding a double handed weapon, your attacks do +1 damage and count as Mighty
Whirling Defense (3)
While wielding two weapons, you gain two Parries per encounter.
Storm of Blows (3)
While Berzerk you may declare a Storm of Blows to make three Swift attacks in a row. You may use this ability once per encounter.
The Noble Art of Knives
This ignoble style is much favoured by those criminals who dwell in cramped city streets where there small, concealable weapons are the order of the day. The focus is on light blades and precision. Characters on this path are, funnily enough, limited to the use of daggers (including throwing daggers).
Dagger Ambidexterity (3)
You can fight with a knife in your off hand at no penalty
Always Got Another (3)
You are always assumed to have a knife about your person, unless the GM rules that it would be truly ludicrous. If you are disarmed of your last knife you may always draw another, more or less indefinately (just trasfer the "disarmed" weapon into your other hand). This does not apply to throwing daggers.
Cruel Blade (3)
You do +1 damage with a dagger (both hand and thrown)
Perfect Timing (2)
If you can strike your opponent's weapon arm as they hit you (whether you Dodge or not) you score an immediate Critical hit on that limb.
Opportunist (3)
You may make two Through attacks per encounter.
Squirrely Reflexes (3)
You gain two dodges per encounter.
Dirty Tricks (1)
Once per encounter you can negate any call made by a character fighting with the Shining Dance of Swords style, you may then make the same call yourself immediately (without a count, even if one was required by the original call).
The Calm Eye of the Storm
This style, much favoured by sombre people in robes and unfeasibly old men focuses on staves and unarmed combat. It also focuses on philosophy and self-discipline.
The Wild Abandon of the Hunt
The Noble Skills of the Scholar, Magician and Gentleman
In the world of Callowmass, Magic is a pursuit for scholars and gentlemen. All of the truly fashionable people learn a little of it. These skills come in two sorts, General and Specialist. General magical skills - unlike normal skills - can be taken as often as you like. Specialist magical skills are divided into categories, much like Combat Styles. Characters may take one magical specialisation for free when they buy their first level of Education, Magecraft or Greater Magecraft. They may take a second specialisation for 5 points when they buy another level, further specialisations cost 5 points more each time.
General Magical Skills
As noted above, you can buy these skills as often as you like.
Education (1)
You are educated. You can consider yourself able to hold forth on any topic that takes your fancy. You also gain access to one magical specialisation. You may buy this skill more than once, but the only benefit is the ability to access further magical specialisations.
Magecraft (5)
You are skilled in the ways of magic. Every level of Magecraft you buy allows you to assimilate one spell from the Lesser Grimoire.
Greater Magecraft (10)
You are exceptionally skilled in the ways of magic. Every level of Greater Magecraft you buy enables you to assimilate one spell from either the Greater or Lesser Grimoires.
Lesser Spell (1)
Each time you buy this skill, you may choose a spell from the Lesser Grimoire. This spell is added to your known spells, from which you may choose your assimilated spells at the start of an adventure
Greater Spell (3)
Each time you buy this skill, you may choose a spell from the Greater Grimoire. This spell is added to your known spells, from which you may choose your assimilated spells at the start of an adventure
Specialisation: Far Traveller
The far traveller has been almost everywhere, and wants to go everywhere else. They are explorers and pioneers. Of course there are also those who simply claim to have been everywhere, but are actually just terribly well read.
Raconteur (3)
Your tales of distant lands and high adventure never fail to find an ear. You may hold the attention of any non-hostile encounter by relating a wonderous story of far off places.
Distant Lore (3)
Wherever your adventures take you, you are likely to have either been there or heard of it. You may ask the GM for pertinent information about any land you come across, except in truly exceptional circumstances.
Witchfire (2)
You may conjure a small quantity of fire at will. This will be enough to light a campfire or cook on, but is never accurate enough to hit a moving target or intense enough to cause serious property damage.
Cosmopolitan (3)
You blend in naturally with people of all cultures. You may ask the GM for the general rules of any social situation you find yourself in, no matter how alien.
Collection (1)
You have a collection of... somethings... from all over the world. Your Base Luck increases by 2, and you gain a point of Luck whenever you collect another... whatever it is you collect.
Cartography (1)
You are capable of drawing and illuminating highly detailed maps.
Undeterred Journey (10)
You may travel through any terrain, no matter how hazardous, with no ill effects. Yes I do mean any terrain. Interstellar void, molten lava, bottom of the sea, it makes no difference to you.
Specialisation: Physician
The physician is a student of the body, of anatomy and of the healing arts, such as they are.
Bandage Wounds (2)
You may treat nonlethal wounds. Removing a level of nonlethal damage from a location takes fifteen seconds and a unit of properly phys-repped medical supplies.
Staunch Bleeding (2)
You may convert one level of lethal damage, per location, into nonlethal damage. This requires fifteen seconds and one unit of properly phys-repped medical supplies.
Surgery (5)
In the field, you may convert all levels of lethal damage to nonlethal damage, but it will require a full five minutes per location, during which you must be able to work utterly uninterrupted. Furthermore you require specialist tools.
Leech (5)
You may cure most normal poisons or diseases by leeching and bloodletting. This requires 10 minutes and deals one level nonlethal damage to the target. More virulent poisons and diseases may take more time and more damage. This procedure requires one unit of medical supplies (leeches) or specialist equipment (bloodletting cups), whichever you use mut be phys repped.
Trepanning (5)
You can cure madness and possession by trepanning. This requires a set of trepanning tools and twenty minutes. It also deals a level of lethal damage to the target.
Reanimate the Dead (10)
You know how to reanimate the dead. This requires three full days, and a fully kitted out lab. Once reanimated, an individual retains most of its original personality, but loses much of its verve.
Specialisation: Alchemist
Lotions and potions and oils, oh my!
Potions (5)
You may produce potions. Potions in the world of Callowmass are not altogether predictable, and you must buy the Stable Formula skill below to be able to produce a particular type of potion reliably
Oils (5)
You may produce oils. These tend to be in some way usuable as weapons. To reliably produce the same oil twice, you need the Stable Formula skill, below.
Salves (5)
You may produce salves. Like potions these are seldom predictable, and to produce the same one twice you need the Stable Formula skill.
Stable Formula (1)
You may buy this skill more than once. It allows you to reliably produce a potion, oil or salve of a given type. Note that even stable formulae frequently have side effects.
Immortality (10)
Through your arts, you have achieved immortality. You do not age, and you may not die, althogh you may be harmed. Your Base Luck is halved (after modifications)
Specialisation: Sequestered Scholar
Sequestered Scholars spend almost all of their time locked in little rooms reading books, and it is only with great relucatnce that they go adventuring.
Reading Light (1)
You may conjure a light strong enough to read by at will
Pathologically Esoteric Lore (3)
You know some really, really weird stuff. This skill allows you to ask the GM for a completely obscure fact or factiod about anything relevant to your current situation.
Scholar Of... (1)
Pick a subject, History, Geography, Philosophy, whatever. You know a lot about that subject. You may ask the GM questions pertinent to your situation based on that subject. You may buy this skill multiple times, representing multiple areas of interest.
Knowledge Junkie (1)
You are obsessed with finding out bits of obscure information. You gain 2 points of Base Luck, and gain a point of luck whenever you discover something new and obscure. Note that you can never gain luck for information you find out with Lore skills (since this represents things that you already know).
Omniliterate (5)
You can read any language you come across. This doesn't help you speak to people, and you can't write other tongues, but any writing, inscription or heroglyph is an open book to you.
Specialisation: Dandy
You're a people person.
Flirt (3)
You are adept at catching the eye of attractive members of the appropriate gender and orientation. In talkey encounters, this is mostly a roleplaying point. In combat, you may call Distract - 10 against one appropriate NPC per encounter. While distracting an NPC with this skill, you also count as Distracted
Immaculate (1)
You gain +2 to your base luck, so long as you are immaculately presented. This needs to be both phys repped and maintained in character. If you wind up becoming messy in character, you lose this bonus, however you gain a point of luck once you get cleaned up.
Smoke and Mirrors (2)
You can produce minor special effects, at will, by way of simple magical cantrips. These effects may never be of any game mechanical, or indeed practical advantage.
A Girl In Every Port (6)
You have a girl (or guy, up to you) in every port. Pretty much anywhere you go, you can be sure of meeting somebody with whom you are... familiar. This can be a good source of allies in strange places. Note that this skill applies anywhere except under extreme circumstances. Unless you really are somewhere that has never had any contact with Callowmass whatsoever, you are likely to run into an ex-lover somewhere.
Specialisation: Seer
Strange wanderers who just seem to know stuff. Advisors, councillors and wise men.
Astrology (3)
You can divine the future from the stars. At the start of the adventure you may ask the GM for portents about what you might be up against. Furthermore, you can do big-scale astrological significance stuff in downtime.
Prophesy (6)
You may speak prophecy, and it will come to pass. This is a powerful ability, and can only be used for big scale stuff about the ruin of empires and things like that. It costs you 1XP every time you use it, so pick your applications wisely.
Seemings (10)
As is traditional for wandering seers, you may disguise yourself as other sorts of person. You can't imitate specific people, and any given seeming will always look the same - so "an old woman" is always the same old woman.
True Seeing (12)
You see things as they really are. Note that this is not a "detect illusions" skill - or rather it is, but it is something more profound. You may, at will, call True Seeing, at which point the target must declare their nature to you, in a single true statement. Possible answers may be "A black hearted rogue", "a deposed prince" or "a mighty seer in the guise of a child". Note that this skill will not nessecarily give you all the information about the subject, but it will usually be pertinent, and non-obvious. Also note that you can only ever get one statement about somebody. If a lost prince is also a black hearted rogue, you're out of luck.
Specialisation: Skinchanger
This is, perhaps, one of the most specific of the magical specialisations. You get one trick, and one trick only. Still, it's a damn good one.
Second Skin (10)
Choose an animal. You may adopt the form of that animal at will - it takes a count of 3 to shift between forms, during which time you may do nothing else. Your stats in animal form should be based on the stats for the animal you choose. Use of other skills while in animal form is a matter of common sense and GM discression.
The Rag-Tag Skills of the Hoi-Polloi
These are your general skills, such as could be picked up by any jobbing vagabond. They include the odd trade, the odd bit of larceny, and the occasional bit of woodsmanship.
Craft (2)
You have a craft. You can make stuff, be it swords or shoes or whatever.
Master Craftsman (3)
The products you produce with any Craft skill may be Master Crafted.
Legendary Craftsman (5)
You may invest XP in your Master Crafted items, to give them unusual properties.
Small Time Crook (5)
You have a set of useful larcenous skills, but you aren't that good with any of them. You can pick pockets and locks, and run small time cons. In general, however, you're no threat to anything better protected than your average villager. You can also have a decent guess at the value of things.
Accomplished Pickpocket (3)
You can lift valuable or important items from people. Once per enounter, if you can get close to somebody, you can steal any small item they are not actively holding.
Accomplished Locksmith (3)
You can pick difficult or complex locks, given time. A domestic lock takes moments, more complex devices may take longer, but nothing should be totally beyond your grasp.
Grifter (3)
You have a fine line in patter, and a string of cons as long as your arm. Once per encounter you may blag, trick or scam any non-hostile NPC into any reasonable undertaking.
Fence (3)
You can judge the value of objets d'art extremely well, and always get full price for any items you sell after an adventure.
Cold Blooded (3)
Your backstab attacks do an additional +1 damage.
Prowl (3)
In an urban encounter, you may call Sneak to avoid detection by NPCs, provided you remain over 10 feet away (in little to no cover) or 3 feet (in dense cover).
Scout (3)
In a rural encounter, you may call Sneak to avoid detection by NPCs, provided you remain over 10 feet away (in little to no cover) or 3 feet (in dense cover).
Alert (3)
You cannot be Pickpocketed, enemies cannot Sneak within 20 feet of you (6 feet in dense cover)
Herblore (5)
You know the interesting properties of various herbs, and may prepare them in such a way as to better unlock those properties. (List of herbs and properties pending)
Staunch Bleeding (3)
You may convert one level of lethal damage, per location, into nonlethal damage. This requires fifteen seconds and one unit of properly phys-repped medical supplies.
Bandage Wounds (3)
You may treat nonlethal wounds. Removing a level of nonlethal damage from a location takes fifteen seconds and a unit of properly phys-repped medical supplies.
Death Curse (1)
Upon your death, you may curse an individual in your presence, and those related to them at up to three removes (you and your "children's childen's children", "You and your vile master", "you and the horse you rode in on"). The curse should be inkeeping with the individual and the manner of your death. A Death Curse must be uttered with your dying breath - if you get subsequently saved, it just becomes a Thing Wot You Said.
Haggle (1)
You don't get horribly ripped off by the merchants of Callowmass. You may buy items in downtime for their actual cost.
Run Away! (2)
You are adept at making yourself scarce in dangerous, frightening or confusing situations. You may call Disengage once per encounter.
Strong (3)
You are stronger than most. A Mighty attack will merely Distract you for three seconds, rather than knocking you prone. If parried, it will have no effect at all.