Many of the skills listed in the Alternity
Player's Handbook are designed for a science fiction setting. As a
result, some significant modifications had to be made to adjust the system for
the Middle Earth setting. The skill mechanics have not changed,
only skill names and availability. In the tables listed below, items
under the column C represent the cost in skill points to purchase
the skill, and items under the PR column represent which
profession(s) pay 1 less than list cost (professions are W for
warrior, R for ranger, D
for diplomat, and S for sage). Indented skills are
specialty skills (as described in the player's handbook), and skills listed in red cannot be used untrained. New or modified
skills are listed with an asterik (*); their description can be found at the end of this
page.
|
Strength Skills |
Dexterity Skills |
||||
|
Skill Name |
C |
PR |
Skill Name |
C |
PR |
|
Armor Operations |
7 |
W |
Acrobatics |
7 |
R |
|
Combat armor* |
3 |
W |
Wrestling* |
5 |
WR |
|
Athletics |
3 |
-- |
Dodge |
4 |
WR |
|
Climb |
2 |
-- |
Fall |
3 |
R |
|
Jump |
1 |
-- |
Manipulation |
6 |
-- |
|
Throw |
2 |
-- |
Lockpick |
4 |
R |
|
Melee Weapons* |
6 |
W |
Pickpocket |
4 |
R |
|
Hafted weapons |
3 |
W |
Prestidigitation |
3 |
D |
|
Hilted weapons |
3 |
W |
Ranged Weapons |
6 |
WR |
|
Pole weapons |
3 |
W |
Bow |
4 |
WR |
|
Unarmed Attack |
5 |
-- |
Crossbow |
3 |
W |
|
Brawl |
3 |
W |
Sling |
4 |
WR |
|
Martial Arts |
5 |
WR |
Stealth |
7 |
R |
|
|
|
|
Hide |
4 |
R |
|
|
|
|
Shadow |
4 |
R |
|
|
|
|
Sneak |
5 |
R |
|
Constitution Skills |
Will Skills |
||||
|
Skill Name |
C |
PR |
Skill Name |
C |
PR |
|
Movement |
3 |
-- |
Rulership* |
4 |
D |
|
Race |
2 |
-- |
Courtier* |
3 |
D |
|
Swim |
1 |
-- |
Stewardship* |
3 |
D |
|
Trailblazing |
3 |
R |
Animal Handling |
3 |
-- |
|
Stamina |
3 |
-- |
Animal riding |
1 |
-- |
|
Endurance |
4 |
W |
Animal training |
1 |
-- |
|
Resist pain |
4 |
W |
Awareness |
3 |
R |
|
Survival |
5 |
WR |
Intuition |
3 |
R |
|
Survival Training |
3 |
WR |
Perception |
2 |
R |
|
|
|
|
Creativity |
4 |
-- |
|
|
|
|
Investigate |
7 |
RS |
|
|
|
|
Interrogate |
4 |
WR |
|
|
|
|
Search |
4 |
RS |
|
|
|
|
Track |
4 |
R |
|
|
|
|
Resolve |
5 |
-- |
|
|
|
|
Mental resolve |
3 |
-- |
|
|
|
|
Physical resolve |
3 |
-- |
|
|
|
|
Bandit Lore* |
5 |
R |
|
|
|
|
Bandit elements* |
3 |
R |
|
|
|
|
Bandit knowledge* |
3 |
R |
|
|
|
|
Teach |
5 |
DS |
|
|
|
|
specific |
3 |
DS |
|
Intelligence Skills |
Personality Skills |
||||
|
Skill Name |
C |
PR |
Skill Name |
C |
PR |
|
Trade* |
4 |
D |
Culture |
5 |
D |
|
Legal trade* |
3 |
D |
Diplomacy |
3 |
D |
|
Illicit trade* |
3 |
DR |
Etiquette |
2 |
D |
|
Trapping* |
6 |
R |
|
|
|
|
Disarm traps* |
4 |
R |
Deception |
5 |
DR |
|
Set traps* |
4 |
R |
Bluff |
3 |
DR |
|
Knowledge |
3 |
-- |
Bribe |
3 |
DR |
|
Deduce |
2 |
-- |
Gamble |
3 |
DR |
|
Dress wounds* |
2 |
-- |
Entertainment |
4 |
DR |
|
Language (specific) |
1 |
-- |
Act |
2 |
DR |
|
Literacy (see Languages) |
2 |
DS |
Dance |
2 |
DR |
|
Law |
5 |
DR |
Musical instrument |
2 |
DR |
|
Court procedures |
3 |
D |
Sing |
2 |
DR |
|
Law enforcement |
3 |
WR |
Interaction |
3 |
-- |
|
Nature Lore* |
7 |
S |
Bargain |
3 |
DS |
|
Alchemy* |
3 |
S |
Charm |
3 |
DR |
|
Bestiary* |
3 |
S |
Interview |
3 |
DR |
|
Herbalism* |
3 |
S |
Intimidate |
3 |
W |
|
Healing Lore* |
7 |
S |
Seduce |
3 |
DR |
|
Surgery |
5 |
S |
Taunt |
2 |
-- |
|
Treatment |
4 |
S |
Leadership |
4 |
-- |
|
Navigation |
6 |
S |
Command |
4 |
WD |
|
Rivers* |
3 |
S |
Inspire |
4 |
WD |
|
Seas* |
3 |
S |
|
|
|
|
Tactics |
6 |
WS |
|
|
|
|
Land* |
3 |
WS |
|
|
|
|
Naval* |
3 |
WS |
|
|
|
|
Craftsmanship* |
7 |
S |
|
|
|
|
Invention |
4 |
S |
|
|
|
|
Repair |
3 |
S |
|
|
|
* These skills replace certain skills from the standard Alternity rules:
Armor Operation-Combat armor: At Rank 4, the character gains the Reaction Parry rank benefit when using a shield (pages 68-69 in the Player’s Handbook).
Melee Weapons: The listed specialty skills replace those in the Player’s Handbook designed for futuristic sci-fi settings. Hafted weapons are chopping or bashing weapons with a weighted head affixed to a crafted wooden handle (a “haft”). Hilted weapons are bladed weapons with a fashioned, balanced grip (a “hilt”). Pole weapons consisting primarily of a long, crafted wooden pole, often with a point or blade attached; most pole weapons require two hands to wield.
Acrobatics-Wrestling: This skill is only a new name for Defensive Martial Arts.
Rulership: This broad skill replaces Administration. Courtier replaces Bureaucracy and Stewardship replaces Management. In practice, the skills still function the same.
Bandit Lore: This broad skill replaces Street Smart. Bandit elements replaces Criminal elements, providing knowledge of bandit leaders and lairs. Bandit knowledge replaces Street knowledge, providing knowledge of bandit etiquette, slang, and tactics.
Trade: This broad skill replaces Business. Legal trade replaces Corporate and Small business, providing knowledge of trade between realms. Illicit trade replaces Illicit business, providing knowledge of smuggling and other black-market activity.
Trapping: This is a new skill (primarily for Rangers), taking the place of Demolitions. Set traps covers the construction of snares and pits capable of catching quarry or booby traps on doors, chests, or other such objects (penalty modifiers based on complexity and available material). Disarm traps covers all attempts to locate and disassemble traps.
Knowledge-Dress wounds: This skill replaces First aid. Using this skill requires access to water and bandages. The base situation modifier is +3 (medical treatment items are unavailable, although a character could use Herbalism to make curative poultices to reduce this penalty). Healing Wound Damage is always of Good complexity.
Nature Lore: This is a new broad skill combining aspects of Life Science and Physical Science. Alchemy functions as primitive Chemistry; Bestiary functions as primitive Zoology; Herbalism functions as primitive Botany.
Healing Lore: This broad skill replaces Medical Science. Treatment and Surgery function as listed, except the base situation modifier is +3 for Treatment and +4 for Surgery (although a successful use of Herbalism could reduce these penalties).
Navigation-Rivers, Seas: These skills function exactly as listed under Surface, but they are divided between navigating rivers and larger bodies of water (seas).
Tactics-Land, Naval: These skills function exactly as listed in the Player’s Handbook, but they are divided between land combat and ship combat.
Craftsmanship: This broad skill replaces Technical Science. For Invention, the character must select a specific craft (leatherworking, glassworking, tailoring, pottery, carpentry, blacksmith, cobbler, jeweler, bowyer/fletcher, etc.) to master. Another specific craft may be selected at Ranks 3, 6, 9, and 12.