This skill must be learned separately for each type of performing art; acting, doing impersonations, mimicry, reading/writing music, singing, playing an instrument, etc. Each performing art has its own uses and benefits. For example, acting allows for providing a bonus for simulating the behavior of others, devising new identities, etc.

This skill affects how much information and how many clues a character gets through observation. It may be used to notice the right things, to find carelessly hidden objects, to see that pile of old clothes in the corner, to notice the imperfection in the wall that hides the secret door, the trigger for the trap ahead, an ambush. These are the type of things that the Game Master (GM) cannot mention to the players because to do so would call them to special attention that the character’s perception might not allow.

If a character states that they are watching or examining an area, situation, or place, the GM should have them make a skill roll to determine if the character notices or detects anything. The GM should only reveal what the character has observed. Of course a heavy subtraction should be given (if a roll is allowed at all) in situations where the players don’t know what their characters are looking for or don’t specify their characters are looking for something in particular (likewise, looking for ceiling traps makes it difficult to see pit traps, etc.).

Used for determining proper directions and distances when using a map in conjunction with some directional aid, such as a compass, a landmark, or the stars. This includes the concept of orienteering, of determining which direction you are going and on keeping to that direction, even if there is no map available.

This skill is fully applicable in any environment where the character is able to, at least, determine basic directions, such as which way is North, or the direction of a specific landmark.

This skill has a number of basic capabilities that are all gained just by learning the basic version of Magecraft. They are as follows:

Characters may also learn specific instances of this skill for other purposes. These include, but are not limited to Magecraft: Alchemy (the base skill used in item creation), Magecraft: Runes (used to make scrolls), Magecraft: Circles (used in creating Circles of Protection and Thaumaturgic Triangles for, among other things, summoning; see p. 82), and specific magically related lore skills, such as Magecraft: Undead Lore, Magecraft: Demon Lore and Magecraft: Devil Lore, just to name a few.

This skill uses the character’s Magic Stat (see the description of Prime Stats on p. 13) as the stat for this skill. For Clerics and Druids, this will be Wisdom, for Mystics it is Willpower, and for Mages, Wizards, and those who are not associated with a specific School of Magic the Magic Stat is Intelligence.

This skill encompasses the use of informational and academic skills which are available to most people with the determination to learn them. Some examples: Culture Lore (one skill for each culture/race), Fauna Lore, Flora Lore, Heraldry, History (one skill for each field of history), Philosophy, Region Lore (one skill for each region), Religion, Herb Lore, Lock Lore, Metal Lore, Poison Lore, Stone Lore and/or Trading Lore.

The more specifically a lore skill applies to a question, the easier the difficulty of the roll should be. (So very generic lore skills like “Lore: Monsters” may offer a bonus in many situations, but the GM should keep the difficulty rolled against at “Hard” or higher. On the other hand a specific lore like “Lore: Dragons” will more rarely be usable, but should keep the difficulty at or below “Challenging” in most situations where it is applicable.)