This skill includes multiple physical activities such as climbing, swimming, weight lifting, running, and any other activities that require an athletic effort of some sort. A single rank is all that is required for most basic forms of athletic activities. Encumbrance and Armor Penalties modifiers are tripled for swimming.

This skill provides a bonus for performing horizontal dives, rolling, vaulting, climbing, swinging on objects, jumping, and maintaining one’s balance and other gymnastic maneuvers.

This skill can also aid in reducing damage from falls. If the character makes a successful skill roll he may subtract 2’ per rank in this skill from any and all falls.

There is a relatively varied selection of skills that a character may choose to develop. The skills are listed below in alphabetical order. Next to the skill, in brackets, is the stat associated with the given skill. The stat for some of the skills is listed as [varies] because the stat used will depend upon the specific instance of the skill being learned.

To make a skill roll, roll 2d10 and add your total bonus for the required skill. If the total is equal to or higher than the Target Number (TN) for the task, then the character has succeeded.

The Target Number is comprised of the Base Difficulty of the task along with any special modifiers that apply to the situation. For example, an Average Difficulty task has a Target Number of 15. The basic notation for this is “TN 15”. A task with a Target Number of 18 would use the notation of “TN 18”.

Characters may always attempt to accomplish skills even if they do not have any ranks in the skill. They would still receive any associated Stat Bonuses to such attempts. However, the player should be warned that the roll for an unskilled character is likely to be more difficult (and have a higher Target Number) than it is for a skilled character, especially for skills involving knowledge or lore of some sort.

Snags & Boons

All skill rolls, including combat and spell casting, can earn Snag or Boon Points. You earn Boon Points for rolling over the TN of the task; 1 Boon Point for every 10 points over. If you roll under the TN, you earn 1 Snag Point for every 10 points your roll was below the TN of the task.

Once you earn these points, you (the Player!!) must immediately spend them. There are three lists of Boons, one for general tasks, one for combat, and one for spell casting, and one basic list of Snags that will have options that apply to various types of actions.

Snags are often called failures or fumbles in other systems, but a Snag need not always be a failure. It could be that it will simply take you extra time to complete the task, or that you only got it partially complete, and have to make another roll in the following round.

The important thing to remember about the Snag/Boon Point system is that you, the player, decide the outcome by spending the points that you earn based on your original roll for the task. There are no random rolls or results involved in this. You control the outcome, both good and bad.

The Snag and Boon tables can be found starting on p. 122.

There are only two types of skills. Favored skills are those skills that are favored by a particular character class. Some characters may have additional Favored skills due to racial abilities, Talents, or possibly other reasons. All skills that are not considered to be Favored are classified as Standard skills.

As you gain greater competence in a specific skill, it is going to be more difficult to learn and increase your ability. This is reflected in an increased cost that depends upon how many ranks you already have in that specific skill. The Skill Costs table gives you the cost of the next skill ranks you purchase based upon how many ranks you already have and whether the skill is a Favored or Standard skill.

Maximum Skill Ranks Per Level

Players are limited to purchasing no more than 5 ranks in a given skill each level. Ranks gained from a character’s Background are not purchased, so do not count towards the limit on how many may be purchased. However, ranks from your character’s Background do count in determining the cost of given rank your character is purchasing.

Once the character has a number of ranks in the skill equal to the Stat Value (not Bonus) of the associated stat, he may purchase no more ranks that level and he is then limited to purchasing no more than a single rank each level thereafter.

The Skill Summary table shows the list of skills and their associated stats. If the stat column says varies it is because specific instances of that skill may use different stats. You should refer to the specific skill description for more information.

Characters receive a number of free ranks in some skills from their Backgrounds. These ranks do not count against the number of ranks that may be purchased each level; however, they do count against the CP cost of any skill ranks purchased.