Skills
Agility, Acrobatics. Balance, tumbling, jumping, tightrope, etc.
Agility, Stealth. Hiding, moving silently, tailing and stalking targets, ambushing, etc.
Agility, Thievery. Legerdemain, pickpocket, bypass mundane traps, etc.
Charisma, Diplomacy. Debate, persuasion, negotiation, bribery, haggling, building morale, etc.
Charisma, Perform. Entertainment, storytelling, singing, comedy, speeches, etc. NOT instruments.
Charisma, Subterfuge. Disguise, misdirection, distraction, lies, hustling, planting ideas, etc.
Intellect, Arcana. Spells, curses, magic items, disarming magical traps, technical details of magic.
Intellect, History. Politics, legends, treaties, laws, migrations, battles, etc. A broad skill.
Intellect, Investigate. Searching for things, gathering information, analyzing facts, etc.
Intellect, Medicine. Surgery, triage, diagnosis, wound treatment, setting bones, autopsies, etc.
Intellect, Nature. Geography, maps, animals, plants, weather, herbs, plant creatures, the fey, etc.
Intellect, Occult. Cosmology, planes, astrology, prophesy, mystic cults, the undead, etc.
Intellect, Tactics. Strategy, planning, training, recruitment, supply, logistics, organization, etc.
Intellect, Theology. Religious, holidays, dogma, divine covenants, celestials, fiends, deities, etc.
Might, Athletics. Riding, climbing, swimming, jumping, sports, obstacle courses, bend bars, etc.
Might, Intimidate. Coercion, threats, bullying, interrogation, staredowns, etc.
Might, Wrangling. Riding, managing, herding, training, coercing, gaining compliance from animals.
Spirit, Empathy. Sensing emotions, hostility, fear, deception, guessing motives, etc.
Spirit, Perception. Noticing details, traps, hidden trails, ambushes, buried bodies, secret doors, etc.
Spirit, Survival. Tracking, hunting, foraging, camping, shelters, rigging simple mantraps, etc.
Special Notes
Acrobatics. Apart from making rolls to perform acrobatic stunts, a character with this skill can use Agility intead of Might to calculate jump distance. They can running long jump (10+ foot start) up to their Agility score in feet, and high jump 3+ their Agility modifier in feet. Characters with this skill can also perform the kipup combat maneuver, and perform well-rehearsed feats of tumbling (to show off) without needing to roll as long as there are no serious consequences for failure. Acrobatics is also a flashy skill, so in some situations it can be used in lieu of Perform to entertain.
Stealth. To evade, follow, or sneak up on a target, a character must roll stealth and meet or exceed their targets Alertness skill. Characters using this skill can hide an ally of manageable size by succeeding on a roll with disadvantage. Stealth requires a suitable environment to function: light, cover, ambient noise, and similar.
Thievery. This is a very broad skill. It can be used to disarm traps, open locks, pick pockets, plant small items on targets, filch things from the local environment, and so forth. Characters with this skill can also perform simple feats of stage magic, including hiding small items like coins, rings, or knives on their person without being found.
Diplomacy. This is a very broad skill. Its main use is to convince others to share your point of view, or accept ideas they would not normally be receptive to. It also covers bribery, recruitment, seduction, appeasement, and making friends. Diplomacy takes TIME to perform, and certain points cannot be argued successfully without correct buildup.
Perform. Musical instruments count as toolsets, and do not use this skill. The perform skill covers things like singing, storytelling, comedy, dance, writing, and certain esoteric artforms. It does not necessarily need to be overt: telling jokes or stories to a group of people can qualify. Performance is highly valued in settings where digital entertainment does not exist.
Subterfuge. The main use of this skill is to trick others into believing something you know isn’t true. It can be used to tell lies, impersonate or frame others, subtly plant ideas, run cons, spread rumors, and so forth. It is directly opposed by empathy. A character with this skill can automatically maintain an alias without needing to roll as long as they are not being hunted or scrutinized.
Arcana. This skill covers magical theory and the mechanics of spellcraft (arcane, divine, and primal). It is specifically used to disarm magical traps, identify magical items AND spells, understand magical glyphs, and so forth. A character with this skill recognizes spells cast in their presence without needing to roll as long as a wizard, cleric, or druid of their experience level could cast them.
History. This skill is very broad. In addition to knowledge of historical events it also covers countries, politics, nobility, heraldry, geography, famous magical items, famous people, foreign cultures, and legends. It can also be used as a catch-all skill for knowledge of world events and setting info. A character with the history skill is considered ‘dialed in’ on regional politics, and does not need to roll to know things a well-informed gossip could pick up on the street with a few hours effort.
Investigate. This skill is intellectual rather than social, so it involves making logical deductions based on evidence. It also involves finding evidence others would miss. It can be used to search for hidden objects or secret doors, just like Perception. It can also be used to evaluate things one has heard or been told, though it does not provide the ability to persuade or solicit information.
Medicine. In a world where magical healing is available, medicine is often overlooked. The medicine skill is slightly better than realism would dictate for this reason. Characters with this skill can tend a number of patients equal to their PROF each day with no roll. Treatment restores the characters LVL plus endurance modifier plus the characters medicine skill bonus in health per day. This treatment is passive, so it applies while traveling or adventuring as well. Health is restored after a full rest.
Nature. This skill covers geography, plant and animal lore, predicting weather, and the ability to identify when things are natural or supernatural. It also covers location and harvesting of resources (digging wells, lumber, ore, herbs, game, etc.).
Occult. This skill covers supernatural lore related to mystic organizations, magical laws, curses, and cosmology. That means secret mystic societies and their customs, obscure prophesies, how to transact warlock pacts, folkloric circumstances with magical power, famous curses, and the nature and inhabitants of the outer planes.
Tactics. This skill is a catch-all term for military knowledge. It is used to gain advantage in mass battles, analyze terrain to identify opportunities, manage troops, understand the nuances of fortification, morale, supply, etc. Characters with this skill have enough military knowledge to spot most tactical advantages and dangers without needing to roll.
Theology. This skill deals with knowledge of major religions, their beliefs, pantheons of gods, their domains, holidays, rituals, philosophies, minions, and planar realms. Both occult and theology can be used to glean information related to the planes and their denizens, as well as the undead and the fey.
Athletics. This skill is very broad. It is used for climbing, swimming, jumping, digging, obstacles, sports, wrestling, and any other sort of vigorous non-violent physical activity that can benefit from conditioning. It is also used to resist certain combat maneuvers.
Intimidate. This skill is all about causing fear, both overt and subtle. It can involve direct threats, insinuations, blackmail, coercing people to accept bribes, and similar. It is also possible to convince a target to be afraid of something besides the speaker.
Wrangling. This skill is used to control animals. That means controlling mounts, pack animals, war beasts, and so forth. It can also be used to train or domesticate creatures with low enough intelligence, including certain monsters.
Empathy. This skill is directly opposed by subterfuge. It involves reading others to determine their intentions and emotional state. This includes lies, hostility, fear, secret happiness, not actually being surprised, or how a creature truly feels about conversation topics.
Perception. This skill is used to notice hidden or important things in the local area. It is directly used to calculate alertness (perception +10), and is also used to spot traps and hidden things like treasure or secret doors.
Survival. This skill is very broad. It includes outdoorsman skills like camping, foraging, and surviving extreme weather. It is also used for constructing shelters, making fires last all night, deadly traps, game snares, skinning creatures, fishing, preserving food, building survival structures, and tracking.
Perks
Perks are small improvements or talents that characters pick up in the course of adventuring. They allow players to customize their characters above and beyond the basic class framework, and every character gains one perk at 1st level and every even level thereafter (2,4,6,8,10, etc.). Additional perks beyond those granted by level can also be awarded by the narrator in special circumstances, though this is best done sparingly to prevent power creep from spoiling the game.
Perks marked with an asterisk (*) may be taken multiple times.
*Energy = +6 maximum mana
*Fast = +1 initiative
*Polyglot = proficiency in 1 language
*Resistant = +1 to one save
*Skilled = proficiency in 1 skill or toolset
*Talented = +1 to two skills
*Tough = +6 maximum health
*Zanshen = +2 alertness
Advisor. Your support action has a range of 20 feet.
Armored. You gain proficiency in medium armor.
Aquanaut. You gain a swimming speed equal to land speed and can hold your breath 2x as long.
Attractive. +1 on all charisma checks to influence romantically compatible creatures.
Bomber. You add your PROF to damage with alchemical items.
Charger. When charging your speed increases by an extra +10.
Diesel. You require only half as much food and water.
Greenblood. You gain poison resistance and cannot become addicted.
Grounded. You recover lost sanity at 2x the normal rate.
Bushwhack. You gain 1 backstab die. If you are a rogue, your backstab ability increases by 1 die.
Hipshot. You can shoot into melee without disadvantage.
Insomniac. You require only half as much sleep.
Leadership. You can attract followers at 10th level and beyond.
Militancy. You gain proficiency with martial weapons and shields. If you already have these proficiencies because of your class, you cannot take this perk.
Packmule. 10 points of load do not count towards your encumbrance.
Packrat. Once per session you can retroactively declare your PC packed one non-magical item worth <10 silver and weighing <5 lbs, subject to narrator approval.
Prepared. Once per session you can retroactively declare your PC took one downtime action lasting <1 hour within <10 days, subject to narrator approval.
Quickdraw. You can draw and stow weapons or tools as a reaction instead of a bonus action.
Recuperative. You heal naturally at 2x normal speed. If you already have this ability, you recover at 3x normal speed.
Reparable. Healing you receive restores extra health equal to your Endurance modifier. This includes spells, potions, medical attention, etc.
Safedive. You can move up to 10 feet to cover as a reaction when targeted by a missile attack or any effect requiring a reflex save.
Scheduling. Prolonged activities such as research, crafting, or labor take you and up to PROF allies 30% less time to complete.
Teamwork. Your support action grants a +3 bonus instead of +2.
Toolsets
Training in a toolset imparts a broad range of skills. Skill checks involving a toolset are handled as a standard d20 roll, adding the users PROF and stat modifiers. The stat modifier used may differ depending on what the character is trying to do, however. A carpenter building an elaborate wooden chair may need to roll PROF plus agility or intellect, but if building a house in a hurry the roll may be PROF plus might or endurance for example. Narrators are encouraged to be a bit lenient when making these decisions to avoid punishing or marginalizing characters with toolset proficiencies.
Some toolsets are more useful than others when it comes to adventuring. Never forget that during downtime a character can make a toolset roll to earn income at a trade, produce useful goods, or add role-playing flavor to the game. Toolsets can also be useful in social situations where the party has skills an NPC needs.
Alchemist. Acids, Bombs, Soap, Scents, etc.
Apothecary. Drugs, Medicines, Poisons.
Armorer. Armor, Shields.
Barber. Haircuts, Dentistry, Beautification, Delousing.
Blacksmith. Metalwork, Chains, Cages, Weapons, etc.
Carpenter. Furniture, Buildings, Spears, etc.
Cartography. Maps.
Carving. Chiseled wood, bone, and stone items.
Cooking. Preparing Food, Preserving, Cheeses, etc.
Cooper. Barrels (extremely high demand).
Disguise. Change a creature's appearance.
Drawing. Charcoal Sketching, Painting, Murals, etc.
Engineer. Buildings, Bridges, Fortification, Siege Weapons, Tunnels, etc.
Farming. Planting, Harvesting, Animal Husbandry, etc.
Fletching. Bows, Crossbows, Ammunition.
Gaming. Deep knowledge of chance and strategy games.
Instrument. Percussion, Woodwind, Brass, Strings, etc. Pick a category.
Jeweler. Appraising, Gems, Rings, Necklaces, etc.
Leatherwork. Tanning, Skinning, Saddles, Coats, Leather Armor, etc.
Locksmith. Deep knowledge of Locks, Safes, Manacles, etc.
Miner. Prospecting, Tunneling, Panning, Smelting, etc.
Pottery. Ceramics, Urns, Plates, Cups, Kilns, etc.
Publisher. Paper, Bookbinding, Signs, Woodblock Prints, etc.
Tailor. Coats, Cloaks, Trousers, Shirts, Belts, etc.
Vehicles. Land, Sea, or Air are all different skills.
Weaving. Textiles, Baskets, Nets, Chainmail, Knitting, etc.