SKILLS
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When steel clashes and words weigh heavy, you’ll need more than luck to triumph. While your virtues reflect your ideals and disposition, your skills represent affinities to master—the tools to overcome obstacles.
The game uses 16 skills, ranked from 0 to 3. More ranks mean greater reliability when calling on that skill. They are deliberately open-ended, flexible measures of what you know and do. The same skill might cover varied deeds depending on how you frame your action.
You are free to describe how your character uses a skill based on the type of person they are. Maybe your character is good at Command because they have an aura of sternness and authority. Maybe they are good at it because they stare in dreadful silence.
All skills are listed below in no particular order.
All skills are detailed below in alphabetical order.
When you Attune, you open your mind to otherworldly forces.
You might sense the presence of spirits or bend the elements to your will. You could try to perceive beyond sight in order to better understand your situation, but Sense might be better.
When you Break, you destroy forcefully.
You might attack with a crushing hammer, use explosives to shatter a fortified wall, or refine bone for pure powder. You could try to break a locked door, though it might be better to use Tinker to pick it instead.
When you Charm, you sway hearts.
You might gain secrets over wine, win admiration, and coax others to do your bidding. You could use social leverage to encourage a course of action, though Parley might be better.
When you Command, you compel obedience.
You might threaten a bandit or lead your friends in a group action. You could try to order people around to persuade them, though Charm might be better.
When you Conceal, you pull at deceptive measures.
You might lie to a soldier, fashion a disguise, or conceal an item on your person. You could try to hide yourself, though Prowl might be better.
When you Concoct, you brew, blend, and combine ingredients.
You might brew an elixir, construct a bomb, or prepare a great feast. You could try to gain information by putting pieces of a puzzle together, though Divine might be better.
When you Divine, you decipher clues.
You might use your intellect to gain new insights, investigate a murder, or read the night sky for omens. You could try to track a bear through the woods, but Hunt might be better.
When you Endure, you brace yourself for hardship.
You might withstand a grueling storm, block a raider's axe, or stay your ground against despair. You could try to heal one of your wounds, but Soothe might be better.
When you Hack, you cut forcefully.
You might cut a path through a dense forest, strike a close foe with a sword, or harvest useful ingredients from fauna and flora. You could try to cripple a combatant, though Break might be better.
When you Hunt, you track prey.
You might discover your prey's location and attack with precise shots from a distance. You could try to gather useful ingredients from a cadaver, though Sever might be better.
When you Parley, you reason with minds.
You might haggle with a trader, use courtly graces to address nobility, or negotiate with an officer. You could try to speak softly to a drunk and enraged sailor, but Soothe might be better.
When you Prowl, you traverse quietly and carefully.
You might sneak past a guard, stalk from the shadows, or steal a fat coin purse. You could try to subtly scale rooftops, but Vault might be better.
When you Sense, you observe your surroundings.
You might try to spot an ambush, listen through a cracked door, or figure out someone's lying to you. You could try to navigate the wilderness, but Hunt might be better.
When you Soothe, you ease pain.
You might calm a wild animal, mend a bleeding wound, or encourage hope. You could try to bring a warg out of a blood-fueled frenzy, but Command might be better.
When you Tinker, you create, maintain, or manipulate objects.
You might repair a bent sword, fashion a new suit of armor, or pick a locked door. You could try to refine a material into pure powder, but Sunder might be better.
When you Vault, you perform daring stunts.
You might leap over a chasm, climb a battlement, or deftly traverse treetops. You could try to entertain observers with graceful movements, but Charm might be better.
Lore is the shared words, signs, and traditions of a culture. Knowing Lore means more than speaking its tongue—it’s understanding how its people think, what they value, and the customs they live by.
Every character begins with Imperial, the speech of the kingdoms. Beyond that, you may learn other Lore as your story allows.
During play, Lore might let you
Speak with someone in their native tongue.
Follow customs at a feast or council.
Catch the meaning in a song, prayer, or coded sign.
Recall tales and practices that culture holds dear.
Like Skills, Cultures are broadly defined. Bramble covers the ways of folk living in the wilderness: sylvans, nymphs, and hunters. Esoterics covers occult rites, star readings, and the liturgy of churches. When you have ranks in Lore, you steep yourself in that culture.
When you make a check, that encompasses knowledge from one of your cultures, you can choose to its ranks rather than that of a skill.
Each Lore groups similar cultures together and encompasses a multitude of languages and dialects. As you gain ranks with Lore, your proficiency with those languages increases.
With 1 rank, you know a word here or there, but not enough to put together a sentence. You might be able to order a meal at an inn, or point out a danger, but you cannot communicate complex thoughts.
2 ranks, means you can put together some sentences and are able to actively listen to other speakers, even if you miss a word here or there. Complex messages might contain subtle errors, but you get by in daily dealings.
At 3 ranks you are perfectly fluid with those languages. You might have an accent if this isn't you're native tongue, but you can perfectly read, write, and speak any language under the culture.
All Lore is detailed below in alphabetical order.
All characters start with 3 ranks in Commons for free.
Commons is not one language but a patchwork of dialects, shifting from valley to valley and village to village. It carries the talk of farmers, herders, and innkeepers, bound together by shared tales more than strict grammar. Myths, sayings, and rumors pass quickly by word of mouth, and while some hold a kernel of truth, others are little more than fancy.
You might use Commons to share gossip at an inn, recall a fireside story about a haunted grove, pick up rumors of unrest in a nearby town, or trade in the proverbs that guide common life.
Bramble is the speech of the wilderness, a tangled weave of tongues spoken by sylvans, nymphs, satyrs, and the hidden things that dwell beneath bough and briar. It carries double meanings and riddles, as cryptic as birdsong or rustling leaves, where truth and trickery are hard to tell apart. Hunters and wanderers learn enough Bramble to keep safe: which glade is sacred, which root is poison, and which path leads home again.
You might use Bramble to parley with woodland spirits, understand the signs left druids, recognize a grove best left undisturbed, or recall the properties of plants.
The Eddics are old songs and sagas from the far north, rare in these lands but still carried by skalds and foreign traders. They tell of runes, great beasts, and the deeds of heroes. Trolls keep their own verses, and some tales even speak of dwarves in the first halls of stone. For wargs, the Eddics hold their beginnings, tying them to their way of life.
You might use Eddics to discern the meaning of a rune, recall a northern saga, or share a tale that grants you welcome among trolls or wargs.
Gospel is the language of church and academy. It is found in scripture, sung in ceremony, and used by priests to bind the faithful. Scholars prize it as the tongue of study, useful for recording laws, proofs, and star charts. In most cities it is read more than spoken, but those who know it can move easily in places of learning and faith.
You might use Gospel to read divine scripture, whisper a prayer, study the stars, or recall the writings of learned scholars.
Originally a sign language used by the deaf and mute, High Hand was further developed by thieves and spies to communicate in the open without notice. Over time it spread into the courts of nobles, outlaw brotherhoods, and even the camps of soldiers. Each circle has its own dialect, with subtle variations only the most trusted allies can follow.
You might exchange silent commands in the din of battle, read hidden warnings scratched into a tavern’s doorframe, catch the twitch of a noble’s fingers betraying their intent, or decipher a coded letter.
Imperial is the language of courts and contracts, old and polished, spoken with flourish to lift nobles above the common crowd. It is the tongue of proclamations and treaties, of the King’s Speech at ceremonies, and of merchants who rely on it to cross borders, record their ledgers, and strike deals no guild would contest. From throne rooms to counting houses, Imperial carries the weight of power and prestige.
You might use Imperial to read a royal decree, draft a trade contract, deliver a toast at a noble feast, or stay informed of the shifting alliances and gossip of high society.
Seaworth is the tongue of sailors and fisherfolk, carried on the coasts and across the decks of ships. It holds the terms of winds and storms, the calls used to steer a vessel, and the signals flown from mast to mast. Those who know Seaworth can read the sea routes as easily as roads, and find common ground in any harbor.
You might use Seaworth to command a crew, read a flag signal, chart a course, or share news in a coastal tavern.
Wyrding is an old ritual speech used by witches and spirit-workers. It relies on true names, curses, and charms and is often called the dark arts. Those who know it are seen as dangerous, but it is useful for rites and dealings with the unseen.
You might use Wyrding to discover a true name, find the cause of an unnatural ailment, note if a place or object is touched by magic, or break the hold of a curse.