Spirit-Based Skills

Magic Power

Skill Rate: Staggered

Uses: turning spells up to 11. Your ranks in Magic Power determines how many points of Power you can include in your spells.

Supernatural: Unless otherwise specified, all techniques in Magic Power are supernatural.
Techniques :

Other Techniques:

1.   Go All Out: you may add your Endurance to a maximum Spell's Power rating, but if you do you are immediately wounded. This increase is spontaneous.
2.   Sometimes, More is More: You may use your ranks in magic power to determine spell duration, or your magic skill, whichever is higher.

Metamagic Components:

1.   Explosive Spell [Metamagic: Power +1] The spell gains an area of effect at Blast Scale 1. Instead of attacking individual creatures, you attack an area. If the spell is type: Attack, and you miss your attack roll, the spell scatters 1d6 metres per range increment out. If the spell has a range of Melee, it instead emanates out of any point in your reach. You may add this metamagic multiple times, each time increasing the area affected by one scale.
2.   Rapid Fire : [Metamagic: Power +2] You cast the spell twice. You may choose different targets or the same target. You may add this metamagic multiple times, each time casting the spell an additional time. Each casting must be dispelled or otherwise countered individually. Roll any variable dice for each spell separately.
3.   Quick Spell: [Metamagic: Power +5] Reduce the casting time of this spell by 1 second. This modification may be added multiple times, the effects stack. The casting time of a spell may not be reduced to shorter than one second.
4.   Intensify Spell: [Metamagic: Power +1] Choose one die roll made in this spell. Increase the die size by one, to the normal maximum of d12. This metamagic may be added multiple times, each time either increasing the die roll further, or increasing a different die roll.
5.   Mad   Casting : [Metamagic: Power +1] You may use your Magic Power skill instead of your Magic Skill modifier for attack rolls in this spell.
6.   Demoralizing Spell : [Metamagic: Power -1] You take a Morale Penalty when you cast this spell. You cannot apply this modification if you are immune to morale effects.
7.   Exhausting   Spell : [Metamagic: Power -1] You become fatigued immediately after casting.

Heroics

Skill Rate: Staggered

Uses: Heroics allows you to push your abilities further than you normally could. The Heroics skill grants you a reserve of action points (abbreviated AP) which you can use to grant you various benefits, depending on which Heroics techniques you learn. You have one AP per rank in Heroics. You gain them back after a decent night's sleep. Unless otherwise specified, using AP does not take an action, it is simply done as part of another action, such as a skill check or attack. You can never expend more AP in a single round than your heroics modifier.

Special: If Heroics is your focus skill, you gain an additional 3 AP.

Techniques:

1.   Keep Calm : You can expend one AP to ignore one morale penalty until the start of your next turn. Ignored morale penalties do not lower your Will. Using Keep Calm is a 0SA that can only be done once per round.
2.   Improved Keep Calm : [Requires Keep Calm] : When you use the Keep Calm technique, you can expend more than one AP. Each AP you use in this way allows you to ignore an additional morale penalty.
3.   Carry On : You can expend one AP to ignore one wound until the start of your next turn. Ignored wounds do not lower your Toughness or move speed. Using Carry On is a 0SA that can only be done once per round.
4.   Improved Carry On : [Requires Carry On] : When you use the Carry On technique, you can expend more than one AP. Each AP you use in this way allows you to ignore an additional wound.
5.   Heroic Surge: You may use the Heroics skill to give you a +1 bonus to one skill check. This takes one AP. For every additional 2 AP you spend in this way, your bonus increases by another +1.
6.   Active Caster:   [Metamagic: Complexity -1] : This spell costs one AP to cast.
7.   Active Fighter : [Attack Combo -1] : This combo costs one AP to use.
8.   Great Heroics: Increase your number of AP by one. You may take this technique multiple times, its effects stack.

Luck

Skill Rate: Staggered

Uses: The Luck skill's primary use grants you the ability to make a certain number of luck rerolls per day. Every rank you place in Luck grants you one LP, much like how Heroics grants AP. LP can be expended to grant various kinds of benefits based on the techniques you choose. After a decent night's sleep, you gain your LP back. Unless otherwise stated, using Luck techniques is not an action but done after someone rolls a die instead.

Like all abilities that grant rerolls, you can never reroll the same die more than once. The reroll uses the same modifier as the first roll.

Special: If Luck is your focus skill, you gain an additional 3 LP.

Techniques :

1.   Better Lucky than Good: [Requires 3 ranks in Luck] When you use Luck to reroll a die you can spend an extra 2 LP. If you do, roll two dice instead of one. Use the higher of the two.
2.   Black Cat: You can use one LP to force an opponent to reroll a skill check. The check must have been made within 10m of you.
3.   Broad Strokes:   [Requires Lucky, Lucky Leverage, Serendipity, Freak Chance]  You can spend 3 LP to force a reroll of any die rolled at the table, even if you have no idea what the die was rolled for.
4.   Fortuitous: When you use LP to reroll dice, instead of having to use the second result, you can use whichever is higher.
5.   Freak Chance:   [Requires 3 ranks in Luck] You can spend 2 LP to cause an enemy to reroll a damage roll made against you. This includes both physical damage and morale damage.
6.   Gambler with an Edge: Whenever your character rolls an in-game die, such as in a game of chance, you can spend one LP to reroll the die. You must use the second result.
7.   It's Not Even Fun Anymore:   [Requires Gambler with an Edge, 10 ranks in Luck] After using Gambler with an Edge, you can spend another2 LP to add 1 or subtract 1 from the result of your in-game roll.
8.   Lucky Leverage:   [Requires 2 ranks in Luck] : you can expend 2 LP to reroll an ability check. You must use the second result.
9.   Lucky Shot:   [Requires two ranks in Luck] You can spend 2 LP to reroll a damage roll that you made. You must use the second result.
10.   Lucky: You can expend one LP to reroll a skill check that you just made. You must use the second result.
11.   Painful Accident:   [Requires Unfortunate Accident, 10 ranks in Luck] When you use Unfortunate Accident, you can attempt to cause the target to suffer an injury while falling. This costs an additional 3 LP. If the target falls prone, it takes 1d6 + your Luck modifier damage. Even if you beat the target's Toughness score, it only takes one wound, and does not die.
12.   Reliably Lucky: You gain one LP. You may take this technique multiple times, its effects stack.
13.   Serendipity:   [Requires 3 ranks in Luck] : You can use 2 LP to reroll an Initiative check. You must use the second result.
14.   Unfortunate Accident:   [Requires 4 ranks in Luck] Your natural luck has gotten to the point where those who wish you ill are in actual physical danger. As a 2SA, you can expend 4 LP to attempt to cause an opponent to have a bout of bad luck. Make an opposed luck check with them. The defender gets a +2 bonus to this check.  If you succeed, they fall prone. This ability has a range increment of 2 m. You do not need to be able to see or hear your target, but you must know approximately where they are.

Discipline

Skill Rate: Fast

Uses: Removing adverse morale conditions from yourself, and fighting in a team.

Techniques:

1.   Resolve: You add 1 + one-half of your Discipline modifier (round down) to your Will.
2.   Zen Combat: You may add your spirit instead of your strength to damage on attacks that normally allow you to add your strength to damage.
3.   Calm Down: You may spend a minute doing nothing, taking no actions, but slowly relaxing yourself. At the end, you may make a Discipline check with the DC equalling your current Will. if you succeed, you remove a morale penalty
4.   Rapid Calm:   [Requires Calm Down] you only six seconds to use the Calm Down technique, not a whole minute.
5.   Independent:   [Requires Calm Down] : you instead remove two morale penalties on a successful Calm Down attempt.
6.   Snap Back :   You can make a Discipline check instead of a Spirit check to remove the Broken condition.
7.   Teamwork Tech Tree: These techniques are useful when a large group of attackers all fire at the same time, primarily with ranged weapons. All characters involved must use the same combo and attack with the same weapon. Together, they are treated as one character making a single large combo attack. Use the average attack bonus of the group. For every full doubling of people attacking, (one at two, two at four, etc.) you can use one of the following techniques to add a bonus. All characters must have the technique in order to use it. Each one may be used multiple times, its effects stack.
8.   Volley Attack: add +1 to hit and one extra attack.
9.   Concentrated Attack: Add +1 to hit and if you hit by more than one point, (like Burst Fire) you roll an additional damage die. If you add this twice, you add +2 to hit and if you beat the target by two or more you roll three damage dice, etc.
10.   Area Attack: You attack a Scale 1 area instead of one enemy. Each use of this technique adds +1 to the scale. This only works with ranged attacks. If the attacks already had an area attack, simply increase the scale by +1 for every

So for example, say 2 archers want to use Volley Attack.  They use the Rapid Fire combo (one attack and one extra attack) and have a +0 attack modifier normally. Instead of each one making two attacks, one of them makes three attacks at +1. Together they use four arrows.

If they used Concentrated attack, they would together make 2 attacks at +1, but roll extra damage dice if they hit by more than 1. Together they still use four arrows.

If they used Area Attack, they would make 2 attacks, each attacking a Scale 1 area. Together they use four arrows.

If there were four archers, they could use one Area attack and one Volley attack (for +1 to hit, three attacks, and they attack a scale one area) or two Area attacks (two attacks at +0 to hit against scale 2 areas), etc.

Intimidate

Skill Rate: Staggered

Uses: Intimidate is used to frighten your enemies, and to keep your underlings in line using terror tactics. It can also be used to interrogate answers out of a prisoner, or in a similar situation. Creatures that are immune to fear effects are also immune to all uses of intimidate.

Interrogate: Intimidate can be used to get answers out of characters otherwise unwilling to talk. Make an intimidate check against the target's Will. This deals no morale damage, but if you succeed, the target 'cracks' and talks. He can attempt to lie, but does so at a -1 penalty. Interrogating a target can take several minutes or more.

There are a wide variety of circumstance modifiers the GM can add to this check. Use the following table as a guideline:

Good Cop Bad Cop: A character using Intimidate can team up with a character using Charisma to interrogate with greater effect. Because the DC of a Charisma check is based off of the target‚s Will, the DC can effectively be lowered with a successful intimidate check.

Techniques :

1.   Scare:     As a 4SA, you can try to frighten your enemies. One enemy who can see and hear you (or in other situations the GM deems appropriate) takes your Intimidate check result in Fear morale damage.
2.   Group Intimidate:   [Requires: Scare] When you make a Scare attempt, you instead target all enemies within 6 m. Roll one die and apply it to all targets.
3.   Intimidate Legion: [Requires: Group Intimidate] . When you make a Scare attempt, all enemies who can see or hear you are targets. Roll one die for damage and apply it to all of them.
4.   Foil: As an immediate action, when a character attempts to remove morale damage from one or more of his allies (ex, through use of the Charisma skill), you may make an Intimidate check. If the result of your Intimidate check is higher than the check result of the skill your opponent used (typically Charisma), then the attempt is negated and his allies keep their morale penalties. Your target must be able to see and/or hear you for Foil to work.
5.   Fear is the Best Motivator:   [Requires: Scare] You may attempt to intimidate your own allies with Scare. If you succeed, they suffer the usual morale penalties. However, for one round, they also ignore any morale penalties. If you wound an ally, you can immediately use this technique as a 0SA and gain a +1 bonus to your intimidate check. If you kill an ally, you automatically succeed.

Faith

Skill Rate: Staggered

Uses: You are entrusted with the responsibility to direct the power of your deity. The higher your ranks in Faith, the more you are trusted.

Supernatural: Unless otherwise specified, all techniques in Faith are supernatural.

Special : if your ranks in Faith is not at least equal to your level, you lose all abilities granted from the Faith skill until such a time as it is maxed out again. If you act grossly against your deity's code, you may be suspended of your Faith powers for a time. This is only for extreme violations. For example, breaking a law while being faithful of Justicar (the god of Law) is not enough, you'd need to overthrow a well-established and reasonably fair legal system and replace it with the worst form of anarchy.

Techniques:

1.   Delayed Martyrdom : If something would cause you to die, you may remain alive and conscious for a duration equal to your Faith modifier in rounds.
2.   Shield of Faith: You may automatically treat one defence roll as having rolled a '6' on the six-sided die. You may not use this technique again until you have spent about a minute in prayer. You may choose to use this ability after already rolling (and presumably failing) your defence roll.
3.   Holy Blade: Against enemies that are unholy to your deity, you add your Spirit to damage in addition to your Strength. This is added to any damage roll you make„ spell damage, weapon, unarmed, ranged, Anima Wave, timed delay explosive, etc.
4.   Strike Down : [Attack Combo -1] This combo may only be used against targets that are unholy to your deity.
5.   Stunning Smite:   [requires Holy Blade] unholy enemies wounded by a Holy Blade attack (see above) must make a fortitude check (DC=damage dealt] or be stunned for one round.
6.   Holy Sight: You gain Holy Sight as an additional sense. This allows you to notice divine power. With Holy Sight, you can detect holy and unholy beings, creatures, and effects. Look at the chart for DCs. The DC increases by one for every 10m away it was cast. Holy Sight functions even if the user is blind or deaf. Holy Sight ignores obstacles such as doors and walls.

1.   Holy Guidance:   [Requires Holy Sight] you can ignore concealment on any creature or object detected with Holy Sight.
2.   Holy Empathy [Requires Holy Sight] With a DC 4-8 Faith check (GM discretion), you can notice extremely traumatic events that have taken place in the past. Modifiers that affect Holy Sight‚s DCs also affect Holy Empathy DCs.
3.   Exorcise: You can channel your deity's power to try to rid a creature from domination. The possessed creature must be able to clearly see and hear you. Make a Faith check against the possessing creature's Will. If you succeed, it is banished from the creature or object it was possessing, and cannot attempt to possess that creature for 24 hours or until the next sunrise, whichever happens first. If a character has multiple creatures possessing it, you can choose to target or exclude any number of them with Exorcism, making one single Faith check, and comparing it to each of their Wills. Using Exorcism takes a six-second action and involves speaking clearly and loudly in a firm voice. Being deaf or otherwise hard of hearing is no protection from an Exorcism.
4.   Mass Exorcism: [Requires Exorcism] You can attempt to use Exorcism against multiple creatures at the same time. You take a -1 penalty on the Faith check if you attempt to do so, but any number of creatures who can hear you are affected by your Exorcise ability.
5.   Cleric Specialized Tree: If you learn one of the following techniques, you cannot learn any of the techniques in other specialized casting trees, such as from Arcana. If you have a technique in another specialized casting tree, you cannot take a rank from the Cleric specialized tree.
6.   Cleric Neophyte: You gain access to the Cleric secret spell seed, Smite. However, you lose access to the Damage spell seed.
7.   Cleric Apprentice:   [Requires Cleric Neophyte, 3 ranks in Faith]  
8.   Full Cleric:   [Requires Cleric Apprentice, 10 ranks in Faith]  
9.   Expert Cleric:

Berserk

Skill Rate: Staggered

Techniques:

1.   Rage: You can activate Rage as an immediate 2s action, and it lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Spirit score. While Raging, you gain a +1 bonus to strength and endurance (among other things, this boosts melee weapon damage and toughness by +1), but a -1 penalty to all Dexterity- and Intelligence-based skills. Any activity that requires focus or concentration (such as casting a spell or using anything in the Mystic Focus skill) cannot be done while raging. After a rage ends, you cannot use this ability again for 2d6 rounds.
2.   Fearless Rage: [Requires Rage] While raging, you ignore all morale effects (positive or negative). You still accumulate morale penalties, but you can ignore their effects. If you are reduced to -6 Will or lower while using Rage, your Rage immediately ceases and your morale penalties take their toll.
3.   Terrifying Rage : [Requires: Scare, Rage] Whenever you activate the Rage ability, you get to make a free Scare attempt.
4.   Brutal Rage:   [Requires Rage] While raging, you add +1 to all damage rolls that you add your strength score to.
5.   Mage Rage:   [Requires Rage] While raging, you may cast spells- but only spells with a complexity rating of 0 or lower. This does not give you the power to cast spells if you could not do so already.
6.   Unstoppable:   [Requires Rage] while raging, if you take damage that would normally render you dead or dying, you may continue to act normally until the end of your Rage. At that point, you begin dying.
7.   Slow Burn:   [Requires Rage] : You can rage for 1 additional round. You may take this technique multiple times, its effects stack.
8.   Spirited Rage :   [Requires Rage] : While raging, you also add +1 to your spirit.
9.   Rapid Recovery :   [Requires Rage] With this technique, reduce the time after a rage in which you cannot rage to 1d6+1 rounds.
10.   Lightning Recovery : [Requires Rapid Recovery] As Rapid Recovery, except reduce the time to 1d4 rounds.

Charisma

Skill Rate: Staggered

Uses:

Request:  Make a Charisma check against your target. Use the following charts to find the DC:

Then add the target's Will. That is the DC.

If you succeed, you convince your target to do something. If multiple parties are vying for something, then they all make checks and the highest (assuming it beats the original DC) is successful.

Deceive : Make a Charisma check against your target's passive Perception DC + the target's Attitude Modifier (to show how much they trust you) plus a circumstance modifier based on the believability of the lie. If you succeed, your target believes what you are saying. This check takes no action by itself, it is simply made as part of the action of talking.

Disguise:  You can use Charisma to disguise yourself as someone else. When you are trying to convince someone you are someone else, make a Charisma check against the target's Passive Perception DC. A success indicates that they believe your disguise. Depending on what you are disguising yourself as, you may apply some of the following modifiers to your Charisma check:

The GM may give the observer a modifier of +1 to +3 based on how well the observer knows the person you are disguised as, and a +1 modifier if they have reason to believe there is a spy in the midst.

Provoke: This is a deliberate attempt to convince someone not to like you. Make a Charisma check as a full-round action against a target who can hear and see you. The DC is equal to the target's minimum Will minus their current attitude plus your desired attitude. So, the DC to drop someone with a Will of 9/3 from Friendly to Unfriendly is 7 (3 +2 +2). Provoke can only be used to decrease the target's attitude.

Charm: This is a deliberate attempt to get someone to like you. Make a Charisma check as a full-round action against a target who can see and hear you. The DC is equal to the target's minimum Will minus their current attitude plus your desired attitude. So the DC to change someone with a Will of 9/3 from Neutral to Helpful is 7 (3 +2 +2). Charm can only be used to increase the target's attitude.

Techniques:

1.   Challenge: You challenge your foe to single combat. Your target must already be hostile to you, or for some other reason fighting you or your allies. Make a Charisma check against the target's Will minus their attitude modifier. This is a 4SA. If you succeed, they must fight you, and not your allies. Your target continues to fight you until one of you is victorious. If anyone other than you takes visible hostile action against your target, they become free to act as they wish.
2.   Combat Banter: With this technique, you can make Charm checks in 2 seconds instead of 6.
3.   Counter: As an immediate action, when a character attempts to deal morale damage to an ally or allies, you may make a Charisma check. If the result of your Charisma check is higher than the morale damage, then the attempt is negated. Your allies must be able to see and/or hear you for Counter to work.
4.   Inspire Group: [Requires Inspire] Requires Inspire. You may instead inspire all within 6 m on an Inspiration attempt. Roll one die and apply it to all targets.
5.   Inspire Legion:   [Requires Inspire Group] Requires Inspire Group. You may inspire all allies in view who can hear you and/or see you (including via radio, TV, or magical communication).  Roll one die and apply it to all targets.
6.   Distinctive Personality: Choose one use of Charisma: request, deceive, disguise, provoke, charm, or inspire. You get a +1 bonus to that use of Charisma. This decision may not be changed unless the GM agrees that you have gone under major character development.
7.   Inspire : Make a Charisma check against one target's Minimum Will as a 4SA.  If you succeed, they remove one morale penalty. This is a morale effect. The GM may grant you a circumstance modifier to your check (+1 to +3) if you have a truly spectacular inspiration speech/method/etc. (ex. You just killed the marauding giant king by running it through with your nation's standard). Alternatively, you may get an equivalent penalty (you just tried to run the giant king through with the standard and made a fool of yourself.). You may not inspire yourself. You may not Inspire any character who has no morale penalties. The target must be able to see and/or hear you clearly (may require a Perception Check). A character may only be inspired once per turn.
8.   Potent Inspiration:   [Requires Inspire] Inspired creatures instead remove 2 morale penalties.
9.   Razor Wit: With this technique, you can make Provoke checks in 2 seconds instead of 6.
10.   Swindle:   [Requires 4 ranks in Charisma] Whenever you buy goods from a character who is Friendly or better, you can pay 10% less.

Contacts

Skill Rate: Fast

Uses: With the Contacts skill, characters can form a network of supporting NPCs to help them. A contact is a GM controlled character who, for whatever reason, the character with this skill has influence over. Depending on the nature of the character, this could be because they are close friends from before the campaign started, the character holds some secret or power over the NPC, or maybe the player helped out the NPC in the past.

Gaining Contacts: When a character puts his first rank in this skill, and again whenever the character takes the Additional Contact technique, the character gains a new potential contact. Do not invent a story or name for this potential contact yet. Later, when the character needs help, he can make a Contacts check to see if one of his potential contacts is in a position to help. Look at the chart for a DC based on the contact grade, as judged by the GM. On a success, the character loses a potential contact and gains a proper one. At this point, the character can either come up with a name and brief description of why the contact is loyal to the character (e.g. "We were roommates in college" or "I helped her out of a jam involving a vampire and an enraged ogress. She owes me ƒ big time ."). Be sure to write this down somewhere, the new contact is permanent. Characters can, of course, gain allies and friends in the usual manner over the course of the setting, this skill for attaining helpers on the fly that just so happen to be in a position to help the character.

Using Contacts: When a contact is gained after a successful check, he immediately helps your character to the best of his ability. To call upon a contact that has already been gained, the DC is 2 points lower. On a failed result, the contact cannot help you, even if he wanted to. For some reason, his hands are tied or what you are asking is simply beyond his abilities.

Contact Grades: There are four 'grades' of contacts, ranging from A through D. A D-grade contact is the lowest level, or, the least well-positioned and influential. An A-grade contact is the most influential sort. See the chart: Contact Grades for more specific information.

General New Contact Restrictions: These restrictions (which can be waived by the GM if he deems it appropriate) are for contacts being created. Once a contact has entered the campaign, however, anything goes.

1.   Contacts will not generally engage in life-threatening behaviour to aid the character
2.   Contacts are always level one
3.   Contacts should use the stats for generic characters presented in the monster list. GMs decide which to use, and can of course modify the originals to fit with the circumstances. However, it is the GM, not the player, who finalizes the stats and abilities of the contacts.
4.   Contacts can be trusted not to betray the character except in extreme, rare, cases.
5.   A contact cannot be someone the GM has already introduced without the GMs express permission

Losing Contacts: If a contact dies, leaves, or in other situations that the GM deems appropriate, the player can add a new potential contact to his reserve. After all, he spent valuable skill points to attain that contact, his character would be permanently weakened relative to the other characters who placed their Spirit skill that level in, say, Berserk.

Limited Retry: On a failed check to gain or use a contact, you cannot make another Contacts check to get another contact to help you out of the same situation. However, if you succeed on your check but the contact proves less useful than you might have hoped, you can try again for another contact - but the DC is 2 points higher.

Techniques:

1.   Additional Contact: You can add one potential contact into your reserve. You may take this technique multiple times, its effects stack.  

Animal Backup

Skill Rate: Fast

The knight's testy warhorse, the thief's uncannily smart pet rat, and the magician's familiar: these are unusually powerful and loyal animals, and are acquired with the Animal Backup skill. A character may have only one animal companion at a time. If a character loses one for any reason, he cannot designate a new one until he gains a level. Unless otherwise specified, the following techniques can only be taken once each. The creature's maximum level is your ranks in Animal Backup minus one (minimum one)

Techniques:

1.   Smart: The animal's intelligence permanently increases by one point, and it can take ranks in Knowledge and Engineering.
2.   Clever:   [requires Smart] the creature understands one spoken language (but obviously can't talk).
3.   Strong: The animal's strength permanently increases by one point.
4.   Fighter:   [requires Strong] One of the animal's unarmed attacks deals one higher die of damage.
5.   Tough : The animal's Endurance permanently increases by one point.
6.   Thick-Skinned:   [requires Tough] the animal's natural armour increases by two.
7.   Quick: The animal's dexterity permanently increases by one point.
8.   Sprinter:   [requires Quick] The animal's speed increases by one square of its scale
9.   Spirited: the animal's spirit permanently increases by one point.
10.   Loyal : [requires Spirited] The animal's Will score increases by three points.
11.   Familiar : [Requires Arcana 1 rank, Magic Skill 1 rank, Magic Power 1 rank] The time spent hanging around a spellslinger such as yourself has had a noticeable effect on your animal. Your animal can learn and cast one complexity zero power zero spell, and gains the [Magical] tag. Your animal can take ranks in Arcana, Magic Power, Spell Repertoire and Complexity next level.

Handle Animal

Skill Rate: Fast

With this skill, you can train and care for animals like a professional. Without this skill, a character can take care of an already domesticated animal (like a dog or housecat) and maybe teach them a few simple tricks. However, training in the skill is necessary for more ambitious endeavours, such as domesticating a wild animal, training a horse for combat, or even communicating, to an extent, with wild beasts. Unlike with Animal Backup, this skill will not grant you a fearless animal companion, though you may be able to use it to train fierce guard dogs to attack on command.

Uses:

Care for Animal: With a single rank in this skill, you can handle the day-to-day care of domesticated animals without much trouble.

As a Profession: Handle Animal can be used to get by as an animal trainer or a herder. Make a Handle Animal check, you can generally get your result squared in copper pennies for every day of labour.

Techniques :

1.   Nature‚s Friend: This technique allows you to communicate on a basic level with animals. You can use your Handle Animal skill to communicate with an animal in the same manner as you could use Charisma to communicate with another intelligent creature, but with a -2 penalty. Any communication with an animal is still limited by the animal‚s lack of understanding.
2.   Nature‚s Ally: [Requires Nature‚s Friend] With this technique, you eliminate the -2 penalty to communicating with animals using Nature‚s Friend.
3.   Nature‚s Champion: Supernatural   [Requires Nature‚s Ally] With this technique, you can telepathically communicate with any animal within 500m per point of Handle Animal bonus you have. For example, a character with a +8 Handle Animal skill bonus could communicate telepathically with a dog up to 4km (4000m) away.
4.   Call Lesser Wildlife: Supernatural   [Requires Nature‚s Ally] As a 4SA, you can attempt to call local animals to aid you. Make a Handle Animal check and divide the result by 3 (round down). The resulting number of CR 1 animals from the surrounding area (assuming there are any) rush to assist you. You can choose which kind of animals appear. Domesticated animals and animals that a character has from the Animal Backup skill are not affected by this ability. How long the animals take to arrive can vary, but under ideal circumstances it takes 1d6 + 2 rounds for them to appear. After helping, the animals go back about their daily business.
5.   Call Wildlife: Supernatural   [Requires Call Lesser Wildlife] When using Call Lesser Wildlife, you can call animals of up to CR 2.
6.   Call Greater Wildlife:   Supernatural   [Requires Call Wildlife, Nature‚s Champion] When using Call Wildlife, you can call animals of up to CR 3.
7.   Call Horde:   Supernatural   [Requires Call Wildlife] When using Call Lesser Wildlife, add +2 to the number of animals that you call.
8.   Domesticate Animal: With this technique, you can make a Handle Animal check against an animal‚s Will. This check is made after three months minus one week per point of Handle Animal bonus you have (minimum 1 day) of spending at least an hour a day training the animal. You can train a number of animals at the same time equal to your Handle Animal skill. If you succeed, the animal becomes domesticated.
9.   Train Animal for War: [Requires Domesticate Animal] With this technique, you can train an animal for war. This takes the same amount of time as domesticating it in the first place. The animal to be trained must be domesticated already. If you are successful, the animal will not panic and flee in battle (unless morale effects force it to) and trades its current character background for Military. This can be combined with Train Animal for Riding (see below) to create a steed for use in battle. With this technique, you earn ten times as much money when using Handle Animal as a profession. With this and Train an Animal for Riding, you earn twenty times as much.
10.   Train Animal for Riding:   [Requires Domesticate Animal] With this technique, you can train an animal for riding. This takes the same amount of time as domesticating it in the first place. The animal to be trained must be domesticated already, and must be type: Rideable. If you are successful, the animal can be ridden as a mount without panicking. With this technique, you earn ten times as much money when using Handle Animal as a profession.

Perform

Skill Rate: Staggered

Uses: Playing music, acting, singing, dancing, etc.. Like Engineering or Science, Perform is subdivided into many fields. The first time you put a rank in Perform, pick one means of performing. You add your Perform modifier to perform checks with that instrument.

1.   Wind
2.   Stringed
3.   Percussion
4.   Singing
5.   Dancing

Performing is a 4SA that requires four seconds of concentration on future turns to keep up the playing.

Performing for Money: Make a perform check every day. You can generally gain (your check result squared) in mk every day.

Techniques :

1.   Generalize: Pick another kind of perform. You can use your perform modifier to checks in that category. You may take this technique multiple times, each time choosing a new category.
2.   Fame: With this technique, you can attempt to use your fame as a performer to influence others. You can make a Perform check against DC 7. If you succeed, the target has heard of you before, and likes your music. Their starting attitude is increased by one step. If you fail by 3 or more, they haven‚t heard of you before. If you fail by 2 or less, they‚ve heard of you and hate your music ƒ decrease their starting attitude to you by one point. The GM can increase or decrease the DC based on how likely it is that they‚ve heard of you (in a world with no radio or rapid travel, the DC might increase if you travel far from home).
3.   Underscore: As a 4SA, make a perform check. If your Perform check beats DC 8, all Charisma, Discipline, and Intimidate checks made by allies listening are at +1 until you stop playing.
4.   Battle Music:   [Requires Underscore] When you use Underscore, the Will of all allies listening gains a +1 bonus for every point by which your Perform check beats 8.
5.   To 11: If your Perform check beats DC 6, decrease the Perception DC to hear by 1 point. Every point by which you beat DC 6, decrease the DC by an additional point.
6.   Shock:   [Requires To 11] As a 4SA, make a perform check. One target who can hear you must make a Fortitude check (DC= your Perform check) or be Stunned for one round.
7.   Awe:   [Requires Shock] When you use Shock, for every point by which your Perform check beat 8, you can affect one additional target
8.   Deafening:   [Requires Shock] When you use shock, the target is also Deafened for one minute for every point by which he failed his Fortitude check.
9.   Magical Melody:   [Requires 4 ranks in Perform] : Make a spell with up to one power, complexity, and divine power. As a 4SA, you can perform a Magical Melody. Make a Perform check against DC 10. If you succeed, one listener (whom you designate) is affected by the spell. For every 1 point by which you beat the DC, one additional listener is a target of the spell. This technique may be taken multiple times, each time you create a new spell to cast in this manner. This is a minor magical effect, and can be countered as normal.
10.   Improved Melody :   [Requires Magical Melody] Choose one of the magical songs you made in Magical Melody. You can increase the maximum Power, Complexity and Divine Power by +1 point, but the DC to perform this goes up by +2. You may take this technique multiple times, each time affecting a different melody.

Shapeshift

Skill rate: Staggered

Uses: With this skill, you can quickly change your body from your natural form into a specific set of other forms you have learned. This number increases with your skill: every even-numbered rank (when your skill bonus increases), you can learn one new form. When you first put a rank in Shapeshift, you can learn one form. You can (at first, anyways) only shapeshift into animals from the Monsters list (and any others with GM approval) of up to your natural scale. As there are a finite number of forms you can shift into, it is strongly recommended that you record your stats in these alternate forms ahead of time, so that you don't slow down play recalculating your toughness and other statistics. Shapeshifting takes a six second action.

You keep the same number of wounds, conditions, etc. between forms, and your Will does not change even if your spirit does. If you change into a form immune to one of your current conditions, the condition is removed „ so a quick way to cure yourself or snake poison is to transform into a snake and back. You do not gain any supernatural abilities of the chosen form. Otherwise, you act while shifted as if your chosen race were the animal you have shapeshifted into.

People tend to react badly when they see someone use this skill, so it is strongly advised that you do not change shape in public. While in any form other than your own, you gain the vulnerability: Silver/Pain. This means that whenever you come into contact with silver, you  are Stunned for as long as you are in contact, and Staggered for one round afterwards. If you are attacked by a silver weapon, you are Staggered for one round.

You can remain shapeshifted for up to 1 minute plus 1/point of bonus in the Shapeshift skill, after which you must return to your natural form for at least one minute.

You decide when you first take this skill whether clothing and armour you carry falls to the ground undamaged when you shift, or whether it vanishes, only to reappear on you when you shift back. This decision can be changed every time you put a new skill rank into Shapeshift.

Supernatural: Every use of this skill is supernatural. Magic can be used to force a character using Shapeshift to return to their natural state. This requires use of the Dispel seed. The DC to do so is, instead of 4 + the caster‚s Magic Skill (as Shapeshift does not require or benefit from a high Magic Skill), 4 + the shapeshifter‚s Shapeshift bonus.

Techniques:

1.   Faster Shift : You can shapeshift as a 4SA instead of a full round action
2.   Lightning Shift : [Requires Faster Shapeshifting] You can shapeshift as a 2SA
3.   Larger Shift : Increase the maximum scale of the type of animal you can shift into by +1. This technique can be taken up to three times, its effects stack.
4.   Doppelganger : You can learn humanoids
5.   Nature Never Intended : You can take one feature from a creature you can shift into and add it to another. See the chart for examples. This technique may be taken multiple times, each time adding a new feature to a creature you can shift into. You can't add two features to the same form in a row. You can update your modifications as you learn new forms, so (for example) if you knew how to shift into a bear and a snake, so you give the bear form snake venom; then later learn how to shift into a spider, you can change the bear's snake venom to spider venom. If you decide not to do so at that time, you cannot swap the snake venom for spider venom unless you happen to learn another form with spider venom.
6.   Wings : Requires creature with wings. Wings of the same sort (updated for scale) can sprout out of the back of one of your forms. The new creature can fly at a speed of 2 squares of its scale.
7.   Claws : Requires one creature with a claw attack dealing at least d6 damage. Claws of the same sort sprout out of the paws/hands/talons/tentacles/etc. of one of your forms. They deal 1d6 slashing damage.
8.   Poison : Requires one creature with a poisonous natural attack. One natural attack type (for example, a bite or both claws) of one other form inject poison of the same type, modified by scale.
9.   Gills and flippers : Requires one form of a creature that can breathe under water. One other form of your choice gains a swim speed of 2 squares of its scale, and can breathe under water.
10.   Natural Armour : Requires one form with at least a +2 natural armour bonus. One form of your choice gets a +2 natural armour bonus, from the same source as the first - so the animal might get scales, or thick skin, or even a shell.
11.   Extended Shift: You can maintain shapeshifted for ten minutes per point of Shapeshift bonus instead of the usual one minute.  
12.   Alter Appearance: With this technique, you can change your appearance. When shapeshifting, you can also choose to alter one of your forms on the fly to change size and mass by up to roughly 50% larger or 25% smaller (to appear tall, short, fat, or thin); cosmetic details such as eye, skin, and hair colour; gender; and other relatively minor changes. The form you change to must be of the same species as the original, and regardless of changes has the same ability scores, scale, skill modifiers, and other game statistics as the original.

Possession

Skill Rate: Staggered

With this skill, you can attempt to possess and dominate the minds of others, similar to how certain supernatural creatures (such as demons) do.

Techniques:

1.   Dominate: With this technique, you can attempt to mentally dominate another character. This ability takes a 6 SA and requires you to be within reach of the target. Make a Possession check (see Possession, Chapter 3) using your Possession bonus. If you succeed in possessing the target, you enter a Soul Coma as your spirit enters the target‚s body. You can continue to possess your target for up to a number of rounds equal to your Possession bonus before returning to your own body. See the Possession rules for more information.
2.   Extra Distance:   [Requires: Dominate] This technique adds 5m to the range at which you can use your Dominate ability. You may take this technique multiple times, its effects stack.
3.   Extended Duration:   [Requires: Dominate] This technique adds 3 rounds to the duration for which you can use the Dominate ability before it ends. You may take this technique multiple times, its effects stack.
4.   Quick Dominate:   [Requires Dominate] This technique allows you to use the dominate ability as a 4 SA.
5.