Skills

Skills measure the effectiveness of characters for certain tasks. Whenever a character makes a roll, the skill being used determines what kind of die is rolled. Skill dice range from a d4 to a d12, with d4 being the worst and d12 being the best.

Untrained (d4) → Novice (d6) → Apprentice (d8) → Expert (d10) → Master (d12)

Skill Boosts

During the character creation process and during play, you will gain skill boosts.

Each skill begins at untrained (d4) and increases by one die size for each skill boost it receives, to a maximum of master (d12). For example, gaining two skill boosts in the Finesse skill would raise Finesse from untrained (d4) to apprentice (d8).

Skills by Category

Physical Skills

Physical skills represent a character's bodily power and coordination.

Accuracy

This skill represents a character's ability to throw objects or otherwise aim at a distance. It is primarily used via the Shoot basic ability, but can be rolled whenever a character attempts to perform some kind of precise task at a distance, such as throwing a rope loop around an outcropping.

Endurance

Endurance is the skill of fortitude, grit, and stalwart resilience. It is most often used when a character uses the Guard option of the Defend basic ability. Endurance rolls may also be made when a character attempts to withstand some kind of pain, press on in the face of exhaustion, or hold their breath.

Finesse

When a character attacks or moves in such a way that requires careful precision, they'll typically be rolling with Finesse. This skill can occasionally be used for acrobatic stunts such as swinging from chandeliers, but is primarily used when using the Strike ability with a Light Melee or Flex Melee Weapon.

Might

When it comes to raw physical strength, Might is the appropriate skill to use. From lifting a portcullis to Striking with a Heavy Melee or Flex Melee Weapon, Might is a handy skill to have.

Reflex

Among the more reactive skills is Reflex, which is rolled whenever a character attempts to evade or reduce some kind of physical threat. This is most often accomplished using the Defend (Dodge) basic ability.

Mental Skills

Mental skills are more metaphysical or cognitive in nature than physical skills.

Awareness

One's ability to sense nearby threats or hidden secrets is measured by their Awareness skill. Rolls made with this skill are often Veiled, meaning that the GM will secretly roll to determine the difficulty, thus obfuscating the success or failure state of the roll.

Discipline

Sometimes, characters must struggle to remain focused and diligent in tasks. Examples include keeping watch, Training one's skills, and resisting mind-affecting magic. That's where the Discipline skill comes into play. It is also used for certain magical effects.

Empathy

Empathy—along with its sibling skill Manipulation—is primarily a social-based skill. It is rolled whenever a character attempts to earnestly connect with another creature by listening and learning to the subject's desires. It is also used for certain magical effects.

Manipulation

Unlike Empathy, the Manipulation skill is mostly used for exploiting others. This could involve intimidation, deception, seduction, or other methods of getting your way. It is also used for certain magical effects.

Stealth

Many characters may have reasons for sneaking about, and this is accomplished using the Stealth skill. This can come in many forms, from hiding in crowds, to padding down alleyways, to hiding in camouflage.

Culture and Trade Skills

Each of the previous skill categories has five predefined skills associated with them. By contrast, culture and trade skills do not have defined lists of skills. Culture skills represent a character's connection and familiarity with various languages, regions, and factions. Trade skills are sciences, professions, or arts that a character might have become proficient with. Whenever you gain a skill boost to a new culture or trade skill, write that skill on your character sheet. Skills that don't appear on your character sheet are untrained (d4) by default.

Some character features will grant skill boosts to specific culture and trade skills, while others will provide skill boosts with fewer restrictions. For example, most backgrounds provide a set number of skill boosts to various types of culture and trade skills, but then gain "5 free culture skill boosts." These can be applied across any culture skills the character wishes. For example, you could decide to allocate 4 of those skill boosts into another language skill in order to gain full fluency in that language. You might then spend the remaining culture skill boost to increase a faction skill, thus deepening your ties with that organization.

Take a look at the section below for examples of trade skills, but remember that you can always come up with your own, subject to GM approval. Culture skill examples are also provided, and you can find more about them on the Senteia page. Substitute appropriate skills for languages, societies, and factions if you're playing in a different world than the SOJOURNER default setting.

Trade Skill Examples

A-C: Agriculture, Alchemy, Architecture, Astronomy, Brewing, Botany, Calligraphy, Cartography, Commerce, Cooking

D-H: Dancing, Engineering, Fishing, Forgery, Gambling, Glassblowing, Heraldry, Housekeeping, Hunting

I-P: Law, Leatherworking, Locksmithing, Mathematics, Medicine, Mining, Navigation, Nobility, Oration, Percussion, Pickpocketing, Piloting, Pottery

Q-Z: Sailing, Scribing, Singing, Smithing, Stabling, Streetwise, Strings, Tailoring, Theater, Tracking, Warfare, Weaving, Woodwinds, Zoology

Culture Skill Examples

Languages: Altoran, Ancient Vetharic, Éánian, Nithian, Mesh, Stormtongue (Common)

Cities: Ashabelannar, Blackwine, Evonhill, Gaddon, Ravatoren, Shuko, Tashalim

Nations: Éána, Prydwallia, Tashal

Factions: The Iron Tower, The Skarzani Consortium, The Visionarium

Religions: Ashabels, Church of Hathala, Disciples of Annihilation, The Eleventh Church, Hearth and Home, Oonism, The Seed, The Stormwind Faith, The Temple of Teeth, Tenders of the Forge, Zatikhism

Language Skills

A language skill's die size primarily represents a character's level of fluency in that language, as explained below. However, rolls can occasionally be made using a character's language skill, such as when deciphering ancient texts or attempting to understand an unfamiliar dialect.

Untrained (d4): Complete lack of understanding. The character might not even recognize the language at all when they hear or see it in the world.
Novice (d6): Can generally understand the meaning of the language when it is spoken, but may lose out on nuance and precise meaning.
Apprentice (d8): Able to understand and respond in kind, though it's obviously not the character's first language.
Expert (d10): Rather fluent. Able to converse at length, but unlikely to write quality poetry or speeches in the language.
Master (d12): Total fluency. The language might as well be the speaker's native tongue, spoken from childhood, if it isn't already.