Knowledge Skills

Knowledge

Area Knowledge (IQ/Easy)

Default: IQ-4 or Geography (Regional)-3*

This skill represenst familiarity with the people, places, and politics of a given area. This is a very common skill to have specialized on your "home base". You can only default this skill to an area you have lived in before. This skill is not required for ordinary situations like finding a store or tavern. You can specialize your knowledge by widening the scope, but also increasing the generalization of the knowledge.

Neighborhood for the residents and buildings within a few city blocks for urban, the inhabitants, trails, streams, hiding places, ambush sites, flora, and fauna of a few hundred acres fore rural. Village or Town for all the important citizens and businesses and most unimportant ones, all public buildings and most houses. City for all important businesses, streets, citizens, leaders, etc. Barony, County, Duch, or Small Nation for general nature of its settlements and towns, political allegiances, leaders and most citizens of Status 5+. Large Nation for location of its major cities and important sites, awareness of its major customs, ethnic groups, and languages, names of folk Status 6+, and a general understanding of the economic and political situation.

Your IQ-4 default applies to any of these classes up to Barony, County, Duch, or Small Nation as long as you have lived in the area. (BS176)

Archaeology (IQ/Hard)

Default: IQ-6

The study of ancient civilizations. This skill is useful for determining what an ancient civilization would have been like. You can also use this skill to possibly predict what kind of traps would populate an ancient dungeon. (BS176)

Cartography

Defaults: IQ-5, Geography (any)-2, Navigation (any)-4

This is the ability to create and interpret maps and charts. Roll against this skill to map any location as you move through it. You can also roll against this skill instead of Navigation if you have a map of the area. (BS183)

Cooking (IQ/Average)

Defaults: IQ-5 or Houskeeping-5

This is the skill of being a chef. You do not need to use this skill to heat water or cook a rat on a stick. A successful skill roll allows you to cook a pleasing meal from fresh ingredients. This can be used in complement the Herb Lore skill. When a cooking skill is used to aid the Herb Lore skill, the herbalist gets a +1 (+2 on critical success) on their Herb Lore skill. On a failure, the herbalist gets a -1 (-2 on critical failure). (BS185)

Diagnosis (IQ/Hard)

Defaults: IQ-6, First Aid-8

This is the ability to tell what is wrong with a sick or injured person, or what killed a dead person. It might not determine the exact problem, but it always gives you hints to rule out impossibilities. No Diagnosis roll is needed for obvious things like open wounds and missing limbs. (BS187)

Modified by: Equipment Modifiers, -5 for internal injuries, -5 or more for a rare disease, -2 for an unfamiliar race, -5 for an unfamiliar animal.

Farming (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5, Gardening-3

This is the skill of growing things. It is usually used to earn a living, but you can also use it to answer theoretical questions about or solve problems related to agriculture. (BS194)

First Aid (IQ-Easy)

Defaults: IQ-4, Esoteric Medicine

This is the ability to patch up an injury in the field. Make a skill roll to halt bleeding, suck out poison, give artificial respiration to a drowning victim, etc. Unusual problems must be identified using a Diagnosis skill first (BS195)

Modified by: Equipment Modifiers, -2 on a race you aren't familiar with, -5 on an unfamiliar animal

Gardening (IQ/Easy)

Defaults: IQ-4, Farming-3

This is the ability to care for plants on a small scale. A skill roll lets you grow food, medicinal herbs, alchemical ingredients, attracive flowers, and trees. (BS197)

Heraldry (IQ/Average)

Defaults: IQ-5 or Savoir-Faire (Hihg Society)-3

This is the skill of recognizing and designing coats of arms, crests, flags, tartans, and other emblems. A successful roll lets you recognize a knight or noble from his banner or shield, create an attractive and proper arms (without conflickting with existing designs), etc. (BS199)

Hidden Lore (IQ/Average)

Defaults: None

This skill represents knowledge that is lost, deliberately hidden, or simply neglected. Whatever the reason, the general public is unaware of it. It is only available to those who study it specifically.

If your character is to start with Hidden Lore, you must justify the your specific Knowledge you have. This may require the Unusual Background advantage. To gain points in play, you must find someone who can teach it, or have access to some form of book or manuscript instead of allowing you to spend points freely.

You must specialize by diety or organization like Hidden Lore (Beastmaster) or Hidden Lore (Illuminati). (BS199)

Hobby Skill (DX or IQ/Easy)

Default: DX-4 or IQ-4, depending on the controlling attribute

Many fields of study have little to do with adventuring or making a living, but people study them nonetheless. Each of these is a separate Hobby Skill. Those that require agility or delicate touch (juggling, kite flying, needlepoint, and origami) are DX/Easy, and those that focus on knowledge and trivia (if you can think of a low tech example, let me know) are IQ/Easy.

A few points in a Hobby Skill can make roleplaying more fun, and possibly come in handy once in a while. (BS200)

Housekeeping (IQ/Easy)

Default: IQ-4

This is the ability to manage a household. It covers both home economics and domestic chores. This skill cannot cover anything that requires a different roll for higher quality (Cooking, Sewing, etc.) (BS200)

Linguistics (IQ/Hard)

Defaults: None

This is the study of the principles upon which languages are based. A successful roll lets you identify a language from a snatch of speech or writing. As well, making a skill roll allows you to learn a language 4x faster when self-teaching. (BS205)

Literature (IQ/Hard)

Default: IQ-6

This is the study of the great writings. A student of literature would be knowledgeable in the realms of old poetry, dusty tomes, criticism, etc. This can be useful for finding clues to hidden treasure, sunken lands, Ancient Secrets, etc. It also can allow you to identify artifacts of legend! The work in question must be available in a language you read. (BS205)

Naturalist (IQ/Hard)

Default: IQ-6

This skill represents practical knowledge of nature in its many forms. It includes just enough biology to tell dangerous plants and animals from benign ones, just enough geology to locate a cave to shelter in, and just enough meteorology to know when to take shelter. Roll vs skill to do any of these. (BS211)

Navigation (IQ/Hard)

Defaults: IQ-5, Cartography-4

This is the ability to find your position through careful observation of your surroundings and the use of instrumentation. A successful roll allows you to use use landmarks and stars to give yourself an idea of where you are. (BS211)

Modified by: Equipment Modifiers, +3 if you have Absolute Direction, -1 to -10 for being in an unfamiliar area

Observation (Per/Average)

Defaults: Perception -5, Shadowing-5

This is the talent of observing dangerous or "interesting" situations without letting others know that you are watching. Use this skill to monitor a location, a group of people, or your immediate surroundings for concealed or tactically significant details. This is not the same as gathering clues or making a hands-on search. Use Search for those options. You always make use of Observation from a distance.

A successful skill roll lets you gather information that is not specifically hidden. For instance, you could learn the schedule of sentries, estimate the size of a crowd, or gauge the strength of a group of people moving in the open. To spot deliberately hidden details (like someone trying to sneak up on you, an armed man hiding in the crowd, or to spot the hidden traps in a dungeon) you must win a Quick Contest of the Observation skill vs the Stealth, Shadowing, or Camouflage skill as appropriate.

This is essentially can be used as a proactive Perception or to counter the three skills above. (BS211)

Modified by: Acute Senses as appropriate, apply darkness and distance penalties

Poisons (IQ/Hard)

Default: IQ-6

This skill represents practical knowledge of poisons. A successful skill roll lets you (among other things) recognize a poison-bearing plant in the wild; extract the poison in a useful form; recognize a poison by by its taste in food or drink; identify a poison by observing its effects (+3 if you are the one that's poisoned know a proper antidote; or recognize or prepare the antidote from its sources. Each of these feats requires a separate roll. (BS214)

Modified by: Acute Taste and Smell gives a bonus to notice or recognize a poison by taste or by scent

Professional Skill (DX or IQ/Average)

Defaults: DX or IQ-5

Many realistic job skills are more useful to make a living than for adventuring. Most skills do not appear in this skill list, but you can still learn them if you want. Each is a separate Professional Skill. If your "adventuring" skills aren't useful for earning money, a Professional Skill can help you earn a steady income. To qualify for most jobs, you will need the relevant Professional Skill at 12+ (unless apprenticing or similar situations).

Most professions encompass a body of knowledge. These skills are IQ/Average and default to IQ-5. (examples: barber, brewer, cooper, dyer, florist, journalist, prostitute, smith, tanner, and vinter). A few professions focus more on precision than on intelligence. These skills are DX/Average (examples: glassblower, tailor, and weaver).

If you have a skill that a profession would logically be trained in, you may possibly be able to default to that skill (example: Professional Skill (Journalist) would logically default to Writing-3).

If you have some downtime, and you have this skill at 12+, you can use this to make up to $15/hour if there is someone in the area willing to pay you. At 14+, you can use this to make up to $30/hour. At 20+, you can use this to make up to $300/hour and can find someone willing to pay.

You are completely free to create your own Professional Skill if the GM approves it. (BS215)

Notable Professional Skills:

• Professional Skill (Brewer) roll can give Alchemy a +1 by making the elixer alcoholic and easier to swallow.
• Professional Skill (Dungeon Butcher) roll can give you Magical Components that are useful for casting incantation spells. If used on a freshly killed enemy, you record your margin of victory and use that as points to determine what you earn (see below). If you match your skill roll, you gain 1 Improvised component. A Critical Success gives either triple points, or you may claim a single Legendary Component.
• 1 point of margin for every two Improvised components.
• 1 point of margin for each Basic component.
• 3 points of margin for each Good component.
• 10 points of margin for each Fine component.

Prospecting (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This is the skill of finding valuable minerals. A successful Prospecting roll lets you locate minerals, judge good ore from a small sample (and gauge its commercial value), and find water by using an "eye for the country" like the Survival skill. (BS216)

Modified by: Equipment Modifiers, -2 for an unfamiliar area (gain familiarization with a month of time in the area)

Religious Ritual (IQ/Hard)

Default: Theology (of same religion)

This is the ability to perform religious rites like masses, funerals, weddings, etc. before a congregation. You must specialize by deity. This skill includes detailed knowledge of ritual motions, prayers, and trappings of the faith, as well as the ability to capture and hold the attention of worshipers. The rituals available to each of the religions will be listed on the diety's page.

You may also use a ritual to help in your reaction roll to Requesting Divine Aid. (BS217)

Research (IQ/Average)

Defaults: IQ-5, Writing-3

This skill requires literacy in at least one language. This is the ability to comb through a library and find useful information (assuming the information is even available in the library). If the information you are looking for is connected with a "book learned" skill (Philosophy, Theology, etc.) then you may roll against that skill at a -2 instead if that would be better than your Research skill or default. If you fail a previous skill roll to see if you knew something, you can follow up the failed roll with a Research roll if the material is available. (BS217)

Ritual Magic (IQ/Very Hard)

Default: None

This is the standard skill used for Incantation Magic. This skill gives an understanding of the intellectual and mystical processes that involve rituals associated with manipulating ambient mana.

Search (Per/Average)

Default: Perception-5

This is the ability to search people, baggage, and carts for items that aren't in plain sight. The GM rolls in secret once per item per person of interest. For deliberately concealed items, this is a Quick Contest of your Search skill vs the Holdout or Smuggling skill used to hide the item. If the net bonus to the concealer's Holdout roll is +3 or more, a skin search is required. If their Holdout is at a -2 or worse for size, a skin search will automatically find the hidden item. (BS219)

Modified by: +1 for a "pat-down" of an unresisting person (takes 1 minutes), +3 for a thorough "skin search" of a person's hair and clothing (takes 3 minutes), +5 for a complete search, including body cavities (takes up to 5 minutes)

Smuggling (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This is the ability to conceal items in baggage and carts. You can also use it to hide an object in a room or a building. Roll against skill to hide an item from casual inspection.

In an active search, the searchers must win a Quick Contest of Search vs your Smuggling skill to find the item. (BS221)

Modified by: apply the size difference of object to be hidden compared to the package, vehicle, or room in which you are hiding the item (example: to hide a bottle of liquor (SM -5) in a family car (SM+3) you would roll at a +8)

Surgery (IQ/Very Hard)

First Aid-12

This skill requires First Aid. Performing surgery in a Low Tech society such as this comes at a default -5 to all operations other than field-expedient surgery (setting broken bones, stitching wounds, and extracting arrowheads/bullets) and is not recommended to be used in any other situations. (BS223)

Modified by Equipment Modifiers, -3 for unfamiliar races, -3 if equipment cannot be properly cleaned and sterilized, -5 for undiagnosed problems, -3 for head or chest

Survival (Per/Average)

Defaults: Perception-5 or Naturalist-3

This is the ability to "live off the land", find safe food and water, avoid hazards, build shelter, etc. You may look after up to 10 other people. To live safely in a wilderness situation, you must make a successful Survival roll once per day. Failure inflicts 2d-4 injury on you and anyone in your care (roll separately for each victim).

This skill can also be used to have an "eye for country". A successful roll shows you the best direction of travel to find flowing water, a mountain pass, or whatever other terrain feature you desire (assuming it exists at all).

Finally, you can use this skill to trap wild animals (if using the Traps skill to set up a trap, roll at a -5 because those traps are meant for a different kind of game). Make one roll per trap. It takes about 30 minutes to improvise a trap from ordinary materials, or 10 minutes to set and hide a commercial iron trap. Pit traps for large game take several hours to dig.

You must specialize by terrain type. There is Arctic, Desert, Island/Beach, Jungle, Mountains,Plains, Swampland, and Woodlands. These all default to each other at -3. (BS223)

Modified by: Equipment Modifiers, up to -5 for extreme weather conditions

Tactics (IQ/Hard)

Default: IQ-6

This is the ability to outguess and outmaneuver the enemy in small-unit or personal combat. A successful roll allows you to place troops and sentries correctly for an ambush. It might also provide clues as to immediate enemy plans and how you can out maneuver them. You can use Tactics instead of Perception in order to see an ambush coming. A Quick Contest of Tactics in this instance allows you to avoid the enemies automatically gaining initiative on you. Having Tactics at all even gives a +1 to your initiative roll (+2 if at level 20) (BS224). Your side wins the initiative roll, you are allowed to (within reason) place your characters in much more advantageous positions (behind cover, on higher ground) and the opponents will be in more random locations (or where they were before they noticed you.

Theology (IQ/Hard)

Defaults: IQ-6 or Religious Ritual (same)-4

This is the study of very common knowledge of a particular pantheon: their gods, scriptures, common inhabitants, etc. You must specialize by pantheon. This includes Theology (Primals), Theology (Celestials), and Theology (Outsiders). (BS226)

Tracking (Per/Average)

Defautls: Perception-5 or Naturalist-5

The ability to follow any kind of animal by its tracks. Make a Tracking roll to pick up the trail, then roll periodically to avoid losing it (Jungle, Plains, or Woodlands: Roll every 30 minutes) (Arctic, Desert, Island/Beach, or Mountains: Roll at -2 every 15 minutes) (Swampland: Roll at a -4 every 5 minutes) (Urban: Roll at -6 every minutes).

You may also use this skill to cover your tracks. This doubles your travel time. A successful roll means you have hidden your tracks well enough that only someone else with this skill can see them. If another tracker follows you, the Tracking rolls above become Quick Contests of Tracking skill, if they lose any of the contests, he loses your trail. (BS226)

Modified by: -5 if the trail is more than a day old, or -10 if more than a week old, +3 if you are following a person, or +6 if following a group of people, add bonuses for Acute Vision and Discriminatory smell

Traps

Defaults: IQ-5, Lockpicking-3/DX-5 if disarming or resetting a trap

This is the skill of building and nullifying traps. A successful Traps roll will (among other things) disarm a trap once you have found it, reset it after you pass, or build a new trap if given suitable materials). Time required is as for Lockpicking.

To detect a trap, make a perception based skill roll. (BS226)

Modified by: difficulty of trap, some traps may be hard to find and easy to disarm and vise versa, bonuses for Acute Vision apply to rolls to detect traps only

Urban Survival (Per/Average)

Default: Perception-5

This talent covers the physical part of staying alive in a city environment, whether it's overpopulated or empty. A successful skill roll allows you to find clean rainwater, locate manholes from above or below, quickly locate building entrances and exits, recognize and avoid physically dangerous areas such as crumbling buildings, make and read city maps, find your way out of strange city areas, find a warm place to sleep outside in cold weather, and locate common types of buildings or businesses without asking anyone. (BS228)