Skills

Athletics (Brawn)

Athletics measures a Blackbird’s physical prowess. It reflects one’s ability to scale walls and climb ropes, to swim and to tread water without tiring, to propel vessels while rowing, to overpower others in feats of strength, and to push heavy objects. It also aids one when hefting great weights or performing fantastic feats of stamina, such as running from a battle with a warning to a distant town.

Awareness (Perception)

Awareness represents a Blackbird’s ability to notice details, sounds, and/or scents that are out of place, to spot ambushes, to discover hidden objects, to notice mechanical contrivances designed to entrap or kill, and to estimate numbers and distances. This Skill doesn’t allow a Blackbird to see through lies, to sense motives, or to read innuendo, as those are the purview of the Scrutinize Skill. Similarly, if you wish your Blackbird to listen in on a conversation or to make out distinctly something they’ve heard, refer instead to the Eavesdrop Skill.

Bargain (Fellowship)

Bargain represents a Blackbird’s ability to interpret the underlying factors of a commercial transaction. It may also be used to haggle over prices, find common ground with another group, bribe someone to get what one wants, appraise the worth of objets d’art, and even procure illegal contraband.

Charm (Fellowship)

Charm is employed to captivate others with flattery and honeyed words. At the proper time, a kind word, a wry smile, a hearty handshake, or a hug may each be used to illustrate a Blackbird’s personal charisma and enchant others. Charm can modify the mood of others, persuading them toward your favor or causing them to change their opinions about things they may not necessarily support. It can also be used to impress others with your Blackbird’s affable nature or to seduce those who may find the Blackbird attractive. To lie, fabricate false accounts, or run confidence games, refer instead to LITERACY IN BLACKBIRDS A Blackbird with at least one Skill Rank in Education is assumed to be literate in any language they possess. Otherwise, though they may speak the tongue, they do not understand its writing..

Coordination (Agility)

Coordination represents manual dexterity, flexibility, balance, and grace in movement. A Blackbird may use this Skill to perform feats of acrobatics, to avoid falling debris, or to manipulate objects with delicacy. Its most common applications are to sidestep incoming attacks, to evade traps, to avoid being pushed off one’s feet, and to slip out of bonds and shackles.

Disguise (Fellowship)

!e Disguise Skill represents the ability to masquerade as someone else, to hide one’s own identity in public, or to conceal one’s true feelings from others. Theatrics and imitation are the foundation of any good disguise. Also, the more the Blackbird knows about the person (or type of person) they’re trying to mimic, the more effective the disguise.

Eavesdrop (Perception)

Eavesdrop allows a Blackbird to listen to and perceive low sounds, usually conversations between two or more people. By listening to them or watching the movement of their lips, the Blackbird can make out distinct sounds and determine the differences between mumbling and actual words. With a clear view of the people speaking, they can even pick up slight intonations and body language, giving further indication as to what is being said. It may also be employed to hide the movement of one’s own lips to prevent Eavesdrop attempts on one’s conversations.

Education (Intelligence)

Education represents both literacy and schooling, but it extends far beyond merely being able to read and write. This Skill lends significant insight into the histories and practices of the world the Blackbirds inhabit. Education encompasses many different fields of study, each representing the study of a body of lore, possible academic research, or even “rogue” scholarly pursuits.

Literacy in Blackbirds

A Blackbird with at least one Skill Rank in Education is assumed to be literate in any language they possess. Otherwise, though they may speak the tongue, they do not understand its writing.

Folklore (Intelligence)

Folklore represents a Blackbird’s secondhand and firsthand knowledge of the histories, traditions, faiths, and notable figures of a particular region. Drawn from the stories, oral traditions, and rumors they’ve heard from family, merchants, and travelers, it also confers a deeper understanding of various cultures, food, religion, and daily practices.

Gamble (Intelligence)

Gamble represents a Blackbird’s ability at games of chance, such as those played with cards, tiles, and dice. Although anyone can make wagers and play games, some are more skillful or adept when it comes to spotting common mistakes and preying upon their opponents’ weaknesses. This Skill also allows one to cheat.

Guile (Fellowship)

Guile represents a Blackbird’s ability to use underhandedness, lies, and bluster to get what they want. It is also used to subtly manipulate others’ feelings and emotions by sowing the seeds of doubt within their minds. The Skill may also be employed to play word games or use irony to confuse others, or even to engage in political machinations.

Handle Animal (Fellowship)

Handle Animal represents a Blackbird’s ability to subdue, train, command, and even ride creatures classified as animals. Although this Skill doesn’t allow one who uses it to domesticate animals that are not meant to be domesticated, it does allow one to tame them. With an appropriate animal, this Skill enables one to gallop and race, to leap over hedges and fences, to ride across rugged terrain, to leap atop one’s mount while jumping from a window, and to calm one’s mount when it is under duress. !is Skill also teaches the proper way to care for and groom an animal, establishing a bond of trust and acceptance.

Handle Vehicle (Agility)

Handle Vehicle represents the ability to control vehicles, such as carts, overland carriages, rowboats, hulks, and even war wagons. The Skill is also used to maneuver vehicles around tight corners, race down river rapids, plow through hedgerows, and ram vessels that stand in one’s way.

Heal (Intelligence)

With the Heal Skill, a Blackbird can treat the ill and the healthy alike, tending to their aches and pains, acting as midwife, rendering antivenins, and even performing chirurgy on the injured. You may adhere to a classical school of thought, using emetics and bloodletting to cure illness through humoralism. Or you may subscribe to a more mechanical school of thought, seeing the body as a complex machine that can be “fixed” with the right techniques. Regardless of the school to which one adheres, those who practice the healing arts always pay some sort of lip service to the gods.

Intimidate (Brawn)

Intimidate represents a Blackbird’s ability to terrify others with their words and actions, suggesting that they’ll do violence upon them should they not back down. !rough a combination of menace and threats, the Blackbird may try to cow others, posturing aggressively like a dog ready to pounce.

Leadership (Fellowship)

Leadership is the ability to enlist the support of allies and followers, unifying them under the Blackbird’s guidance against a common foe or cause. One can use this Skill to give orders to forces under one’s command, much like a general does on the battlefield, whether it’s to defend a kingdom or to foment rebellion.

Melee (Combat)

Melee represents a Blackbird’s ability to wield weapons in hand-to-hand combat. !is Skill is gained by training with weapons either formally— maybe as a squire, night watchperson, or a member of a militia—or informally, perhaps as a bandit, woodcutter, or thug.

Navigation represents a Blackbird’s ability to accurately determine direction, distance, and routes from one place to another. It relies on landmarks and maps to find one’s way overland, along with charts and the movement and alignment of the stars and constellations as the seasons pass to find one’s way across the sea.

Odweft (Willpower)

Odweft is the Skill used to tap into the Od to master the secrets of magic. It can be used to identify occult symbols, to understand Oligarch cult activities, to participate in rituals, to research Outsiders, to interpret omens, and even to gain understanding of superstitions made real. Expressly, this Skill is used to practice theurgy and cast Vitiations.

Ranged (Combat)

The Ranged Skill is employed by Blackbirds when wielding weapons designed to fight with at a distance. The Skill is often used by hunters, peasant militia, or regular military forces, and the Blackbird likely gained training from one of these groups.

Resolve (Willpower)

Resolve represents a Blackbird’s ability to keep calm under pressure. It allows one to steel one’s mind, focusing on one’s inner strength to maintain resolve when thrust into situations that test one’s mettle. When confronted with supernatural or horrifying situations, this Skill is employed to let the fear wash over, but not overwhelm.

Rumor (Fellowship)

Rumor represents a Blackbird’s ability to gather information from their social interactions by being gregarious and talkative. The Skill can be used to interact with strangers and friends alike, appealing to them with one’s charm or just chewing the fat. It is also employed to appeal to larger groups in order to gather the latest news, to dissect the most recent gossip, and to propagate scandal.

Scrutinize (Perception)

Scrutinize represents a Blackbird’s ability to sense motives and underlying intentions in others. It relies on hearing and vision to assess each participant’s part in a conversation. A literate person can also deduce tone and intent from the written word. Finally, the Skill can be used to recall things from memory, to describe something one saw, or to quickly perform arithmetic or other feats of estimation.

Skulduggery (Agility)

The Skulduggery Skill encapsulates practically every larcenous or illegal activity that a Blackbird might undertake using their hands. One may use this Skill to bypass locked doors and chests without a proper key, to disable security contrivances and complex traps, to employ simple sleight of hand to palm small objects and hide cards, and to conduct simple thievery, such as cutting coin purses, picking pockets, and snatching bracelets.

Stealth (Agility)

Stealth represents the ability of a Blackbird to use concealment and distractions to move about without being seen or heard. One can also lie in wait to ambush others using this Skill. It can also be employed to stalk a mark while moving among crowds of people, and even to conceal large objects such as encampments, horses, and wagons from prying eyes.

Strategy (Intelligence)

The Strategy Skill is employed by Blackbirds to plan operations of all sorts to achieve the best results with the least resistance. It lets one understand the tactics utilized in battle (both by mobile forces and those safely ensconced within a fortification) in order to strategically deploy armies and to array siege engines against mobile or static enemies, as well as erect appropriate defenses against the same. Identifying weakness in defenses before a battle is also another common use of this Skill. Although the strategist may not be a stoneworker, they can identify where the strongest and weakest points are in a fortification. One may also use the Skill to commit military investment and to properly provision for the war effort, and to conduct psychological warfare upon the enemy.

Strategy Versus Warfare

Though they serve similar purposes, the Strategy and Warfare Skills possess different focuses. Strategy is the more cerebral and theoretical pursuit. It is used to craft plans of action: What’s the scheme to break into the Sigilist money vault? What’s the best method of laying siege to the city of Sheb? Warfare is employed in the midst of the fight, after things have gone wrong, in an effort to adapt to the circumstances at hand. It is used to improvise in the heat of the moment: How can we escape the burning tower? Who is the opponent most likely to break in a fight? !ere is a fair amount of crossover between the two, however, and it is possible to employ one in the other’s stead. This comes at a cost of –20 to tests made with the less appropriate Skill.

Survival (Perception)

Survival represents a Blackbird’s ability to thrive in the wilderness and live off the land. It can be used to forage for berries and roots, to recognize which plants and animals are safe to consume, to hunt for food, to follow trails left behind by animals or people, and to find suitable shelter. In addition, it allows one to prepare simple meals, to construct rudimentary weapons, and to fashion simple snares with which to hunt.

Toughness (Brawn)

This Skill represents a Blackbird’s ability to exhibit remarkable stamina and endurance. It reflects their ability to withstand pain and exposure to the elements, to withstand the effects of powerful Vitiations, to endure a forced march, to run for extended periods of time, and to hold one’s breath.

Tradecraft (Willpower)

Tradecraft is used by Blackbirds to construct and create a wide variety of things. Anyone with a Skill Rank in Tradecraft has the potential to practice any trade, though it takes time and dedication to learn and master such training.

Warfare (Combat)

The Warfare Skill is a measure of a Blackbird’s combat experience and training that allows for them to adapt to changing circumstances in the heat of battle. With this knowledge, one can rapidly change the mode of conflict as necessary, adapting very quickly to an opponent’s tactics. This Skill may also be employed to identify weak or wounded foes in large groups, to better isolate and strike the same target over and over amid an Engagement. Finally, this Skill is used to arm and fire siege weapons intended to break down walls, smash gates, crash through an army’s defenses, and wreak havoc upon an enemy’s supply lines.

Wortcunning (Intelligence)

Whether they gain their education in the marbled halls of the Republic’s universities or in the ramshackle hut of a village wise woman, wortcunning’s practitioners plumb the secrets of natural magic—magic not drawn from the Od, but available to anyone with the discipline and knowhow to draw forth power from the physical world. It encompasses herbalism, alchemy, astrology, and other such esoteric studies. !rough centuries of trial and error, cunning folk have gleaned a myriad of secrets about the world and have passed that knowledge down either in writing or through word of mouth. Medicines, poisons, and other substances useful to adventurers can be crafted using this Skill, and it is also used to cast Wortcunning Spells. A practitioner’s laboratory tends to be a strange amalgam of scientific instruments, astrological symbols, physic garden, and menagerie.