Skills and Specialties

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Skills : Things you know, or know how to do. Something that you've spent many hours studying and practicing.

The list of suggested Skills that I'm going to describe a bit are : Athletics, Arcana*, Craft*, Drive, Fast-Talk, Fisticuffs, Investigate, Language, Larceny, Medicine, Meditate, Perception, Perform*, Politics, Ride, Stealth, Shoot, Study*, Survival, Throw, Wrestling.

The cost of the 1st point in a Skill is 2 XP. The cost of every point after that is the number of points you're raising it to. So : 2 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ...

Or to put it another way, purchasing a 4 point skill at character creation will cost 2 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 11 XP.

At character Creation (without any special bonuses) you start with 10 + INT XP to spend on Skills. (14 + INT, if you have a Skill Boost.)

Like any normal person, you're not going to have points in all these various skills. You're going to have just a few that you use as much as possible. These probably don't really cover everything, either. If you think of a Skill that you want that's really not covered by these, then it shouldn't be much trouble to add it to the list. Skills can be just about anything you could learn. I doubt you'll need a Biology skill, but that doesn't mean you can't have it if you want it.

You can also add a "Specialty" to any of your skills, a more precise study or practice like Athletics:Jump or Larceny:Lockpicking. Someone with the broad Larceny skill could try to pick a lock. They've spent some time studying that, along with a dozen other things. Someone with the Larceny:Lockpicking specialty has spent a great deal of time practicing just lockpicking, and will be much better at it. When you are taking action within your specialty, it's an action with advantage, so you re-roll 10s.

The cost of adding a specialty to a Skill is 2 XP. The cost of adding a second specialty to the same skill is 4 XP. Then 6, 8, 10...

* The Skills with * are super-categories. You can learn "Craft", but that's just general knowledge about craftsmanship that won't let you make anything, you MUST have a specialty for the skill to be really useful. You have to learn Craft:Smithing to make a teapot, or Craft:Woodworking to make a rocking-chair, and each of these are separate skills. Otherwise, they follow the same rules as any other specialty.

To learn a skill you don't have (after character creation) you'll need a teacher who has this skill. This can be one of the other players, someone you've met, or you can search for one among your Connections. You'll also need a teacher with greater skill than you any time you want to increase a Skill beyond 4. You cannot have more than 4 in any skill at Character Creation.

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Athletics : Running, jumping, climbing, and many sports. This skill represents time spent training more than studying. Athletics would usually be used with Physical attributes, but you might use with Mental attributes to understand or explain how something athletic was done or whether it's theoretically possible. You might use Athletice with Social attributes to "Make the Crowd Go Wild" or play a game with greater focus on the relationship than on winning (like wall-climbing with your boss).

Arcana* : Alone, this represents a general Knowledge of the Arcane forces present in the Unknown. Attached to a Specialty, this Skill allows you to make Arcane Requests and Commands associated with that particular field of influence, and the Unknown will answer... or not. Arcana will usually depend on Mental or Social attributes, depending on your style of handling the Unknown, but arcane requests that put stress your own body might use Physical attributes.

Craft* : Alone, this represents a general Knowledge of how things are made, techniques, ingredients. Attached to a Specialty, this Skill allows you to actually Craft things in that particular category of item. The more complex the item, the faster you're trying to make it, the more successes it will need to create it. Craft is usually going to use Active and Reactive attributes. It would be unusual to try to defend yourself or use Craft in a passive manner.

Drive : Knowledge and Practice with driving various common vehicles. In the Unknown, this includes carriages (after they've been harnessed!), simple boats, and mechanical vehicles with very simple controls. Something like a paddle-boat or  train is going to require a high level of skill or a specialty. When using Drive, you generally use DEX for precise maneuvers, WIT for complex maneuvers. Other skills might be used in unusual circumstances.

Fast-Talk : The ability to get someone to do something very simple for you without letting them think about it too much, or otherwise get to a point while glossing over details. Usually used to offer simple explanations for suspicious activity, and almost always used with GUI.

Fisticuffs : Hand-to-Hand fighting, including with small knives, clubs or knuckles. Usually used with STR, though you might use this with CON to take a blow instead of dodge it, or with DEX to disarm an opponent.

Investigate : This skill is all about figuring out what happened, answering some kind of question about the past. Careful observation and piecing together of details to make a full picture, or even a better guess. You might use this with WIT to determine quickly "Which way did he go?!", or with INT to scan the scene of an abduction for clues. You could even use it with CHA to determine where everyone was at the critical moment by piecing together various bits of conversation. It would be very unusual to use Investigate with any Physical skill.

Language : The Language skill might sometimes be used to translate archaic or unknown languages, but the major use of this skill is to learn new languages. To learn a new language, you must have sufficient levels of "Language" and add Specialty for the language you wish to learn.

Larceny : Housebreaking (INT), Lock picking (DEX), Picking pockets (DEX). Committing crime and getting away with it is the use of Larceny. It might be used with INT or WIT to determine a good plan of action, and usually with DEX to perform some act of precision or finesse. Occasionally, Larceny might be used with CHA, GUI or PRE to socialize with the criminal community.

Medicine : All things to do with wellness or illness of a physical body are within the realm of Medicine. Medicine is mostly Non-Magical, though it might be of some use in treating a curse or understanding the effects of a transformation. You can Improve someone's rate of healing (INT, CNV or even CHA), or work toward curing a poison or a disease (INT). Identifying a malady (INT or WIT). Not usually involved with STR or CON, though DEX might be used for a delicate surgical operation.

Meditate : All things to do with wellness or illness of the mind are within the realm of Meditate. Some magic is improved by a state of meditation (INT, CNV, maybe PRE). In the Unknown, Meditation might even give rise to strange internal struggles with tangible rewards. Usually, Meditate will be used to improve one's own rate of Sanity regeneration (CNV) or to stave off the effects of madness.

Perception : One of the skills most often used passively. Perception might determine what details you pick up when looking at a scene, or whether you notice an ambush or a trap before you're attacked. Almost always, Perception is going to be used with DEX, WIT or GUI. If you're actively looking for something, such as a secret door, you might use INT.

Perform* : A primarily social skill. Perform on it's own gives you general knowledge about various kinds of performances, musical instruments, and an appreciation of performance arts. With a Specialty, it allows you to do that form of performance (each is associated with a different Skill), either for pay, for entertainment, or even for some forms of magic.

Politics : A skill that is all about navigating bureaucracies and getting groups of folk with many different motivations to work together - perhaps following your leadership on purpose (CHA) or perhaps following your design by accident (GUI). Could also be used with Mental skills to understand the motives and hidden hands of other actors in the game. Particularly important when dealing with Townies.

Ride : A partner to Drive, this allows you to direct a live steed like a large duck or a small dinosaur. One level of this skill is sufficient for most purposes, making mundane riding tasks 0s. Tricky maneuvers, spooked steeds or particularly strange steeds might require rolls with some combination of Physical and Social skills.

Stealth : Almost always a DEX skill, stealth is the ability to move unseen, unheard, unnoticed. It is often directly opposed to the Perception skill.

Shoot : This skill indicates some training with firearms, and is usually used with DEX to hit a target. Some odd firearms might require INT to assemble or STR to load, or other unusual cases.

Study* : This skill by itself indicates an understanding of how information can be found, including how libraries are organized, basic logical constructs, and how to perform science experiments. When paired with a specialty, it indicates a specific field of study, about which your character has done extensive research. Someone in this group will inevitably end up with Study:1(Memes), but it's not going to help you.

Survival : This skill combines many different bits of knowledge and practice regarding how to survive in the wild, and how to remain alive(ish) in punishing environments. Sometimes it might be used passively with CON to improve your resistance to weather or unfriendly shrubbery. Sometimes it might be paired with DEX or WIT to get a campfire going in the rain. It is not normally a social skill, but one can always hob-nob about the strange weather we're having.

Throw : Identical to "Shoot", but without the device. Throw is most always going to be used with DEX, though something heavy might require STR, and a boomerang, lasso, or something with a lit fuse might require other skills and greater expertise.

Wrestling : Like fisticuffs, but more concerned with grappling and the disjointing of joints. One of few skills that might make an active use of CON, depending on your strategy, though you will sill be using STR, DEX and occasionally WIT. Like Fisticuffs or Athletics, a more showy and audience oriented fight might make use of CHA or GUI.

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The magic of the Unknown is, for lack of a better word, alive. It has It's own preferences (Pumpkin) . It has It's own aesthetic (Creepy). I has It's own sense of humor (Warped).

The Unknown Arcana listens to everything, to some extent. It does not need to be invoked with some arcane language, strange symbology, or a sacrificial ritual. It might find these things amusing, and pay more attention to you, but usually you're not going to want that kind of attention from the Unknown. It's usually much better to treat the Unknown Arcana like a pet lion - your scary friend, who ought never figure out that it's taking orders from a meat-snack. So, one makes requests of the Arcana in an off handed manner. Incidental, really, though quite certain that It will do what you want It to. And you should always address It very calmly, no matter what else is happening, or how badly the Arcana is actually behaving right now.

Some arcane practitioners have a certain magical spark. This is by far the easiest way to practice an arcane craft, but it also tends to be a bit limited. A subtle connection to the Unknown that causes It to just do for them without really paying them a whole lot of attention. The Unknown Arcana will turn leaves orange for a Harvest Sprite with about as much interest as you pay to breathing or taking a sip of your drink. A Sprite that learns some unusual form of magic might attract even more attention, though, like if you started breathing out bubbles, or your drink started playing music.

Most Arcane practitioners learn all they can about what the Unknown thinks of a particular thing. How that thing behaves without magic. Magic stories involving that thing. Extensive practice with that thing, in a mundane sort of way. Even Aunties specialize. And if you do one sort of magic enough, then the Unknown Arcana might start treating you like one of those lucky spark people.

Usually you will make an "Arcane Request". This requires a roll of your Arcana skill, though what ability you use may differ according to what exactly you want to happen. Each specialty gives you access to a certain set of tools, though you could argue that it should let you do some particular thing not listed. Each tool requires a request, even just whispered or thought loudly, and requires a certain number of successes to see if you've attracted the appropriate amount of Arcane attention, and one more if you're trying to do something very precise, very big, very complex, or any other "very". A Fumble indicates you've attracted the wrong kind of attention from the Unknown.

If you spend a point of Willpower, you can make an "Arcane Demand" instead of a request. In this case, you roll Arcana + PRE (Always PRE) first, and once you know how many Successes you have to work with, you can decide what to do with them. However, fumbling a Command is far worse than fumbling a request. A fumbled request makes you the target of one of the Unknown's jokes, likely to be weird and inconvenient. A fumbled command makes you the target of the Unknown's anger, likely to be horrible and dangerous.

I'll list the first four "Tools" of a few specialties here, but specialties can be as varied as you can imagine. Once you have enough levels in a particular specialty, I'll post what the next tool is going to be.

Arcana Specialty : Harvest
A specialty of Autumnal Sprites, and probably some others. Takes advantage of the Unknown's apparent love of things that are sort of dying, at least for a while. And Fall colors. The Unknown likes those too.
0s : Fall Colors : "This would look so much better Orange, don't you think?". You can pretty much always get leaves to change to fall colors, if they aren't already so. Sometimes you can get other things to change color. The Unknown seems to have it in for the color green, anyway, leafy or otherwise.
1s : Autumn Growth : "Grow and be fruitful. Right there." You entreat the Unknown to grow some of it's favorite things in a particular spot, mainly mushrooms, sometimes pumpkins, possibly wheat or other grains. In appropriate surroundings, this action may also cause some fruits to ripen, or pine cones to fall.
2s : Decay : "This should be returned to dirt, so it can grow more pumpkins." More than just an errant mushroom, this requests the speedy demise of something. As a general rule, this action advances the age of something by one year - a year full of mold, mildew rust and rot.
3s : Jack o' the Wood : "It would be just right if I had a lovely tall pumpkin man to help me." As you light the candle of a Jack o' Lantern, you ask the Unknown to turn it into an assistant for you. It will sprout a a woody body of sorts, and will follow your simple directions (almost definitely!). Beyond that, it's abilities and general shape are either a mater of randomness or of your very careful influence.

Arcana Specialty : Stitchery
The specialty of the famous Auntie Adelaide. A very homey magic, though it can be quite effective. Practitioners likely know their way around several sorts of yarn and thread crafts, with magic or without. Your yarn loves you, and wants to be pet.
0s : Knot/Unknot : "Oh, that won't do. Go away knot!" You can tell knots to go away, and they do. You can tell yarn, thread or string it needs a knot in it at a certain spot, and it will oblige. Things other than simple string might me more difficult.
1s : String Strange Strung : "Wind and stitch and knot and weave! You'll be lovely when you're done!" A bit more than simple knots, this calls on your yarn or thread to make something of itself. It's easiest to make it into forms you're quite familiar with - socks, shawls, sweaters - and harder to make things that you don't usually make with yarn or thread, like a ladder or a house. Also harder to control things that are not mere string, like wire or noodles.
2s : Metaphorical String : "It's not just a string, it's a promise." This one can get a bit murky, but what you tie together has difficulty coming apart, and when you untie a knot, something more important might come apart. You could conceivably undo a curse by turning it into a snarl of yarn and teasing it apart. You could conceivably mend a shattered bone by tying a string around it. It's all in how you think about it, and to you, everything is string. The better the metaphor, the easier the magic will be. If it doesn't work, though, then that exact metaphor can't be tried again.
3s : Stuffed Servitor : "Stop slouching and just lying around. Lazy bag of fluff! Get up and help me!" You ask the Unknown Arcana to infuse one of your creations with it's own spark of life. How much strength and how much string, how much brain and how much stuffing... that depends on how much the Unknown likes your toys.

Arcana Specialty : Pretend
The Unknown Arcana loves to be entertained. There are few things it finds more entertaining than a fun game of let's pretend. Except, when the Arcana plays pretend, the consequences are very, very real. This specialty indicates that the Unknown considers you an entertaining playmate. It's highly debatable whether that's actually a good thing.
0s : Nod and Smile : "Good plan. I didn't understand one word of it! Charge!" What's real and what isn't is a little uncertain in the Unknown, and for you it can be a little extra muddy. You can almost always just ignore what someone says, no matter whether it was reasonable, convincing, a dire warning, a threat or an attempted bribe. If there's magic in the words, or your Virtue or Vice are involved, it might be more difficult.
[ui]1s[/u] : Pretend-it's-a : "Stick, I dub thee Sir Sharp, and you shall be my sword!" : You don't have the thing you want? This other thing will work just fine! It looks enough like the right thing to fool a lot of folks. It will probably function a bit more like that thing than you'd expect! The worse the match between what you have and what you mean it to be, the more difficult this magic is. It works on all manner of tools, dolls, statues, pets... almost anything that's not sentient. It might even grant some objects a temporary personality of sorts.
2s : Pretend-you're-a : "You can't be a bad singer, because then we'd lose the contest, so you must be a great singer! Go try it!" Your encouragement is ridiculous, but the Unknown is amused. Your success or failure on this roll is secret. If the target of your outlandish belief takes the action you're encouraging, they'll find they have Advantage if you succeeded, and if you got any additional successes, the target of your pretend also gets that many bonus dice. If it's really impossible that the target could do what you suggest (fly with no wings), or if it's something they could already most likely do, then the request fails. If the target succeeds at something too unlikely, they may suffer a sanity loss.
3s : Pretend-iIm-a : "I'm a cowboy. Bang!" You take on a persona for a fixed period of time that you declare before-hand (except that it always goes away when you sleep). The persona temporarily grants some appropriate bonuses and penalties:
You shift one attribute point to another attribute, ass appropriate to the persona. You give one skill a bonus point appropriate to your persona, even if it's a skill you don't have, at the expense of making one skill you do have unusable. You do have a costume, right? Any half-stupid costume will do. The better the costume, the easier the magic. More bonuses are possible, but more difficult.

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