Cyberpunk

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This hack was created by forum poster Rene and has been ported across from the old No Dice forum:

No Dice Kibble Hack

System revision

ok kibble is such a number heavy system that I am going to have a radically simplify it for nodice

Stats

Int
Ref
Tech
Cool
Attr
Luck
MA
Body
Emp
Run
Leap
Lift

Stats are based on a decimal system 2-10 (over 10's are possible but only with cyberwear/drugz) Run Leap and Lift are derrived

I intend to keep the stats as they are, mainly coz u are placing points in them from a pool, not rolling up a character (which I hate)

in fact I intend to keep the skillz too sorry I was lieing, the system needs them for the variety of chars that can be played

ACPA Combat Sense (Power Armor Trooper)(3):
This skill is a variety of Vehicle Zen. While in ACPA,
a PA trooper uses ACPA Sense as a modifier for
Awareness/Notice and Initiative rolls, as well as
using it like a normal REF skill for maneuvering and
moving in the armor. It also counts as Dodge &
Escape for PA troopers in their armor! Its practically
useless outside of ACPA; a PA trooper only gets 1/2
(round down) this skill to use as Combat Sense
when not in ACPA. Don't go thinking you're a solo.
Administrator Resources ([Government]
Administrator): Like Corps, the Administrator
special ability is Resources, only in this case, the
skill represents the resources made available to you
by the government for which you work. Even a small
country has access to materials and funds far
beyond most private groups. Admin resources is
also your ability to call in government help as long
as national interests are at stake. Abuse it and lose
it.
Aircraft Sense (Aerojock)(3): This is a variety of
Vehicle Zen. A pilot may use up to half his Aircraft
Sense (rounded down) as a skill modifier for aerial
maneuvers. The full skill level is added to
Awareness/Notice and Initiative rolls while in the
aircraft. It only counts as half (round down) when
making Awareness/Notice and Initiative rolls out of
aircraft.
Authority (Cops): The ability to intimidate or control
others through your position as a lawman. This
attribute represents the Cop's ability to call on the
forces of the Law and Government to get what he
wants. Cops can use Authority to question suspects,
arrest wrongdoers, and defend innocents. Backed
by the power of Authority, a cop can arrest, detain,
confiscate and enter nearly anywhere, as long as he
has the proper arrestor search warrants to back his
play. However, authority is only as good as the guy
holding the badge-if the cop appears uncertain of
his Authority, there's a good chance he'll get nailed
by the people he's trying to confront. The higher
your Authority, the more able you are to face down
criminals, particularly high level mobsters and
officials. Authority is applied to your Cool stat.
Barter (Ridgerunner): The Ridgerunner is an
enterprising individual, and as such, he can usually
turn up some Euro with whatever junk he stole,
stripped or found beneath the waves. The Barter
skill enables the Ridgerunner to know who to go to
for the best prices or trades, what's a hot commodity
and how to turn the trash he may be holding into
enough Euro to finance his next outing.
At Level +3, the Ridgerunner can haggle
well and knows some big players, though he has yet
to properly establish his own network. At Level +6
the Ridgerunner is good enough to know what's
worth taking or leaving behind just by looking at it;
he is well recognized and sought after to run
missions and has a list of contacts and sources to
use. At Level +9, the Ridgerunner can strip the
plastic insulation off a few wires and make enough
euro off of it to rebuild his ship's engines. At this
level he has at least one contact that he knows or
has heard of in every port around the world, and is
good enough to get into trade deals with them,
usually on the better side of the bargain.
Brotherhood (Space Pilot): The fraternity of space
pilots is a tightly knit fraternity of tough,
exceptionally skilled people. Space pilots can
always call upon another pilot buddy to help them
out, much as nomads can call upon members and
resources of the Family.
Chameleon (Spy): Chameleon is the special ability
of the spy. Chameleon gives the spy the ability to
assume two possible cover roles to an extent that
will confound almost all inspection. Chameleon is
more than the disguise skill in that it allows the spy
to emulate the special abilities of his cover roles at a
reduced level. The spy may pick two cover abilities
best suited to his theater of operations and mission
requirements. The level of the cover identity special
abilities is equal to the spy's Chameleon skill divided
by two for the primary cover and divided by three for
the secondary cover. Round up in both instances.
Example: A spy must assume the identity
of a netrunner, backup role of techie, and he has
Chameleon 7. The spy then has Interface 4 (7/2 =
3.5, rounded up to 4) and Jury Rig 3 (7/3 = 2.3,
rounded up to 3). This system limits the spy's
abilities in his cover role special abilities, but allows
him enough latitude to operate without detection for
long periods of time.
When a spy achieves Chameleon 10, he or
she may pick a third cover identity and role. Like the
second cover special ability, the third is at
Chameleon divided by three. When a third cover
role is gained, the spy should construct a history for
the cover.
While Chameleon is primarily used to
represent training in specific roles, it also means an
ability to blend into any situation or culture easily.
This is more than just a Disguise skill, use it with
Persuasion while trying to seem inconspicuous or
with Fast Talk to convince someone you belong in
that zone, on that vehicle, in that office, etc. It also
represents ability at assuming another persona
when acting as a mole with artificial behavior,
mannerisms and so on. Thus it acts like a Social or
Performance skill as well. Chipware can certainly
make this job easier, but can be exposed rather
easily. This special ability may be all that stands
between you and a firing squad.
Charismatic Leadership (Rockers): This skill
allows the Rocker to sway crowds equal to his level
squared times 200. This ability (added to your Cool
stat) allows the Rockerboy to control, incite and
charm large number of people through his or her
performance skills. When under the Rocker's
control, this group can easily be persuaded to act on
his suggestions; for example, a Rocker could
convince a concert crowd to riot in the streets or
attack a heavily fortified police line. Charismatic
Leadership will only work with groups of ten or more
people as it is primarily a mob leadership ability.
The higher your Charismatic Leadership, the larger
a crowd you can control and the more direct and
complex the instructions you can get them to follow.
For example, a Level +3 Leadership could incite a
nightclub crowd to get rowdy. A Level +5 or+6 could
provoke a concert crowd of thousands to trash a
neighborhood, if the area wasn't too far from the
hall. At Level +9, and higher, you have the same
sort of mesmeric ability as an Adolph Hitler-you can
raise armies, start movements, and destroy nations.
Charismatic Leadership (Shaman): The Shaman
is a Rocker variant. They use charismatic
leadership, but only at half power normally. In
religious situations (festival, ceremony, oracle,
channeling, etc) they display their full ability. In
these situations, their skills are boosted by the level
of their charismatic leadership.
Combat Sense (Solos): This ability is based on the
Solo's constant training and professionalism.
Combat Sense allows the Solo to perceive danger,
notice traps, and have an almost unearthly ability to
avoid harm. Your Combat Sense gives you a bonus
on both your Awareness skill and your Initiative
equal to your level in the Combat Sense skill.
Combat Sense Specialization (Military
Specialists): All combat senses are equal; some
are just more equal than others. A combat pilot has
a wonderful grasp of 3-D maneuvering and tactics; a
power armor pilot has lightning reflexes and the
ability to read his suit's sensor data, interpret and
integrate it in a combat situation without effort; a
tank crewman can maneuver, identify and select
valid targets, lay the gun, and fire on the move
without thinking about it; an astronaut EVAT is more
like a pilot than a grunt. Take any grunt and drop
him in one of those positions - while he might have
the training to handle routine operations, he's
nowhere near the equal of a specialist. Likewise,
take a specialist and slap him into a different
speciality, or the firefights grunts excel at, and he
lags. After all, how many "Top Guns" are good pilots
and ground soldiers? This variant on the normal
combat sense makes the special ability much more
deadly than normal, but also puts restrictions on
specializations.
This specialization is illustrated by the
Special Abilities of Vehicle Zen and Aircraft Sense.
Any further combat sense specializations will work
in the same fashion as those two examples.
Con (Con Men): The ability to separate a fool from
his money, convince a mark to buy the drinks for
hours, or goad someone into buying worthless
trinkets. Con can be countered by Streetwise, since
the more familiarity one has with the Streets, the
more likely one is to recognize a scam when he
sees one. For this reason, grifters prefer to choose
out-of-towners (bennies) as their marks because a
smooth operator (a gato) has a good chance of
smelling a sting and turning on the hustler. Con
Men, more than any other type of street operator,
use a lot of slang. Another aspect of Con is that it is
more than just a Persuasion/Lie skill. It is used to
create a real-time illusion that draws the mark in,
and if successful, should end with the mark thanking
the con man for taking his money. This special
ability is used only for the actual execution of the
sting, the planning of profitable scams that will
actually work is up to the character's player. COOL
based.
Counsel (Nomad Shamans): Counsel is the ability
to argue, speak, and influence that is similar to a
rocker's ability. Counsel may be viewed as a cross
between Credibility and Charismatic Leadership,
especially because a shaman's Counsel is only as
good as his reputation. A shaman who fails the
greater goals of the pack, tribe or nation they serve
loses the ability to lead. Outside the nomad culture,
this ability applies at half level, reflecting society's
general distrust of nomads. Counsel also
incorporates the abilities of Kith.
Credibility (Medias): This is the ability to be
believed: by your viewers, by the police, by
important and powerful people. This is critical to
getting your story heard and acted upon, as well as
convincing people to tell you things, give you
information, or get you into where the story is really
happening. The higher your Credibility, the more
people you can convince, and the easier it is to
convince high level authorities of the truth of your
information. With a level +3 Credibility, you can
convince most people of minor scandals. With a
level +5 or +6, you can convince local officials of
military atrocities, undercover dealings and other
front page stuff. At level +9, you can successfully
expose a scandal of Watergate proportions, or
convince the President of the EuroMarket Finance
Board that aliens are secretly influencing world
leaders. Credibility applies to your INT stat.
Family (Nomad, Workganger): This is the ability to
call upon the resources and help of any of the
members of the Nomad's large, extended tribal
family. This can be in the form of weapons, cash,
information, or a small army of relatives. The threat
of a Nomad family's vengeance may in itself stop
harm to the Nomad. The higher your Family ability,
the more important you are to the Family and the
more help you can call upon. With a Family status of
+2, you might be able to get several of the Pack to
help you wreck a town, for example. With a status of
+7 or +8, you are able to make major Pack
decisions and lead troops. At +10, you may be the
Leader of your Pack. Family is applied to your
Intelligence stat. The nomad can call upon up to his
Family x 2 in pack members for assistance at any
one time.
Fix Rate (Cabbie): This skill has to do with fixing
the rate, done by taking the longest possible
unobviously long route in order to raise the distance
traveled, resulting in a higher final trip fee. The
referee needs to decide how difficult the task will be,
depending upon both the cabbie's skill, as well as
the passenger's intelligence and familiarity with the
area. Applies to INT.
Gang Rank (Streetpunk): This ability is like Family
for Nomads, indicating the punk's level of authority,
resources, respect, and experience with the gang. It
can also be used as a sort of Expert skill in regards
to gang politics, trivia, colors, culture, and areas of
operations. It can also be used to call up help rather
like a Nomad, access gang resources kind of like a
Corporate, works deals like a low level Fixer, and
Intimidate in the streets, rather like a Cop.
Interface (Netrunner): This skill reflects the
Netrunner's ability to manipulate Interface programs,
and is the Skill used when operating Menu functions
such as Locate Remote, Run Software, Control
Remote, Downlink, Load, Create and Delete. Other
players can enter the Net, but cannot use the Menu.
Interface is based on the I NT Stat. Note for
Cyberpunk I players- you may elect to swap your
original INT and REF stats for characters generated
with the old rule.
Jury Rig (Techle): This general repair skill allows
the Techie to temporarily repair or alter anything for
1 D6 turns per level of skill. This is not a permanent
repair; after the elapsed time, the jury rig will break
down.
Kith (Nomads): This is to Family what Streetwise is
to Streetdeal. Many members of a Nomad Pack
have special abilities other than Family, though they
are Nomad subroles. For them, Kith is available.
Kith substitutes to help one do the same things that
Family can, though it is one level of difficulty more
difficult to accomplish with Kith.COOL based. Kith is
not a stand-alone Special Ability for nomads, but is
wrapped up as part of the function of alternative
Nomad special abilities like Warpath, Counsel, or
Reconnaissance. Non-Nomads can pick it up as a
pickup skill.
Lucky Sense (Gambler): Like Combat Sense, the
special ability of Solos, Lucky Sense is used as a
modifier to increase some skills in certain situations.
Lucky Sense is always added to Gamble OR
Sleight-of-hand. (This depends on the way the
Character 'plays'. If he plays by the rules, its added
to the gamble skill. If he wins by cheating, the Lucky
Sense is added to Sleight-of-hand). In gambling (of
both kinds) situations it is added to Awareness and
Human Perception, too. Clever players would define
'gambling situations' not only as classic poker
games but also every situation in which the
character tries to bluff somebody else to do
something or to make somebody to raise his stake
in a 'game'.
Medical Tech (Medtech): This is the skill used to
perform major surgery and medical repairs. For
more descriptions of this skill in action, see Trauma
Team, pg. 106.
RapidTrans (Courier): This is the ((INT+COOL)/2)
based courier special ability to get anywhere in no
time at all. With RapidTrans a courier can find
shortcuts to his destination (dif 10), amazing
shortcuts (dif 20), back doors in or out of a building
(dif 15) as well as secret access routes (dif 25). All
rolls are at +5 dif in another city except for back
doors as courier is familiar with general building
design.
Reasoning (Lawyers): This is the application of
legal knowledge before the bench. With reasoning,
the lawyer attempts to prove his theory by logic.
This theory may have no bearing on the guilt or
innocence of the defendant. The skill can be used
as an opposing skill check between two lawyers
with the judge acting as referee. It can also be used
in conjunction with Persuade and Notice in order to
influence judges and spot flaws in the opponent's
case.
Recognition (Bounty Hunter): This specialty skill
is almost equivalent to Authority used by Cops. This
skill indicates how well known the character is and
the level of cooperation afforded when he/she
comes to visit a complex. Because Bounty Hunters
are regarded as a necessity in hunting down perps
and because the installations may have need to hire
them, Bounty Hunters are sometimes given a wide
berth when they come to visit. Recognition is almost
a mark of their 'fame'.
At Level +3, the Bounty Hunter is
beginning to make a name for himself. Contracts at
this level are few and usually dealt with one at a
time. At +6, the character has multiple contracts to
fufill and is usually welcomed in several facilities
due to work and reputation. He has become one of
the established hunters. At Level +9, the character
is listed as one of the top 10 Bounty Hunters on all
the Corp lists - the player better have a damn good
reason for having his skill at this level.
This skill can also work as a curse. With
Recognition, people may challenge the hunter to
build up their own rep, members of private Security
forces may not like his presence in their territory, or
the perp he's hunting happens to work for the facility
that has eagerly welcomed him for a "special
dinner".
Reconnaissance (Nomad Outriders and Nomad
Pathfinders): Along with providing the Kith
function, it also represents the ability to notice
danger and the ability to avoid it once it is found.
Reconnaissance adds its level to Awareness and
Hide/Evade in situations when the nomad is
sneaking around and reconnoitering. Standing in a
bar doesn't apply, but watching an enemy
encampment from a wooded hilltop does. Engaging
an enemy in combat doesn't apply, but fleeing from
them will.
Research (Private Investigator): This is the
amount of information resources the private
investigator has access to, and his or her ability to
use it. Be it snitches, friends, or computer files, the
higher the level, the more the PI has at his
fingertips. Add research to streetwise or library
search skill checks in investigative situations.
Resources (Corporate): This represents the
Corporate's ability to command corporation
resources. It is used as a persuasion skill, based on
the scale of resources requested. This could include
bodyguards, weapons, vehicles, buildings, money,
etc. Obviously, the more powerful the Corporate, the
more he can call upon at anyone time. Your level of
Resources determines exactly how much you can
request from the Corporation without overreaching
yourself. A Resource ability of +2 might get you
access to a Company car. An ability of +6 might
allow you to use a Company jet or hire a Solo team
from the Corporate Security Division. A Resource of
+9 would allow you access to almost all levels of the
Corporation, as well as the ability to requisition
almost any Company resource. Your Resource
ability is applied to your INT stat.
Salvage (Salver): This encompasses the ability to
spot a piece of valuable space-junk in the first place
and to know how to harness it without crippling your
own craft. It also functions as the Techie's ability of
Jury Rig at half level.
Scrounge (Scavengers): This skill represents the
knowledge of where to find salvageable materials.
The higher the scrounge, the easier it is to locate
unusual and valuable parts. At +2, you can locate
such common junk as hubcaps, sheet metal, shell
casings, and recyclable garbage. At +5, you can
turn up old computer parts, scrapped appliances,
and other handy stuff. At +9, you can find cyberware
components, half full containers of chemicals, and
used military equipment. The trick with this skill is
that it only gives you knowledge of where to find
these things; it doesn't tell you how you can get your
grubby mitts on them. INT-based.
Sneak (Prowler): This acts as a counter-balance to
the solo's Combat Sense. Since solos have their
combat sense added to their awareness skills, it
seems nearly impossible to escape a solo's notice.
Prowlers live to confound the observant, including
solos, since their special ability adds to their Stealth
and Hide/Evade. This reflects the Prowler's talent
for moving silently, blending into the shadows, and
generally avoiding the notice of security personnel.
Space Combat (Space Marine): This skill is added
to both Zero Gee Combat and Zero Gee Maneuver
when involved in space-based combats and reflects
the highly specialized training these individuals have
undergone to become adept at combat in space.
Spy Craft (Spook): This special ability represents
the spook's skill at trashing (gaining information on a
person by going through their garbage), bugging
(planting bugs, tracers, phone taps, cameras, etc),
surveillance work (observing a person without their
knowledge), and technical knowledge of spy gear,
including micro-cameras, bugs, and such
equipment.
Street Tactics (IPC): This skill covers the
knowledge and use of ambushes, SWAT tactics,
gang warfare, urban combat, etc. Use like Combat
Sense, but only in an urban environment.
Streetdeal (Fixer): This is the ability to deal with the
underground information network. With Streetdeal, a
Fixer can uncover rumors and information, locate
missing persons or things, put gossip out on the
street, pickup clues and score big deals. The higher
your Streetdeal ability, the more information you can
gather about things happening around you, the
more informants you have, and the more secretive
the information you can dig up. A level +3 Streetdeal
can get you contacts for weapons, tools, or minor
illegal operations. At level +5, you can penetrate the
secrets of all but the most powerful crime families.
At level +9, you are the equivalent of a Mafia
crimelord yourself, privy to every secret that's on the
Street. Apply Streetdeal to your Cool stat.
Tactics (Military Grunt, Military Officer) (2): This
skill is the special ability of most military career
characters, and is the ability to coordinate and take
part in group actions to form functional cover fire,
spotting, evasion and coordinating fire zones,
entrapment maneuvers, etc. In game terms, a group
that has some means of communication can pool all
their (Tactics-2) levels together, and characters can
take points out of this pool as bonuses on their rolls
for this turn (a maximum of their tactics level +2 can
be used from the pool each turn, and the character
must have tactics at +2 or better to access the pool
at all) until the pool is empty. The pool refills at the
beginning of each combat round. Once this skill
reaches level 6 or higher, it also functions as a
reduced version of Authority, usually at half level
(when the character is in uniform), but at full level in
appropriate emergency situations (military-aided
relief efforts, war zones, etc). INT based.
Thief (Convict): The ability to plan crimes, steal,
and filch things from plain sight from other inmates,
guards, and workstations. Also covers the
manufacture of jailhouse weapons like shivs,
shanks, and zip guns. After all, you don't go to
prison to become rehabilitated. You go to prison to
become a better criminal.
Theft (Robber): This special ability is a sort of "jack
of all trades" for criminal activity, covering
everything from breaking & entering to mugging, to
hotwiring a car, to fencing stolen goods. Most of the
time, there is a specific skill that covers some
aspect of criminal activity. In those instances, this
special ability at half level can substitute in place of
the appropriate skill if the robber doesn't have the
right skill. If the robber does have the skill, this
special ability acts as a bonus at its full level. For
some things, like muggings, car thefts, car jackings,
etc, then this skill operates as a default skill
covering those activities.
Titillate (Tabloid Journalist): This is the skill of
finding the unusual in the normally mundane stories
of human existence. The ability to dress up the
mundane and ordinary. This skill is also used in
getting attention for your stories. People like your
stories not because they are news or credible, but
because they are sensational, fantastic or basically
unbelievable. This is a kind of "incredibility". Think
Geraldo. Or better yet, Jerry Springer.
Trashing (Cipherpunk Trasher): This is the ability
to gain information on someone by going through
their garbage. Subtle things can be found, such as
favourite brand names, or friend's names and
numbers, or even just old post-it's with your actual
password on it. It also involves surveillance
techniques and general spy-craft.
Trace (Reaper): The reaper's ability to find people
or the merchandise they are after. Unlike streetdeal
or streetwise, it deals with finding a specific person
or item as quietly and quickly as possible, using
both human and computer information.
Generally, the difficulty of finding
"merchandise" is of only average difficulty, but when
dealing with particularly crafty opponents, the
difficulty can reach near impossible. Checks are
made daily.
Vamp (Dancer/Prostitute): Much like Con, this
special ability represents the skill at extracting as
much money from a customer as possible. With
prostitutes, it is the ability to entice a customer to
pay for a room, then pay for sex.For strippers and
dancers, it is the ability to get club patrons to buy
drinks, food and gifts in return for a little friendly
company.
Vehicle Zen (Runner/Panzerboy): The runner
special ability is Vehicle Zen, that certain intangible
synergy that allows some individuals to manipulate
a vehicle in ways that defy belief. Add vehicle zen to
any vehicular skill when tough maneuvering is
necessary.
Vehicle Zen (Panzerjock) (3): Professional vehicle
drivers can achieve a state of altered consciousness
while driving; it's long been known that racers
experience a significant rise in visual response and
a spooky drop in reaction times. Driving the vehicle
becomes instinctual.
Vehicle Zen is a special skill that allows
bonuses to vehicular activity. There are variants
(see below), but the basic advantages are
enhanced control of ground vehicles and hovercraft
(or aircraft or powered armors, as per variant) - the
driver may add half his Vehicle Zen skill, rounded
down, to rolls for maneuvers and handling-and the
addition of full Vehicle Zen skill to Awareness/Notice
and Initiative rolls while in ground
vehicles/hovercraft. When not driving said craft, a
panzerboy is out of his element; Vehicle Zen only
adds half skill level to Awareness/Notice and
initiative rolls in this circumstance.
Warpath (Nomad Warriors): This is a sort of
combat sense based on the Nomad philosophy of
combat, which focuses typically on either long range
weapons or up front, in your face knuckle-dusting
brawls. If you ever see a Nomad spraying the camp
with an SMG during a battle, you're just as likely to
see members of his own pack shoot him down dead
right where he stands. Nomads dislike automatic
weapons due to the insecurity of their camps. When
an enemy eventually sneaks in amongst their tents,
a hand gun or bolt action rifle or carbine provides far
more safety for the children running around in terror.
Warpath adds to Initiative and Awareness,
just like Combat Sense for Solos. However, it's full
level is added only against other Nomads. When
facing others, Only half its level is added in, kind of
like an ACPA Trooper's Power Armor Sense or
ACPA Sense.
Workgang (Workganger): Much like pilots and
nomads, workgangers can call upon the aid of their
particular workgang. When you consider the fact
that this could be as many as two hundred plus
people, this skill carries a lot of weight
Attractiveness Skills
Personal Grooming: This is the skill of knowing
proper grooming, hair styling, etc., to maximize your
physical attractiveness. Use of this skill allows
players to increase their Attractiveness, and thus
their chances of successful Relationships or
Persuasions. A basically good looking person would
be at +2. A fashion model might have a Personal
Grooming of +5 or +6. At +8 or better, you could be
a major fashion model, film star, or trendsetter. You
are always "together". And you know it.
Entrance: This is the ability to captivate an
audience with ones appearance, through dance,
seduction, or simple allure; this is the characters
sensual quality, a sort of specialized ability to
combine Personal Grooming, Wardrobe & Style,
Perfom, and Charismatic Leadership into a single
mesmerizing skill.
Wardrobe & Style: The skill of knowing the right
clothes to wear, when to wear them, and how to
look cool even in a spacesuit. With a Wardrobe of
+2 or better, you are good at choosing clothes off
the rack. At +6, your friends ask you for wardrobe
tips, and you never buy anything off the rack. At +8
or better, you are one of those rare people whose
personal style influences major fashion trends.
Luck Skills
Fortune: The fortune skill is used whenever
LUCK is spent on a skill roll; roll the Fortune skill
using the characters current LUCK vs. target
number (20 + 5 per point of LUCK spent above
the first); if the skill roll succeeds, a bonus point
of LUCK is thrown into the roll. eg. if a character
with a LUCK of 6 spends 3 points on a LUCK roll,
he can roll his Fortune skill plus his current LUCK
of 3 vs. a target number of 30, and if he succeeds
he will make his roll with the benefit of 4 points of
LUCK, not 3.
Body Type Skills
Climbing: There are generally two types of
climbing; trees and walls and stuff use the Athletics
skill, while mountains, buildings and bridges use this
skill… a good thing to remember. This skill includes
climbing walls, rope climbing, rappelling, and using
climbing gear. Modifiers are cumulative: -3 for slick
or wet surfaces, -3 for very sheer surfaces, -3 trying
to climb in a place that would need climbing gear
without it, +3 for lots of handholds or knots in the
rope, and +3 for being helped up by somebody. You
don't have to have this skill to try climbing a wall; it
just makes it easier.
Controlled Hyperventilation: If the GM wishes,
this could be used as an expansion on the
Endurance skill. With this skill, the diver can
maximize the air he can maintain in his lungs and
increase the amount of time he stays under without
outside help by making the most out of 'Controlled
Hyperventilation'. Members of the Navy SEALs and
pearl divers would be examples of people who
would have this skill. At +2, the diver can remain I
minute extra. At +5 it increases to 2 minutes, at +8
it increases by 3 minutes while at +10 it increases
by four minutes. These extra minutes are added to
the 'No Activity' category of breathing based on
Body Types, and will suffer the same penalties of
greater air consumption during activity.
In order to use this skill, it requires a minimum of 1
minute of controlled breathing before attempting the
dive. Every attempt made after that will require an
additional minute per previous dive using this skill
(i.e. Mike has already used this skill twice, and
wishes to use it a third consecutive time; means that
he will need the base 1 minute preparation as as an
additional 2 minutes for the previous dives).
Endurance: This is the ability to withstand pain or
hardship, particularly over long periods of time, by
knowing the best ways to conserve strength and
energy. Endurance Skill checks would be made
whenever a character must continue to be active
after a long period without food, sleep or water.
Labour: Select a type of labour, from road works to
mining to dockyard lifting or whatever; this is a
profession skill used to carry out one's job.
Pilot: Rowing: How to pull the oars, steer, and
basically push a craft through water using paddles
of some kind (including hands).
Strength Feat: The user of this skill has practiced
the art of bending bars, crushing objects, Hoping
phone books apart and other useful parlor tricks. At
+2 you can crush cans, rip thin books in half, and
bend thin rods. At +8, no phonebook is safe, you
can bend thin rebar, and snap handcuffs. At +10,
you can bend prison bars, rip up the Gutenberg
Bible, and dent car fenders with one blow.
Swimming: This skill is required to know how to
swim (see Athletics for details).
Cool/Willpower Skills
Berserker (2): This is a special ability that is taken
by some rare members of various booster gangs
and some nomad warriors. It is the raw ability to go
unhinged in combat, ignoring damage and fear and
rushing in for the kill. To go berserk requires a roll
HIGHER than (COOL +2 - Berserk) which can be
made every round in combat, or even when insulted
or highly irritated. Characters who are berserk gain
half their berserker level on all stun saves, and one
third on all death saves. They also gain +2 to hit and
damage in hand-to-hand combat. Berserkers must
make an average (15+) awareness check to notice
when the fight is over or they may well turn on their
friends or nearby innocents (something which is
encouraged by many gangs).
Cadre Tactics (2): This is small group tactics and
maneuvering. This skill is taken by small groups
who have practiced working together; Special
Forces units, military units, team sports players,
gang members, IPC units, and solo extraction
teams are examples of such groups.
The basic skill of +2 offers rudimentary
group tactic skills but for any group you join you
must acquire specific training with that group. This
means that you start at +2 when you begin working
with a new group. It is possible to have this skill
more than once, indicating different techniques
between different groups. It can be used for groups
as small as two or as large as ten. The cadre skill is
added to any attack or maneuver that is part of a
group effort. Having two football players hitting the
same opponent high and low simultaneously is an
example of cadre tactics.
Example: A boostergang known as the
Rats works a section of the city called the Warrens.
In the Warrens, they have mapped out the secret
passages and underground connections that allow
them to take advantage of this in a combat situation.
Whenever an opponent faces them on these home
grounds, the Rats will get their cadre bonus added
to their attacks because they know the area and the
best places to attack and defend from. This makes it
possible for a group of lesser skilled opponents to
defeat their superiors under the proper
circumstances.
It is unlikely that any group but the longest
lived or most heavily trained will have cadre at
levels higher than +6.
Carousing: The ability to have a good time at a
party or other social occasion, and to make sure
others around you also have a good time. This
normally involves a mixture of eating, drinking and
good cheer. It can also be used to determine how
entertaining and popular the character is at a party
or event.
Interrogation: The skill of drawing information from
a subject and forcing his secrets into the open. An
Interrogation of +2 or better will allow you to infallibly
find out if your boyfriend is lying to you. At +5, you
area professional level interrogator equivalent to a
skilled detective grilling a suspect. Mike Wallace of
60 Minutes has an Interrogation of +9, allowing him
to make even the most powerful people squirm.
Intimidate: The skill of getting people to do what
you want by force of personality or physical
coercion. At +3, you can frighten almost any typical
citizen, politician or low-level thug. At +6, you can
intimidate Sylvester Stallone or any moderate
"tough guy". At +9, you could intimidate Arnold
Schwartzenegger.
Meditation: The skill of relaxation and clearing the
mind. This skill is essential in keeping one's mind
free from distractions, and successful use gives its
level as a bonus to defending against telepathic
powers and half its level as a bonus against psychic
power use.
Oratory: The skill of public speaking. At +2, you can
wing high school speech contests. At +6, you can
be paid to speak in public. At +10, you are capable
of delivering a speech to rival Kennedy's "Ich Bin
Ein Berliner" or Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
Rockers with an Oratory Skill of +6 or better can add
+1 when using their Charismatic Leadership ability.
Resist Torture/Drugs: Characters with this skill are
especially toughened against interrogation, torture
and mind control drugs. A successful use of this skill
will automatically increase the difficulty of any
interrogation attempt made by another party by one
level.
Rhetoric: Speaking in circles without revealing
anything, at the same time keeping listeners
convinced of hearing what they want; good for
distractions, good for conmen, good for resisting
interviews and interrogation; quite a skill to master.
This is how to take one sentence and expand it to
five minutes of monologue with no increase of
meaning. It is the essence of bueacracy. The
Chinese are considered true master of it. At +2, you
can confuse a worried student. At +6, you can baffle
an angry mob. At +10, you can run for President on
"the issues" and win.
Streetwise: The knowledge of the "seamy" side of
life - where to get illegal and contraband things, how
to talk to the criminal element, and avoid bad
situations in bad neighborhoods. With a Streetwise
of +2 or better, you can get "hot" items, score drugs,
etc. A Streetwise of +5 would allow you to arrange a
murder contract, know a few mobsters who might
owe you favors, and be able to call on muscle when
you need it. At +8 or better, you could become a
major crimelord yourself and skip the middleman.
Empathy Skills
Animal Care: Animal empathy and care, usually
only on the domestic front (horses, dogs etc.); the
skill of calming them and understanding their needs.
Animal Handling: The individual with this skill is
experienced in dealing with and controlling animals.
He or she can direct and train animals in guard or
hunting duties and can control and ride beasts of
burden and riding animals. All skill difficulties are
reduced by the animal's intelligence.
· to make a trained animal follow a simple
command (10)
· to ride a trained animal at a gallop (15)
· to shepherd a flock of sheep (12)
· to train a hunting/guard animal (20)
· to break a wild horse (25)
Human Perception: The skill of detecting lies,
evasions, moods and other emotional clues from
others. At +2, you can usually tell when you're not
getting the whole truth. At +6, you can detect subtle
evasions and mood swings. At +8, you can not only
detect subtle emotional clues, but can usually tell
what the subject is hiding in a general way.
Interview: The skill of eliciting interesting
annecdotes from an interview subject. This
information will be of a more nonspecific and
personal nature rather than specific knowledge
(distinguishing this skill from the skill of
Interrogation, where the user is trying to extract
exact information. Example: Barbara Walters
interviews, Mike Wallace interrogates). At +3 or
better, the subject will usually tell you only
information relating to what he/she is well known for.
At+6 or better, the subject will tell you anecdotes
about the past, pontificate about favorite interests
and philosophies, etc. At +9 or better, he/she tells
you everything-4ncluding personal information
about their illegitimate son, the time they stole a
cookie at age4, and the fact that no one ever loved
them.
Jester/Comedian: being funny, witty and most of
all spontaneous and appropriate to the audience.
Leadership: The skill of leading and convincing
people to follow you. A leader with a skill of +2 can
manage a small office successfully and be
respected for it. A leader with a skill of +4 or better
can lead a small band of troops into battle and not
get backshot. A leader with a skill of +7 or better can
lead the entire Gamelon Empire into battle and look
good doing it. James Kirk of Star Trek has a
Leadership of +11, but you never will.
Meditation: Chilling out and calming the nerves in
the face of stress and inner turmoil; a surprisingly
common new age skill in the techno future.
Persuasion & Fast Talk: The ability to talk others
into doing what you want. This may be used
individually or on large groups. At +3, you can win
most debates or convince your girlfriend that the
blonde you were with was your sister. At +5, you are
a smooth talker of professional caliber. Ronald
Reagan has a Persuasion of +7. Hitler had a
Persuasion of +9.
Perform: The skill of trained acting, singing, etc. A
trained performer of +4 or greater can successfully
sing for payment at weddings or small clubs.
Performers +6 or greater will be considered to be of
professional caliber, and may have lucrative
contracts and fans. Performers of +9 or greater are
of "star" caliber, have a large number of fans, and
may be recognized on the street. Like Expert or
other similar skills, one field should be selected.
After all, you may be able to sing, but you might not
be able to dance or act.
Seduction: The skill of forming and maintaining
romantic relationships (this includes your abilities as
a ]over). This skill may be used to determine
whether or not players can form relationships with
other n6n-player characters and the intensity of
these relationships. In certain cases, Referees may
want to average this skill with a player's
Attractiveness to get a more realistic outcome.
Simper: Fuad can stop you dead in your tracks and
make you listen to the most inane stories for
minutes at a time. Then you feel sorry for him. Why?
Because he can Simper. This allows a character to
elicit sympathy with stories, postures or just plain
pathos. In game play it may be used to woo others
to your point of view, similar to Oratory, but with a
focus on pity and manipulation. Also good for NPCs.
Good examples of this skill are Alan Rickman's
main villain from the original Die Hard when he
posed as a Texan, or the redneck mercenary in
Drive.
Social: The ability to deal with social situations, like
knowing the right fork to use or when not to tell the
joke about the farmer's daughter and the travelling
cyberware salesman. A Social Skill of +2 or better
will allow you to get by at any fine restaurant or
social function. At +S, you can lunch With the
President with aplomb. No social situation will faze
you, no matter what At +8 or above, you can lecture
Emily Post on what's proper.
Tale Telling: Making up and/or retelling a story
while keeping an audience interested; people with
this skill are known for their ability to 'tell a story' at
parties and so forth, and often tell a good choke or
anecdote.
Trance (3): This is a meditation skill. By extreme
concentration, the Shaman can come up with a
convincing answer for a question. Usually it is the
answer that the questioner (including the Shaman
himself) wants to hear. This skill can be thought of
as a sort of specialized version of Human
Perception.
This skill is not meant to represent magic
or supernatural intervention. Instead, it is based on
the theory of reaching a state of higher
consciousness, based on psychology, ritualism, and
altered states of awareness induced by various rites
or drug use.
Vamp/Con: This is the user's ability to separate a
fool from his money. The girls in the bars in the
Budayeen use their charms to wile marks into
buying them drinks for hours. Street hustlers make
tourists spend kiam on items they wouldn't want as
gifts. That's what this skill is all about. Can be
countered by Streetwise.
Movement Allowance Skills
Running: This allows better running endurance
over a long period of time, like foot chases
through the streets and sprinting. The skill grants
the ability to run at maximum pace without tiring
for 2 minutes times the skill level without tiring. It
also provides a bonus to MA for a number of
combat rounds equal to the skill level (sprinting).
The bonus would be based on 1/4 skill, so 1-
4=+1, 5-8=+2, 9-10+=3. This is a good skill for
gangers, both for running from the cops and for
running down prey.
Psyche Skills
Psychic: The skill of psychic power use. Applies
toward the learning of any psychic power
available to the character.
Intelligence Skills
Accounting: The ability to balance books (or create
false books), juggle numbers, create budgets and
handle day to day business operations.
Ambush: The Ambush skill is utilized for both
detecting as well as performing ambushes.
Effectively a specialized form of Tactics, Ambush
allows the player to evaluate the area as a potential
ambush site. In selecting an ambush location, the
Ambush skill is rolled. The result, plus/minus any
applicable cover modifiers or other GM modifiers
(good idea/role playing, bad idea/role playing, etc) is
the threshold for any Notice checks to detect the
ambush. Additionally, this knowledge can be
reversed, allowing the PC to determine if an
ambush is likely to occur. If a character succeeds in
an Ambush check (threshold is GMs discretion, 20
is typical), they would be allowed a chance to avoid
the ambush by running for cover, negating the
attacker's ambush bonuses.
Anthropology: The knowledge of human cultures,
habits and customs. Unlike Streetwise (which
covers only the cultures and customs of the Street),
or Social(which covers only what you should do in a
given situation), Anthropology covers general
customs and background of a culture. For example,
with Streetwise, you know what alleys to avoid and
what gangs are dangerous. With Social, you know
the proper forms of address for a high ranking
zaibatsu head. With Anthropology, you know that
the customs of a N'Tanga tribesman require that a
young man kill a lion in order to be accepted as an
adult male.
Appraise: This skill allows one to judge the value
and authenticity of gems, jewels, art, sculpture,
furniture, even architecture, by looking closely and
inspecting it. A successful roll will also tell the
appraisera general history of the object being
studied, like where it was made and by whom, and
the rarity of the object. The difficulty of the roll
depends upon the relative obscurity of the object
and how well the appraiser gets to inspect it.
Area Knowledge: In a world this messed up,
knowing what's going on anywhere is a valuable
skill. With this skill you have the low-down on a
given area no bigger than a small nation or large
city or citystate. You'll know the politics and recent
history well enough to recognize things that the
average person is blind to. At +2, you have a basic
background on the area. At +4, you have a fairly
deep knowledge of the people and the history. At
+7, you have studied or lived in the area and know it
intimately. Patterns or disturbances in the area
become apparent quickly. At +9, you are so tuned
into the pulse of the place that any change is
immediately noticeable. That's the kind of thing that
can keep you alive, effendi.
Artillery Operation: Replaces any previous entry
in Cyberpunk material that suggests one uses the
Heavy Weapons skill; Artillery Operation covers all
indirect fire 'big guns' and support weapons, and
covers both the radio procedures, tactics and
mathematics involved in firing the suckers.
Astrogation (2): Navigation through space in three
dimensions, covers the art of mapping courses,
calculating distance, fuel needs and time when
plotting courses for space flights.
Astrology: The knowledge of astrology and how to
generate an astrological chart.
Awareness/Notice: This is the equivalent of a
"trained observer" skill, allowing characters to notice
or be aware of clues, shadowers and other events.
With an Awareness of +2 you will usually spot small
pieces of paper with notes on them, doors left ajar,
and obvious expressions lying or dislike. An
Awareness of +5 or better you to spot fairly well
hidden clues, notice small changes in expression,
and sophisticated attempts to "shadow" you. With
an Awareness of +8 or greater, you routinely
perform the sorts of deductive reasoning seen in the
average TV cop show("The murderer was left
handed because this knife has a specialized
handle"). Sherlock Holmes has a +10 Awareness.
Players without this skill may only use their
Intelligence Stat.
Biogenetics (2): The science of gene manipulation,
therapy and engineering; a biological science that
deals with identifying and working with DNA.
Biology: General knowledge of animals, plants, and
other biological systems. At level +3,you know most
types of common animals and plants. At +6, you
have a general understanding of genetics, cellular
biology, etc. At +10, you can perform bio-lab
procedures, including gene mapping and splicing.
Botany: The general knowledge of plants and plant
identification. At level +3, you know most common
plants and can identify which ones are dangerous
and why. At +6, you can identify most important
plants found worldwide and have a working
knowledge of their uses. At +8, you have the
equivalent of a doctorate in Botany and know all
about rare poisons, exotic orchids and other useful
plants.
Bureaucracy: Modern government makes a
tradition out of red tape. This skill lets you maneuver
through it as painlessly as possible. At +3, you know
how to jink minor clerks. At +5, you can sweet talk
councilmen and some judges. At +7, you can slice
through the worst red tape and bureaucracy and
even senators may give you an ear. A necessary
skill in an age of petty governments and petty
people.
Business Sense: A general eye for competitors,
markets and movements within the business world,
and how to survive in the cut-throat corporate
environment; those without this skill will find
themselves outmoded, outmaneuvered and second
guessed by those who have it.
Chemistry: The required skill for mixing chemicals
and creating various compounds. A level +2
Chemistry is equal to high school chemistry. A level
+4 is equal to a trained pharmacist or college level
chemist. A +8 is a trained laboratory chemist.
Combat Engineering: The individual with this skill
has had a degree of practical training in combat
engineering. This involves the rapid construction of
field fortifications, fortification camouflage, and the
assessment of a fortification's ability to withstand
enemy fire or explosives. Combat engineering also
involves mine placement and clearance and
placement of untended ground sensors and
defensive arrays. Combat Engineering does NOT
include the use and placement of explosives (as
covered by Demolitions) but can be used instead of
demolitions to determine the optimal placement of
explosive devices to collapse a structure at one
difficulty level easier.
Composition: The required skill for writing songs,
articles, or stories. A Composing Skill of +4 or
greater gives your character the ability to produce
salable work. A Skill of +8 or more produces work of
such a high caliber that the creator may have a
strong literary following and not a little critical
acclaim.
Corporate Policy: Knowledge of how the
corporations operate and their various codes of
conduct, as well as who is in bed with who or which
company seeks the destruction of another; when
corporations divide the world with their own cultures,
this is a very important skill for the businessman
who does not wish to offend anyone or make any
marketing blunders.
Culture: By Nationality/People; select an area for
this skill, eg. American Tribal, American Street,
African Tribal, Japanese Street, Traditional Chinese
etc., any area where there is a cultural level to be
accepted on; this skill enables a character to blend,
socially, with those of an otherwise foreign or
perhaps hostile alternate culture.
Cryptography: The skill of code making and
breaking, the higher the skill the more codes the
character is familiar with (this does not include
breaking key-codes on doors or passwords on
computer systems, rather it deals with hidden
messages and coded transmissions).
Diagnose Illness: The skill of clinically diagnosing
symptoms and medical problems. A +3 is the
equivalent of a high school nurse-you can recognize
most common injuries and complaints. At +6, you
would be equivalent to a trained intern; you can
recognize many uncommon illnesses and know how
to treat most common ones. A +9 is the equivalent
of a skilled Diagnostician; other physicians com to
you to get a diagnosis.
ECM: Electronic Countermeasure is the ability to
recognize vehicles, machines and devices by their
electromagnetic signature. Recognizing the
signature is done by using a magnetic field detector
or a portable HF jammer. More elaborate devices
are found in the hands of the military.
This is also the skill of interrupting,
disrupting, or foiling the gathering of
electromagnetic information. In English, the skill is
used to break radar lock-ons from missiles or other
types of targeting weapons. ECM techs know the
best ways to defeat electronic spying and
information gathering. This skill was primarily used
by the military but since radar and other sensing
equipment has grown more compact, it is now
easier to use it on a more personal basis. This
entails the use of smoke, chaff, counter
electromagnetic fields, and other anti-bugging
devices. This skill will add to the difficulty to lock on
targeting weapons, like missiles, and add to the
difficulty to hit when using personal weapons, like
smartguns.
Example: The Whisper is an INT 9 Techie
with ECM +6 out with the crew in their AV-4.
Whisper hears with the AV-4's ECM gear that a lock
on has been acquired. He attempts to break the lock
on. His opponent's gunner has to roll against a
difficulty of 10 (easy, unmoving target) with the
gunner's INT of 6 and Heavy Weapons +6. He rolls
a 7 and gets a total of 19, easily acquiring the lock
on and launching his mini missile. Whisper attempts
to break the lock on and rolls vs. a difficulty of 19
(what the lock on roll resulted with, basically making
it a skill vs. skill challenge). He needs to roll a 5 or
better to succeed. Rolling a 6, he makes it. The lock
on is broken and since the missile has been fired, it
will now miss its target.
Against smaller weapons, an HF jammer is
used. The HF jammer is configured against a
particular targeting system on a successful difficulty
of 25. If successful, the person using the HF
Jammer will subtract his skill rating from the
targeting of his opponent. Example: Whisper later
gets caught in a firefight with Redeye. Redeye
always uses his targeting weapons and smartgun in
a fight. Whisper attempts to set his HF Jammer to
interrupt the targeting info Redeye is getting. With
his stats, Whisper will only need to roll a 10 to find a
signal that will interfere with the personal electronics
of Redeye. Whisper figures he should have paid
more attention in class, and uses up 4 points of luck
as he rolls a 9. Luck was with him and Redeye's
targeting system and smartgun will be confused for
1D6 turns of combat. Redeye will suffer a -6 chance
to hit during this period of time.
Education & General Knowledge: This skill is the
equivalent of a basic public school education,
allowing you to know how to read, write, .use basic
math, and know enough history to get by. In effect, it
is a "lore" or trivia skill. A level of +1 is a basic grade
school education. A skill of +2 is equal to a high
school equivalency. A knowledge Skill of +3 is equal
to a college education, +4 or higher is equal to a
Masters or Doctorate. At +7, you are an extremely
well educated person, and are asked to play Trivial
Pursuit a lot. At +9 and above, you are one of those
people who knows a lot about everything (and
hopefully has the good sense to keep his mouth
shut).
Expert: You may use this skill to be an expert on
one specific subject, such as rare postage stamps,
obscure weapons, a foreign language, etc. At +3,
you are the local expert. At +6, you know enough to
publish a few books on the subject. At +8 or better,
your books are recognized as major texts on the
subject, and you could do the talk show circuit if you
wanted to. IP multipliers may be applied at the
Referee's discretion for more advanced, technical,
or difficult levels of expertise, as the list below
suggests.
Examples of Expert Skills:
Expert: Law
Expert: Cars
Expert: Shipping Lanes (2)
Expert: Sports Teams
Expert: Roleplaying Games
Expert: Music Industry
Expert: Terrorism (2)
Expert: Pre-Gunpowder Weapons
Expert: Modern Firearms (2)
Expert: Global Telecommunications Networks (3)
Expert: UFO Sightings
Expert: Alien Worlds: This is a mix of geology,
atmosphere studies and astronomy. A person with
this skill can predict the atmosphere, composition
and possible life forms of a planet from data such as
star type, position of the planet in relation to the
star, planet size and an orbital view. It can also aid
in predicting types of terrain, temperatures and
other factors that would be relevant to an operating
Marine section, similar to a geography skill. Expert:
Alien Worlds also provides knowledge on decontamination
and quarantine procedures used
when leaving a hostile environment.
Expert: Law: Knowledge of procuderal and written
law. To learn the ability to analyze and apply legal
situations, a student must pass a number of exams,
be assessed by a judge, and join a Bar Association.
He can then begin charging a fee for his services
and try cases in the courtroom. After years of
applied courtroom experience, he may even move
on to become a judge.
Expert: Military Identification: This represents
knowledge of the armed forces of the galaxy, be
they government, corporate or paramilitary, their
uniforms and insignia, weapons, vehicles etc. For
example; a trained observer would be able to study
a section of troops and be able to tell their affiliation,
their unit type (ie. line infantry, special forces, etc.),
the types of their firearms and vehicles, and thus be
able to create a tactical overview of the section's
capabilities.
Expert: Navigation(2): This skill allows the user to
navigate from one point to another, using maps or
knowledge of the land. Helpful tools include maps,
compass, and global positioning systems for those
who want to do it the easy way.
Expert: Open Sea Navigation (2): The skill of
being able to navigate the landmark-free expanses
of the ocean. Along with basic navigation
techniques, one will also learn to calculate position
using sextants, start charts, and dead reckoning.
Expert: Harbor Navigation: The ability to navigate
a ship in coastal waters safely to the dock. This is a
localized specialty, a sort of "area knowledge" which
includes specific knowledge of local water hazards
like reefs, shoals, and sand bars.
Forensics (2): The individual is skilled at gathering
and interpreting evidence at the scene of a crime or
accident. Special forensics equipment is sometimes
needed. The character learns to look for fresh blood
splatters and footprints (+2), fingerprinting
techniques (+4), fibre and hair sampling (+5) and
DNA sampling techniques (+7).
Gamble: The skill of knowing how to make bets,
figure odds, and play games of chance successfully.
As any professional gambler knows, this is not a
luck skill. At +2, you are the local card shark in the
Saturday night poker game. At +6, you :an make a
living at the tables in Vegas and Monte Carlo. At +9
or better, you can take on James Bond at roulette
and stand a good chance of breaking the bank.
Gaming: Also known as "dice-chuckin'" or "cardfloppin'",
this is the skill of playing or running an
effective role-playing game, card game, war game,
etc. This skill is purely for entertainment value, and
rarely becomes useful in game play.
Geology: A functional knowledge of rocks, minerals
and geologic structures. At +3, you can identify most
common rocks and minerals. At -6, you have the
equivalent of a college degree in Geology and can
identify minerals and geological structures with
ease. At +8, you can teach geology in high school.
Graphology: The skill of handwriting analysis.
Information can be gained about people through
their writing.
Herbalism: The skill of manufacturing drugs and
concoctions from herbs and other natural
ingredients.
Hide/Evade: The skill of losing pursuers, covering
tracks and otherwise evading people on your trail.
At +3, you can lose most boostergangers on the
rampage. At +6, you can ditch cops and private
eyes. At +8, you can ditch most Solos.
History: The knowledge of facts and figures of past
events in game play, this might be used to
determine if a character is familiar with a particular
clue related to a past event. At +2, you have the
equivalent of a grade school history education. At
+6, you would have the equivalent of a college
grasp on the subject. At +8, you could teach history
in high school. At +9, you may have written a few of
the most oft used texts on a particular historical
personage or epoch.
Know Language: The knowledge of a foreign
tongue. At +2, you can "get by" with speaking the
language. At +3, you can actually read a written
form of it. At +6 and above, you are fairly fluent,
although no native will be fooled by your ability. At
+8 and above, you speak and read the language
like a native.
Each language known requires a separate
Know Language Skill, however, one may use the
knowledge of a particular Language with up to 1/2
(round down) proficiency with any language in the
same linguistic family (example: knowing Cantonese
at +4 will give you the ability to understand and
speak Mandarin at +2).
Language Groups:
Albanian (2)
Armenian (3)
Australian Aboriginal (3)
Baltic (2): Estonian, Latvian (Lettish), Lithuanian
Basque (2)
Celtic (2): Breton, Irish Gaelic, Manx, Scottish Gaelic,
Welsh
Creole & Patois (1): French Creole, Rasta-Patois
Dravidian (2): Gondi, Kannada, Kurukh, Malayalam,
Tamil, Telugu, Tulu
Esperanto (1)
Finnic (2): Cheremis, Finnish, Karelian, Lapp (sami),
Livonian, Mordvin, Veps, Votyak, Zyrian
Germanic (1): Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, English
(Australia, Canada, USA, UK), Flemish, Frisian, German
(Germany,
Austria, Switzerland), Icelandic, Norwegian (Bokmal &
Nynorsk), Swedish, Yiddish
Greek (2)
Hamitic (2): Beja, Berber, Galla, Hausa, Somali, Tuareg
Indic (2): Assamese, Bengali, Bhili, Gujarati, Hindi,
Konkani, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Sindhi,
Sinhalese, Urdu
Indo-Iranian (2): Baluchi, Kurdish, Farsi (Persian), Pushtu
Japanese (2)
Khoisan (2): Bushman, Hadza, Hottentot, Nama,
Sandawe
Korean (2)
Loglan/Logical Language (2)
Malayo-Polynesian/Pacific Island Group (2): Bahasa,
Cebuano, Ilocano, Javanese, Kiriwina, Madurese,
Malayan, Maori, Melanesian, Micronesian, Misima, Panay-
Hiligaynon, Polynesian, Samar-Leyte, Samoan,
Sundanese, Tagalog (Filipino), Taluga
Mon-Khmer/Annamite (3): Cambodian (Khmer), Mon,
Vietnamese (Annamese)
Mongolic (2): Khalkha (Mongolian)
Niger-Kordofanian/African (2): Anyi, Ashanti, Azande,
Bantu, Bassa, Baule, Bemba, Birom, Bulu, Efik, Ewe,
Fang, Fante, Fula, Ganda, Ibo, Igbo, Kikuyu, Kituba,
Kongo, Kpele, Kru, Luba, Lunda, Makua, Mande, Mbundu,
Mende, More, Mossi, Ngala, Ngbaudi, Nyamwezi-Sukuma,
Nyanja, Rundi, Rwanda, Shona, Sotho, Sukuma, Swahili,
Temme, Tiv, Tswana, Twi, Wolof, Xhosa, Yao, Yoruba,
Zande, Zulu
Nilotic (2): Bagirmi, Dinka, Fur, Kanembu, Kanuri, Koman,
Luo, Maban, Masai, Nuer, Sango, Shilluk, Songhai, Wadai
Papuan (2): Dayak, Negrito, Papu
PC-Speak (1): Based on corp's native language
Romantic (1): Catalan, French (French, Canada),
Galician, Italian, Latin, Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil),
Provencal, Romanian, Sardinian, Spanish
Semitic (1): Amharic, Arabic, Harari, Hebrew, Neo-
Aramaic, Tigré, Tigrinya
Sign Language (1): Hand Jive, American SL, English SL,
Japanese SL, Russian SL, Danish SL, French SL, German
SL, Norwegian SL, Swedish SL
Sino-Tibetan (3): Burmese, Cantonese, Hakka, Hmong,
Kashmiri, Lao, Mandarin, Min, Nepali, Shan, Siamese,
Thai, Tibetan, Wu, Yueh
Slavic (3): Bulgarian, Balarusian, Czech, Georgian,
Macedonian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovak,
Slovene, Ukrainian
Streetslang (1): 1/2 level when used in a foreign country
Turkic (2): Azerbaijani, Chuvash, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Tatar,
Turki, Turkish, Uzbek, Yakut
Ugrian (2): Hungarian (Magyar), Ostyak, Vogul
Native American Languages
Algonquian (3): Algonkin, Arapaho, Blackfoot, Cheyenne,
Cree, Micmac, Mohican, Obibwa, Shawnee, Wiyot, Yurok
[Subarctic Canada, East, South West, Great Plains]
Athabascan (3): Apache, Chipewyan, Navaho [Subarctic
Canada, SW]
Caddoan (3): Caddo, Pawnee, Wichita [Great Plains]
Haida (4) [NW Coast]
Inuit (Eskimo-Aleut) (3) [Arctic coast & Greenland]
Iroquoian (3): Cayuga, Cherokee, Erie, Huron, Iroquois,
Mohawk, Onandago, Oneida, Seneca, Tuscarora [East]
Macro-Chibchan (3): Guaymi, Paez, Warao [Central]
Mayan (3): Guatemala, Kekchi, Mam, Quiché-Tzutujil-
Cakchique, Yucatan [South and Central America]
Muskhogean (4): Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole
Otomanguean (3): Mixtec, Otomi, Zapotec [Central
America, Mexico]
Salishan (3): Chehalis, Okanagon, Salish [NW Coast]
Siouan (3): Catawba, Crow, Dakota, Hidatsa, Lakota,
Omaha, Osage [Great Plains]
South American Indian (3): Arowakan, Aymara, Cariban,
Guarani, Mapuche, Quechua, Tupi-Guarani
Tlingit (3) [NW Coast]
Uto-Aztecan/Shoshonean (3): Aztec, Comanche, Hopi,
Nahuatl, Paiute, Papago [SW], Pima [SW], Shoshoni, Ute
[Great Basin, Mexico, Central America]
Language- Cityspeak: This is a simply pseudolanguage
that developed in the cultural and racial
almagams of megacities and arcologies. Experience
in this skill is either picked up from the region that it
is spoken, and indeed it has regional variations (-1
to -3 penalties for dialects of other regions,
determined by the Referee), or taught by the lower
classes that speak it. Skill in this 'language' is found
primarily among poorer city dwellers and people
who have to interact with them (i.e. cops, social
workers). Place it as an option for the streetkid and
nomad lifepaths. It may also be placed in the pickup
skills list at +2.
Library Search: The skill of using databases, Data
Term libraries and other compiled information
sources to find facts. With a skill of +2 you can use
most simple databases. With a skill of +6, you can
easily access the Library of Congress. At +9, you
can comprehend almost any public database and
find very obscure facts.
Linguistics (2): This skill denotes the
understanding of languages and language families,
not the actual comprehension of other languages.
Characters with Linguistics can:
· Understand something spoken in a dialect of a
language they know (average)
· Understand something explained slowly in a
language in the same family as one they know
(difficult)
· Identify the family of a language being spoken
(routine)
· Identify the exact language being spoken
(average)
· Manufacture a new language (very difficult)
· Make themselves understood using simple
communication skills (average)
· Communicate detailed information as above
(difficult)
Lip Reading: This is the ability to understand
speech without hearing it, just by watching mouth
movements. Though you will not pick up on every
word, you can usually figure out the gist of a
sentence without too much trouble. You can lip
read:
· Person talking slowly and clearly or in a very
loud environment (dif 7)
· Person talking fairly slowly, or in ideal
circumstances (routine)
· Most circumstances with full concentration
(average)
· Bad conditions (bad light, long distance,
pretending not to be watching) (difficult)
Magic: The skill of illusion or prestidigitation. The
character is able to perform magic tricks, such as
sawing people in half, making them disappear, etc.
Mathematics: The skill of understanding
calculations and mathematical formulas. At +3 you
have the ability to add, subtract, divide an multiply.
At +4, you can do algebra and geometry. At +6, you
can perform calculus. At +9 you can deduce your
own mathematical formulas.
NuSCUBA: The use of NuSCUBA gear and its
operation in aquatic environs, as well as basic
maintenance.
Physics: The ability to calculate physical principles,
such as gas pressures, mechanical energies, etc.
This skill requires a basic Mathematics Skill of +4.
Programming: The required skill to write programs
and to reprogram computer systems. This skill does
not allow players to actually do repairs on a
computer (this requires Electronics). With a
Programming Skill of +1, you can do simple EBASIC
programs. A Programming Skill of +3 or better
allows you to know some higher level languages
and be able to write reasonably complex programs
(including Video games). Players with a
Programming Skill +6 or better are considered to be
professionals, who can build operating software,
design mainframe systems, and hold down a steady
job at your average Silicon Valley firm. With a
Programming Skill of +9 or better, other
programmers speak your name with reverence
("You invented Q? Wow!"), young hackers set out to
crack your systems, and any computer software you
design instantly gets used by every business
application in the world.
Psychology: The knowledge of the human mind
and its workings. A character with psychology can
attempt to perform therapy.
Rune Lore: Knowledge of runes and the rites and
rituals surrounding runic magic. It should specify
whether they are Celtic, Egyptian, Norse, or any
other specific form of runes.
Security: This skill gives the character a basic
understanding of security practices and protocols.
Additionally this skill grants some understanding of
security devices and their capabilities. However, it is
important to note that this skill does NOT convey
any knowledge of how to bypass such devices
(Computers, Electronic Warfare, Electronics and/or
Stealth is required). Additionally the Security skill
also encompasses some very basic legal training,
specialized towards security procedures and related
offenses.
Shadow/Track: The skill of shadowing and
following people. This skill is primarily used in urban
or inhabited areas rather than in wilderness (where
the skill of Survival incorporates tracking game in
the wilds).
Space Survival: When an emergency occurs in
space you have little time to respond and you can't
afford to get it wrong, otherwise you might find
yourself breathing vac or glowing in the dark. This
skill allows you to know the proper procedures
during emergencies. It includes how to use a goop
ball; how to cycle an airlock; how to read a personal
rad meter, what to do and where to go in a solar
flare. Referees may use this skill to determine
whether a character knows a given piece of
important information about day-to-day survival in
space.
Specialist Tactics: The Tactics skill represents
specific training or experience that the character has
related to all knowledge tactical. Specializations
may include: antiterrorist, small group, squad,
battalion, or large scale. It could also include tactics
for operating in specific environments, such as a
chemical warfare environment (eg. A battlefield
contaminated with chemical weapons). At the
beginning of any combat situation, a Specialist
Tactics roll can be made vs 25. If successful, the
character and each member of his "team" at any
point in the operation can reroll a single die roll,
symbolizing a mistake that using such tactics would
eliminate. This skill is much like the Craft, Expert,
Language, and Area Knowledge skills in that you
select a single limited area of expertise to which it
applies; Specialist Tactic: Chemical Warfare doesn't
provide any benefit in an anti-terrorism operation
when you really need Specialist Tactics:
Counterterrorism.
Stock Market: The ability to play the stock market,
engage in routine stock transactions and manipulate
stocks profitably. At +2, you know enough to invest
in junk bonds and lose your shirt. At +6, your
investments payoff 75% of the time. At +9, you are a
major heavy on the Market, routinely dabble in
international stocks, and can write learned articles
on the subject of investment.
System Knowledge: Basic knowledge of the
geography of the Net, it's lore and history, as well as
knowledge of the important computer systems, their
strengths and their weaknesses. At +2, you can
generally navigate around the Net and know where
all the local places are. At +6, you know the
locations of most places in the Net, and have a
working understanding of its largest and most well
known systems. At +9, you know the entire Net like
the back of your hand, know the general layouts of
the important systems cold, and are aware of the
layouts for the rest of them.
Tactics: This skill gives you the edge in small unit
actions, allowing you to anticipate the enemy's
moves and respond quickly. At +4, you are a trained
squad leader. At +6, you are a seasoned veteran
who knows how to adapt to changing battlefield
conditions. At +9, you are a master tactician.
Teaching: The skill of imparting knowledge to
someone else (if you don't think this is a skill, you
ought to try it sometime). Players may not teach any
skill unless they have a higher skill level than the
student. The referee is the final arbiter of how long it
takes to teach a skill. At a Teaching Skill of +3 or
better, you can professionally teach students up to
High School. At +6, you know enough to be a
college professor (if you wanted ). At+9 or greater,
you are recognized by others in the field as good
enough to guest lecture at MIT or Cal Tech; your
texts on the subject are quoted as the major
references, and you might have a TV show on the
equivalent of the PBS channel.
Theology: The knowledge of religions around the
world and their beliefs. The character would
generally specialize in their own particular religion.
Underwater Survival: A vital skill for divers,
farmers, miners and workers on undersea platforms,
involving knowledge of emergency proceedures and
first aid relating to drowning and the bends; includes
knowledge on oxygen mixes, air tank operation,
diving techniques and how to organise a safe trip to
great depths.
Urban Survival: The ability to survive on the city
streets. It involves knowing where to find free food,
how to make a cargo container into sleeping
quarters, and what gutters are safe to drink from.
Knowing which vermin are okay to eat can be
important when your apartment is the sidewalk and
you don't have the kiam to buy dirt. A good safetynet
skill. A lot of people see this skill as being able
to scrounge food out of dumpsters and live in the
gutter; however it covers so much more, including
where to go to get a free meal, where to hide in a
fight, where all the best sleepy holes and food stops
are, what holes to disapear down when required,
what bridge to sleep under… even who is
sympathetic to a street urchin. This skill is not
trained, it is learned the hard way.
Vampire Lore: The knowledge of vampires. At +1,
the character knows the basics, such as vampires
drink blood. At +3, the character knows about the
major vampire repellants, like garlic, holy items, etc.
At +5, the character knows the best ways to kill a
vampire. At +7, the character can spot a vampire in
a crowd, and knows the best way to approach them.
At +9, the character knows how vampires think and
can accurately track a vampire's activities.
Vehicular Weapons: Use of computer controlled
weapons, such as rockets mounted on a chopper or
the nose gun or a fighter. Any time a trigger pull has
an indirect link to the weapon itself, which is in turn
bracket mounted elsewhere. This would also include
the operation of a tank's main gun, or operating a
ship's weapons from central fire control stations.
This is a new skill which is used by tank drivers, air
force pilots and so forth to fire the weapons
mounted on their vehicles. This skill applies to chain
guns and nose guns and missile pods and rocket
pods and other heavy weapons which are, of
course, fired from the cockpit or operations center of
a vehicle. This can be anything from a fighter pilot
using his guns to a navy officer firing the missile silo
on his frigate. For pintle mounted machineguns,
Heavy Weapons is used. Likewise for powered
armor weapons Heavy Weapons are used, because
in both cases the weapons in question are still used
in a conventional manner.
Wilderness Survival: The required skill for knowing
how to survive in the wilds. Knowledge includes how
to set traps, forage for wood, track game, build
shelters, make fires. The average Boy Scout has a
Survival of +3. A Special Forces Green Beret has a
Survival of +6 or above. Grizzly Adams, Mountain
Man of the Wilderness, would have a +9 or +10
Survival Skill.
Xenobiology: This is similar to biology in that it
includes knowledge of organisms and their 'inner
workings', but it is similar to Alien Worlds in that,
from observation, it allows a xenobiologist to
examine and understand extraterrestrial life forms
(the skill Bishop used when examining the dead
facehugger and the effects of the acid blood). Also,
similar to Alien Worlds, a xenobiologist is aware of
standard quarrantine procedures when procuring a
xenomorph specimen. See Biology for limitations
and modifiers.
Zoology: Knowledge of life forms, biological
processes and their relation to the environment.
At+2, you know most common animals. At +5, you
know not only well known animals, but also about
many exotics and endangered species. At +8, you
are knowledgable on almost all animals, know their
habits well, and have a +1 advantage to any
Wilderness Survival Skills (you know where to find
the game).
Reflex Skills
Acrobatics: Tumbling, leaping, rolling, jumping,
swinging from catwalks, etc. Can be used to avoid
taking damage from falldowns and knockdowns.
Subtract 1d6+skill level from such damage. Can be
used at 1/2 value (GM's discretion) as Dodge &
Escape skill. Useful for leaping from rooftop to
rooftop. Jackie Chan has this skill at +10.
Action Games: The art of the old joystick arcade
games. Also usable with manually controlled VR
and 3-D games. At +2, you can master some basic
special attacks with ease on a new game. At +5,
you can beat anyone in the arcade after a day or
two of practice. At +8, you can use moves the
game designers hadn't even really considered. At
+10, you're the top dog of the game, and you got
there the first time you played it.
Archery: The skill required to use bows, crossbows
and other arrow based ranged weapons. See
Handgun for details.
Athletics: This skill is required for accurate
throwing, climbing, and balancing. It combines the
basic elements of any high school level sports
program. At +3 and above, you are the equivalent of
a real high school "jock". At +5 and above, you can
perform in college level competitions. At +8 and
above, you are of Olympic or Professional caliber.
Autoweapons: Autoweapons as a skill was only
presented in Hardwired. With modern weapons, the
difference between operating a submachine gun or
operating an assault rifle has become increasingly
slim, so this skill is included for continuity. At the
GM's discretion, this skill can be taken in place of
both the SMG and Rifle Skills and apply to only
SMGs and automatic assault rifles (and perhaps
even fully automatic machine pistols). Also at the
GM's discretion, Rifle can still be offered in
companion to autoweapons, with its use being
applied to bolt action and hunting rifles Le final
option for the GM is for autoweapons to replace
SMG, covering both SMGs and assault rifle, and
allow Sniper to also include use of small caliber
hunting and bolt action rifles.
Beam Weapon: This is a common weapon skill in
the 23rd century. It includes hand lasers, seizure
guns, static guns and other induction weapons. It
does not include semi-portable or heavy beam
weapons (see Tech).
Brawling: The skill of fighting man to man with fist,
feet and other parts of the body. Brawling is not a
trained skill- it is learned on the Street by getting
into a lot of fights. Unlike Martial Arts, there are no
specialized attacks and no damage bonuses based
on level of mastery.
Dance: The specific skill needed to become a
professional dancer. A trained dancer +4 or greater
can successfully dance for payment in small clubs
or dance troupes. Dancers +6 or greater will be
considered to be of professional caliber, and
regularly give performances and have fans. Dancers
+9 or greater are of "star" caliber, have a large
number of fans, and may be recognized on the
street.
Dodge & Escape: This skill is required to dodge
attacks and escape grapples and holds. If an attack
is made without your knowledge, you may not apply
this skill to your Defense roll.
Driving: This skill allows you to pilot all ground
vehicles like cars, trucks, tanks and hovercraft. This
skill is not useable for piloting aircraft. A skill of +3 is
equal to that of a very good non-professional driver.
A skill of +6 allows you to drive with the skill of a
moderately skilled race driver. An driver with a skill
of +8 or greater will be nationally known as a racer,
regularly win championship races, and possibly
have access to the most advanced ground vehicles
available (as long as he makes an endorsement).
EVA: This is the skill required to know how to use
EVA packs, hand-held thruster units, etc. In use, the
Referee will determine the difficulty of the
maneuver, and have the player roll against this
rating. This is a REF based skill
Fencing: The mastery of swords, rapiers and
monoblades. A Fencing Skill of +3 allows you to be
competent with a blade. A Skill of +5 makes you
fairly skilled. A Fencing Skill of +6 might win you the
National Fencing Competitions. A Skill of +8 will get
you a reputation for being a true swordsman of
duelist caliber. People like D'Artagnan or Miyamoto
Musashi have Skills of +10. They are legendary
masters of the blade; the mention of whom will
cause all but the stupidest young bravo to run for
cover.
Handgun: You must have this skill to effectively use
handguns of any type, including cyberwear types. At
+2, you can use a handgun effectively on a target
range, though combat will still rattle you. At +5, you
are as skilled as most military officers or policemen.
At +7, you can do the sort of fancy shooting you see
on TV, and have begun to get a reputation of being
"good with a gun". At +8, you are a recognized
gunslinger with a "rep". The very sound of your
name makes some people back down in fear. At
+10, you are a legendary gunslinger, feared by all
except the stupid young punks who keep trying to
"take" you in innumerable gunfight challenges.
Heavy Beam Weapons: Similar to standard Heavy
Weapons Skill, but for the more sophisticated,
modern systems. Can be applied to vehicular
energy weapons.
Heavy Weapons: The required skill for using
grenade launchers, autocannon, mortars, heavy
machine guns, missiles and rocket launchers. A
Level +5 skill would be equivalent to a general
military "Heavy Weapons" training course, giving the
user the ability to use any or all of these weapon
types.
Horsemanship: How to ride a horse, as well as
how to look after the related gear and relate to the
animal.
Martial Arts: This skill covers any type of trained
fighting style using hands, feet, or specalized
"martial arts" weapons. You must elect a style of
martial art and take a separate skill for each style
(for example, you would have to take Karate and
Judo separately, spending points for each one.
Difficulty modifiers are listed in next to each skill
listed below.
The primary advantage to martial arts is
that each one has what are called hey attacks;
attacks that reflect particular strengths of the style.
When a key attack is used, there is a to-hit bonus
based on the attack type and martial arts style. A full
table of key attacks is listed in Friday Night Firefight
pg.90.
The second advantage to martial arts
styles is that there is a damage bonus on attacks
equal to the level of the Martial Arts skill; for
example, a master with a +10 Kung Fu Skill would
add 10 points to his damage. This can be a
formidable advantage, particularly in head strikes
(which double damage).
Martial Arts forms include:
Akkido (3): This form relies on using the opponent's
strength and momentum against him. It is a perfect form
for stoping an opponent peacefully while making yourself
very hard to hit. Key attacks are: blocks & parries, dodges,
throws, holds, escapes, chokes, sweeps, trips & sweeps,
grapples.
Animal Kung Fu (3): These are forms based on animal
movements, such as crane, mantis, tiger, leopard and
dragon forms. These attacks are fast and dangerous, with
a style that is exciting and flashy. Key attacks include:
strikes, punches, kicks, blocks & parries, sweeps & trips.
Boxing (1): The manly art of fisticuffs, this form delivers
lightning punches and a tight blocking defense. Key
attacks are: punches, blocks & parries.
Capoeria (3): Created by Carribean
slaves, this form combines dance-like movements with
fast kicks and low line sweeps. It is a relatively unknown
form and can be combined with dance moves to disguise
it's true power. Key attacks are: punches, kicks, blocks
&.parries, dodges, and sweeps & trips.
Choi Li Fut (3): Descended directly from the ancient
Shaolin temples, this form combines powerful roundhouse
blows and sweeping kicks into a dynamic fighting style.
Key attacks are: strikes, punches, kicks, blocks & parries,
dodges, throws, and sweeps & trips.
Judo(1): This system was designed as a sport form, but is
very effective in combat as well. It uses throws and
sweeps to knock down the opponent. Key attacks include:
dodges, throws, holds, escapes, sweeps & trips and
grappling.
Karate (2): The Japanese version of kung fu, this style
uses straight line movements and powerful blows.
Variations include shotokan and kenpo, each with their
own special moves. Key attacks are: punches, kicks, and
blocks & parries.
Tae Kwon Do (3): Avery fast and precise form, with
graceful movements and some aerial kicks. Key attacks
include: strikes, punches, kicks, block & parries, dodges.
Thai Kick Boxing (4): One of the deadliest forms in
existence, this style is known for blinding kicks delivered
with incredible power. Key moves include: strikes,
punches, kicks, blocks & parries, and grapples.
Wrestling (1): This form combines techniques of Olympic
and Professorial wrestling. The style uses a wide variety of
throws and holds to incapacitate the opponent. Key
attacks include: throws, holds, escapes, chokes, sweeps,
trips, and grapples.
Melee: AKA Melee: General. The ability to use
knives, axes, clubs and other hand to hand
weapons in combat. Note: when using non-ranged
cyber weapons such as rippers, scratchers, slice n'
dices, cyberbeasts, and battlegloves, you must use
this skill.
Melee Weapon: AKA Melee. If you don't pick a
weapon type, then this is the general melee skill.
The general skill allows you to use anything as a
weapon at half your skill level: broken bottles, pool
cues, tables, cats, clubs, knives, swords, axes,
sledgehammers, spears, etc. You only get half your
skill level because this skill can be used with
anything. It covers the basics of picking up and
striking with weapons and improvised weapons, but
is not the skill for an expert fencer or knife fighter.
Melee: General is the skill for the barroom brawler
who likes to use more than their fists. The half level
also provides some game balance, because most
people aren't going to be able to buy this skill
tremendously high, but even if they do, they're not
going to have a very high bonus. To be an expert
with a weapon, you need to specify the weapon type
or types. Melee: Fencing covers swords. Melee:
Knives covers the old street skill of knife fighting,
including throwing them. Other specialties would
include Axe, Sledgehammer, Chainsaw (for the sick
and twisted only), Spear, Club, Staff, etc.
Motorcycle: The required skill to operate
motorcycles, cyberbikes and other two and threewheeled
vehicles.
Operate Heavy Machinery: The required skill to
operate tractors, tanks (all made prior to the 1960's
require this skill), very large trucks and construction
equipment.
Parachutes: Not how to open them (any shmoe can
do that) so much as when to open them, how to
prep and pack them, and how to use the related
equipment.
Piloting: In general, this is the skill of controlling
aircraft. Aircraft are broken into categories: Gyro
and Rotorcraft, Fixed Wing Aircraft, Dirigibles and
Vectored Thrust Aerodynes (AV-s). A Piloting Skill
of +1 allows you to take off and land safely in good
weather conditions. A Piloting Skill of +3 or more
makes you a trained pilot, able to engage in most
combat situations or bad weather. Pilots with a Skill
of +6 or greater are veteran pilots, able to handle
themselves in almost any situation, including
aerobatic maneuvers. Pilots with a Skill of +9 or
greater are so good, they have a rep as pilots, and
are widely known among the piloting fraternity for
having the "right stuff".
Pilot Cargo Aircraft (3): This is the skill of launching,
landing, and managing the flight of a large cargo aircraft or
commercial airliner. It covers the piloting of any large, fixed
wing aircraft with three or more engines, be it jet or prop
driven.
Pilot Dirigible (2): The ability to pilot all lighter than air
vehicles, including cargo dirigibles, blimps and powered
balloons.
Pilot: EVPA/Hardshell: Environmental hardshells differ
from powered armour in that their control interface is
usually a little less intuitive and they are rarely as powered.
Hardshells are used in undersea exploration and external
space work.
Pilot: Fighter/Interceptor (3): This covers fighters, fighter
bombers and military jet aircraft; in order to have this skill
the character must have Pilot: Fixed Wing to at least +2.
Pilot Fixed Wing(2): The ability to pilot fixed wing jets and
light or small aircraft. Ospreys may be flown with this skill,
but only in the straight ahead (non-hover) mode.
Pilot Gyro (3): The ability to pilot all types of rotory wing
aircraft, including gyros, copters and Ospreys.
Pilot OTV (2): The skill of piloting OTV's and other small
cargo-type spacecraft. This skill allows the character to
make soft lunar landings (Very Difficult task), dock with
space modules (Difficult) and maneuver an OTV through
space.
Pilot Power Armor/Pilot ACPA (2): PA Pilot is for other
characters who do not specialize in ACPAs, much like
someone can learn Streetwise, but not Streedeal. It is
used when maneuvering rolls are called for, but does not
add to Initiative or Awareness rolls.
Pilot RPV (3): The ability to pilot remote vehicles such as
hoverdrones and attack remotes. The operator knows how
to use a remote board and interpret its signals. This skill is
absolutely necessary for using RPVs in combat. Direct
cory-link systems are available, adding +2 to the skill.
Pilot Ship: This skill enables the character to pilot large,
ocean-going vessels. The particular focus is on the
dangerous practice of harbor navigation, where the pilot is
required to have the utmost skill and attention. Frequently
ships employ local pilots for their not only their piloting
experience in a harbor, but also for their local knowledge
of the harbor's regular dangers. The skill covers the
operations of any water bourne vessel over 65 feet in
length (about 20 meters).
Pilot Spaceplane/shuttle (3): How to pilot a spaceplane
or shuttle. Knowledge of scramjet engines, how to dock
with stations (Difficult task) and how to make a proper
orbital reentry (Very Difficult) without burning up in the
atmosphere.
Pilot Submarine: This skill is broken down into either
Surface Water and Submersible Vehicles category. With
this skill, the player can pilot and steer either a surface or
submersible vehicle. This cannot be used to pilot any air or
ground vehicle. At +3, the player knows the basics and can
travel around with some confidence. At +6 level of skill, the
pilot can handle bad situations like violent storms, running
an underwater canyon.
Pilot Vectored Thrust Vehicle (3): The skill of piloting all
types of vectored thrust vehicles, including hovercars,
hover rafts and AV-4, 6 and 7 vehicles.
Pilot: Watercraft: From small launches and speed-boats
to tugs and patrol boats, so long as the craft is motor
powered. Basically, it covers anything the military
classifies as a "boat", which happens to be anything under
65 feet in length.
Powerloader: Powerloader covers the operation
and use of the powered work loader series of cargo
manipulation vehicles. It replaces Athletics and
Dodge when making sophisticated manoeuvres in
the exoskeleton. Brawling and Martial Arts can only
be used at up to half the level of the Powerloader
skill.
Rifle: You must have this skill to use rifles
effectively (see Handguns for limitations and
modifiers).
Skating and Skateboarding: The skating and
skateboarding skills are somewhat similar. The
skating skill adds to REF when determining how
well a skater can maneuver a certain obstacle.
Skating can also increase movement. This increase
is based on the athletic potential of the skater.
Skating and Skateboards, with or without motors,
can add up to the user's Athletics skill divided by
three in MA rounded down (Athletics/3 = +MA)
Example: Flasher has an athletics skill of
+3 so he can add +1 MA to his total movement
when on skates. His rival, the Streak, has Athletics
+7, so he can add +2 to his MA.
Skating and skateboarding are separate
skills but if you have +2 or more in one, you can use
the other at +1 automatically. The second skill will
not go up unless you learn it properly. While they
are related disciplines, they are still different enough
to warrant separate skills.
Sleight Of Hand: The skill of making small objects
appear and disappear. This skill covers diverting
attention to allow the user to palm a small item,
switch it from hand to hand, or slip it into a pocket or
another person's hand or drop it without being seen.
A useful skill for thieves and con artists.
Smart Gun: Although a heavy weapon in terms of
firepower and basic operation, a smart gun needs
special training to use. Using the servo arm for
smart-targeting, moving with the gyro-harness and
firing with one eye covered by a readout all need
practice. This skill covers the use and firing of the
M56 smart gun weapon system. The skill has two
uses. First, targeting and shooting of the gun itself.
See Handgun for limitations and modifiers.
Secondly, moving with the gun whilst maintaining a
stable firing platform. Despite the sophistication of
the system; the smart gunner must ensure that their
movements do not overtax the system. Whenever a
smartgunner is moving rapidly or attempting to
perform a complex physical manoeuvre, make a
Smart Gun roll. If the roll succeeds, the character
may proceed as normally. If the roll fails, some
modifier is imposed; for example, if the character is
attempting to sprint, their MA is reduced by two or
three points; or the gun's WA is reduced to zero or
less for the next turn before the targeting system
can re-align.
Sport: Skill in a single sport. You must select a type
of sport, eg. tennis, soccer, golf, squash and so on.
Stealth (2): The skill of hiding in shadows, moving
silently, evading guards, etc. A Stealth Skill of +1 is
about the level of a very sneaky 10 year old stealing
cookies. At +3, you are able to get past most
guards, or your parents if you've been grounded. At
+6, you are good enough to slip smoothly from
shadow to shadow and not make any noise. At +8,
you are the equal of most Ninja warriors. At +10,
you move as silently as a shadow, making the Ninja
sound like elephants.
Strider Pilot: Strider Pilot training allows the
character to pilot any nonhumanoid walker vehicle
that does not use a linear-frame as the primary
control interface. Examples of such vehicles would
include the Fuchikoma or Thinktank from various
animes, the various walkers from Soldier of Fortune
2, including the Daikani, PanzerKraken, and
Volkswalker, or larger units such as the Coalition
Spider Scout Walker of RIFTS or any Strider
vehicles as seen in Heavy Gear. Strider Pilot also
includes training on the use of most secondary
movement system that might be seen on a strider
(eg. road wheels on the Daikani). As with Exo Pilot,
Gunnery (Strider) is required to use onboard
weaponry, and Electronic Warfare and
Communications are required to use the sensor or
communications suites.
Submachinegun: You must have this skill to use
any type of submachine gun effectively (see
Handguns for limitations and modifiers).
Thrown Weapons: This skill covers everything
thrown, including knives, rocks, grenades, darts,
small children. Range is generally based on the
weapon, though a basic throwing range for knives
and grenades is worked out on double ones BODY
attribute (ie. short range would be half BODY,
medium would equal BODY, long range is double
BODY and extreme range is four times BODY… in
meters). Yes, this is a light variation on printed
rules, because the printed rules allow you to throw
things ridiculous distances. Erroneously, many
consider this to be a BOD skill, which is incorrect.
BOD just determines distance, the function of
accuracy comes out of the REF skill.
Underwater Heavy Weapons: This covers heavier
manportable weapon systems designed for use
underwater, such as small or light torpedo and
rocket systems.
Underwater Melee Weapons: This covers the use
of what began as underwater handheld anti-shark
equipment, and covers everything from underwater
knife fighting to the use of explosive-tipped antishark
prods and arc torches.
Underwater Weapons: This covers spearguns and
gyrojet weapons used underwater, along with any
other sidearm specifically designed for underwater
firing.
Zero-G Maneuver: This skill is the ability to
maneuver in low or zero gravity conditions. It allows
a character to kick off surfaces and catch himself on
the rebound, make turns or flips in mid-air by body
movements, and to hold position if needed. Orbitalborn
characters automatically have this skill at +3,
and may buy it at higher levels using IP. In order to
acquire ZeroGee Maneuvering, you must first get
used to the conditions of weightlessness. This isn't
easy for everyone. Each time a Groundsider
character encounters a new condition of
weightlessness, such as crossing an air shaft,
finding himself suspended at a height without visible
means of support, or some other sudden zero gee
shock, he must make a Cool roll (Cool + 1D10)
higher than 10 or be momentarily paralyzed by fear
for 1D6 turns. Until the character has successfully
made five such rolls, he will be considered
unadapted to zero gee and unable to master this
skill. Once adapted, he need not make any further
Cool rolls.
Zero-G Combat (2): Also known as rei-ju-ryoku-ryu,
this is a specific fighting style developed for use in
zero gravity. This skill replaces Martial Arts or
Brawling when you fight in a no-gravity situation (if
you were to use those other combat styles in O-G
you would end up a helpless spinning tangle of
arms and legs). The training also teaches the
character how to use recoil weapons in zero gravity.
When firing a recoil weapon, he may add this Skill to
the required Recoil Save Roll (pg. 25). You must
have at least three points in Zero Gee Maneuver
Skill before you can acquire this skill. Your Zero
Gee Combat Skill can never be higher than your
skill in Zero Gee Maneuver.
Technical Skills
Aero Tech (2): The required skill for repairing fixed
wing aircraft, including Ospreys, jets, and liqht
aircraft. With a Skill of +3, you can perform most
routine maintenance tasks. With a Skill of +6, you
can do engine tear downs and major structural
repairs. With a Skill of +9 or better, you are capable
of designing and building your own aircraft.
When it comes to engine repair and fuel
systems, and ONLY these systems, aero tech, AV
tech, and Gyro Tech can be used interchangeably
with no penalty, as all three vehicle types will use
turbine engines. Turbines, a form of jet engine, are
increasingly widespread in use. Virtually all military
aircraft use them, as do most civilian helicopters.
Even the M-1 Abrams MBT is driven by a turbine
engine, which an Air Force repair tech could
facilitate basic repairs on.
Astrogation(2): This skill allows a character to
calculate a spacecraft course using computers,
course tables and navigation
AV Tech (3): The required skill for repairing all
ducted fan aerodyne vehicles. At +3, you can
perform routine maintenance. At +6, you can tear
down engines and modify an AV. At +10, you can
design your own AVs on common airframes.
When it comes to engine repair and fuel
systems, and ONLY these systems, aero tech, AV
tech, and Gyro Tech can be used interchangeably
with no penalty, as all three vehicle types will use
turbine engines. Turbines, a form of jet engine, are
increasingly widespread in use. Virtually all military
aircraft use them, as do most civilian helicopters.
Even the M-1 Abrams MBT is driven by a turbine
engine, which an Air Force repair tech could
facilitate basic repairs on.
AutoTech (2): Vehicles are complicated machines
that increase in complexity as they increase in price.
In addition, they also include a wide range of unique
components that would not be covered under the
general mechanical knowledge of Basic Tech (while
a lawn mower and a car may have similarities that
let you cross apply engine knowledge, a lawn
mower isn't going to do a damn thing for teaching
you how a car's brakes work. There is vast amount
of difficult and specialized knowledge of both
electronics and mechanical components in a vehicle
control system. While basic tech would let you do a
tune up or change the brake pads, auto tech lets
you rebuild or upgrade the engine, install ABS,
resurface brake rotors, repair crash damage, etc.
Basic Tech (2): The required skills for building or
repairing simple mechanical and electrical devices,
such as car engines, television sets, etc. With a
Basic Tech Skill of +3 or better, you can fix minor
car problems, repair basic wiring, etc. A Basic Tech
Skill of +6 or better can repair stereos and TVs,
rebuild an lawnmower engine, etc. A Basic Tech
Skill of +9 or better can build a simple computer
from scratch, put together a motorcycle engine, do
general automotive maintenance like changing
brake pads or a tune up and maintain any kind of
industrial machinery. However, they do not know
enough specialized knowledge to apply it to
complex things such as aircraft (just like Mr.
Goodwrench doesn't know how to build and service
an F-16).
Bio-Technology (2): The science of genetic
engineering as it relates to biological implants and
modifications, from skingrafts and plastic
surgery/body sculpting to DNA maps, bioware,
replacement organs and clone tissues; essentially a
skill that deals with all biological modifications which
can be made to the body.
BodyArt: This skill covers several forms of noncybernetic
body-modification as well as being
useable for the implanting of a very select collection
of fashionware (light tattoos, fashion nails). This is a
catch-all ability covering body piercing (placing
metal rings through the flesh), tattooing (pushing
pigments below the skin of the recipient to provide
permanent designs), body painting (using paints
and pigments to change the appearance of the
skin), minor implants (fashion implants, or other
implant cyberware at the GMs approval, requiring a
very difficult roll since this skill does not specifically
include that training), branding (burning the skin /
flesh to provide a permanent marking) and
scarification (cutting the skin to provide scars in a
predesigned pattern).
Braindance Technology: The science of
braindance; this skill covers everything from
manipulation of the braindance environment (ie.
gaming) to actual wiring and setting up of
braindance equipment.
Calligraphy: The art of beautiful writing. There are
two forms: European pen calligraphy and the
oriental brush skill. This skill is very important in
asia, where many judge you on your writing skill. At
+2, your lettering is legible. At +4, you can write out
your own wedding invitations. At +10, Chinese
masters ask you for lessons.
Carpentry: Working with wood; how to cut, shape,
join, glue, layer, carve etc.
Communications Technology, Advanced: This is
the skill for using, implementing, setting up and
patching into advanced communications equipment
and systems. At it's basics (+2) it gives an
understanding of telephone and computer
networking, (+4) closed radio (land line and laser
based) systems, and at high levels (+6) it allows for
patching into and even (+8) pirating satellite
transmitted feeds. This skill also includes
understanding why a communications device is not
working properly as well as being aware of the
details and limitations on the device's possible use.
Communications Technology, Basic: Covers the
maintenance, installation, repair and modification of
short wave, HAM, microwave, laser, relay and cable
based communication systems; deals specifically
with the devices used to power and progress
communications, from telephones to radios, as well
as aerials and cables and junctions involved.
Computer Use: This represents an average
person's ability to use computers. Some 23rd
century computers respond to neural link as well as
voice and keyboard commands, but most can be
used manually only. With this skill you can dive for
data without being a netrunner. This skill can be
substituted for interface in most netrunning
applications, but only with the -4 Keyboard modifier
from Cyberpunk and an additional -2 since this is
not a true skill system for netrunning. If pitted
against a real netrunner in the Net, the individual on
the manual system will always lose the initiative.
Computer Use can be used instead of Library
Search when looking for information in databases,
but at -3. Computer Use governs the simple
operation of all computer hardware and software,
from keyboards to Net access to simple programs; it
is via this skill that you have access to this list of
CP2020 skills, for instance, however it really only
needs to be rolled when conducting a Net search,
operating a computer past an error or dealing with
an unfamiliar system.
Cooking: This individual is experienced in the
preperations of foodstuffs in an enjoyable and
appealing manner. This skill is rarely seen outside
of restaurants and hotels in 2020, and is often only
found in subsumed in the Steward skill presented
below. With this skill the character knows how to
make balanced meals (+1), cook standard american
fare (+2), cook elegant meals (+4) and even can
make kibble look (+5) or taste (+7) edible.
Craft: Must specify an area to be proficient in:
Origami, Tattooing, Paint & Drawing, Photo & Film
are all examples of this skill. The Craft skill covers
any one field the player selects, from panel beating
to cabinet making.
Cryotank Operation: The required skill for
operating, repairing and maintaining life suspension
and body chilling devices. A minimum skill of +4 is
required to chill down a healthy person. A minumum
skill of +6 for chilling a wounded person.
Cyberdeck Design (2): The required skill for
designing cyberdecks. At level +4, you can modify
an existing cyberdeck for greater speed or memory.
At level +6, you can design a deck equal to most
existing designs. At +8, you can design decks that
are substantially improved over existing designs.
CyberTech (2): The required skill for repairing and
maintaining cyberware. At level +2, you can keep
your cyberware tuned up and can replace its power
batteries. At level +6, you can strip down most
cyberware and even make simple modifications. At
level +8, you can design your own cyberware to
order.
Demolitions(2): This skill allows the character to be
knowledgeable in the use of explosives, as well as
knowing the best explosives to use for which jobs,
how to set timers and detonators, and how much
explosive to use to accomplish a desired result.
Desktop Engineering: This deals with the
operation and even repair of any desktop tools from
lathes to drill presses to robotic factory arms to
bench-saws.
Disguise: The skill of disguising your character to
resemble someone else, whether real or fictitious.
This skill incorporates elements of both makeup and
acting, although it is not the same as the ability to
actually be an actor.
Electronics: The required skill for maintaining,
repairing and modifying electronic instruments such
as computers, personal electronics hardware,
electronic security systems, cameras and monitors.
Electronic Security (2): The skill of installing or
countering electronic eyes, electronic locks, bugs
and tracers, security cameras, pressure plates, etc.
At level +3, you can jimmy or install most apartment
locks and security cams. At +6, you can override
most corporate office locks and traps. At +9, you
can enter most high security areas with impunity.
First Aid: This skill allows the user to bind wounds,
stop bleeding, administer CPR and revive a stunned
patient (see Trauma Team, pg. 106 for details).
Forgery: The skill of copying and creating false
documents and identifications. This skill may also
be applied to the detection of same; if you can fake
it, you can usually tell a fake as well.
Genetics: The individual is trained in the science of
organisms. Genetics is a combination of biology and
chemistry, and training in Biochem or Biotech (a
double cost skill) is considered to include basic
Genetics training in addition. Genetecists can
determine the species and physical details of a
tissue sample (the latter only if it's a well-catalogued
species) as well as being able to modify and splice
genes. All of these abilities are dependant on
access to an advanced lab.
Gyro Tech (3): The skill of repairing and
maintaining rotorwing aircraft such as helicopters
and gyrocopters.
When it comes to engine repair and fuel
systems, and ONLY these systems, aero tech, AV
tech, and Gyro Tech can be used interchangeably
with no penalty, as all three vehicle types will use
turbine engines. Turbines, a form of jet engine, are
increasingly widespread in use. Virtually all military
aircraft use them, as do most civilian helicopters.
Even the M-1 Abrams MBT is driven by a turbine
engine, which an Air Force repair tech could
facilitate basic repairs on.
Marine Tech: With this skill, the player can repair
and fix any surface or submersible faring vehicle,
from luxury yacht engines to the turbines on a
Manta class sub. At +3, the skill enables the player
to perform light maintenance tasks and repairs. At
+6, the player can disassemble and reassemble any
engine that needs fixing, while at +9 the player can
redesign engines and build a more efficient ocean
faring craft from his own designs.
Masonry: Stone working, cutting, mining and
manipulation, as well as the proper mixture and use
of cements and concretes.
Massage: Therapy through joint and soft tissue
manipulation, also known through it's various fields:
physic-therapy, shiatsu, chiropractic… all are
basically the same in game terms (though I know
there are some huge actual differences), however
the player is free to record whatever name he
desires for this skill.
Mechanical Engineer (2): Machine engineering,
dealing with combustion and electrical engines,
mechnicals joints and interactions.
Mix/Edit: The ability to edit and compose from
multiple feeds of video, audio, or braindance, to
create a specific piece of art. Inspired by the
techno/house-music disc jockeys who say: "Give me
two records, and I'll make you a universe." Marc:
Oftentimes what makes recorded music great is the
producer. The "fifth Beatle," the guy who produced
"Dark Side of the Moon," Daniel Lanois, Babyface
(both of whom have produced many, many hit
albums by many different bands) are all examples of
the use of this skill.
Modular Tech: The tech skill for moddies and
daddies. This skill allows the techie to determine the
contents of chips and create new ones. Usually a
skill of +4 or +5 is needed to make chips, but lesser
levels are handy for Moddy examination and repair.
A useful talent in this day and age.
Municipal Communications: This skill is used to
be able to interpret the communications of police,
fire, ambulance, C-SWAT, trauma teams and
biochem or hazmat response teams when listening
to a radio scanner tuned to a municipal frequency. A
successful skill roll indicates an understanding of
the codes and slang used in the communications. A
failed roll will indicate some misunderstanding that
could potentially endanger the listener.
Nanotechnology (2): The final of the four 'cyber'
skills (the other three being Cybertech, Wetwaretech
and Bio-Tech), this deals with nano-machines,
their design and maintenance issues, what they are
capaable of, how they are built and programmed
and how to install them safely.
Origami: The art of folding things up (usually paper)
to look like other things. At +2, you can make a box
or a crane. At +6, you can make more complex
and/or smaller things. At +10, you can make
identical models that look like a specific object (i.e.
at +5, you can make a generic airplane, but at +10,
you can make an A-01 Blitz or an old B-17 Flying
Fortress).
PA Tech (3): This is the skill needed for maintaining
and repairing Assisted Combat Personal Armors
(ACPA). The repair, maintenance and modification
of powered armor systems, exoskeletons and linear
frames; this skill deals specifically with the 'guts' of
the machinery, from myomer to powerplant, but
does not touch so much on computer or electrical
systems built into the suit (though you'll know how to
exchange damaged major components of this type).
Paint or Draw: The skill of producing professional
drawings. A Skill of +3 allows you to produce
salable "modern" art. A Skill of +6 will produce
artwork that is recognizable and extremely pleasant
to the eye-as well as salable. An artist with a Skill of
+8 or greater will be nationally known, have
exhibition galleries, and have other lesser artists
studying his style in art school.
Photography & Film: The skill of producing
professional-caliber photographs or motion pictures.
A Skill of +2 allows you to make decent home
movies. A Skill of +4 or better creates work capable
of winning am amateur contests. A Skill of +6 or
better will produce work of the level of the average
Playboy cover or rock video. A photographer or
cinematographer with a Skill of +8 or better will be
nationally known and probably famous.
Pharmaceuticals (2): The skill of designing and
manufacturing drugs and medicines. A minimum
Chemistry skill of +4 is required. At +4, you can
make asprin. At +6, you can make hallucinogenics
or antibiotics. At level +9 you can build designer
drugs tailored to individual body chemistries.
Pick Lock: The skill required to pick locks and
break into sealed containers and rooms. At +3, you
can jimmy most simple locks. At +6, you can crack
most safes. At +9 or better, you have a rep as a
master cracksman, and are known to all the major
players in the Cyberpunk world.
Pick Pocket: The required skill for picking pockets
without being noticed, as well as "shoplifting" small
items. For ideas on levels of ability, see Pick Lock,
above.
Play Instrument: The skill of knowing how to play a
musical instrument. You must take this skill
separately for each type of instrument played. A
Skill of +4 or higher will qualify your character to
play professional "gigs". A Skill of +8 and above will
gain the musician some professional acclaim,
possibly with recording contracts and command
performances. At +10, you are widely acclaimed,
have lots of Grammys, and regularly jam with Kerry
Eurodyne.
Pressure Suit Tech: A variation on the PA Tech
skill which deals with nonpowered hardshells,
hardsuits and pressurised environmental suits.
Robotics Engineering (2): The repair,
maintenance and modification of robotic systems;
like PATech the skill deals with the mechanics of the
robot, not the computer systems; this skill applies to
factory robots, drones, powered armour limbs,
physical cyberlimb systems and droids.
Seamanship: General seamanship is like Basic
Tech in that it covers the environment a character
may be working in; Seamanship covers rope use,
simple piloting movements, nautical terminology,
basic repairs and a good working knowledge of
what needs to be done to keep a ship ship-shape:
this skill can also be re-named to to Spacemanship.
Sonar Tech: Underwater sensor systems, their
behavior and the technical knowledge needed to
maintain and repair them.
Space Craft Engineering (2): Technical expertise
in the repair and design of space fairing vessels,
from OTVs to space cruisers and transports, as well
as design and construction of space habitats.
Space Tech (3): This skill covers the special
aspects of modern space technology; air seals,
radiation shielding, anti-gravity and life support.
Space Tech allows the repair and maintenance of
spacecraft and space-borne facilities (workshacks,
stations etc.).
Scuba Diving: The skill enables the player to
become familiar not only in the different underwater
breathing apparatus and how to use them, but they
also know how to dive properly without placing
themselves in danger. At +2, the player is a qualified
sports diver, the skill and knowledge to dive at
depths up to 30-40 feet. At +4, the player can now
deep dive to depths up to 100 feet. At +6, the player
can become a qualified rescue diver as long as he
has the First Aid skill in conjunction with this one. At
+8, the player can now ice, salvage and cave dive
without putting himself in danger. At +10, the player
now knows how to dive beyond depths of 100 feet
and can pretty much dive in any environment as
long as he can preplan what he will need.
Submersible Tech: Technical expertise in
submerged vessels, from personal subs to massive
military models, covering the design, maintenance
and repair of such vessels.
Tattooing: The art of putting colors into skin. At +2,
you can do simple jailhouse designs. At +6, Hell's
Angels make appointments for you to "paint" them.
At +8, Yakuza come over from Japan for the honor
of being your canvas. When taking this skill, you
must specify either electric engraver or hand-picked.
You can do the other type at half skill.
Trapper / Furrier: The art of snaring and catching
game via traps, and how to deal with the prey once
killed.
Undersea Equipment: This is the skill of
maintaining and repairing typical personal gear that
is used underwater. The character would be able to
maintain scuba gear, dive sleds, wetsuits, spear
guns, and even manage the inspection (but no
maintenance or repairs) of more complicated
equipment like waterproofed cyberware or
hardsuits.
Video Manipulation: This skill gives the character
knowledge of altering video footage. While video
cassettes can be altered, only the alteration of
digital video (mostly on digital video chips) is
normally known by characters with this skill.. This
doesn't mean that faked video cassettes don't turn
up, just that it is more rare. Cassettes will be more
difficult to manipulate (+5 difficulty) unless the
character specifically trained in forging video
cassettes, in which case the character will have a
+10 added to difficulty for working with digital media.
When forging, one hour per5 points of difficulty is
required. For every hour less than that, add 5 to the
difficulty. The minimum time used to forge is one
hour. Subtract 5 from the difficulty per 2 extra hours
that the forger works on the footage, to a minimum
difficulty of 15.
If there is audio on the video recording,
which there rarely is (Netbook Ed. Note - this is due
to the fact that there is no law prohibiting the filming
of video footage without audio), add +5 to the
difficulty if there is little or no talking, add +10 if
there is (Netbook Ed. Note - And add +15 if there is
both talking and a great deal of background noise).
This is because it is an entirely new dimension that
must be dealt with. The forger must make each
change individually.
Note that skill checks are made secretly by
the Referee. Even if the check fails, the forger will
believe success was achieved (after all, the video
was successfully altered, it just wasn't successfully
altered well). Record the amount by which the check
was succeeded or failed, for future reference.
With this skill, a forger can:
· Switch one person's face with another (20)
· Change appearance of an item (20)
· Add the presence of another person (25)
· Switch an entire person for another (25)
· Erase a person's presence entirely (30)
The difficulty in detecting a forgery is 20 for
minor alterations, 30 for major alterations, and 35
for critical alterations, plus or minus the amount the
forgery was succeeded or failed by. This skill is
used not only for forgery, but also for detection. If a
detection check fails, the checking character thinks
it is legitimate footage and has no reason to further
question its validity. It takes 4 hours to check
footage for forgery or alterations. A court trial uses
a panel of 6 experts with Video Manipulation +6.
Each expert checks the footage individually and
checks it twice.
Netbook Editor's Note: I have made some
changes in this skill, reflecting my personal
professional experience in the editing of audio and
video footage. One thing I have left in that I probably
should note have is the fact that editing video
cassettes is more difficult. Technically, this isn't so;
you just capture the VHS footage to digital format,
edit it as you would with any other digital footage,
and transfer it back to VHS. I left it in because there
are frequently hardware problems that need to be
overcome in the transfer to and from VHS,
especially when you don't have a stable platform
dedicated solely for transfers.
Weaponsmith (2): AKA WEAPONTECH or
WEAPONS TECH!!!!! A working knowledge on how
to modify, repair and maintain firearms of all kinds;
used to clear a jam and used to extend barrels and
alter fire modes; no soldier or solo is without this
skill; also gives a working knowledge of the types of
firearms available, and what their strengths and
weaknesses are . The required skill for repairing
and maintaining weapons of all types. At level +2,
you can do repairs and field stripping. At level +6,
you can repair all types of weapons and make
simple modifications. At level +8, you can design
your own weapons to order.
Wetware Tech (3): Specific cybernetic science
dealing with the brain and neural and nervous
system wares (note the difference between
Wetware and Cyber); includes knowledge of the
bodies systems and how they can be re-wired,
knowledge of the safe cavities in the brain and
general repair, installation and design issues
dealing with interface plugs, neural processors,
internal memory, internal cyberdecks and
computers, wired reflexes, braindance implants and
chip-sockets.
Joint Skills
These are skills that apply an average of two attributes or stats, or can be applied to either of two or more
stats as circumstances dictate. Assume them to operate on an average of the two stats unless otherwise
indicated in the description.
Athletics (Special): Athletics is a general skill
that covers all kinds of physical activity, including
climbing, swimming, throwing, running, leaping,
rolling, etc. As a general skill, it lets you do a lot
of different things, but not necessarily well. There
are specific athletic skills for these actions. When
using Athletics in place of Climbing, Swimming,
etc., add 1/2 Athletics skill to the appropriate stat.
For example, when using Athletics in place of
Running skill, it functions at 1/2 level, and the skill
adds are added to Movement Allowance.
Obviously, Athletics is a substitute for those time
you attempt to do something you don't have the
appropriate specific skill for. When it substitutes,
it uses the appropriate stat for the skill it is
substituted for. Climbing or swimming would be
BOD + 1/2 Athletics, while Archery would be REF

1/2 Athletics.

Aura Reading (EMP/PSY): The knowledge of
the interpretation of auras and skill in seeing
them.
Expert: Blessing (EMP/PSY): The character
knows a specific blessing. The name of the
blessing should be recorded.
Expert: Curse (EMP/PSY): The character knows
a specific curse. The name of the curse should
be recorded.
Expert: Ritual (EMP/PSY): The character knows
a specific ritual. The name of the ritual, its
difficulty, effects, any sacrifices required, the
power item and location, and the length of time
required for the ceremony must be recorded.
Expert: Spell (EMP/PSY): The character knows
a specific spell. The spell's name, effects,
limitations, and requirements should be noted.
Field Surgery (COOL/TECH): A paramedic style
skill one step up from First Aid; if a character
takes Field Surgery he does need to take First
Aid as a pre-requisite, as this skill is the same
except geared more towards stress based
situations and working under duress to get a
casualty stabilized as quickly as possible.
Impersonation (EMP/TECH) (2): Altering ones
appearance to assume an alternate identity of an
existing person. Since a living person exists in
the alternate identity, impersonation is, of course,
much harder than generic disguise. This skill
focuses on a single disguise, persona, and
knowledge that is used for the alternate identity.
Think of this as a "lite" version of the Special
Ability of Chameleon; you can fool the cops and
the average joe, but don't expect to be able to
actually perform any specialized activities like
you would with Chameleon. Think of it as being
like committing identity theft, except you also
make the effort to look and act like the person as
well.
Palmistry (EMP/PSY): The art of reading the
lines of the hand to gain information about an
individual and their future.
Recruiting (EMP/INT): The character is familliar
with the more effective means of approaching
individuals and presenting proposals for
employment, couched in terms most likely to
produce acceptance. Recruiting affects both the
quality and quantity of recruits who will respond
to a request for application. Recruiting can obtain
nonplayer character hirelings with skills suited for
specific tasks, while Leadership and Charismatic
Leadership tend to attract indiscriminately all
within the range of the character's personality,
skilled or otherwise.
Remote/WAD Weaponry (REF/INT) : Just as
the piloting of remotes and WADs requires extra
thought that being on scene wouldn't require, so
too does the operation of weapons mounted on
such devices. This is not a weapon skill by itself,
however it is used to fire the weapons mounted
on a drone, or any remote operated weapon such
as a sentry gun.
Role Play (EMP/TECH): Altering ones
appearance to assume an alternate identiy;
impersonation is, of course, much harder than
generic disguise. This skill focuses on a single
disguise, persona, and knowledge that is used for
the alternate identity. Think of this as a "lite"
version of the Special Ability of Chameleon; you
can fool the cops and the average joe, but don't
expect to be able to actually perform any
specialized activities like you would with
Chameleon.
Sailing (TECH or TECH/REF): How to operate
sail powered vessels, from personal scale
smacks and skiffs to large ocean going yachts
and ships; this is the science of using the wind to
generate speed, how to trim rigging, operate
winches, displace sail and so on. When sailing
with a crew, this skill operates under TECH. If
sailing alone, it operates as an average of TECH
and REF.
Sniper (INT/REF): The firing and operation of
high calibre sniping weapons. The Rifle skill can
also be used to operate sniper weapons (yes,
this is a change in the rules) at half it's normal
level (round up). The other advantage of the
Sniper skill is it's superior aiming ability through
the ability to determine range, adjust for wind
speed and direction, and read target movement
and activities to properly pick the shot. A
character can Aim (thereby gaining a +1 to strike)
as many times as he has levels in this skill (as
many as ten!, not limited to three, as usual) so
long as each Aiming period is at least 3 combat
rounds (10 seconds) in duration (eg. a character
with Sniper +6 could aim for 18 combat rounds, 3
minutes, to gain a +6 bonus to strike for aiming);
the Sniper skill requires the character to have
Rifle to at least +4, and may in turn be used to
operate normal rifles at half its level, round up.
Steward (EMP/INT) (2): The individual is
experienced and capable in the care and feeding
of passengers and guests. This represents a
general knowledge of cooking, personal care and
attention and other areas of experience which will
make passengers, guests, crew and employees
happy and content with their stay or passage.
Super Weapon (INT/TECH) (5): The one and
only skill for hacking into and firing Orbital
Weapons Systems at your friends, neighbors and
countrymen.
So, Joe has just managed to link-up with
a corporate funded Suborbital laser platform and
rather than destroy it by reprogramming the
telemetry for a "slightly" closer orbital path, he'd
rather use it on Fred's house.
Getting In: Most satellites have nonstandard
interfaces to prevent Average Joe
Netrunner from just stepping in and taking over.
Understanding even the basic language structure
of their command protocols is a major step in the
right direction.
(Int + SuperWeapons DIF 16) or (Int +
System Knowledge DIF 22) to come to terms with
the system. If the roll fails another can be made
in D6+1 minutes… if you are willing to stay on-line
that long, waiting for Netwatch. Some foreign
military satellites use even more bizarre
encryption and interface schemes, often
increasing the difficulty by up to 5 points, if you
actually understand the language they are using
(Language: Czech at +5 anyone?).
Activating : Next you have to activate
the weapon systems on board. For military
systems this is a straightforward arming and
power-up sequence. For Civilian systems being
"adopted" to this purpose it involves activating
servos that are normally only used during critical
course correction and bypassing all the safety
interlocks.
(Tech + SuperWeapons DIF 15) for
Military units, Dif 20-35 for civilian satellites. Or
you can roll Electronic Security at +10 difficulty if
you don't have the right training.
Joe, stat (+9) + skill (+3) = 12, the Ref
assigns a Dif 15, Joe needs a 3. He roles a 6, no
problem.
Targeting: Now Joe now needs to target
the satellite weapon, pinpointing the location to
within a 1/2 mile radius, this takes an Int roll:
Joe, stat (+8) + skill (+3) = 11, the Ref
decides this will be quite difficult and assigns a
Dif 25. Fortunately, the weapon has a small vidscreen,
allowing Joe to look for Fred‘s house
visually, because of this Fred can add his
Awareness (+6) and Geography (+3).
So, stat (+8) + skill (+3) + skill (+6) +
skill (+3) = 20. Rolls a 6. Sorted.
In a flash of light everything with 1/2
square mile radius is vaporized with Fred`s
house at the epicenter (sorry Fred). Joe is quite
pleased, unaware that a fully-armed security
team are on their way…
Note: These are just the bare bones
rules. In a more advanced game the player(s)
might need to crack firing codes, bypass alarms
etc… So feel free to add upon what I`ve already
written.
Also, when it comes to your players
buying the Super Weapon skill, I only allow them
to begin with it at level 2. When it comes to
improving the skill, I would stop them at level 3/4.
This stops them becoming too good with a superweapon,
especially if it is totally within their
possession.
Game Masters have to be especially
careful to keep orbital weapons in the realm of
the netrunner wet dreams instead of routine
game play. One good hit could easily change the
course of a war (did I hear something about a hit
on the Arasaka HQ?). If your netrunners keep
trying these kind of stunts, remember the time lag
for DeepSpace netrunning or even Near Orbital
uplinks - giving the SysOp and CPU plenty of
time to trash most runners. I actually recommend
including this skill in a chip for players for a single
major plot gimmick (or Plot Voucher as they say)
along with the players needing to collect the
uplink data for the satellite in question and it’s
actual location so they can aim another satellite's
commo rig at it ("what do you mean we have to
do a hit and run at the local ESA HQ to get the
telemetry data for the satellite?!").
Tarot Lore (EMP/PSY): The character knows the
meanings of tarot cards and can conduct a
reading.
Voodoo Divination (EMP/PSY): The character
knows how to conduct a voodoo style divination
rite.

So as you can see there are a lot of skills and after reviewing them I can see no feasible way of simplifying the list.
I will replace all the dice with cards, as it is a decimal system this should work fine

I think that I will use the suits for the core stats for your career path, as there are usually about four main stats that are relevant to your choice of character, so these will be suited, I think I will dispense with the whole on suite off suit thing for the stats, but not for the skills.

Thankfully your chars have skill packages, to stop you going omfg how the hell am i supposed to build a character? There are soooo many skillz ben
Starting chars usually have between 10 -12 skills and some pickups (hobbies)

It is more the damage and combat system that will be a struggle to convert, so i'll go away and work on that soon!!

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