| FATE: FUDGE Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment | By Blood and By Right |
The skill list has not had an extensive once-over for things which can or should be compressed; generally, if you can find a way to thematically merge two or three skills into a single one, you're liable to be allowed to do it (but pass it by the GM).
And here is my standard caveat: If you create a character who does not have his or her feet in at least two of the big three (politics, powers, and combat), you'll find yourself critically underinvolved in the events of the game.
Also, when selecting skills, remember that skills are votes. The skills you select will be looked at to help determine what sorts of challenges and stories are looking to be told (though, I should note, they're a second tier in that regard next to Aspects).
If you do not possess a skill, it defaults to Mediocre.
Generally speaking, if you do not possess a skill but possess something closely related, you can use that "missing" skill as though half the levels you've invested in the other were invested in that skill (though 'finesse' is hard to come by in such cases) -- thus, a Great skill (which is 4 levels over the base of Mediocre) such as Fencer, might allow you to pick up a heavier sword and fight with Fair skill (2 levels over Mediocre).
In the case of odd levels, it is rounded up (so a Good skill provides Fair defaults the same way a Great one does). People who appear to be minmaxing this notion will find that their defaults are rounded down.
These "associated skill defaults" do not translate into a higher base if you choose to invest in those skills; the GM understands that this may mean that people take only one or two combat skills, or will tend to go for a broad range of skills that aren't as closely related -- and that's just fine.
There are no Perception skills, such as Alertness, Observation, and Search. Attempts to perceive are done by a simple roll against Average (though that base may be improved or diminished by circumstance); if you wish to play an unusually perceptive character, then an investment in an appropriate Aspect is in order.
There are no Language skills; characters are assumed to be able to learn to read, write, and speak languages after reasonable exposure to them. If you wish to be illiterate, etc, there are other ways outside of skills to represent that.
These are skills which are tied closely to the setting, and as such, are "nonstandard". That said, these skills can only become available to you with the appropriate background, the correct action during character generation, and the selection of an Aspect which governs their use and purchase.
Generally speaking, your Aspect has to clearly govern one of these skills for you to be able to invest levels.
Where indicating the use of a power, there are skills at levels beyond what's indicated (e.g., Pattern Esoterica, Trump Eavesdropping), but which usually have significant prerequisites, and are created on a case-by-case basis, so they are not listed.
Furthermore, these skills are representations of the pragmatics of use, and do not necessarily indicate deep understanding of the principles at work. In order to achieve access to such knowledge, a Lore skill in the appropriate power should be taken, and will solely represent "book knowledge" of the topic, rather than practical application.
| Skills of the Blood | |
| Blood Oath | A potent skill (in terms of how strong even an 'Average' result is) which usually stays at its default, but is considered a skill all the same. It may be used to curse or to bless. Generally this skill will be used once, or perhaps twice, and can only be used when member of the bloodline is in the fullness of his or her ire. Use of this skill outside of the circumstances of one's death is an open door to getting massively screwed by the GM. Contrary to popular belief, this is not an ability conferred by walking the Pattern. It is an expression of the basic lifeforce of one of the blood. |
| Supernatural Feats |
Members of the royal bloodline are capable of
various supernatural feats -- strength and
endurance being foremost. This skill must be
taken for each differing feat (e.g.,
Supernatural Feats of Strength, Supernatural
Feats of Charm), the effects of which should be
summed up as something an ordinary person can
do, only extended to the supernatural arena.
Such things may additionally be reflected by Aspects (Gerard would have both Supernatural Feats of Strength skill, and a Strength Out of Legend aspect). This can be shortened by dropping the 'Feats of' phrase (e.g., Supernatural Strength). Furthermore, this skill may be accessible through Aspects other than those representing the royal blood line, if reasonably justified to the GM. In the end, this skill is meant as a catchall to provide a default (but alterable) test value for the basic potencies of the bloodline, and may be seldom called upon for rolls, giving way to other purchased skills (such as your combat skill, etc) in many circumstances. But, without bringing an Aspect into the mix, this skill may well be a tiebreaker in closely contested situations. |
| Skills of the Pattern | |
| Shadow-Walking | Allows access to the travelling functions of the Pattern. (Specifics pending) |
| Pattern Finesse | Allows access to the basic non-travel functions of the Pattern. (Specifics pending) |
| Skills of the Trumps | |
| Trump Use | Allows access to the basic functions of Trumps, such as activation, communication, and achieving physical contact. (Specifics pending) |
| Trump Combat | Unlike Trump Use, this skill only comes into play once a Trump contact has been established and a contest of wills is at hand. It does also cover the ability to force a physical contact if the other party is resisting. (Specifics pending) |
| Trump Drawing | This skill is not available. Don't ask. |
| Skills of the Arts | |
|
Magics outside of the family standards is
limited in scope, in this game, though it may be
more potent in Shadow. You must take an Aspect
appropriate to the art you wish to practice, and
the capabilities of that art must be described
explicitly. Furthermore, magics available in
this fashion will tend to be limited to
personal, rather than widespread, effects,
though that can occasionally be maneuvered
around with a serious investment of effort in
rituals, timing, and items of power (all rare in
availability).
Each of the following listed skills must be subtyped according to the style of magic, but not all require investment, depending on the nature of that magic -- a transmuter might only need to take the Alter and Dispel skills to represent the range of available effects (and though some amount of Preserve might be in order, Create seems to be out of the scope of such an art). |
|
| Create/Summon | The ability to make something out of nothing: direct calling-into-being. (May be able to be used to attack things, though if you've created a thing that still needs to be delivered, you may need to use a mundane skill, like Throw, etc.) |
| Alter/Transform/Amplify/Diminish | The ability to make change an existing thing into something else. |
| Preserve/Protect/Abjure/Block | The ability to keep things as they are, preserve qualities, keep out unwanted qualities. |
| Dispel/Destroy/Banish | The ability to undo something (and the skill most often used for direct-attack effects). |
Combat skills should be treated very broadly and flexibly; when choosing a combat skill, it should be based on theme and undertaking as much as possible.
Generally speaking, a given combat skill should give access to two disparate weapon types (or three closely related), or involve a single set of closely related weapon types but include a few specialized maneuvers beyond simple attacking.
Here are a few examples of the first kind (weapon variety):
| Archer | Bows and daggers |
| Brawler | Improvised weapons and unarmed attacks. |
| Cavalry | Mounted use of swords and bows. |
| Cutthroat | Knives, saps, garrotes. |
| Footman | Use of swords, shields and polearms |
| Knight | Mounted lances and swords, as well as swords afoot. |
| Pirate | Cutlasses and belaying pins. |
| Ranger | Bows and swords. |
Here are a couple examples of the second kind (focused, but with special maneuvers):
| Duellist | Use of fencing weapons; the ability to disarm, feint, and parry. |
| Martial Artist | Unarmed combat; includes the ability to block, throw, and acrobatically dodge. |
This is where I repeat myself: Generally, if you can find a way to thematically merge two or three skills into a single one, you're liable to be allowed to do it (but pass it by the GM). Just remember, the broader of a skill you go, the less deep your ability in that skill goes, and thus the less finesse you can exercise.
If you do go for a more specific skill, then when ties occur, the more specific skill wins.
| Administration | The ability to keep an organization going. |
| Animal Handling | Training and handling animals. |
| Area Knowledge | Every area is potentially a different skill (for example, Area Knowledge: London, Area Knowledge: Europe). The larger the area, the more general the knowledge. |
| Artist | There are actually a great many skills that fall under this, which should be bought separately. They include but are not limited to: Dance, Painting, Musical Performance, Musical Composition and Writing. |
| Athletics | Sort of a catch-all of physical capability. It can be used in many situations, like running or climbing. |
| Bluff | Bluffing involves getting someone to believe something by every means short of actually lying to them -- it primarily covers body language and appearance of behavior. Bluff is a useful skill, paired with the right outfit, to make someone "look like they belong." |
| Bribery | The ability to bribe people. |
| Camping | Survival can help you survive in rough environments, but Camping helps keep it civilized. Very useful for pitching tents and making sure the rain doesn't ruin your supplies. |
| Contacting | Generally this is the ability to stay abreast of people and events within a particular field. In general, the utility of the Contacting skill is tied to the user's knowledge and contact with the field -- the bestglad-hander in the world will get no information out of a place where he knows no one. |
| Contortions | How far can you bend and twist? |
| Craft | This has a lot of subskills, all of which are skills related to making things. While there may be some overlap with the artist skill, craft skills tend to be more practical -- a sculptor is an artist, but a stonemason is a craftsman. Subskills include: metalsmithing, woodcarving, carpentry, stonecutting, weaving, sewing and basket-weaving. |
| Diplomacy | The ability to keep a discussion civil, no matter how much the parties involved may be inclined to make it otherwise. |
| Direction Sense | Ability to guess which way you're going. |
| Disguise | The ability to look like something else, be it through costumes or makeup or both. |
| Drive | The ability to handle animal-powered vehicles. |
| Etiquette | Knowledge of the rules of behavior for polite society. |
| Find Traps | The ability to discover devices designed to do you harm. |
| First Aid | Simple medical attention that can be provided with minimal equipment. |
| Forgery | The ability to make passable duplicates of official material, be it money or paperwork. |
| Gambling | Knowledge of and skill with various games of chance, including the ability to finesse the odds a bit (thought serious cheating is more the domain of legerdemain). |
| Hide | How not to be seen. |
| Hide Tracks | The ability to travel without leaving any evidence. |
| History | Knowledge of the history of a place, group or idea. The various categories are each their own subskill. |
| Juggling | The ability to keep multiple items in the air at once. |
| Leadership | The quiet quality that makes underlings feel like it is right that they are underlings. Combines well with the oratory skill. |
| Legerdemain | Feats of sleight of hand. |
| Lie | Say something untrue with all sincerity. Combines well with bluff -- a good lie convinces the listener you believe what you're saying, and a good bluff can make it possibly even seem plausible. |
| Lip Reading | The ability to figure out what people are saying solely by watching them. |
| Lore | A fancy way to describe most knowledge subskills. |
| Mechanation | The ability to build, fix and disable fine mechanical devices. |
| Medicine | Knowledge of remedies and treatments required to oversee long term recovery from injuries or disease. |
| Mimicry | The ability to duplicate sounds or voices. |
| Navigation | The ability to figure out where you are and where you're going with the right tools. |
| Oratory | The ability to fear death more than public speaking. |
| Pick Locks | The ability to open locks, ideally with the right tools, but sometimes with what's on hand. |
| Pick Pockets | The ability to facilitate transfer of ownership without the other party noticing. |
| Profession | The catch-all for people who need training to not actually make anything. Subskills include thing like lawyer or merchant. |
| Riding | The ability to not fall off a horse. |
| Rope Use | Facility with knots and other interesting rope tricks. |
| Sailing | Knowing your way around a ship. |
| Scrounge | The ability to find useful junk. Well, you think it's useful at least. |
| Seduction | The ability to convince someone that they want something. Usually it's sex, but there are lots of options. |
| Shadowing | The ability to follow someone without them spotting you. |
| Sneak | The ability to move without being noticed. |
| Streetwise | Knowing your way around street culture, and especially knowing how not to look like a mark. Works well with contacting. |
| Survival | The ability to scrape together the absolute basics of food and shelter to survive in a particular environment. Each environment type is a subskill. |
| Swimming | How well and fast you swim. |
| Tactics | The ability to plan a fight as well as the ability to assess a fight as you watch it. |
| Teaching | The ability to share your wisdom, or what passes for it. |
| Tracking | The ability to follow and gather information from tracks. This is markedly different from Shadowing! |
| Trapping | The ability to trap animals and build large traps outdoors. |
| Tumbling | General nimbleness, scrambling, diving and getting out of the way. |
| Use Poison | Use poisons without killing yourself. |