After the player has determined their Attributes, they may choose their Skills. Each character has 20 Skill points which they may distribute as they see fit.
Armourer allows the character
to make and restore all types of armour. Repairs without the proper
equipment and time can only restore Wear equal to half the character’s score in
this skill; repairs with the proper resources and plenty of time (1 hour per
point of Wear restored) can restore 1 point of Wear per success. Each
point of Wear takes 1 day to repair; the player may elect to use successes to
reduce the time instead of increasing the Wear restored. Each success
sacrificed in this way halves the time taken.
If the Armourer has access
to a Nanotech Forge (High Tech, High Complexity Facility) then they may halve
the time needed for the repairs.
ATHLETICS
Athletics covers all
aspects of physical activity – running, jumping, swimming, and so on.
AXE
Axe allows the character
to wield axes, from small hatchets and tomahawks, to Monoedge axes and
cleavers, to the giant DU-headed axes wielded by Battlesuit pilots.
BATTLESUIT
This skill allows the
character to pilot the combat exoskeletons used to fight the Machines in the
Real World. Characters who are able to jack into the Matrix are also able
to jack into the exoskeleton, which gives full use of the Battlesuit’s
sensorium systems.
BIKE
Bike allows the character
to ride two- and three-wheeled motorbikes.
BLADE
Blade allows the character
to use edged weapons in combat, from a makeshift shiv, through conventional
swords and knives, through to the mighty DU Blade claymores of the Battlesuit
pilots.
BOW
Allows the character to
use cross- and regular bows. Despite their archaic overtones, an
experienced bowman with a quiver of EMP-head arrows can bring a flight of
Squids to a standstill.
CAMOUFLAGE
Camouflage allows the
character to hide. Using this skill is, in most cases, an Opposed
Test. The GM may impose situational modifiers to this Target, like
lighting, surveillance measures, and so on.
CAR
Car
allows the character to pilot cars, vans and smaller trucks.
CLIMBING
Climbing allows the
character to climb vertical surfaces. Modifiers for climbing depend on
the grade of the climbing surface: an ordinary wall would have no modifiers (or
even a small bonus), while a sheer rock-face (or a 20-storey building) will
incur high penalties. Climbing equipment, if provided, may reduce these
Targets.
The character must make a
test every (Dexterity÷2) metres (which is how far they can climb in one turn),
or at the start of every Combat Turn.
CLUB
Allows the character to
use weapons that rely on blunt trauma to do damage: clubs, maces, even the
humble 2×4.
CODING
The ‘modern’ version of
Computer, Coding allows the character to read, comprehend and manipulate the
code of the Matrix in its raw form. Coding is used to create objects and
training programs in the Construct, as well as building the Constructs
themselves.
COMPUTER
The lifeblood of most
Freemind characters, the Computer skill allows the character to use
computers. This includes programming, hacking, and data processing.
Freemind characters that take this skill receive a +1 bonus.
CONSTRUCTION
Construction gives the
character knowledge of building things, from simple ramps and walls to
full-scale houses. It also allows the character to assess such buildings
and discover any irregularities. A character with this skill will also
have the ability to use construction equipment (cranes, dump-trucks, cement
mixers, and so on) using their Large Vehicle skill.
CON
Con allows a character to
bamboozle the subject with double-talk and so on. It is basically used to
bluff past guards, gain the confidence of others, and to get out of jams
without resorting to violence. Using this skill is an Opposed Test, with
the targeted person using either their Intuition attribute or Con skill. The GM may impose modifiers to the result as
they see fit; for example, bluffing your way past the doorman of an apartment
building would be much easier than trying to get past a SWAT team member
guarding a crime scene.
DEMOLITION
Demolition allows the
character to work with explosives. It includes knowledge of fuses,
timers, accelerants, and how exactly to bring that 12-storey apartment down
without crushing the school-house next to it. A character with this skill
is also able to work with Demolition machinery (cranes, wrecking-balls, and so
on) using their Large Vehicle skill.
DISGUISE
Disguise allows the
character to change their appearance; they may appear to be of either sex, age
or race (within reason, of course), and about 5cm taller or shorter than they
already are. Using this skill is an Opposed
Test.
ELECTRONICS
Allows the character to
understand and operate electronic machinery not covered by Computer: Jump
chairs, ATMs, Mobile Phones, and so on.
ENERGY
WEAPONS
Covers the use of plasma and
laser weapons in the Desert of the Real, as well as Gauss rifles and
railguns. Because they don’t exist in the Matrix, this skill is usually
only possessed only by Freeborn characters.
FIRST
AID
The art of putting people
back together. Allows characters to heal others with the right equipment:
a Medkit, or a medical facility of some type.
The character attempting First Aid draws cards equal to their score
against a Target equal to following table:
|
Damage
level |
Target |
|
Green |
6 |
|
Yellow |
8 |
|
Red |
10 |
|
Black |
12 |
If the character is using medical equipment (a first aid kit, nantotech medical expert system, operating theatre, you know the kind), then they may use the rating of the equipment to either augment their own First Aid ability, or to reduce the Target by 1 per Rating level, or even both, if they were so inclined. This may only be done if the character has First Aid to begin with, or has it loaded into their Flash Memory. If a medic was using a Rating 5 First Aid kit to try to minister to a fellow character with Red-grade wounds, they could reduce the Target to a minimum of 7, or increase their First Aid score by 5 for the purposes of healing the injured character, or anything in between.
For each success, the character
may remove 2 points of damage at the level desired. If a character is healed their entire damage level, then start at
the end of the next lowest level and keep counting. So if the medic above managed four successes, and their patient
only had 5 points of Red-level damage, then they would also be healed for 3
points of Yellow-level damage.
FORENSICS
This skill gives the
character knowledge of the processes involved in crime scene analysis:
fingerprinting, reconstruction, and so on. A character with this skill
and First Aid may determine the cause of death of a subject, according to the
actual cause of death (so a gunshot wound to the head will not require a draw,
but something like internal bleeding or head trauma would).
FORGERY
Forgery allows a character
to make and identify fake documents. Using this skill is an Opposed Test.
Gunnery allows the
character to effectively fire large weapons such as those mounted on vehicles,
in defence towers, and so on.
HEAVY
WEAPONS
The Heavy Weapons skill
allows the character to effectively use any big-ass guns – medium and heavy
machine guns, miniguns, and rocket launchers.
HOVERCRAFT
This skill allows the
character to pilot conventional air-thrust hovercrafts in the Matrix and the
slightly more snazzy varieties in the Real World.
INFORMATION
GATHERING
Information Gathering
entails using the character’s contacts to find information. The GM draws
against the character’s score in this skill, using the relative difficulty and
obscurity of the information as the Target. The GM then compares the
result with the table below.
|
Successes |
Result |
Example |
|
None |
No Information |
"Black, Black,
hmm...Sorry, name doesn't ring a bell." |
|
One |
Very Basic Information |
"Mr Black? He's
staying in a hotel downtown, the Regent or the Emperor, I'm not sure
which." |
|
Two |
Basic information |
"He's at the
Regent. I don't know why he's here, though." |
|
Three or more |
Detailed Information |
"Black? Regent Hotel,
room 202. He's here to cut a deal with the Machines." |
As always, it is up to the
GM as to how much a draw reveals. The basic time for gathering is four
hours, plus one hour per category above a No Information result (ie 5 hours for
Very Basic information, 6 for Basic, and so on).
This skill cannot be
loaded into the character’s Flash Memory.
INTERROGATION
Interrogation: the
not-so-gentle art of getting information. When interrogating, the Target
is equal to twice the interrogated person’s Willpower. Success is
determined on the Information Gathering table, with False information counting
as No information instead.
LANGUAGE
A character must take one
Language skill for each language they learn (ie, one for Japanese, one for
German, and so on); also, a character can never learn more levels in Languages
than they have points in their Knowledge attribute. The Target for the
roll depends on what the character is trying to say. Simple phrases (like
“What is your name?” and “Where is the hospital?”) may be draw-free, while more
complex phrases (detailed directions and descriptions, for example) will
require a draw.
LARGE
VEHICLE
Large Vehicle allows the
character to pilot larger vehicles, such as buses, large trucks and semis, and,
as a special bonus, any half- or full-tracked vehicle. Now you too can go
from bus driver to tank operator in one easy lesson.
LOCKPICKING
Lock-picking allows the
character to open locked doors. An average lock requires a draw against a
Target of 6; a security lock is Target 8 to 9, and so on. Generally
speaking, the more valuable the thing protected is, the higher the Target to
pick the lock. This skill is useless without a Lock-picking Kit (See Gear).
MACHINE
GUNS
Machine guns, include any
burst-fire or full-auto weapons larger than a pistol or rifle but smaller than
a Heavy Weapon.
MARTIAL
ARTS
Characters with this skill
cause may add their level in this skill to the damage of each unarmed attack,
which is usually Green-level damage equal to the character’s Size attribute.
NAVIGATION
The art of using
navigational equipment. This skill imbues the character with a decent
sense of direction, and it also allows the character to effectively use the
sensor equipment installed in most Desert vehicles, as well as GPS and sat-nav
equipment installed in some Matrix vehicles.
Allows the character to
use semi-automatic handguns, machine pistols, revolvers, and any other small
arms.
POLE
ARMS
Pole-arms is a catch-all
category that includes any long-handled weapons: spears, staves, glaives, and
so on.
REPAIR
Repair allows the
character to maintain and repair the indicated equipment. The character
must decide what type of items they are able to practice on, from:
Weapon
(Close-Combat/Projectile/Firearm)
Electronics/Computers
Vehicle (Including
Battlesuits)
This skill also allows the
character to do repairs on existing equipment. The Rank Difficulty for
repairing the item is equal to twice the existing Wear – hence, it is easier to
repair something that has been lightly scuffed than something that has just
been run over by a tank. The character draws cards equal to their Repair
score; every success removes 2 points of Wear, to a minimum of zero.
Worker B, with Repair (Hovercraft): 4, is making some repairs on his hovercraft (Wear 4) after an encounter with a group of Sentinels. Worker B’s player gets to draw four cards against a Target of 8 (4×2). He draws two eights, a nine, and a ten, for four successes. This is enough to restore up to 8 points of Wear. However, the extra four points are not needed, as the hovercraft is restored to perfect working order.
The base time for repairs on
items depends on the size and complexity of the item.
|
Item |
Base
Time
|
Plus
|
Reduce Time by: |
|
Electronics |
2
hours |
1
hour per point of Wear |
½
hour per success |
|
Close-combat weapon, Bow |
12
hours |
2
hours per point of Wear |
1
hour per success |
|
Firearm |
36
hours |
4 hours per point of Wear |
2
hours per success |
|
General Mechanics |
2
days |
12
hours per point of Wear |
6
hours per success |
|
Bike |
3
days |
1
day per point of Wear |
12
hours per success |
|
Small Vehicle (Car, Pick-up, Van) |
1
week |
1
day per point of Wear |
12
hours per success |
|
Large Vehicle (Truck, Bus) |
10
days |
36
hours per point of Wear |
1½
days per success |
|
Aircraft (Chopper, Plane) |
10
days |
2
days per point of Wear |
1
day per success |
|
High-Tech vehicle (Hovercraft, Battlesuit) |
2
weeks |
2
days per point of Wear |
1
day per success |
The item is unable to be
used during the period in which it is being repaired. At the GM's
discretion, extra successes may be used to reduce the time needed to repair the
item, according to the chart above; the repair time may only be reduced to the
Base Time, never lower. So, in the above example, Worker B will have to wait a
base time of 14 days (High-tech vehicle), plus (4 points of Wear × 2 days per
point=) 8 days, putting the Hovercraft out of action for a total of 22 days, or
a little over three weeks. If Worker B elected to use the two successes to
reduce the repair time, the hovercraft would only be out of action for
(22-[2×1]=)20 days.
This skill is useless
without some kind of Repair tools. An ordinary Repair Kit (Low Tech) can
restore up to its Rating in Wear; a Repair Shop (Low Tech) can restore up to
twice its Rating; and a Repair Facility (Low Tech) can restore up to three
times its Rating. A Nanotech Forge (High Tech) can restore up to twice
its Rating, as well as cutting the downtime of the object in half.
This skill also allows the
character to create or modify the indicated equipment given the right parts and
time. The Target depends on the complexity and size of the construction
or modification; for instance, it is easier to install a laser sight on a
pistol, than to build a Battlesuit from scrap.
RESEARCH
Research grants the
character a proficiency at finding information in written material ie
libraries, the Internet, and so on. The base Category and results are the
same as those for the Information Gathering skill. A character with this
skill and Computer who uses the computer as a primary source of information may
reduce the Target by 1.
RIFLES
The Rifles skill includes
the use of shotguns and single-shot and semi-auto rifles.
ROTORCRAFT
Rotorcraft
allows the character to pilot all manner of helicopter and autogyro.
SALVAGE
This skill allows the
character to scrounge for useful things, as well as recycle junked or damaged
equipment into spare parts. These parts have half the Wear of the thing that
they are looted from, and may be used to automatically (pending a successful Repair
draw) restore Wear to an item. In this case, the remaining Wear of the
parts (ie 10-existing Wear) is automatically removed from the Wear of the
repaired item. So, if Geezer wanted to use parts from an augured-in
Hovercraft (Wear 8) to repair his own ship, a successful Repair roll would
restore (10-8=)2 points of Wear. Repairing an object in this fashion
takes half the listed time.
Salvaging is a tricky
business; one has to know where to look, and what to look for. The GM
must decide if there are modifiers for the location and rarity of the
part. For example, looking for a replacement circuit board in a computer
junkyard may require a draw against a Target of 6 or 7, whereas looking for
water in the desert may attract a target in the high teens.
This skill cannot be
loaded into the character’s Flash Memory.
STEALTH
Stealth
allows the character to move around undetected. This skill may be modified by the situation; for example, it’s a
lot easier to sneak around an abandoned warehouse in the dead of night than
across open ground at midday.
THEFT
Theft allows a character
to achieve several tasks: pick-pocketing, sleight-of-hand pilfering, and so
on. When using this skill, the character pits Theft against twice their
opponent’s Intuition.
THROWN
WEAPON
Covers the use of grenades
and other less explosive hand-thrown weapons, like shiruken, darts and throwing
knives.
TRACKING
Tracking allows the
character to follow a trail made by person, vehicle or animal. The Target
is twice the hunted’s Stealth or Dexterity score, modified by weather,
freshness of trail, and so on (GM’s discretion).
TUMBLING
A character with this
skill may flip, dodge, and cartwheel. It also imparts an ease of movement
that allows the character to reduce all damage done to them by 1 while their
armour does not restrict the character’s movement (ie if the character’s armour
decreases their Speed, it also negates this bonus).
VECTORED-THRUST AIRCRAFT
Vectored-thrust vehicles
rely primarily on directed air to keep them airborne. Such technology is
really only available outside the Matrix; inside, only military and government
agencies have access to such equipment.
WHIP
Not just an Indiana Jones
wannabe skill anymore, whips have progressed a long way in the Desert.
The latest development is a nanotech-maufactured ‘monowhip’, a hair-thin
filament of carbon atoms that can slice through the toughest armour like
butter. However, people untrained in its use often find themselves sort a
few extremities. For the ninja in all of you, the Whips skill also encompasses
the use of multi-piece club weapons, like morning stars and nunchaku.
WINGED AIRCRAFT
Winged Aircraft covers
piloting aircraft, from Cessna to Harrier. The latter may be a little harder
to pass off as a recreational vehicle, though.