Campaign Everyman Skills

All characters start with the following 8- Familiarities for free. These "Everyman" skills can't be improved with any type of Skill Levels, even Overall levels, but they can sometimes be improved (or penalized) circumstantially.

Acrobatics

This skill is used for balancing on things, swinging on ropes and so forth in an heroic and swashbuckling fashion.

Acting

This is what you use to bluff, lie, and otherwise deceive others. Not that you'd ever do that. It would be wrong. Also, you can use it in combat as a Half-Phase action to feint.

Area Knowledge: The World

General knowledge about the geography and sociology of the world. This is a very broad subject, and therefore it's unlikely that you'd have much detailed knowledge about any single subject, but at least it's something.

Breakfall

This skill can allow you to reduce the amount of damage you take from falling, or to get up after being knocked down without wasting a half-Phase (roll is at -1 per 1" fallen or 1" of knockback).

Climbing

You'll be needing this skill to safely climb anything more difficult than a ladder. A failed roll usually just means you make no progress, but a badly failed roll can be a tad more tragic — then you might need to try out your Breakfall skill.

Concealment

This is the skill you use for hiding things, and also for hiding yourself. It's not the same as Stealth (see below).

Conversation

You can use this skill to get information out of people without letting them know that they're being pumped. Naturally, if they're suspicious it makes the job harder.

Deduction

If all else fails, and you just can't figure out the situation from the GM's masterful sprinkling of clues, you can try this skill to find an answer.

Language

You get full fluency (but not literacy) in your native tongue for free. Note that the Common Tongue isn't actually anybody's native tongue; it's more closely analagous to Latin or Greek in medieval European society.

Paramedic

This is just first aid, not proper doctoring. A really great roll might return a point of BODY, but normally a success will just stabilize the patient and stop them bleeding to death. The roll is at -1 per point of BODY below zero.

Persuasion

If you need to talk somebody into doing something, not doing something or letting you do something (and so forth), this is the skill you need.

Professional Skill (player's choice)

This is whatever profession you had before you took up the high-stakes glamour career of the Adventurer.

Shadowing

This skill allows you to follow someone (or some thing) without being seen yourself. It's not the same as Tracking.

Sleight of Hand

You use Sleight of Hand for palming small objects, shoplifting, picking pockets, or even just feeding your broccolli to the dog without your hostess noticing.

Stealth

If you need to be sneaky on the move, use Stealth. If you're static, then Concealment is almost always more appropriate.

Trading

This is the skill you need to get by without paying three times what anything is worth, or to get a good price for your ill-gotten loot.

Also, depending on the character's background, one of the following:

Bureacratics

This skill is most appropriate for a townsman, and aids in dealing with any kind of bureacracy, such as law officers, government officials and the like. It will allow you to pinpoint just who you should be dealing with to get results, and to avoid those whose function is to fob you off.

High Society

This is the skill for upper-class types, allowing you to move through polite society without making too many awful social gaffes. You will know who's who in society, and be more-or-less up to date with the gossip.

Streetwise

This is the skill you'll need for survival among the urban poor, and it will allow you to avoid enraging street gangs, to fence any "sensitive" loot, and (hopefully) stay below the notice of the authorities.

Survival (one environment)

If your character comes from a rural background, you can take this skill for the appropriate environment. A successful Survival roll will allow you to find food and shelter to survive for a day; for each point you make the roll by, you can support one more person.