Skills (Round 10)

Character Skills
The following are all of the additional Skills added to the list for PCs in Zimildran. Combine this list with the Skills from the Core Rulebook (p.30) to get a comprehensive list of everything available to PCs when creating characters in Zimildran.

Animal Empathy
Test Type: Standard AND Competitive vs. Mind

This character knows well the language of the wild beasts, and is capable of calming, and even taming, certain creatures in the wild. When this character comes across an Aggressive animal, this character may attempt to use Animal Empathy to calm the creature. Calming a creature requires a competitive test vs. the animal’s Mind test. Calming an animal will result in the Aggressive animal treating the character and the character’s allies as if it were Neutral to them. Calming an animal is useless if there is any threatening presence nearby, such as a character with weapon drawn and guard up, or a predator or competing carnivore.

Additionally, if the character has a creature companion, any time that companion’s Loyalty would be tested, the character may instead replace the Loyalty test with an Animal Empathy test. Succeeding the Animal Empathy test has all the same results as succeeding the Loyalty test, however, failing the Animal Empathy test will require the creature to attempt its Loyalty test as normal. Animal Empathy tests made when the character has more than one creature companion suffer a +15 modifier for each additional creature.
 * Expert (50 Experience): At the Expert Rank, every Animal Empathy test the character attempts gains @+1.
 * Master (75 Experience): At the Master Rank, the @ bonus increases from +1 to +2. Additionally, the character may now attempt to tame a calmed animal. Attempting to tame requires a second Animal Empathy test vs. the animal’s Mind test, and the character must present the calmed animal with some food that it will eat (fresh meat for a carnivore, appropriate vegetation for an herbivore).
 * Grand Master (100 Experience): At the Grand Master Rank, the @ bonus increases from +2 to +3. Additionally, the modifier for having multiple creature companions is decreased from +15 to +5.

Cartography
Test Type: Standard

This Skill measures the character’s ability to accurately chart the landscape as he or she travels, creating maps and charts that can be of great use to explorers and adventurers, or even sold to surveyors. Cartography can be used once every six hours when traveling abroad. Before each Cartography test, the character should also make a Bearing test. If the Bearing test is successful, add the @ of the Bearing test to the Cartography’s test @. If the Bearing test fails, then subtract the @ of the Bearing test instead.

Characters are encouraged to keep record of the areas they have charted. Traveling through areas that already have been charted can cut travel times by up to 25%. Charts can also be sold to appropriate individuals.
 * Expert (50 Experience): At the Expert Rank, every Cartography test the character attempts gains @+1.
 * Master (75 Experience): At the Master Rank, the @ bonus increases from +1 to +2.
 * Grand Master (100 Experience): At the Grand Master Rank, the @ bonus increases from +2 to +3.

Cooking
Test Type: Standard

A character with this Skill can be of exceptional use when traveling, not to mention capable of creating wonderful dishes while in towns and cities. Cooking tests are made to increase the number of meals available to a character. Before each Cooking test, the character must choose how many meals to use, with a minimum of 2. If the test is successful, and the @ is greater than the number of meals used, then the total number of meals made with the Cooking test is equal to the original amount +50%. For instance, if a character is attempting a Cooking test with 2 meals, and rolls a success with @ 3 or higher, then the character successfully makes enough food to equal 3 meals.

If the character succeeds the test but does not achieve high enough @, then the original meals are unaltered, save for being a bit more flavorful. Finally, if the character fails the test, then the original meals are reduced by 50%.

Game Masters may require such things as a camp fire, cooking utensils, and the like for Cooking tests that use large amounts of meals. This Skill works well with the Foraging Skill. character attempts gains @+1.
 * Expert (50 Experience): At the Expert Rank, every Cooking test the
 * Master (75 Experience): At the Master Rank, the @ bonus increases from +1 to +2.
 * Grand Master (100 Experience): At the Grand Master Rank, the @ bonus increases from +2 to +3.

Engineering
Test Type: Standard

Character with the Engineering Skill are capable of creating a wide array of mechanical works, from simple bombs and lock-picks to steam-powered golems. Tests require about 12 hours of game-time and represent the character laboring over their work with great care.

First, a character must obtain the proper plans to create a work of their own. When the plans have been obtained, the character may work on their device, making an Engineering test and comparing the resulting @ to the device’s minimum @. If the rolled @ meets or exceeds the minimum @, then the device has been successfully created. If the test was a success and the @ is less than the minimum, the character may attempt another test, requiring another 12 hours. Add the @ of the second test to the first test’s @.

Tests may be continued until the minimum @ is achieved. Characters may rest or even perform other simple tasks between Engineering tests. However, leaving a device and traveling, or otherwise being occupied away from it for an extended period, will incur Advantage Decay. Decay is equal to 1 @ for every day spent away from the device.
 * Expert (50 Experience): At the Expert Rank, every Engineering test the character attempts gains @+1. Additionally, Engineering tests are considered to take an average of 8 hours of game-time. Also, Advantage Decay is reduced to 1 @ for every three days.
 * Master (75 Experience): At the Master Rank, the @ bonus increases from +1 to +2. Additionally, Engineering tests are considered to take an average of 6 hours of game-time. Also, Advantage Decay is reduced to 1 @ for every ten days.
 * Grand Master (100 Experience): At the Grand Master Rank, the @ bonus increases from +2 to +3. Additionally, Engineering tests are considered to take an average of 4 hours of game-time. Also, Advantage Decay is reduced to 1 @ for every month.

Musical Talents
Test Type: Standard

This character is skilled in music, whether it is vocally or by playing a specific instrument. When this Skill is picked, the player must specify a specialization, being either Drum, Flute, Lute or Vocal. Among using their talent for entertainment or to earn simple coin, Musical Talents may also be employed during combat for minor bonuses.

On a character’s turn, that character may spend a Useful Action making a Musical Talents test. If successful, all allied characters within 30 feet may immediately regain @ lost Energy.
 * Expert (50 Experience): At the Expert Rank, every Musical Talents test the character attempts gains @+1. Additionally, combat range for Musical Talents tests is increased to 60 feet.
 * Master (75 Experience): At the Master Rank, the @ bonus increases from +1 to +2. Additionally, before the test is attempted, the character may choose to either regain allies’ Energy, or grant a -@ bonus to all Attack tests OR all Defense tests for one Block.
 * Grand Master (100 Experience): At the Grand Master Rank, the @ bonus increases from +2 to +3. Additionally, the Attack or Defense bonus is increased from -@ to -2@.

Cultural Knowledge
Every culture has certain knowledge skills that they will begin the game with. These skills are considered part of the character’s background, and do not require the expenditure of a character’s starting Experience in order to gain values in them. Instead, a separate pool of Experience is created solely for acquiring and raising Knowledge skills. To determine how much Experience your character gains on these knowledge skills, simply multiply your character’s Mind value by 3. The final result is the total amount of Experience you have to spend on Knowledge skills. Players may divide the experience as they wish between any number of Knowledge skills, as long as they have at least three different Knowledge skills, one of which being their primary culture’s native language.

To help you decide what sort of Knowledge skills you should take, here are some examples, as separated by culture.

Harsonian

 * History: Arcomb
 * History: Harsonia
 * History: House Ashwhym
 * History: Riverton
 * Language: Harsonish
 * Lore: Breakcliffs
 * Lore: Dreadwood
 * Lore: House Naterius
 * Lore: The Barbarian Wars

Kotokai

 * History: Jinshu-Kong
 * History: Ming-Pe
 * History: The Shen Temples
 * History: The Shui Dynasty
 * Language: Kotarin
 * Lore: The Major Shen
 * Lore: The Minor Shen
 * Lore: Pukisho
 * Lore: The Shadewood

Snowmarcher

 * History: Clan Blackwing
 * History: Clan Dragon’s Tooth
 * History: Glimmerridge
 * History: Modenheim
 * Language: Dranic
 * Lore: Bukmar Forest
 * Lore: Coldspear Peak
 * Lore: Northern Druids
 * Lore: The Patron Souls

Ukindan
Redridge
 * Dinosaurs
 * History: Anazukali
 * History: Septhys Tribe
 * History: Zarofet
 * History: Azi-Abeddal Tribe
 * Language: Ukindaans
 * Lore: Contest of Flame
 * Lore: Moh-Dute Desert
 * Lore: