Design: Skills

These are the familiar d20 skills. They deal with things secondary to the main purpose of classes. Thus, they do not deal with fighting, stealth, psychic ability, etc., but rather things that are either totally optional (such as artistic ability) or skills that are useful to any class (such as starship piloting).

These work like normal d20 skills. There are no "class skills" in this system. Training levels typically grant many secondary skills.

There are a number of feats related to secondary skills. These feats grant additional abilities, typically by requiring a certain mastery of multiple skills. For example:

• Hacking (req 5 ranks of Computer Programming, Information Systems, Network Security): allows you to hack into computer systems.
• Coercion (req 5 ranks of Negotiation, Persuasion): gives you a per-encounter ability to suggest something to someone.
• Intimidation (req 5 ranks of Persuasion, Presence): gives you a per-encounter ability to cause fear in your enemies.
• Small Craft Piloting (req 4 ranks of Spaceship Operation)
• Small Starship Command (req 7 ranks of Spaceship Operation, 4 ranks Starship Engineering, 1 rank Leadership)
• Medium Starship Command (req 10 ranks of Spaceship Operation, 7 ranks Starship Engineering, 4 ranks Leadership, 1 rank Decision-Making)

Some such feats do not augment skills, but effectively serve as the primary use of said skills. For example:

• Attention to Detail (req 5 ranks of Awareness): gain +4 to Perception score, one callout per encounter for noticing details.
• Sixth Sense (req 5 ranks of Awareness): gain +2 to Perception and Intuition scores, one callout per encounter for noticing unseen dangers.
• Sense Motive (req 5 ranks of Awareness): gain +4 to Intuition score, one callout per encounter for calling someone's bluff).

These skills are those that deal directly with adventurers' primary abilities.

Thus, a fighter's fighting, a rogue's stealth, and a psychic's abilities are all handled with these skills.

These skills work in the following manner:

• Each class has a list of exclusive class skills.
• Maximum rank in each skill is equal to the total levels of all classes which have that skill on their class skill list.

Thus:

• You may only put primary skill points into skills allowed by the class which gave them to you.

And of course:

• You may not put secondary skill points into primary skills, and vice versa.

Also:

• Primary skills have a maximum rank of 5.
• Some primary skills require another skill to be at rank 5 before you may take any ranks.

Skills are basically gateways to special abilities. Each rank of a skill may grant any number (including 0) of related special abilities.

It is somewhat akin to if a D&D wizard were required to put skill points into his schools. By taking Evocation 3, for example, the 3rd-level evocation spells would become available to him. Unlike a wizard, all "spells" gained would be immediately added to your list (more like a cleric).

General

Anyone can take these. Race and background levels grant primary skill points for this category.

• Guns: Reduces nonproficiency penalty by 1 per rank, minimum 0. V- increases critical threat range of guns from 20 to normal range.
  • Starship Guns: Reduces nonproficiency penalty by 1 per rank, minimum 0. V- increases critical threat range of guns from 20 to normal range.

Defense

• Cover: Grants +1 per rank to Defense when taking cover.
• Concealment: Grants +5% miss chance per rank when concealed.
• Evasion: Grants +1 per rank to Defense when not flat-footed.
• Power Armor: I- grants proficiency with power armor. III- grants proficiency with hardened power armor. V- grants proficiency with personal shield unit. II- +1 Defense bonus from power armor. IV- +1 Wound Reduction from power armor.

Hand-to-hand

• Brawling: I- grants Punch, Kick. II- +1 to hit with unarmed attacks. III- +1 to damage with unarmed attacks. IV- +1 to hit. V-+1 to damage.
  • Boxing: I- grants Jab, Hook. II- +1 to hit with punches. III- +1 to damage with punches. IV- grants Uppercut, +1 to hit. V- grants Cross, +1 to damage.
  • Kicking: I- grants Side Kick, Back Kick. II- +1 to hit with kicks. III- +1 to damage with kicks. IV- grants Sweep, Roundhouse Kick, +1 to hit. V- grants Flying Kick, +1 to damage.
• Grappling: I- grants Throw, Lock, Pin. II- +1 to grapple attacks. III- +1 to grapple damage. IV- +1 to grapple attacks. V- +1 to grapple damage.
  • Throws: I- grants Hip Throw, Leg Throw. II- +1 to throw attacks. III- grants Shoulder Throw, Leg Reap. IV- +1 to throw attacks. V- grants Sacrifice Throw.
  • Locks: I- grants Armlock, Leglock. II- +1 to lock attacks. III- grants Spinal Lock, Wristlock. IV- +1 to lock attacks. V- grants Chokehold.
  • Pinning:
• Fencing

Weapons

• Marksmanship: I-+1 to hit with guns. II-+1 to damage with guns. III-+1 to hit with guns. IV-+1 to damage with guns. V-grants Sniper Shot.
  • Controlled Fire: I-grants Three-Round Burst. II-+1 to hit with Full-Auto Spray. III-grants Suppressing Fire. IV-+1 to hit with Full-Auto Spray. V-grants Covering Fire.
  • Motion Prediction: Reduce target movement penalty to attack by 1 per rank.
  • Rapid Firing: I-grants Double Tap. II-+1 to hit with Double Tap. III-+1 to damage with Double Tap. IV-+1 to hit with Double Tap. V-+1 to damage with Double Tap.
  • Steady Aim: Reduces shooter movement penalty to attack by 1 per rank.
  • Rangefinding: Reduce distance penalty to attack by 1 per rank.
• Application of Force: +1 to damage with guns per rank.
  • Surgical Strike: I - grants Kneecap Shot. III- grants Hand Shot. V- grants Head Shot.
• Heavy Weapons: I- grants Assault Weapons. III- grants Mounted Weapons. V- grants High-Energy Weapons.
  • Missile Specialization: I, III, V- +1 to hit with missiles. II, IV- +1 to damage with missiles.
  • Chaingun Specialization: I, III, V- +1 to hit with chainguns. II, IV- +1 to damage with chainguns.
  • Flamethrower Specialization: You get the idea.

Stealth

• Stealth: +2 to Stealth attribute per rank. I- grants Stealth. III- grants Blend. V- grants Vanish.
  • Sneak Attack: +1 to Stealth attribute per rank. I- grants Sneak Attack. III- grants Sap. V- grants Assassinate.
  • Silent Movement: +1 to Stealth attribute per rank. +1 square of movement while Stealthed at rank I, III, and V.

Psychic

• Combat Savant: Can expend up to 1 point of Concentration per rank as free action once per round to gain points as bonus to one attack or to Defense against one attack.
  • Offensive Prescience: Can expend 1 point of Concentration per rank as free action, independent of Combat Savant points; gain +1 to attack and damage for 1 round.
  • Defensive Prescience: Can expend 1 point of Concentration per rank as free action, independent of Combat Savant points; gain +1 to Defense and Reflex for 1 round.
• Empathy: +1 to Wis attack rolls when using Empathy. I- grants Empathy. V- grants Mass Empathy.
  • Empathic Projection: +1 to Wis attack rolls when using Empathic Projection. I- grants Empathic Projection. V- grants Mass Empathic Projection.
  • Reading: +1 to Int attack rolls when using Reading. I- grants Reading. V- grants Deep Scan.
    • Suggestion: +1 to Cha attack rolls when using Suggestion. I- grants Suggestion. V- grants Mass Suggestion.
    • Reprogramming: +1 to Int attack rolls when using Reprogramming. I- grants Reprogramming. V- grants Deep Reprogramming.
• Eidetic Memory: I- grants Memorize. III- grants Recall. V- grants Catalog.
• Computation: I- grants Reckoning. III- grants Probability Analysis. V- grants Prediction.

Social

• Negotiation (Wis)
• Diplomacy (Wis)
• Persuasion (Cha)
• Leadership (Cha)
• Decision-Making (Wis)
• Networking (Int)
• Bluff (Cha)

Engineering

• Starship Engineering (Int)
• Nanotech Engineering (Int)
• Computer Engineering (Int)
• Cybernetic Engineering (Int)
• Computer Programming (Int)
• Information Systems (Int)
• Network Security (Int)

Science

• Medicine (Int)
• Astrophysics (Int)
• Xenoarcheology (Int)
• Astronomy (Int)
• Genetics (Int)
• Cryptology (Int)

Industry

• Resource-Gathering Operations (Wis)
• Micro-Scale Fabrication (Int)
• Macro-Scale Fabrication (Wis)

Physical Training

• Athletics (Str)
• Acrobatics (Dex)
• Conditioning (Con)

Mental Training

• Problem Solving (Int)
• Awareness (Wis)
• Presence (Cha)

Spacefaring

• Spaceship Operation (Int)
• Astrogation (Int)
• Spaceship Tactics (Wis)
• Fleet Command (Wis)