Warlords Of Kruhl 3e EN:Skills
Skills allow a character to apply their attributes to solve a specific problem or accomplish a specific task. Skills cost one character point each. Expertise in a skill costs an additional character point. We suggest spending about 10 character points on skills.
Skill Dice
If the character has the needed skill, the player rolls 2d6. If the character has Expertise with the needed skill, re-roll any 1s and 2s until all dice have a 3 or higher.
A character may attempt a task in which they have no skill, if the GM says it is possible. For example, anyone can tell a lie (attempted with a Deception roll), but not everyone can recite an epic poem and keep the audience's attention (attempted with a Performance roll). If a character attempts a task in which they have no skill, the player rolls one die instead of two. For example, if a character is attacked by an enemy with a knife, but the defender does not have the Hand-to-hand Combat skill, the defender rolls 1d6 and adds their Brawn.
Making skill rolls is covered in the Actions chapter.
Typical Skills
Warlords Of Kruhl divides skills into broad disciplines. This list of skills is not exhaustive, nor is it objective: skills are divided by their usefulness in a game, not by any objective taxonomy. This is why "Culture" is a very broad skill, while "Deception" is relatively specific. A character may have a skill not listed here, subject to GM approval. However, any new skills should be approximately as useful as these skills in order to maintain a sense of fairness with other characters.
Most skills are quite broad. However, just because a character could do everything encompassed by a skill does not mean that they should. For example, a character with the Crafting skill could, in theory, do everything from cooking a meal to designing a bridge. That doesn't mean it makes sense for them to do so. It's up to you as the player to know what makes sense for your character and what doesn't, and to communicate that information to the GM.
The attribute typically associated with a skill is listed here, but keep in mind that the relevant attribute might change depending on the circumstances. Also note that the same task might be accomplished in more than one way. Climbing a tree might be an exercise in Athletics (Brawn), but it might also be accomplished with the proper application of Survival (Brawn).
| Skill | Attribute | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Athletics | Agility or Brawn | Climbing, gymnastics, riding, running, swimming, throwing objects |
| Crafting | Agility or Reason | Appraisal, carpentry, cartography, cooking, masonry, smithing |
| Culture | Reason | Art, fashion, history, legends, music, philosophy, politics |
| Deception | Presence | Bluffing, disguise, lying, sales |
| Diplomacy | Presence | Carousing, conversation, etiquette, negotiation, streetwise |
| Finesse | Agility | Disabling a trap, forgery, lockpicking, pickpocketing, sleight of hand |
| Gambling | Reason | Card games, dice games, dominoes, formal combat, races, sporting events |
| Hand-to-hand Combat | Brawn | Axes, clubs, hand-to-hand powers, spears, swords, unarmed strikes |
| Investigation | Reason | Analyzing evidence, collecting evidence, identifying clues |
| Manipulation | Presence | Bribery, interrogation, intimidation, leadership, persuasion, seduction |
| Medicine | Reason | Apothecary, diagnosis, field medicine, surgery |
| Mental Combat | Presence | Defending against mental attacks, phantasms, mind control, telepathy |
| Nature | Reason | Alchemy, animals, astronomy, fish, geometry, plants, rivers, weather |
| Occult | Reason or Presence | Analyzing artifacts, casting spells, designing new spells, removing curses |
| Perception | Reason | Eavesdropping, identifying an odor or taste, noticing a tail |
| Performance | Presence | Comedy, dancing, music, singing, theatre, writing novels, writing poetry |
| Ranged Combat | Agility | Bows, crossbows, ranged powers, slings, spears, thrown weapons |
| Religion | Reason | Devils, gods, religious symbols, rituals, theology |
| Seafaring | Agility | Barges, fishing boats, rafts, rowboats, sailing vessels; navigation |
| Stealth | Agility | Hiding, shadowing, sneaking, stalking |
| Survival | Reason | Foraging, hunting, orienteering, scavenging, tracking |
| Warfare | Reason | Fortifications, guerrilla warfare, logistics, siege engines, strategy, tactics |
Athletics
The Athletics skill covers the entire spectrum of non-combat sports, as well general feats of athleticism such as running, jumping, climbing, swimming, and throwing.
Generally, an athletic competition is simply a matter of who has the highest relevant attribute. In the case where two competitors in a sport have the same attributes, the winner would be decided with a roll, or perhaps a series of rolls. In some sports, the difference between the winner and second place may be as little as one one-hundredth of a second.
Athletics typically requires an Agility or Brawn roll.
Examples: Climbing, gymnastics, riding, running, swimming, throwing objects
Crafting
Crafting is the relevant skill whenever a character attempts to design and build structures, machines, devices, or materials. A Crafting roll might be required to cut and plane lumber, to repair a damaged pump, or to design a cathedral.
Failing the Crafting roll might indicate that the device or structure simply does not work, or that it will fail catastrophically during use.
Crafting typically requires an Agility or Reason roll.
Examples: Appraisal, carpentry, cartography, cooking, masonry, smithing
Culture
The Culture skill covers the wide range of information that provides the backdrop of our lives. It includes literary, artistic, and political tidbits of information, such as the name of the second cousin to the Emperor, or the history of the phrase Ansaru kitnul, ifridî bekâr!
Culture typically requires a Reason roll.
Examples: Art, fashion, history, legends, music, philosophy, politics
Deception
The Deception skill is used to convince someone of the truth of a given statement or situation, usually with the aim of getting them to act on it.
Deception typically requires a Presence roll.
Examples: Bluffing, disguise, lying, sales
Diplomacy
The Diplomacy skill is used to adapt to one's social environment. It enables a character navigate through red tape, know the proper manners for a given environment, or survive an excursion to the dark side of civilization. A Diplomacy roll might be required to circumvent a bureaucratic obstacle, to socialize with a group without offending them, or to get the word to the local thieves' guild that the shipment of swords at midnight is a set-up.
A failed Diplomacy roll could result in the character being snubbed by polite society, or possibly in being maimed by a coarser crowd.
Diplomacy typically requires a Presence roll, and is sometimes opposed.
Examples: Carousing, conversation, etiquette, negotiation, streetwise
Finesse
Finesse covers the skills which require a delicate touch and fine control of the hands and fingers. A Finesse roll might be required to slip a note to an ally, to pick someone's pocket, to disable a trap, or to pick the lock on a pair of handcuffs.
Failing a Finesse roll indicates that the deception is easily spotted by the casual observer, or that the lock resists the attempt to pick it.
Finesse typically requires an Agility roll.
Examples: Disabling a trap, forgery, lockpicking, pickpocketing, sleight of hand
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of something of value (or "the stakes") on an event with an uncertain outcome, with the intent of winning more than you risked. Gambling thus requires three elements: the stakes, a risk, and a prize. A character with Gambling knows where to play, when to play, and with whom to play, in order to win more often than they lose.
Gambling typically requires a Reason roll.
Examples: Card games, dice games, dominoes, formal combat, races, sporting events
Hand-to-hand Combat
The Hand-to-hand Combat skill covers the myriad ways that humans have found to hurt, maim, and kill one another in hand-to-hand combat. Any form of hand-to-hand combat is covered by the Hand-to-hand Combat skill.
Hand-to-hand Combat typically requires a Brawn roll.
Examples: Axes, clubs, hand-to-hand powers, spears, swords, unarmed strikes
Investigation
The Investigation skill covers most of the tasks involved in solving mysteries and researching obscure topics. This includes searching for clues, collecting and analyzing evidence, sifting through notes and journals, and so on.
Investigation typically requires a Reason roll, or perhaps a series of rolls.
Examples: Analyzing evidence, collecting evidence, identifying clues
Manipulation
The Manipulation skill pertains to eliciting cooperation or information from others by using flirtation, threats of violence, or just verbal trickery. Interrogation usually hinges on convincing the subject that hope is futile and that resistance will only make things worse, while seduction can sometimes be successful even if the target is aware that they are being seduced.
Failure of a Manipulation roll could result in the subject of interrogation convincingly giving false information, or in the target of a seduction finding the would-be seducer repugnant.
Manipulation typically requires a Presence roll, or perhaps a series of rolls.
Examples: Bribery, interrogation, intimidation, leadership, persuasion, seduction
Medicine
A knowledge of Medicine can be very useful in the violent world of Warlords Of Kruhl. Any medical procedure, from treating a scrape to amputating a limb, is covered by the Medicine skill.
Medicine typically requires a Reason roll.
Examples: Apothecary, diagnosis, field medicine, surgery
Mental Combat
The Mental Combat skill covers mental and psychic combat. Any form of mental combat is covered by the Mental Combat skill. The Mental Combat skill is also used to defend against mental attack spells.
Mental Combat typically requires a Presence roll.
Examples: Defending against mental attacks, phantasms, mind control, telepathy
Nature
The Nature skill covers knowledge of the natural world, including understanding the behaviour of animals, being able to identify herbs and their uses, and being able to predict the weather based on changes in temperature and the observation of clouds.
Nature typically requires a Reason roll.
Examples: Alchemy, animals, astronomy, fish, geometry, plants, rivers, weather
Occult
The Occult skill allows the character to identify occult objects, recall obscure magical lore, and decipher ancient arcane manuscripts. If the character has the Arcane Caster gift, they can use Occult to cast spells.
Occult typically requires a Reason roll for academic use. Casting spells is covered in the Magic chapter.
Examples: Analyzing artifacts, remembering obscure lore, deciphering ancient texts
Perception
The Perception skill pertains to noticing subtle things, identifying sensory input, and generally being aware of one's surroundings. Perception can reflect the keenness of one's senses, one's powers of observation, or both.
Perception typically requires a Reason roll.
Examples: Eavesdropping, identifying an odor or taste, noticing a tail
Performance
The Performance skill is used to entertain an audience, making them forget their worries for a brief while.
Performance typically requires a Presence roll.
Examples: Comedy, dancing, music, singing, theatre, writing novels, writing poetry
Ranged Combat
The Ranged Combat skill covers the myriad ways that humans have found to hurt, maim, and kill one another from a distance. Any form of ranged combat is covered by the Ranged Combat skill.
Ranged Combat typically requires an Agility roll.
Examples: Bows, crossbows, ranged powers, slings, spears, thrown weapons
Religion
The Religion skill covers knowledge of cults and their deities. A Religion roll might be required to understand a religious hierarchy or to perform the appropriate ritual for one of life's milestones.
Religion typically requires a Reason roll for academic use, or a Presence roll to cast spells.
Examples: Devils, gods, religious symbols, rituals, theology
Seafaring
Seafaring covers the art, knowledge, and competence of operating a ship, boat, or other craft on water. The competencies encompassed by Seafaring include navigation, laws of the sea, ship-handling, ropework, and operation of deck equipment, as well as cargo handling, survival at sea, and fire fighting.
Seafaring typically requires a Reason roll.
Examples: Barges, fishing boats, rafts, rowboats, sailing vessels; navigation
Stealth
Stealth is the art of sneaking around. A Stealth roll might be required to hide from a monster in an old house, to sneak up on a sentry, or to shadow a suspect back to the criminal's hideout. Terrain, available cover, camouflage, and background noise will all affect the difficulty of the Stealth roll.
Failing the Stealth roll indicates that the furtive prowler is easily spotted by a casual observer.
Stealth typically requires an Agility roll, and is usually opposed by a Perception (Reason) roll by the person the character is hiding from.
Examples: Hiding, shadowing, sneaking, stalking
Survival
The Survival skill pertains to living off the land, coping with adverse environments, and finding one's way based on landmarks, the stars, and dead reckoning. The difficulty is dependent upon the terrain, temperature, and availability of food and shelter, and on how well equipped the character is for the particular area. Survival in a temperate environment with available sources of food and water would require a moderately difficult (DV 3) Survival (Reason) roll. Harsh, hostile environments, such as a desolate wasteland or an icy tundra, would have a higher difficulty, depending on how prepared the character is.
Failing a Survival roll once might mean that the character has caught a cold, lost the trail of their prey, or eaten a plant that has made them sick. Failing numerous Survival rolls could be lethal.
Survival typically requires a Reason roll, or perhaps a series of rolls.
Examples: Foraging, hunting, orienteering, scavenging, tracking
Warfare
Warfare covers every aspect of large numbers of combatants to attain your goals. A common focus of warfare is the defense and capture of defined strategic points, but it also includes the overall plan beyond the current battlefield, as well as the supply chains and communications required to support your forces.
Warfare typically requires a Reason roll.
Examples: Fortifications, guerrilla warfare, logistics, siege engines, strategy, tactics