Liberi Gothica: Skills

Skills are normal, everyday abilities that any person can get better at and improve upon using XP. At Character Creation, you have a number of XP to spend on skills and perks of 10 + Knowledge. These starting XP can only be used for skills and perks.

A skill is made the same way most things are in Liberi Gothica: You roll 2d6, and add the appropriate TACKS attribute, and the appropriate skill modifier. If the total is more than 12, you succeed. However, there may be other modifiers to your roll, depending on outside circumstances. The Skill Descriptions sections gives a wide variety of example penalties.

When rolling against someone else, you both roll 2d6 + modifiers as normal. Whoever rolls higher, wins! In some cases, you still also need to beat 12 to succeed normally - for example, if two people are trying to race across a thin rope without falling [Reflexes check], whoever rolls higher goes faster - but if one contestant doesn't also beat 12, they simply fall off!

Attack skills have their level added to your Attack roll when using that specific kind of attack. Each attack skill applies to one method of attack - for example, Attack [Knife] will give a bonus to attacks with knives, but not with any other weapons. In addition, for every 2 ranks you have in Attack, you also get a +1 bonus to Damage with the associated attack.

Skills start at rank 0. To gain a rank in a skill, you spend XP equal to the new level, and you can only go up one level at a time. So, to gain a skill at rank 3, you would spend 6 XP total: 1 for rank 1, 2 for rank 2, and 3 more for rank 3.

Basic skill divisions

Toughness Skills: Endure, Fortitude, Intimidate, Strength

Athletic Skills: Climb, Grapple, Jump, Reflexes, Ride [Specify], Run, Stealth, Swim

Charm Skills: Disguise, Perform [specialize], Persuasion, Tease, Trick

Knowledge Skills: Craft [specify], Knowledge [Specify Field], Pilot [specify], Search, Treatment, Use Device, Use Rope

Spirit skills: Art [Specify], Encourage, Notice, Willpower

Attack Skills: Disarm, Attack [specify]

Skill descriptions

Below is a description of what can be done with each skill. If you're not sure which skill should be used in a certain situation, this is where you find out.

Most skills are either Reactive, or Active. Reactive skills are skills that the LM will call on you to use to defend yourself from various effects. Active skills are skills you use to determine if you can successfully do something difficult. If a skill is both Active and Reactive, it will be marked A/R.

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Toughness Skills

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Skills based on the Toughness attribute involve physical stamina and resistance to harm, as well as being able to stand your ground.

Endure

REACTIVE

Endure is used to ignore pain and push through adverse circumstances. Endure is used to survive without food or water for long periods of time, to fight through fatigue, and to ignore pain.

Ranks in Endure are added to Fortitude checks to resist environmental heat and cold effects.

Ranks in Endure are added to Climb checks made to prevent falling after being injured.

Ranks in Swim add to your Endure checks to avoid drowning.

Fortitude

REACTIVE

Fortitude is the ability to resist poison, disease, and infection. It represents your body's immune system. A strong Fortitude will help a poor peasant live longer.

Twice your size modifier is added to your Fortitude rolls.

Ranks in Endure are added to Fortitude checks when rolling to resist environmental heat and cold effects.

Intimidate

ACTIVE

Intimidate is used to scare others into submission.

You can spend an action to roll an opposed check against their Willpower roll. If you win, the target becomes Frightened. If you win by 10 or more, they become Terrified. These effects last for 1 round per point you beat their Willpower roll by.

You must do something impressive or scary with your intimidate check.

See Conditions for rules on Frightened and Terrified.

Strength

ACTIVE

Strength lets you smash stuff and move things.

For every 2 ranks you have in Strength, your Toughness is considered 1 higher for the maximum size of weapon you can wield.

Strength determines how heavy of an object you may move or lift. Multiply your Strength modifier [Toughness + ranks + bonuses] by 20 lbs. for how much you can lift off the ground. You can push or pull twice that weight. These numbers are doubled for each size about 0 you are, and halved for each size below 0.

As an action, you may push someone aside. You make a Strength check opposed by either Strength or Reflexes. If you win, they are pushed back as many feet as you won by. If you win by 5 or more, they fall prone as well. You may also use this ability as part of a move action to move past them.

As an action, you can use a strength check to break through a barrier, or destroy an object. This roll is modified by the material of the barrier. Listed below are materials of size -3 [1 inch thick]. For each size larger, give a -1 penalty to the Strength check.

Materials marked by * bend instead of break. To break a bendable material, you must beat the Strength Check by 5.

Material

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Paper: +4* Glass: +0 Wood: +0 Bone: -2 Iron: -4 Steel: -4* Stone: -6

Ranks in Strength are added to Grapple checks to carry or throw.

Twice your Size modifier is added to your Strength rolls.

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Athletic Skills

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Climb

ACTIVE

The ability to climb slopes, pipes, and ledges. Ladders are too simple to roll a climb check for.

A Climb check takes 1 action. On a success, you climb a distance equal to half your speed. If you fail a Climb check, you fall.

You may take a -4 penalty to the Climb check to attempt an accelerated climb. On a success, you climb equal to your speed, instead of half your speed.

If you take Life damage while climbing, you need to make another Climb check or you fall.

You have a -4 penalty to Attack and Defense while climbing.

Creatures with a Climb speed always succeed on climb checks relating to movement, and have no Attack or Defense penalty.

Use the following difficulty modifiers for the roll:

Very rough surface, plenty of hand holds [typical stone cliff]: +4

Rough surface, difficult/few hand holds [log cabin; typical dirt cliff]: +0

Smooth surface, very few hand holds [brick wall]: -4

Completely smooth surface, no hand holds [glass]: -10

Using a rope: +4

Using a knotted rope: +6

Have a slope/wall at your back: +4

At a corner: +2

Surface is wet: -2

Surface is greasy/slippery: -4

Surface has a defined ledge [for moving horizontally]: +4

Ranks in Endure are added to Climb checks made to prevent falling after being injured.

Grapple

A/R

The ability to hold and pin others. Grapple checks are opposed by the target's grapple check. If the attacker wins, the target and the grappler are held down, and unable to move until they break free of the grapple. You are considered in control of the grapple if you were the one who started it.

While in a grapple, you have a few options for your actions:

If you are in control of the grapple you can attack the other with a weapon two sizes smaller than themselves, attack with an unarmed strike, or disarm them. However, these rolls are made as a Grapple roll against the opponent's Defense, instead of an Attack/Disarm roll. This takes 1 action.

If you are in control of the grapple, you can throw the target. They are moved into any square adjacent to you, and take 1d6 damage. The grapple is ended. If they fail a Reflexes check opposed by your Grapple check, they end up prone. This takes 2 actions.

If you are in control of the grapple, you can attempt to carry the target. If you succeed on an opposed grapple check, you and the target move 5 feet in any direction you choose. This takes 1 action.

If you are in control of the grapple, you can choose to end it at any time. This takes 1 action.

If you are not in control of the grapple, you can attempt to gain control. This is an opposed grapple check, and the winner is now in control of the grapple. This takes 2 actions.

If you are not in control of the grapple, you can attempt to break free of the grapple. This is done with an opposed Grapple check - if you win, you are freed from it, and if you lose, the grapple is maintained, unless the opponent wants to free them from the grapple. In that case, the grapple simply ends. This takes 2 actions.

If you are not in the grapple, you can use a Grapple check to pull one person out of the grapple. If you succeed, you are now in control of a new grapple between yourself and the person you pulled out. If you fail, nothing changes. This takes 1 action.

While in a grapple, you have a -4 penalty to Defense, and can not use active defenses.

If multiple people are in a grapple, whenever opposed rolls are called for, everyone gets a Grapple roll. The winner of this opposed roll decides exactly what happens.

Twice your Size modifier is added to your Grapple rolls.

Ranks in Reflexes are added to Grapple checks to break free from the grapple.

Ranks in Strength are added to Grapple checks to carry or throw.

Jump

ACTIVE

Your ability to leap incredible distances.

For a long jump: Divide the roll by 3 for how far [in feet] you jump. Divide the roll by 4 for how high [in feet] you jump.

For a high jump: Divide the roll by 4 for how far [in feet] you jump. Divide the roll by 3 for how high [in feet] you jump.

A running start gives you a +4 bonus to the check.

If you have a running start, your ranks in Run are added to the Jump check.

For every size larger than 0 you are, double the height and distance jumped. For every size smaller than 0 you are, halve the height and distance jumped.

Reflexes

REACTIVE

Reflexes is your ability to dodge harmful effects. This is not used to dodge attacks - that, and more, is represented by Defense. Reflexes is used to avoid other things, like explosions, falling debris, and other effects that can't simply be parried.

Ranks in Reflexes add to your Grapple checks to break free from the grapple.

Your Size modifier is subtracted from your Reflex rolls.

Ride

ACTIVE

Your ability to ride and control a creature without falling off.

You can only ride something if it as at least one size larger than you. Trained riding animals give you a +4 bonus to ride them. Regular, docile animals have no bonus or penalty. Wild animals give you a -4 penalty. Ride is never an opposed roll.

Run

ACTIVE

Running lets you move faster in a combat turn. If you spend 2 actions of the same round moving, you may make a Run check to move farther. If you succeed, you move an additional 5 feet, and roll again. Each time you succeed, you get a cumulative -1 penalty to the Run roll. If you fail, your movement ends.

For example, Lynn is trying to flee a combat that turned poorly as quickly as possible. She takes her double move for 40 feet, and decides to Run. Her run skill has a modifier of 7. So, she rolls 2d6 and gets a 6, for 13. 5 more feet. Now she has a -1 penalty, so she needs to roll 6 or higher to succeed. She gets a 9, for 15. 5 more feet moved. Now she needs to roll 7 or higher. She gets a 3, for a total of 8, so her movement ends. She moved a total of 50 feet that round.

Ranks in Run add to your Jump checks when you get a running start.

Twice your Size modifier is added to your Run rolls.

Stealth

ACTIVE

Stealth allows you to move without being seen or heard. Stealth is always an opposed check, opposed by the viewer's Notice skill.

Difficulty modifiers:

Not moving: +2

Dim lighting: +2

No lighting: +4

Moving at half speed: +0

Moving at full speed: -4

Running: -8

Ranks in Swim add to your Stealth checks while underwater.

Your Size modifier is subtracted from all Stealth rolls.

Swim

ACTIVE

Your ability to move through the water.

A Swim check takes 1 action. On a success, you swim a distance equal to half your speed. If you fail a swim check, you flounder, and make no progress. If you flounder again while you are already floundering, you begin to drown.

If you beat your swim check by 5 or more, you instead move equal to your speed, instead of half your speed.

You can spend an action to dive under the surface. After [5 x Toughness] rounds underwater, you need to make an Endure check each round you need to stay underwater. You take a cumulative -1 penalty to this check for each round you succeed. If you fail an Endure check, you need to surface by the end of the round or you begin to drown.

While drowning, you take a -4 penalty to Swim checks. Each round, you make an Endure check, with a cumulative -1 penalty for each round you are drowning. If you fail, you take 1 Toughness damage.

If you take Life damage while swimming, you need to make another swim check or you flounder.

You have a -4 penalty to Attack and Defense while swimming.

Creatures with a Swim speed always succeed on swim checks relating to movement, and have no Attack or Defense penalty.

Use the following modifiers on your Swim checks:

Calm Water: +4 Running Water: +0 Swiftly running water: -2 Rapids: -6

Ranks in Swim add to your Stealth checks while underwater.

Ranks in Swim add to your Endure checks to avoid drowning.

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Charm Skills

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Disguise

ACTIVE

The ability to pass as someone else. If you just want to be someone besides who you currently are, its a simple Disguise check opposed by a Notice check from anyone who pays you too much attention.

If you try to disguise as a specific person, there is a modifier on the roll based on how well you knew that person, and how similar to them you look:

Twin/Doppelganger: +6

Look similar: +0

Vaguely similar: -2

Completely different: -6

Different size: -4 per size difference

Know them inside out: +2

Know them well: +0

Know them in passing: -4

Never met them: -8

Perform [specialize]

ACTIVE

Perform lets you do various acts of entertainment.

Persuasion

ACTIVE

Persuasion is used to convince people that you are correct, and that they should follow your suggested course of action. Persuasion is rolled against Willpower.

Persuasion has modifiers based on how good your point is.

Believable: +2

Understandable: +2

Logical: +2

Something they want to hear: +2

Something they expect to hear: +2

Evidence: +4

Unbelievable: -2

Incomprehensible: -2

Logical Fallacy: -2

Something they don't want to hear: -4

Something they don't expect to hear: -2

It should be noted this ability can not make them do anything you want them to do. Even if you can convince them you're right, they may not do the suggested action, especially if it is against their interests.

Tease

ACTIVE

The ability to enrage others by pointing out their flaws and using clever insults.

You can tease someone to enrage them. You can spend an action to roll an opposed check against their Willpower roll. If you win, they become Angry towards you. If you beat them by 10 or more, they become Enraged. These effects last for 1 round per point you beat their Willpower by.

See Conditions for rules on Angry and Enraged.

Trick

ACTIVE

The ability to lie or deceive someone. Trick is opposed by Notice.

Trick can be used to lie, distract, or feint.

Feinting takes an action and an opposed Notice check. If you win, you gain a bonus on your next Attack against that target. This bonus is equal to the amount you beat their Notice check by. If you win by 10 or more, they also become Surprised after your attack, until their next turn.

Distracting takes an action and an opposed Notice check. If you win, they lose 1 action during their next turn, or lose a prepared action. If you win by 10 or more, they lose their entire next turn, and become Surprised.

See Conditions for rules on Surprised.

When lying, Trick has modifiers based on how believable your lie is.

Believable: +2

Understandable: +2

Logical: +2

Something they want to hear: +2

Something they expect to hear: +2

Evidence: +4

Unbelievable: -2

Incomprehensible: -2

Logical Fallacy: -2

Something they don't want to hear: -4

Something they don't expect to hear: -2

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Knowledge Skills

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Craft [specify]

ACTIVE

The ability to make something with a certain material. Potential materials include Metal, Bone, Wood, Glass, Clay, Explosives, and Mechanisms.

The rules for this skill will make me weep.

Creating an object is an unopposed Craft check, that takes an amount of time dependent on what is being made [LM's judgment]. Penalties may apply based on the complexity of the project.

If you have the Master Artisan perk, ranks in Craft and Art can be applied to the same project, if you are making the proper Art object with the proper Craft material.

Knowledge [Specify]

REACTIVE

You make a Knowledge check whenever the LM needs to determine how much you know about a given discovery. The following are the list of fields:

Faerie Tales: Knowledge of the children's stories which deal with the supernatural.

Mechanics: Knowledge of steam engines and other machinery.

Otherworld: Knowledge of Verestima and Paristaparis, as well as their inhabitants.

Politics: Knowledge of the social order, history, the economy, and the government.

Religion: Knowledge of the prayers, divisions, rankings, and procedures of the Church of Twelve.

Rural: Knowledge of animals, the natural environment, and life outside the city.

Science: Knowledge of chemicals, biology, and physics.

Urban: Knowledge of how to live on the streets, how to navigate cities, and the names of important cities.

Knowledge Difficulties:

Common Knowledge among the general populace: +4

Example: Demon dolls will take away your children if you don't keep them safe. [Faerie tales]

Example: The forest has many dangerous creatures, its not safe to go there alone. [Rural]

Accessible Knowledge to the general populace: +2

Example: Steam powered engines need water and heat to function. [Mechanics]

Example: Life in the factories is often very short, due to the injury rates. [Urban]

Common knowledge among those who study it: +0

Example: Paristaparis is the true name of the land called 'Hell.' [Otherworld]

Example: Things fall due to the force of gravity. [Science]

Accessible Knowledge to those who study it: -2

Example: Paladins often become a brother figure to a child from the Broken Flock choir group. [Religion]

Example: The poor often help each other in times of need, for little to no apparent reason. [Politics]

Uncommon Knowledge, even to those who study it: -4

Example: There are different types of Liberi, with different abilities. [Faerie Tales]

Example: Knowing details about animals from far-off lands, like Lions, or Giraffes. [Rural]

Obscure knowledge to the general populace: -6

Example: The secret code to enter the Elites Resistance Army headquarters in a certain city. [Urban]

Example: Angels are creatures that embody emotions, and are alien and unpredictable. [Otherworld]

Obscure knowledge, even among those who study it: -10

Example: The name and political views of a certain city council member in a small town on the other end of Victoria. [Politics]

Example: Dragons are capable of destroying Foci. [Faerie Tales]

Truly obscure/forgotten knowledge, known by very few, if anyone: -12

Example: The moon does not have a breathable atmosphere. [Science]

Example: The highest orders of the church have access to both sorcery and the true history of the world. [Religion]

Pilot [specify]

ACTIVE

The ability to operate vehicles. When you take this skill, you must specify the type of machine to be used. Examples include Automobiles, Boating, Ornithopter, and Bicycle.

Search

ACTIVE

The ability to find something quickly and efficiently. This is an unopposed roll modified by how difficult the object is to find, as per LM jurisdiction. General guidelines are below:

Plain Sight: +4

Simple to find: +0

Takes some effort: -2

A lot of effort: -4

"Needle in a haystack": -8

As an action, you can take a cursory glance around an area [-4 penalty]. As 5 actions, you can do a full search of an area. As 20 actions, you can do a thorough search [+4 bonus].

When searching for a living creature, it is opposed by a Stealth roll.

Treatment

ACTIVE

The ability to treat injury, sickness, and infection.

Treatment can be used to make wounds heal faster. If you make a successful Treatment check, you double someone else's Life recovery for the day. If you beat the check by 10, they regain triple the Life for the day.

If you make a Treatment check on a wound within an hour of the wound happening, you prevent any infections or sickness the wound would have caused. In addition, on a success the target regains 1 Life.

You can make a Treatment check to halve the remaining time for a Crippling Wound to heal. If you fail, the wound takes an extra 1d6 days to recover. This Treatment takes an hour.

You can make a Treatment check to give the recipient a +2 bonus to all of their Fortitude checks against disease for the day. For every 5 points you beat the check by, give an additional +2 bonus to their Fortitude checks.

All usages of Treatment take 5 minutes, unless noted otherwise. If you ever fail a Treatment check, you deal 1d6 damage to the patient.

Use Device

ACTIVE

The ability to use something. Used when operating machinery and activating explosives.

When attacking with explosives, you make a Use Device check against your target's Reflexes or Endure check. If you lose the check, they take half damage. If you lose by more than 5, they take no damage.

Use Rope

ACTIVE

The ability to tie knots. Mainly used by cowboys.

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Spirit skills

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Art [Specify]

ACTIVE

The ability to make decorative items. Examples include painting, sculpture, weaponry, armor, poetry, masks, flower arrangement, etc. With your LM's approval, you could take other forms of art.

Items made through Art are effectively useless. Art [weaponry] would make ornate daggers and other weapons that would be ineffective at best [Clumsy; can not be concealed]. For effective tools and devices, use the Craft skill.

Creating an object is an unopposed Art check, that takes an amount of time dependent on what is being made [LM's judgment]. Penalties may apply based on the complexity of the project.

If you have the Master Artisan perk, ranks in Craft and Art can be applied to the same project, if you are making the proper Art object with the proper Craft material.

Encourage

ACTIVE

Used to help out others.

You can use Encourage as an action to grant a bonus on one ally's next check. If you succeed on the check, 1 ally gets a +2 bonus to their next roll. For every point you beat the check by, one more ally gets the bonus on their next roll. For every 5 points you beat the check by, the bonus increases by 1. You can only grant this bonus to someone who can hear you speak.

This skill cannot grant a bonus to damage rolls.

Notice

REACTIVE

The ability to notice crazy random happenstances. The LM will call on a Notice roll whenever something unknown to you is happening. In fact, it is encouraged the LM roll Notice rolls for you, to keep the fact that there IS something hidden, well, hidden.

When not actively trying to find someone who is using Stealth, you use Notice. You get a +2 bonus if you suspect someone is around, and take a -2 penalty if you are distracted with something.

Willpower

REACTIVE

The ability to hold your ground against insults and mind control.

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Attack Skills

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Disarm

A/R

The ability to disarm an opponent of something held. This is an opposed Attack roll against the target, modified by your ranks in Disarm. If you win, any held object the target has clatters to the ground. If you win by 10 or more, you may catch the disarmed object, if you have a free hand. If you lose by 5 or more, you are disarmed instead.

Attack [specify]

ACTIVE

The ability to be skilled with specific weaponry. When using whichever type of weapons is specified by the skill, you gain a bonus to Attack equal to your ranks. Weapon types are: Guns, Crossbows, Bows, Cannons, Daggers, Swords, Axes, Clubs, Flails, Polearms, Bite, and Claw. If you have an ability that resolves through Attack rolls, like Knucklebones, Blades of Blood, or Accursed Touch, you may take Attack ranks for that specific ability.