While your character’s core statistics define their raw potential, skills represent their specific training, honed talents, and areas of expertise. In Alacrity, skills are percentage-based, offering a clear measure of proficiency compared to an average person. Each skill starts at a baseline percentage derived from its governing statistic (Strength, Dexterity, Body, or Mind). Characters improve these skills beyond their base values by spending Experience Points (XP) earned through adventuring, reflecting their growth and learning.
Adventurers can often attempt tasks even without specific training in the relevant skill, typically by rolling against half the governing statistic, albeit often with increased difficulty. However, mastering skills allows for greater reliability and the ability to tackle more complex challenges. The following list outlines the skills available in Alacrity. Click on a skill name (or navigate via the site menu) to view its detailed description, mechanics, and potential applications.
While Alacrity’s system mechanics, such as scaling XP costs, provide a baseline balance for skill acquisition, active GM attention ensures the skill list remains fair and engaging during play. Ensure your scenarios provide meaningful challenges that test Strength and Body directly, complementing the many skills tied to Dexterity and Mind, so all statistics remain valuable beyond their derived combat roles. Work collaboratively with players to define relevant specialties for modular skills like Lore and Crafting, ensuring these choices integrate well with the campaign world and have opportunities to shine. Be prepared to clarify the precise interaction between potentially overlapping skills like Archery and Ranged Combat for your table’s specific usage. Finally, remember that consistent and fair application of the Difficulty Ladder to skill checks is paramount for maintaining the intended probabilities and overall balance. Your judgment in these areas is key to tailoring the skill system effectively to your game.
Master Skill List
- Acrobatics [DEX] – Perform complex movements, maintain balance, and fall safely.
- Alchemy [MIND] – Brew potions, poisons, antidotes, and other compounds using special tools and ingredients.
- Animal Handling [MIND] – Influence, calm, train, and understand non-magical animals.
- Arcana [MIND] – Understand magical principles, identify effects, and interpret runes or enchanted items.
- Archery [DEX] – Accurately fire bows, crossbows, and similar tension-based ranged weapons.
- Athletics [DEX] – Execute physically demanding actions like running, climbing, swimming, and jumping.
- Command [MIND] – Lead, direct, and inspire confidence or enforce discipline in others.
- Crafting [MIND] – Create, repair, or modify physical items within a specific specialty (e.g., Weaponsmithing, Leatherworking).
- Deception [MIND] – Mislead others through lies, disguises, forgeries, or hidden intentions.
- Divine Lore [MIND] – Understand sacred teachings, religious history, holy rites, and signs of supernatural intervention.
- Dodge [DEX] – Instinctively avoid incoming attacks or hazards through quick movements and reflexes.
- Engineering [MIND] – Design, build, operate, analyze, or sabotage structures, siege engines, and complex mechanisms.
- Endurance [STR] – Sustain intense physical effort, resist exhaustion, survive harsh conditions, and push through fatigue using raw toughness.
- First Aid [MIND] – Provide immediate, basic medical care to stabilize wounds and stop bleeding.
- Herbalism [MIND] – Identify, forage, prepare, and apply natural remedies or toxins from plants.
- Insight [MIND] – Read people’s emotions, detect lies, and understand motives through observation.
- Intimidation [STR or Mind] – Influence others through fear, threats, force of personality, or implied violence.
- Investigation [MIND] – Analyze clues, deduce connections, and uncover hidden information through careful examination.
- Lore [MIND] – Recall specialized knowledge about a specific academic or cultural field (e.g., History, Law, specific creatures).
- Magic [MIND] – Channel arcane, divine, or other mystical energies to create specific Effects.
- Medicine [MIND] – Provide thorough medical care under controlled conditions to treat injuries and illness effectively.
- Melee Combat [DEX+STR/2] – Fight effectively with handheld weapons like swords, axes, and maces in close quarters.
- Might [STR] – Apply brute physical force to break, lift, or overpower obstacles and enemies.
- Navigation [MIND] – Orient yourself, read maps, plot courses, and guide others through various terrains.
- Perception [MIND] – Passively notice sensory details like sights, sounds, and smells in your immediate surroundings.
- Performance [MIND] – Entertain, inspire, or sway an audience through music, oratory, acting, or storytelling.
- Persuasion [MIND] – Influence others through honest logic, empathy, charm, or reasoned argument.
- Piloting (Sea) [DEX] – Steer, handle, and maneuver watercraft ranging from small boats to large ships.
- Ranged Combat [DEX] – Accurately use distance weapons like bows, slings, and thrown items.
- Riding [DEX] – Control and guide mounts like horses effectively, especially under pressure.
- Sleight of Hand [DEX] – Use quick, precise fingerwork for tasks like picking pockets, palming objects, or close-up magic.
- Stealth [MIND] – Move quietly, remain unseen, and avoid detection through careful movement and use of cover.
- Survival [MIND] – Endure the wilderness by tracking, foraging, finding shelter, and recognizing natural hazards.
- Thievery [DEX] – Bypass security measures by picking locks, disabling traps, and performing delicate theft.
- Unarmed Combat [DEX+STR/2] – Fight effectively without weapons using punches, kicks, and grapples.
- Vigilance [MIND] – Actively watch for danger, remain alert, and spot threats or ambushes.
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File Created: 04/28/2025 Last Modified: 04/28/2025