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◀ Rulebooks

Ver. 1.3

Advanced Skills

The Advanced Skills rule set is an optional rule variant that allows players to earn skill improvements through use of their skills in-game, making skill progression resemble a roleplaying video game. It can be used in adventures following standard progression, and necessitates some additional work for the GM during and after each session. When used well, this rule can encourage players to make clever use of skills and foster better roleplaying.

Advanced Skills Rules

When playing an adventure with the advanced skills rules, the following rule changes apply:

• The Skill Improvement general feat is removed from the game. Instead of spending character points on skill increases, characters must make use of their skills during encounters to improve them through practice.
• The GM tracks skill usage on a Session Sheet throughout each game session. Each time a player character attempts a skill check, the GM records a number of skill points based on the difficulty of the action and the outcome.
• After each session, the GM adds up the total skill points earned for each party member and records the totals on a campaign tracker. If a player earned enough skill points to earn a skill improvement, the GM notifies the player in a private message, along with the total number of character points they earned that session, and whether or not the character leveled up.
• Because player characters earn character points by increasing skills rather than spending them to do so, an alternate Character Points By Level table is used, which raises the total number of points needed to level up.
• Skills are selected during character creation using skill value pools instead of the usual "5-4-3" method.

Awarding Skill Points

Each time a player character attempts a skill check, the GM records a number of skill points for that character based on the result. The table below is a suggestion for the number of points to award for each action, based on the outcome and difficulty.

Use Common Sense

The GM ultimately decides how many points to award. Use your common sense by rewarding points in a way that encourages clever roleplaying and creative use of skills. This rule variant is easy to exploit if the GM doesn't use their common sense when deciding what to award points for. Here are a few tips:

• Award more skill points for particularly heroic or impactful actions, and for creative use of skills in character. If you're using the inspiration rule, the same types of actions that would warrant a point of inspiration warrant higher skill point rewards.
• Relatively easy actions taken as part of an encounter should award some points, but not as many as more impactful plays.
• Build encounters such that all of the party's skills see regular use. Some skills, such as Perception and Agility, naturally see more use in an average session. Consier awarding more points when a player makes use of a skill that comes up infrequently - an improvement to it might encourage the player to use it more.
• Award fewer skill points for actions that seem to go against the character's alignment or that simply don't seem like something the character would do.
• Don't award skill points for unnecessary showboating or repetitive actions if a player is clearly only trying to gain skill points by abusing the system.
• Don't award skill points for actions a character takes that are obviously impossible - in fact, don't call for a die roll at all in these circumstances.

The Post-Session Tally

After each session, record the skill point totals in your adventure tracker. Follow these steps using your filled-out session sheet:

1. For each party member, add the skill points earned in each skill to the running totals for that character on the adventure tracker.
2. Check whether any skills increased for that character using the table below. If so, add the resulting character points to the character's total.
3. Total the character points earned from any skill increases along with others earned in the session and determine whether the character levels up.
4. Notify each player privately, such as via text message, of the total number of character points they earned in the session, any skill increases achieved, and if they leveled up.
5. Save your adventure tracker in a safe place to update after every session!

 

Additional Advanced Skills Features

• Training allows characters to earn extra skill points during resting or downtime, often at a cost.
• Characters who take extended downtime or who spend time in prison might lose some of their accumulated skill progress.