Skill List

New Skills

Communication Systems (Int; Trained Only)

The use of advanced systems of communication. This skill includes the use of many types of radio communicaton, including CB and Amateur radio. It also involves methods of electronic counter-measures, or jamming, methods of securing transmissions against interception, and the use of video and sattelite systems.

Knowledge: Anthropology (Int; Trained only)

The study of cultures different than one's own. This may be combined with the archaeology skill to study a culture that is dead and gone, or it may be used with living cultures that are dissimilar to the social structures that a person is used to.

Knowledge: Archaeology (Int; Trained only)

The finding and researching of long-dead civilizations. Includes the skills neccessary to organize and participate in a dig, study and analyze the discovered artifacts and data, as well as to use all of the tools involved, be they archaic, modern, or computerized.

Knowledge: Cryptography (Int; Trained only)

The ability to decipher coded messsages. Effectively similar to Decipher Script, except this is used on non-magical codes. There are several types of codes, and this skill includes the knowledge to decipher most of them. The first are simple code tricks, suck as substituting one letter for another or writing words backwards and bottom-to-top. These are relatively easy to break. The next type are computer codes. While these are not necessarily impossible to break, they do require that, at the very least, a personal computer with an advanced cryptography program be used to aid in deciphering them. The most difficult type of codes to break are code book based codes. The only way that a character would have a decent chance to decipher one of these codes is to somehow obtain a copy of the code book. The last major kind of code is not actually a code, but instead is simply writing the message in an archaic language, such as Cherokee or Babylonian. The only way to decipher these maessages is to find someone who can read the language in question, or who is trained in learning new and unkonwn languages.

Navigate: Air (Int; Trained only)

The character can find his way from point A to point B while flying. The character understand, can read, and can plot a course on flight maps. This grants no ability to pilot any vehicle, only to navigate.

Navigate: Sea (Int; Trained only)

The character can find his way from point A to point B while on the open seas. The character understand, can read, and can plot a course on oceanic maps. This grants no ability to pilot any vehicle, only to navigate.

Parachuting (Dex; Trained only)

The ability to perform several different kinds of military jumps from several different altitudes and survive. Also includes knowledge of techniques to be used if something potentially disastrous happens during the descent.

Pilot (Dex)

The ability to competently operate some form of motorized vehicle. This skill must be chosen with a specialization in a certain type of vehicle, many possibilities of which are provided in a list below.
Special: This is a change from the Pilot and Drive skills listed in the MSRD, because they make no sense. No one skill should be used for every type of air/space or surface/subsurface vehicle. It is very possible for a person to know how to pilot a speedboat but not drive a car, for example, or to fly an interplantary shuttle but not a propeller-driven aircraft. Using one skill with a number of specializations is a much better fit for this area of knowledge.
Pilot Specializations: Automobile (four- and six-wheeled surface vehicles), Fighter aircraft, Hovercraft (antigravity or jet-lifted, personal vehicle-sized craft that hover within 10 feet of the ground), Jet pack (personal jet-propulsion systems), Large aircraft (jet-propelled, not including fighters), Motor boat, Motorcycle (two-wheeled surface vehicles), Powered Armor (or Mecha), Sail boat, Semi (surface vehicles with eight wheels or more), Ship (large commercial and military ships), Small aircraft (propeller-driven), Submarine, Tank

Taunt (Cha)

The ability to distract an opponent. This is an opposed skill check against the victim's Concentration. If the victim loses the check, they are distracted and are considered flat-footed for the rest of the combat round.