Advanced Fighting Fantasy

Special Skill Book

All Skills for:

All Races
All Classes
Special Skills - Introduction

Every Hero in Advanced Fighting Fantasy is determined by seven key

characteristics (STAMINA, WILL, SKILL, STRENGTH, DEXTERITY, APTITUDE,
PRESENCE). These define each individual as the people they are, from strong
leaders to subtle assassins, learned priests to raging barbarians. All <Special
Skills> are tied to a key characteristic; assigning a high starting roll to a
characteristic will result in a large benefit for all associated <Special Skills>.

The Seven Primary Characteristics Explained

STAMINA:
STAMINA is a measure of a Heros fitness and good-health, his will to survive,
his determination and his general constitution. Injury, hunger and exhaustion
during an adventure will eat away at a Heros STAMINA. Should a Heros
STAMINA ever reach 0, the Hero may well die. Refer to the <Combat> section
for full details. Rest and recuperation, or the eating of provisions, will replenish a
certain amount of STAMINA.

WILL:
Essential to any Magic user, their WILL determines the available pool of power a
caster may draw upon to create the intricate weaving needed for the casting of
spells. Once a casters WILL has been depleted, they are physically unable to
cast any more spells that day. WILL is not easily restored and thus casters need
to be wary of over-exerting themselves in dangerous situations
This characteristic is unique in that it is exclusive to the magic archetype.

SKILL:
A Heros SKILL characteristic determines how good they are at offensive combat,
their prowess with a blade, their accuracy with a bow or their basic fighting skills.
This characteristic directly affects the following <Special Skills>:
Axe, Battle Combat, Bow, Dagger, Exploit Weakness, Javelin, Mounted Combat,
Pole Arm, Spear, Sword, Throwing Dagger, Unarmed Combat, Other Weapon
(Specify), Shield, Warrior Stance and Two-Handed Sword.

STRENGTH:
A Heros STRENGTH measures their raw muscle and power. This ability is
especially important for Warriors and Barbarians.
This characteristic directly affects the following <Special Skills>:
Berserk, Crossbow, Heavy Armored Combat, Second Weapon, Siege Combat,
Strength and Swim.

DEXTERITY:
A Heros DEXTERITY measures hand-eye co-ordination, agility, reflexes and
balance. This characteristic is most important for Rogues and Archers.
This characteristic directly affects the following <Special Skills>:

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Acrobatics, Awareness, Climb, Disarm, Dodge, Flurry of Arrows, Handle
(Vehicle), Hide, Hunting, Jump, Lethal Strike, Lock Picking, Off-Hand Weapon,
Preparation, Ride (Animal), Scouting, Sleight of Hand, Sneak and Trap
Knowledge.

APTITUDE:
A Heros APTITUDE determines how well your character learns and reasons.
This characteristic is important for Wizards and Priests. It is also important for
any character who wishes to have a wide assortment of <Special Skills>.
This characteristic directly affects the following <Special Skills>:
(Profession) Lore, (Terrain) Lore, Animal Lore, Battle Tactics, Bird Lore, City
Lore, Dark Seeing, Detect Magic, Excellent Hearing, Excellent Vision, Fishing,
Healing, Languages, Lore, Lay on Hands, Magic, Minor Magic, Pathfinding,
Poisons, Potion Brewing, Siege Lore, Trance, Underground Lore, Wood Lore and
World Lore

PRESENCE:
A Heros PRESENCE measures a characters force of personality,
persuasiveness, personal magnetism and ability to lead.
This characteristic directly affects the following <Special Skills>:
Bargain, Con, Disguise, Etiquette, Leadership, Pacify and Secret Signs.

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Table 5: Special Skills and Restrictions Summary
SKILL STRENGTH DEXTERITY APTITUDE PRESENCE
Axe (Dw) Berserk (Ba) Acrobatics (Profession) Lore Bargain
Battle Combat Crossbow Awareness (Terrain) Lore Con
Bow (El) Heavy Armored Climb Animal Lore Disguise
Combat (Wa)
Dagger Second Weapon Disarm Battle Tactics Etiquette (Ba)
(Ba)
Exploit Siege Combat Dodge Bird Lore Leadership
Weakness (Ar) (Pr) (Wi)
Javelin Strength (Go) Flurry of Arrows City Lore Pacify (Ba)
(Pr) (Wi) (Ar) (Tr) (Ar)
Mounted Combat Swim Handle (Vehicle) Dark Seeing Secret Signs
(Ce) (Dw) (Go) (Or)
(Tr)
Pole Arm Hide Detect Magic
(Wi)
Spear Hunting Excellent
Hearing
Sword Jump Excellent Vision
(El)
Throwing Dagger Lethal Strike (Ro) Fishing
Two-handed Lock Picking Healing
Sword (Go) (Wi)
(Pr) (Ro) (Ar)
Unarmed Off-Hand Languages
Combat (Or) Weapon (Ro)
Other Weapon Preparation (Ar) Law
(specify)
Shield (Wa) Ride (Animal) Lay on Hands
(Ce) (Pr)
Warrior Stance Scouting Magic (Wa) (Ba)
(Wa) (Ro) (Ar)
Sleight of Hand Minor Magic
Sneak (Go) Pathfinding
Trap Knowledge Poisons (Ro)
Potion Brewing
(Wi)
Siege Lore
Trance (Pr)
Underground
Lore (Dw)
Wood Lore (El)
World Lore

Warrior(Wa) Barbarian(Ba) Wizard(Wi)

Priest(Pr) Rogue(Ro) Archer(Ar)
Red = Prohibited Class SS
Blue = Class Unique SS
Centaur (Ce) Dwarf (Dw) Elf (El)
Human (Hu) Goblin (Go) Orc (Or) Troll (Tr)
Red = Prohibited Racial SS
Green = Compulsory Racial SS

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 Table 6: SKILL - Special Skills Descriptions

Axe Dwarf
The Hero is skilled at using a battle-axe in hand-to-hand combat. He
also knows something about the care and maintenance of an axe to
keep it shining and sharp.
Battle This Special Skill concerns fighting in a massed battle situation, and
Combat more specifically when the game is using Mass Battle rules. In
addition to the standard cut and thrust of battle, it assumes that a
Hero who possesses it will be well versed in fighting in a square or
other formation, in following orders, in seeing gaps through in which to
lead his or her squadron, even recognizing when the day is lost and
knowing when to retreat!
Bow Elf, The Hero with this Special Skill is well versed in archery and missile
Archer +2 combat, and also in the care of his bow.
Dagger Rogue +1 The Hero with this Special Skill is adept at fighting with a knife. This
skill does not include throwing a dagger, which is a different skill - see
Throwing Dagger.
Exploit Archer +1 With this Special Skill, an archer is able to quickly spot flaws in a foes
Weakness defense, be it a crack in their armor to a loose-hanging scale on a
dragons neck, and in conjunction with pinpoint accuracy with their
bow, they can land a deadly blow. In combat terms, taking this special
skill enables the archer to take a powerful shot at the target. At rank
10, for example, you attack with your bow, if you hit, you roll for
damage plus any modifiers to Damage Dice and +Damage and then
multiply the result by 2 for the final damage.
This skill improves as your skill in Expose Weakness increases.

Skill Bonus Frequency

10 x2 1 per day
15 x3 2 per day
20 x3 4 per day
25 x4 4 per day
30 x4 6 per day
Javelin This Special Skill allows the Hero who chooses it to throw a javelin
with accuracy over a greater distance than his peers. He is also able
to select, make and care for these weapons.
Mounted Fighting while mounted on a horse - or, worse, on a rabid wolf or a
Combat giant eagle! - can prove very difficult for an inexperienced Hero, and
that is where this Special Skill comes in. During combat there will
always be a chance of falling or being dismounted, especially if one's
mount is injured or killed, but this chance will be greatly reduced. This
Special Skill requires Ride (Creature) in order to be useful. Note that
ordinary horses which have not been trained to fight in the press of a
mass battle will be likely to bolt.
Pole Arm This Special Skill allows a character to fight in close combat using a
pole arm, usually a wide blade slotted into a long, spear-like shaft.
Spear Like Pole Arm, this Special Skill simply allows you to fight in close

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 combat with a spear. It does not allow the spear to be thrown with any
great skill.
Sword With this Special Skill, the Hero becomes adept with fighting with a
one-handed sword. This Special Skill also includes sword knowledge,
including the care and maintenance of a sword, spotting a badly
forged weapon, and more.
Throwing Rogue +1 This skill allows the Hero who has knowledge of it to throw a throwing
Dagger dagger with speed, strength and accuracy. It does not allow him to
fight in close combat with any greater proficiency.
Unarmed Orc A Hero with this skill has undergone training in an unarmed martial art
Combat of some kind be it boxing, karate, wrestling, judo or whatever they
have chosen, even brawling!
Other This Special Skill allows the Hero to become proficient in a weapon of
Weapon their choosing, be it a spiked ball on a chain, a war-boomerang or a
(specify) ninja throwing-star. The restrictions to this are at the GMs discretion.
Shield Warrior The shield skill allows the Warrior to effectively use small, medium,
+1 large and eventually tower shields as skill in shields increases.

Small shields weigh one item and give a +1 to attack rolls when
defending (Defense rolls).
Requires a Shield skill of 10

Medium shields weigh two items and give a +2 to defense rolls.

Requires a Shield skill of 15

Large shields weigh three items and give a +3 to defense rolls.

Requires a Shield skill of 20

Tower shields weigh four items and give a +4 to defense rolls.

Requires a Shield skill of 25
Warrior Warrior This Warrior only Special Skill allows the character to Choose from
Stance +1 the following Stances (even in the middle of combat

Defensive Stance
10 - +1 to Defensive rolls
15 - +2 to Defensive rolls
20 - +3 to Defensive rolls
25 - +4 to Defensive rolls
30 - +5 to Defensive rolls

Aggressive Stance
10 - +1 to Offensive rolls
15 - +2 to Offensive rolls
20 - +3 to Offensive rolls
25 - +4 to Offensive rolls
30 - +5 to Offensive rolls
Two- Fighting with a huge two-handed blade is very difficult, and as such

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Handed Heroes trying to wield them without the Strength Special Skill receive
Sword a -2 penalty to Attack rolls. The skill also includes knowledge
concerning the care and upkeep of such weapons.

Table 7: STRENGTH - Special Skills Descriptions

Berserk Barbarian This Barbarian only Special Skill allows them to go berserk when they
+1 choose (using Berserk during combat takes up 1 action) a certain
number of times per day and last for 1d6 rounds. Effects start with a
+1 bonus to all damage done after rolling for weapon damage, and a -
2 penalty to Defensive rolls and are enhanced with higher skill in
Berserk as follows:

Berserk Skill Uses Per Day Damage Defensive

10 1 +1 -2
15 2 +1 -2
20 3 +1 -2
25 3 +2 -4
30 5 +2 -4
Crossbow This simply endows a Hero with the skill of drawing, aiming and firing
a crossbow, and also maintaining and repairing such a weapon.
Heavy Warrior +1 Most Heroes wear armor which is light enough to allow them to move
Armored quickly yet which will deflect blows from many weapons, typically a
Combat combination of leather, studs and plates. On the field of combat,
however, some Warriors will insist on fighting in full plate mail, which
will protect them from almost all blows. Without this Skill, Heroes are
never able to wear more than Medium armor. Training this skill
confers the following bonuses:

10: Reduces the penalties of wearing Medium armor to those of Light

armor.
15: Allows the wearing of Heavy Armor.
20: Allows the wearing of Plate Armor.
25: Reduces the penalties of wearing Heavy armor to those of
Medium armor.
30: Reduces the penalties of wearing Plate armor to those of Heavy
armor.

This Special Skill also reduces the weight of Armor by 1 items worth
of weight.
Second Barbarian This very useful Special Skill allows a Barbarian Hero to fight in hand-
Weapon +1 to-hand combat using two weapons, typically two huge axes. Such
combat is treated as if the Hero had two Attacks, and as such two
initiative values are rolled when entering combat(see the <Combat>
section for full details). Note that weapons which require two hands or
strength to use can only be combined with a second weapon if they

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 could normally wield that weapon in one hand.
Siege Fighting the defender of a castle hanging half way up a rope and
Combat dodging flaming pitch being poured down from above is difficult; while
a Hero with a good combat skill should survive, the Siege Combat
Special Skill would come in far more handy. It covers all aspects of
physically fighting in a Siege, whether assailing defenses or fighting
as part of a siege engine crew. Note that all other non-physical
aspects of sieges are covered by the Siege Lore Special Skill.
Strength Troll The Hero with this Special Skill has trained himself and increased his
physical strength to close to that of a small Giant or Ogre. He can lift
and throw heavy objects (and sometimes people, too!) and may add l
point to damage done with a hand-held or thrown weapon or in
unarmed combat. Taking this Special Skill also removes the -2
penalty conferred when using Two-Handed Swords. If a Hero attains
a Strength score of 20 or higher they are so strong they are able to
wield two handed weapons in one hand.
Swim This Hero is adept at swimming, both on the surface and under the
water. Most sea-dwelling beings will have a very high rating in this
Special Skill.

Table 8: DEXTERITY - Special Skills Descriptions

Acrobatics A Hero with this Special Skill is physically very agile and may be able
to perform jumps, loops, flips or swings, should the situation arise.
Note that a Hero will have his or her chance of success significantly
reduced if wearing medium armor, heavy armor, inflexible light armor
or even if carrying more than a very light weight.
Awareness This gives the Hero a chance of spotting when something is out of the
ordinary or is otherwise 'wrong'. Depending on the situation, this could
include hearing someone creeping up on you, smelling poison
smeared on food, sensing the presence of a hidden trap, etc.
Climb Centaur This Skill gives the Hero a better-than-average chance of scaling
-3 even the most daunting of slopes. Of course, there will always be
some places where no one can venture, but this training means the
Hero is more skilled than most. Bear in mind, however, that penalties
may be imposed on the chance of climbing a very steep or smooth
slope.
Disarm While fighting in hand-to-hand combat, the Hero who possesses this
Special Skill may attempt to flick an opponent's weapon out of their
grasp. It is unlikely that the Hero can determine where the dislodged
weapon ends up, however.
Dodge This gives the Hero a chance of getting out of the way of anything or
anyone moving quickly towards him; this could include a falling rock, a
swinging sword or even (at higher skill levels) an arrow!
Flurry of Archer +1 An Archer proficient in this Special Skill is able to notch and fire two or
Arrows more arrows at once from their bow per attack round, In combat

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 terms, the Archer would fire a number of arrows simultaneously, the
first would hit using the Archers normal Bow skill, then the second
would hit using the Archers Flurry of Arrows Skill, the third with the
Flurry of Arrows skill with a -10 modifier, the fourth with a -20 modifier
and so on.
An archer can only load and fire as many arrows as long as their skill
with Flurry of Arrows will not be modified to 0.
Handle This Special Skill bestows the ability to handle, ride, steer and
(Vehicle) maintain a particular class of vehicle, whether on land, on sea or in
the air. The classes are as follows:
Small Boat (e.g. rowing boat);
Large Boat (e.g. fishing boat, barge);
Ship (e.g. galleon);
Cart or Coach;
Chariot;
Balloon or Airship.
Each must be possessed separately before a Hero can fully ride the
whole range of vehicles, but a modified chance of, say, a Hero skilled
in handling a coach being able to handle a chariot in a race or in
battle may be given.

Hide The Hero is adept at finding somewhere to secrete either themselves

or something they wants to hide, such that others will not be able to
spot him or it. Of course, no one can hide if there is nowhere to go,
but, given sufficient material, a Hero trained in this can do better than
most.
Hunting A hero with this Special Skill can, on a successful roll, find food in
even the most inhospitable lands, track it down and capture it. Of
course, penalties will be imposed on the roll in areas where there are
no animals to be found this will affect how much food the Hero has
managed to find. Using this skill in conjunction with a trapping skill will
increase the chance of snaring something, typically by + 2.
Jump This Hero is endowed with the ability to leap up, down or across
greater distances than is usual without injuring himself in the process.
Lethal Strike Rogue +1 A rogue trained in this Special Skill is trained to be able to easily
rupture vital organs and slit throats while their victim is entirely
unaware. In combat terms, the Rogue must sneak up behind his
target to use the following abilities (using an ability counts as one
Aggressive action for your turn, see the <Combat> section for full
details). The effectiveness of each ability varies dependant on the
Rogues skill in Lethal Strike:

Skill 10: 1d6 damage

Skill 15: 2d6 damage
Skill 20: 3d6 damage + Weapon Poison benefits
Skill 25: 4d6 damage + Weapon Poison benefits
Skill 30: 5d6 damage + Weapon Poison benefits

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Lock Picking The Hero is more skilled than most at opening a tricky lock
mechanism. This Special Skill is very important for any aspiring
stealthy thief!
Off-Hand Rogue +1 This Skill allows the use of a second light weapon (a dagger, a short-
Weapon sword or a whip, for example) Such combat is treated as if the Hero
had two Attacks, and as such two initiative values are rolled when
entering combat (see the <Combat> section for full details).
Preparation Archer +1 This skill allows a trained Archer to prepare for battle before combat
starts, to either read the direction of the wind, allowing her arrows to
travel swifter towards their target, reducing the chance to miss; or to
prepare her arrows with burning tar, increasing the damage done.
These preparations last for the entire combat.

Read the Wind

Skill 10: +1 to Bow skill
Skill 15: +2 to Bow skill
Skill 20: +3 to Bow skill
Skill 25: +4 to Bow skill
Skill 30: +5 to Bow skill

Burning Arrows
Skill 10: +1 to Arrow Damage
Skill 20: +2 to Arrow Damage
Skill 30: +3 to Arrow Damage
Ride Simply put, this is the ability to stay in the saddle while riding, even
(Animal) performing challenging tasks such as moving at speed. It also gives a
(reduced) chance of being able to ride other, unfamiliar animals,
whether they are horses, elephants, riding lizards or giant eagles! The
normal animal the Hero rides must be specified. Does not cover
serious Mounted Combat.
Scouting Sneaking around out of doors is quite different from tiptoeing about in
town and as such requires its own Special Skill. Scouts may be in the
employ of an army, seeking to spot the approaching enemy in order to
set up an ambush. Alternatively, they may just be adventurers wishing
to see what is happening up ahead, say, or in the surrounding area
(when they are setting up camp, for example). As well as allowing a
Hero to sneak about quietly, it also covers knowing how to disguise
oneself in undergrowth, remaining silent or blending in, covering
tracks where they would otherwise be seen, and so on.
Sleight of Rogue +1 The Hero with this rather useful Special Skill is extremely dexterous
Hand with his hands. A Hero could use this skill to pick someone's pocket,
palm a small item, do conjuring tricks and so on.
Sneak Centaur -4, This Special Skill allows the Hero who possesses it to move about
Goblin, without being noticed. Implicit in this skill is the ability to go wherever
Rogue +1 you wish without being heard or seen.
Trap The Hero has made a study of traps and can spot, avoid or dismantle
Knowledge them with more skill than the average person. At higher levels, they

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 may even be able to design and construct your own devious
mechanical traps. This Special Skill also includes the setting of snares
and fishing lines, albeit crudely (unless combined with, say, River
Lore, in which case the Hero would have a much better chance of
catching a fish). However, a Hero will be likely to have even greater
success if using a specific Fishing or Hunting skill.

Table 9: APTITUDE - Special Skills Descriptions

(Profession) This special skill encompasses all knowledge surrounding any kind of
Lore profession such as blacksmithing or leatherworking. Having
knowledge of these skills allows the Hero to make more informed
decisions regarding purchases or inspecting items and allows them to
spot things that might have otherwise been missed by other less
learned individuals.
(Terrain) Just like Wood Lore, the following terrain types may be individually
Lore chosen for a Special Skill, which will confer expert knowledge in
travelling and dwelling in conditions that outsiders would find far more
difficult. The terrain types are as follows:

Flatland - which covers plains, scrubland, wilderness and low-rolling

hills.
Mountain - which covers both mountains and desolate hills to any
very harsh upland terrain.
Ice, which shares some of the characteristics of Upland Lore but
much more besides, for dealing with the very coldest lands.
River - which includes lakes, streams, rapids and waterfalls.
Sea - which does not specifically include handling a boat (you would
need Handle Boat for that, obviously). Underwater, including the
undersea cities of the Sea Elves and Mermen.
Desert - from sand dunes to rocky desolation.
Jungle - which covers living - and surviving - in the steamy rainforests
of the south.
Swamp - which covers all forms of soggy, waterlogged terrain, from
salty northern marshlands to steamy river deltas.

Each of these terrain types has its own Lore Special Skill, which must
be chosen separately. Each confers far greater specialist knowledge
than the World Lore Special Skill, most notably on those occasions
when everyone's life depends upon some very specific but obscure
snippet of information! More mundanely, the Hero with one of these
skills might know how to find food or a path, construct a dwelling or
negotiate with the local tribes living in the particular region.
It is likely, incidentally, that the Hero's Background will have provided
him or her with this Lore as a result of growing up in the particular
terrain. A Hero may be assumed to have a fair rating in the Lore

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 appropriate to the terrain in which he or she grew up. Also, in a similar
fashion to City Lore (which is sort of a terrain lore, after all), living for a
full year in a terrain could, at the Director's discretion, bestow 1 point
in a particular terrains lore.

Animal Lore Covering the entire animal kingdom, this Special Skill allows the
possessor a chance of knowing a particular fact about an animal. This
could include where to find one, how dangerous it would be, how
much it would fetch if sold at a market, perhaps even (at higher levels)
how to prepare its skin to make clothing or armor. It does not include
the ability to ride or tame an animal, but it may make the task easier.
Knowing the answers may depend on the Heros experience,
particularly concerning rare or unusual creatures.
Battle This Special Skill concerns fighting in a massed battle situation as a
Tactics commander of dozens or hundreds of warriors. In addition to the
standard cut and thrust of battle, it assumes that the Hero who
possesses it will be well versed in fighting in a square or other
formation, in following orders, in seeing gaps through which to lead
his or her squadron, even of recognizing when the day is lost and
therefore knowing when to retreat!
Bird Lore Covering the bird kingdom, allows for a chance of knowing a
particular fact about a bird and sometimes (with appropriate
reductions in the chance of success) other flying creatures, such as
Griffons and Dragons. Again, this Skill does not confer the ability to
ride a creature like, say, a Giant Eagle. If Ride Skill is being used to
try this, however, a Hero possessing Bird Lore may be allowed to
reduce by 1 or 2 points the large negative modifiers that are usually
incurred when attempting such an unusual feat.
City Lore This Special Skill is most often gained by growing up or living in one
place for a long time; it simply means that the character knows some
quite complex facts about a particular place. The Skill applies to one
specific city (or town, or any other sort of local area, in fact) and may
be possessed more than once to apply to different places. At the
Director's discretion, one complete year spent living in a particular
place confers 1 point of City Lore on a character. This will usually be
up to a maximum of only 2 points - more if a character spends a
whole year digging out as much as they can about a particular place.
Most residents of a particular town or city will have 1 or 2 points of
City Lore concerning their home.
Dark Seeing Dwarf, The ability to see in near darkness, especially underground. Unless
Goblin, the Hero is trying to spot something specific which is hidden in the
Orc, Troll dark a dice roll isnt normally needed to check this Special. This skill
doesnt work where there is no light at all. Few characters will ever
need more than 1 point in this Special Skill - unless they are going to
spend their whole life underground! Dark Seeing cannot be learnt
from scratch by experience, but it can be added to. Dark Seeing can
also work outdoors, provided there is no bright light nearby to confuse

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 the viewer. In other words, if the moon is full, Dark Seeing wont work
any better than regular human sight, but on a very cloudy night it may
come in useful.
Detect Wizard A Wizard with training in this Special Skill would be able to detect
Magic +1 strong magical auras from long distances, such as a highly magical
item locked in a chest deep in a dungeon, or finding an all-powerful
artifact in a tower. With Detect Magic, a Wizard may also detect auras
of magical power within someone. This knowledge of someones
attunement with the arcane arts is purely one of magic, which is an
entirely neutral force, so it is impossible to detect whether someone
with power is aligned with good or evil.
Excellent This Special Skill cannot be leant by experience or training; it must be
Hearing given to a Hero along with his or her starting skills. It means that the
Hero has exceptionally keen hearing, far beyond normal capabilities,
which may prove useful when listening at a door or trying to hear a
distant noise. This Hero may well be able to hear a noise when other
Heroes have failed to hear anything.
Excellent Elf, The eagle-eyed Hero with this Special Skill is able to see far further
Vision Archer +1 than an average character, and may be able to spot significant things
in a similar way to a character with Awareness (but note Awareness
gives other clues as well). This skill does not confer the ability to see
through solid objects, however; a thing must be visible in order to be
seen. This Special Skill must be bestowed upon a starting character -
it cannot be learnt from experience or by training.
Fishing Quite simply, the Hero with this Special Skill is well versed in the art of
fishing, whether in fresh or salt water. A reduced chance may be
imposed for fishing in an unsuitable area, and the results of a
successful catch can be random.
Healing A Hero with Healing has some knowledge of the correct way to treat
injuries or poisonings. This does not extend so far as to ensure the
complete recovery of a severely injured Hero in an instant (as a spell
would). Provided the situation allows it and the victim is not continuing
to lose points, treatment by a Hero will restore up to one-third of a
character's lost STAMINA points, at a rate of 1 point per Combat
Round.
Out of a combat situation this skill can be used to restore up to one-
third of a characters lost STAMINA points, this takes a fixed time of 1
hour of care and treatment after which the STAMINA points are
restored.
If a character is continuing to lose points, for example from the effects
of poison, all the Hero can do is keep them from losing any more. The
GM may allow increased rates of healing if the Hero uses additional
measures, such as proven remedies or antidotes.
Languages This Special Skill gives the Hero who possesses it a facility for
speaking or reading a contemporary foreign (humanoid) tongue or
script. It does not usually apply to the language of animals or magical
beings. However, be aware of the existence of families of languages

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 and dialects, so that a person skilled in one language may be just
able to work out the gist of what is being said in a language which is
similar to the one he himself knows (e.g. between Orc and Troll, or
between Allansian and Arantian).
Law This very specialist Skill but would come in handy if the Heroes ever
fall foul of the law of a particular place. It is unlikely that a Hero will
choose this as a starting Special Skill, but may be learnt at a later
date from another character that possesses 4 or more points of it,
should the Hero require it. Law really comes into its own at legal trials.
Lay on Priest +1 This Special Skill is a form of praying to the Gods for divine healing in
Hands a Priests time of need. The priest must touch the target ally recipient
for the spell to work, and it will have the following healing effects on
the target based upon the Priests skill in Lay on Hands:

Skill 10: 1d6 STAMINA, 1 per day

Skill 15: 1d8 STAMINA, 2 per day,
Skill 20: 1d8+2 STAMINA twice per day
Skill 25: 2d6 STAMINA three times per day
Skill 30: 2d6+3 STAMINA three times per day

Interestingly if the Priest attempts to use this Special Skill while

touching an undead creature it will have the reverse effect of dealing
damage according to the above guide.
Magic The lore of spells and sorcery; a spell cannot be cast at all without this
Special Skill, which also determines the likelihood of its being cast
correctly and without the caster accidentally turning himself into a
frog. Can only be taken when creating a character, except under
unusual circumstances.
Minor Magic Possessing this Special Skill means that a character knows a few
small charms or incantations which serve to make life a little easier in
a few circumstances. The most frequent users of Minor Magic are
hedge wizards and village wise women, who use it to brew love
potions, repair their clothes or sour the milk of the local miser! Unlike
Magic Special Skill, this ability may be chosen without permanently
losing some points from one's SKILL. Note also that Minor Magic can
be learnt at any time. Choosing the Skill allows a character to select
as many Minor Magic spells as he or she has Initial APTITUDE
points.
Pathfinding A Hero with this Special Skill is adept at reading a map, charting a
course and leading a party in the correct direction. To do this, the
Hero may well use a variety of hints, such as the position of the sun or
stars, other weather features, the lie of the land, local knowledge, the
tracks of animals, and so on. This skill will be reduced by a variety of
handicaps and hazards: for example, not having an accurate map,
trying to find a direction on a cloudy night or in a storm, or over very
rocky terrain.
Poisons Rogue +1 The character with this skill is an expert at mixing poisons. Any poison

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 they mix from natural herbs will cause severe sickness if consumed in
a liquid state, depending on the Rogues level in this Special Skill they
will be able to mix increasingly lethal poisons as shown below:

Skill 10: Sickening poison, 1d6 STAMINA damage

Skill 15: Harmful poison, 2d6+2 STAMINA
Skill 20: Painful poison, STAMINA reduced to 0
Skill 25: Lethal poison, STAMINA reduced to -1
Skill 30: Deadly poison, STAMINA reduced to -2

The following tools, materials and requirements are in place for the
making of such poisons:

Sickening: common herbs, poisons kit (basic) + 1 hour of time

Harmful: rare herbs, poisons kit (basic) + 1 hour of time
Painful: common herbs, poisons kit (advanced) + 2 hours of time
Lethal: rare herbs, poisons kit (advanced) + 2 hours of time
Deadly: rare herbs, poisons kit (expert) + 4 hours of time

This Special Skill also confers the knowledge of the best poisons for
any given job (tasteless, odorless, etc), and can use this Special Skill
to try to identify whether or not a potion is poisonous or not.

Crucially, they have spent years imbibing deadly poisons to build up

an immunity, and so halve all damage and side effects of non-magical
poisons from any source (e.g. fluids, poisonous gas clouds).

Finally, at higher skill levels the Rogue is able to coat his own
Daggers and Throwing Daggers with Painful, Lethal or Deadly poison.
Doing so consumes one whole concoction of poison and the effects
will last until the end of the next combat encounter. Additional
damage done while the Daggers are coated is shown below:

Painful: +2 damage
Lethal: +3 damage
Deadly: +4 damage

Note: Poisons dont last forever once brewed! After a week they are
considered to have gone off.
Potion Wizard Part of the Wizards arcane knowledge comes from herbal potions
Brewing +1 infused with magical power. Depending on the Wizards level in this
Special Skill they will be able to mix increasingly potent potions as
shown below:

Skill 10:
Potion of Healing, minor 1d4 STAMINA restored
Potion of Strength, minor +1 damage on next hit

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 Potion of Fortune, minor next luck roll succeeds on 6-8
Antidote (for sickening poison)
Skill 15:
Potion of Healing, lesser 1d6 STAMINA restored
Potion of Strength, lesser +2 damage on next hit
Potion of Fortune, lesser next luck roll succeeds on 5-9
Antidote (for harmful poison)
Skill 20:
Potion of Healing 1d8 STAMINA restored
Potion of Strength +4 damage on next hit
Potion of Fortune next luck roll succeeds on 4-10
Antidote (for painful poison)
Skill 25:
Potion of Healing, greater 1d10 STAMINA restored
Potion of Strength, greater +6 damage on next hit
Potion of Fortune, greater next luck roll succeeds on 3-11
Antidote (for lethal poison)
Love potion
Skill 30:
Potion of Healing, superior 1d12 STAMINA restored
Potion of Strength, superior +8 damage on next hit
Potion of Fortune, superior next luck roll cant fail
Antidote (for deadly poison)
Truth potion

The following tools, materials and requirements are in place for the
making of such potions:

Minor: common herbs, potions kit (basic) + 15 minutes of time

Lesser: herbs, potions kit (basic) + 30 hour of time
Normal: common herbs, potions kit (advanced) + 1 hour of time
Greater: rare herbs, potions kit (advanced) + 2 hours of time
Superior: rare herbs, potions kit (expert) + 4 hours of time
Love: rare herbs, potions kit (expert), 400g + 6 hours of time
Truth: rare herbs, potions kit (expert), 200g + 8 hours of time

This Special Skill also confers a great degree of knowledge in potions

and as such a Wizard can use this Special Skill to try to identify a
potion they come across.

Note: Potions dont last forever once brewed! After a week they are
considered to have gone off.
Siege Lore This Special Skill bestows knowledge of how to conduct a siege. This
knowledge includes siege engines, siege tactics and all the other
skills involved in commanding a long-drawn-out blockade. Note that a
Hero wishing to learn this skill would need to be instructed by a
character possessing such abilities while actually present at such a

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 siege - it cannot be taught just through instruction away from a siege.
Trance Priest +1 This skill allows the character to enter a deep, meditative trance once
per day. The trance lasts for 1d3 game hours, and at the end the
character will be re-invigorated. By testing on this skill, the character
may attempt to put another (willing) character into a similar trance.
The trance lasts for a maximum of one hour, after which time the
character awakens and regains 1 STAMINA point. This may be done
on mortally wounded characters to keep them alive for a whole hour,
but in this case they do not receive extra stamina. Also, any further
wounds inflicted on the wounded character will kill him.

The trance will have the following healing effects on the Priest based
upon his skill in Trance:

Skill 10: 1d6+2 STAMINA and WILL

Skill 15: 1d8+2 STAMINA and WILL
Skill 20: 2d8+2 STAMINA and WILL
Skill 25: 3d6+2 STAMINA and WILL
Skill 30: 3d8+2 STAMINA and WILL

Undergroun Dwarf This confers the ability to stay alive in a dungeon or cavern complex,
d Lore not getting lost, noticing potential rock falls before they happen,
finding one's way to the surface, and so on.
Wood Lore Elf The Hero is skilled at surviving in woodland, including the ability to
find food, stay on a path, track someone, find shelter, and much more.
World Lore This gives the Hero who possesses it a better chance of knowing a
particular fact about an area's geography, history, legends, famous
people and events, as well as the weather, the right route to
somewhere, local personalities (whether to find, or stay away from,
them), and so on.

Table 10: PRESENCE - Special Skills Descriptions

Bargain This Special Skill comes in very handy when trying to do business as
a trader or merchant. Quite simply, it confers an increased chance of
getting a good price for some goods, whether buying or selling. It also
allows a character to look at an item and tell at a glance whether it is
worth the price being asked, whether it is real or fake, and so on. In
more rarefied circumstances, Bargain becomes a negotiating skill,
allowing a greater chance of setting up deals with enemies or allies.
This skill may be used in conjunction with some fast talking supplied
by the Con Special Skill; a successful roll against Con Skill would then
allow the character to add all the points invested in their Con Skill to
their Bargain score! Note that the difference between Con and
Bargain is that there is no swindle involved in using the latter Skill to
obtain a fair price or good terms for a deal.
Con The Hero is sharp-tongued and quick-witted, and may very well be

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 able to con someone into believing what he is saying, or into buying
whatever rubbish the Hero is selling!
Disguise Although a chance of being camouflaged already exists in the Special
Skills Sneak and Hide, there are some practitioners of the art who are
true masters of disguise; this is the Skill they employ. The chance of
success or failure depends greatly on the situation the disguised
character puts himself in, and on the amount of preparation he is
allowed beforehand.
Etiquette The Hero with this Special Skill is especially well versed in the ways
of courtly behavior. He knows just the right things to say to a King or
Prince - and, perhaps more importantly, when to shut up! This is an
essential skill for anyone spending any length of time at a royal court.
Leadership This heroic Special Skill bestows upon the character all the skills of a
leader. With this skill, a Hero can rouse men to fight in battle, or stop
them from retreating. He could persuade people as to the rightness of
an idea, and calm discord and arguing. If used in conjunction with
Con, the Hero with this Special Skill could probably persuade anyone
to do anything!
Pacify This unusual Special Skill conveys on its possessor the ability to calm
raging beasts, quite brawling drunks and generally stop dangerous
situations getting completely out of hand. It implies a smooth voice,
the ability to say exactly the right words at the right time and make all
the correct, non-threatening movements, and so on. Pacify is
especially useful to Good Priests and animal trainers; but it may also
be chosen by a Hero to help protect against lunatic Goblins or
ferocious Manticores.
Secret This Special Skill is especially useful to thieves or members of other
Signs sinister organizations or cults, for it conveys an ability to converse - in
a limited fashion - in a secret language of codes and signs. In effect, it
works like an unusual version of the Languages Skill, though it
confers knowledge of only one, very obscure and sometimes
dangerous tongue or sign-language. Various Secret Signs Skills may
be learnt for different code languages; for example, a Hero may
possess two Secret Signs Skills and have a chance of understanding
not only the written signs of the Port Blacksand Guild of Thieves but
also the secret ceremonial tongue of the Priests of Arantis. It should
be noted that the languages represented by Secret Signs are often
very limited in their vocabulary: a Priest's code, say, could be used to
convey information about the cult's Gods; the time and place of
meetings, and details of sacrifices or feast days - but it could not be
used to buy a bobbin of cotton or a bag of oranges in the market
place.

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