Physical skills are based on dexterity. Mental skills are based on intelligence.

Skills follow a quadratic growth curve, making them require fewer character points than stats. The amount of character points necessary to achieve a particular skill level is given by the following formula:

points = level * level

Thus, a character who wants an archery skill level of 4 would need to use 16 character points (4 * 4). If that same character later wants to raise his archery level to 5, he will need to spend an additional 9 points (5 * 5 = 25, minus the 16 points already spent to reach level 4).

Skill levels are open-ended. There is no hard limit to how high a normal human character can raise his skills, only the limitation of cost in experience points.

skill level     cost            title

1               1               apprentice
2               4
3               9
4               16
5               25
6               36              journeyman
7               49
8               64
9               81
10              100             master
...             ...
L               L*L

Average peons with average lives will probably have no skill level higher than five or six. Talented craftsman could have skill levels of ten or greater, making them very competent at their professions even if their attributes are completely average.

For some skills, characters with a skill level of 0 may still attempt to use the skill. They simply get no bonuses to their base dex or int. Other skills require at least a level of 1 to use. For example, anyone can pick up a sword and try to hit someone - without training, they are simply inferior. Sorcery, on the other hand, cannot be used without training.

Which skills can be used without training are at the discretion of the Bastard.

A character with apprentice status or greater in any skill that cannot be used without training may increase his ability in that skill naturally by expending experience points. It is assumed that the character has spent time in study and practice in order to gain the required knowledge and ability. A character with a skill level of zero, however, may not begin to gain levels in that skill simply by spending experience -- he must first find a text or teacher to set him on the right path. This does not apply to skills that anyone may attempt - swing a sword or strum a harp long enough, and one is bound to get better.

Below is a list of skills that players might wish to add to their characters, listed by attribute. The list is not exhaustive. It focuses on adventuring skills that many characters will wish to have, leaving others (such as job, art, or athletic skills) to the imagination of players.

Skill lists are volatile. Bastards should feel free to add or drop skills from any list to make it fit their game world, and players who wish to have a skill not on the list should propose the new skill to the Bastard.

The list below is divided into Dex skills, Int skills, and Sorcery. Sorcery is listed seperately from the other Int skills because only one who has been "touched" by the gods can use these abilities. Other than this, they function identically to other skills.

Acrobatics
Archery
Burglary
Climbing
Craftsmanship
Defense
Grappling
Perception
Pickpocketing
Riding
Stealth
Striking
Throwing

This skill allows a character to perform flips, cartwheels, rolls, tumbles, and the like. At higher levels, a character can swing on trapezes and walk tightropes.

This is the ability to use missile weapons such as bows and crossbows.

This is a favorite skill of thieves and spies. It is used to gain unauthorized access to places that are normally forbidden.

This skill lets the character pick locks, whether ordinary keyed locks or fancier combination or puzzle locks.

It also allows a character to set or disarm small traps. This can be used to protect locked a chest with a poison dart, to protect a hallway with a cocked crossbow, or to protect a door with a levered scythe - or to disarm any protections set by others.

Last but not least, having this ability means that the character knows how to force doors or shutters in the most effective and quietest way possible.

This covers a wide range of activity, from trees to cliffs to castle walls. The more difficult the surface (the less friction and handholds and whatnot), the higher the challenge. The higher the roll above the required difficulty, the more ground that has been covered. A failed roll usually means no progress, though a spectacular failure could mean a fall.

This is the ability to make, build, and repair useful items. It can allow the character to build a house, carve some arrows, or make minor repairs to damaged weapons and armor.

Master craftsmen can create works of great beauty and utility, though the Bastard may rule that the character must specialize in a particular field (such as blacksmithing, woodworking, etc) in order to realize this level of quality.

This is the art of avoiding harm by blocking and dodging. It can be used to evade any physical attack that is possible to evade.

This is the skill used in close combat, when opponents are locking limbs and most weapons are useless.

This skill represents both the quality of a character's natural senses and his general attentiveness to the world around him. This important skill can prevent the character (or his entire party) from being taken by surprise.

This skill allows a character to filch keys and pick pockets. It is rolled against the Perception of the intended victim and, to a lesser extent, the Perception of others nearby.

This can also be used to less nefarious purposes, such as performing minor magic tricks (such as making small objects appear or disappear from one's sleeve.

This is the skill of using an animal for transport, usually a horse. Normal travel does not require riding rolls, though a completely inexperienced rider may find his travel slower than it could be. The riding skill is mainly for tricks, leaps, or mounted combat.

This is the art of moving silently and without being seen. To move unseen requires some amount of shadow - the darker, the better. It also helps to have dark clothing.

This skill represents to ability to hit opponents in melee combat.

This is the skill of hitting a target with hurled objects, such as rocks, knives, axes, or spears. It also covers the use of slings. A high skill level can allow the character to juggle - to toss and catch rags, balls, and such. Skilled jugglers can use more impressive items such as knives and swords, but this can get ugly if a roll is failed. Multiple jugglers can work in tandem for a splendid show.

Animals
Concealment
Disguise
Engineering
Forgery
Gaming
Healing
Navigation
Observation
Resistance
Scholarship
Shadowing
Survival
Tactics
Tracking
Trading

This skill represents how good the character is with animals. It can be used to train animals to perform work or tricks, and to effectively handle such domesticated animals. It can also be used, at higher levels, to befriend wild animals, or even to calm enraged beasts.

Concealment is the art of hiding things, whether in a room or on one's person. Those trying to find the hidden objects will have to make Perception rolls greater than the concealment roll of the hider.

This skill lets a character appear physically different. It is rolled against the Observation of anyone who might see through the disguise. Minor cosmetic changes are simple, while major cosmetic changes are more difficult. A master of disguise could even pretend to be of a different race or gender, but it is almost impossible to change one's height by more than a few inches.

This is the skill used for constructing and operating siege engines such as catapults, ballistae, and trebuchet. It can also be used for undermining defenses through sapping. The skilled character does not have to do all of the building or digging; it is enough to draw up a plan and hand it off to skilled laborers.

The art of forging documents, seals, crests, and the like. The skill is rolled against the knowledge of the person trying to determine the authenticity of the item. Scholarship can help with this.

The gambler's skill, such as it is. It lets characters win at games more often, but luck is always a factor.

This is the skill of primitive medicine. A character can bind wounds, set bones, and move companions without doing further harm. The seriousness of the injury will determine the difficulty of the roll.

This skill also grants the possessor knowledge of useful plants and herbs that can be made into salves to speed healing, prevent infections, fight off diseases, or cure poisons.

Finally, this skill represents, at higher levels, the ability to perform acupuncture and minor surgery (namely, amputations). Acupuncture can be used to eliminate pain and certain types of disease, and to quicken the natural healing process. Minor surgery might be required to cut out an infection, in order prevent the spread of toxins to the vital organs.

Individuals in the care of a competent healer will recover Health at twice the normal rate.

Navigation is the ability to determine location and heading by watching the sun and the stars. It is particularly useful at sea. Master navigators may even have a sixth sense about time of day and the direction they are heading.

This skill is similar to Perception. Whereas Perception is used to detect things that might go unheard or unseen, Observation is used to detect things that are obvious but may go unnoticed. A character's observation could allow him to notice that someone was wearing the wrong clothes, behaving strangely, etc. It is especially useful for spotting those in disguise. Bonuses can be given if the character has some reason to suspect that the disguised person is not who they appear to be.

This skill represents the ability of a character to resist attacks on his mind, such as fear, torture, or sorcery. It is the mental equivalent of the Defense skill.

It does not matter whether assaults are aimed directly at the character or at everything his general area. When using Resistance, the character does not actually move - he focuses his concentration to prevent the attack from harming him.

Any sorcery can be resisted, no matter how large or powerful. The defender need only roll higher on his Resistance than the attacker rolls with whatever socery he is using.

If a spell is of continuing duration, the Resistance roll must be made every round.

Resistance to sorcery is not supernatural, nor is not limited to those who practice sorcery. Anyone with a quick mind can evade its effects.

This is a catchall for academic skills. It represents knowledge of subjects such as astronomy, cartography, geography, heraldry, history, languages, philosophy, politics, and religion. It also lets the character write with flourish, using proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and perhaps stylistic calligraphy.

Master scholars and sages are highly prized by their patrons, and a visit to one can be expensive. Many choose to specialize in one of the above subjects.

This is the art of following someone in a crowd without the subject realizing that they are being followed. It relies upon the shadower being inconspicuous in dress and behavior - if everyone in town wears white clothing, someone will notice a black-cloaked figure following them no matter what the shadowing roll.

To notice that he is being followed, a character must make an Observation roll versus the Shadowing roll of the follower.

Survival is the ability to live in the wilderness without much in the way of equipment or supplies. All that is usually needed is a trusty knife and some warm clothing. Additional items, such as a bow and arrow for hunting, make the task that much easier.

This is the art of war. This skill can give a character a good idea of what local terrain is the most defensible, what formations are best for a battle, and what an opponent seems to be planning. If an opponent tries a ruse, Tactics can be rolled against Tactics to see if the deceit was detected.

Tracking lets a character follow another creature through the wilderness. Some creatures are easier to track than others, and some terrains are easier to track through than others (soft mud easier than packed ground). Some terrains, like rivers or solid rock, are impossible to track through - the only hope is to pick up the trail on the other side of the obstacle.

This skill allows a character to appraise the worth of non-obvious treasure, from simple earthenware pots to rare works of art. Exotic objects are more difficult to appraise. The higher the roll, the closer the character is to the real value.

Amelatu
Mahasu
Nabu
Nekelmu
Sabatu
Seheru
Talamu

This sorcery allows the user to open supernatural gateways to other worlds. These gateways allow the sorcerer to observe events from afar, to journey to exotic places, or to gather allies from other realms.

This sorcery is the art of manipulating the physical energies of the world, such as heat, light, sound, and lightning. It allows the sorcerer to unleash powerful magics of destruction to harm his enemies. It is the magical equivalent of the Striking skill.

These energies can cause fires to erupt. They can be used against people or obstacles, but Mahasu spells do not have as much direct force behind them as Sabatu spells, relying more on energy for damage.

This is a catchall for mystical abilities that are used to learn the unknown. The diviner may hear the whispers of spirits of the dead, read the future in the stars, or simply know things that he has no business knowing.

This also allows a character to sense the presence of nearby disembodied spirits, and to communicate with them.

This can also be used by the Bastard as a plot device. He could allow a character to sense danger, receive visions of the future, or anything else that he feels would add to the game.

This sorcery is for manipulating minds. It can be used to read minds, to project thoughts, and to control mindless beings.

This sorcery allows the sorcerer to grasp or move physical objects with his mind. It can be used to attack persons or objects. It is the magical equivalent of the Grappling skill.

This sorcery allows a magician to diminish or destroy the sorcery of others. It functions much like Resistance, except that it works at range, destroys spells instead of evading their effects, and each use of Seheru is considered a major action.

This is, in essence, anti-sorcery. It allows the user to nullify spells or to set up magical wards.

This sorcery gives the user control over the forces of life and death. It allows the transfer of Stamina and Health from one individual living creature to another.

It also allows the sorcerer to feel the emotions of creatures that are near. This is a sense, much like perception, observation, or divination.

Talamu is very limited in range.