First of all: 1 dot= poor or inept, 2 dots= average, 3 dots= good, 4 dots= exceptional, and 5 dots= outstanding.
Secondly you can get above five dots in something but only through roleplay and a lot of experience.
Intelegence: The raw power of the mind. Cognitive capacity. The inherent
capability to digest, comprehend and remember information
and to learn more. Intelligence is a direct measure of
how smart your character is. She may be dull-minded or have
narrow-vision. She may be book-smart, or she may simply be
able to grasp concepts, interpret situations and solve problems
quickly. Intelligence is valued by planners, theorists, scholars,
white-collar employees and leaders.
Wits: The ability to think on one’s feet, under pressure or
duress, without letting them see you sweat. Wits also encompasses
an eye for detail, the ability to absorb what’s
going on in the environment, and to react to events. It
might mean recognizing that the temperature in a room
slowly drops, that a landscape painting incorporates a disguised
human face, or that a trap is about to be sprung.
Wits involves the powers of perception and response. Your
character may be oblivious, dumbfounded, quick-eyed or
wary. The trait is useful for entrepreneurs, charlatans, athletes,
tacticians, lawyers and criminals.
Resolve: The focus and determination to see your character’s
will done. The capacity to stay on target, ignore distractions
and to resist coercion or browbeating. Resolve is your
character’s mental fortitude. His personal conviction. His
clarity of vision or spirit. Your character may be easily distracted,
unable to concentrate, resolute or single-minded.
The trait is pivotal to resisting supernatural forms of mental
control; it acts as a veritable defense of the mind. Resolve
is valuable to leaders, motivators, soldiers, athletes,
police and organizers.
Strength: Physical might. Sheer bodily power. The capacity to
lift objects, move items, hit things and people, and do
damage. Strength is a measure of muscle. Your character
could be 98-pound weakling, he could carry a spare tire,
or he could be lean and cut or bulky and brawny. Your
character’s Strength score is used in hand-to-hand combat.
This trait is instrumental to laborers, thugs, athletes,
brawlers and law-enforcement agents.
Dexterity: Quickness. Response time. A delicate touch. Dexterity
indicates how quickly and with how much finesse your
character responds to his physical world. While high Wits
dots helps your character spot trouble, high Dexterity dots
help him react to it, whether with a counteraction or to
simply get the hell out of the way. Dexterity also helps
with hand-eye coordination, be it to fire an accurate shot,
to juggle objects or to perform delicate jobs such as handle
explosives. Your character might be sluggish, clumsy, slight,
quick or nimble. Dexterity is invaluable to criminals, sports
stars, surgeons and dancers.
Stamina: Sturdiness. Steadfastness. Sheer physical resilience.
Stamina is a measure of how tough your character is. It
indicates how far she can push her body, and how much
physical abuse she can endure. Your character might be
sickly and frail, or hardy and unstoppable. Bouncers, brawlers,
triathletes, survivalists, heavy lifters and workaholics
thrive on Stamina.
Presence: er of your character’s very identity. Attractiveness is
only part of the trait. Your character may be jaw-dropping
gorgeous, plain-Jane or downright ugly, but her Presence
means much more. It reflects her sheer command over
the attention of others. It’s her capacity to impose her
will on others by being socially aggressive or powerful —
a veritable bull in a china shop or someone who simply
doesn’t accept no for an answer.
Manipulation: play upon the desires, hopes and needs of others to influence
them. Manipulation reflects your character’s finesse
in social situations. How well he can appeal to, gain the
favor of and generally coerce others. Manipulation is applied
to win smiles, to put people at ease or to gain favors.
Where Presence deals in social force, Manipulation focuses
on social subtlety. It’s the tool and trade of
businesspeople, politicians, salesfolk and publicists. Your
character may be a wallflower, he could frequently make
off-color statements, he might have a winning smile and
a hardy handshake, or he may be able to sell sand in the
desert.
Composure: Poise. Dignity. The capacity to remain calm and appear
— and actually be — unfazed in social and threatening
situations, usually harrowing ones. Your character
might lose his temper at the slightest perceived insult,
collapse emotionally under a mere pretense, weather a
storm of verbal (or literal) slings and arrows, or have the
nerve to look unspeakable horror in the eye. This trait is a
measure of emotional fortitude, restraint and calm. It’s
ideal among leaders, soldiers, moderators and anyone
whose movements are public consumption. Composure is
vital to resisting social influence and pressure — overt,
covert or otherworldly.
Academics: Academics is a broad-based Skill that represents a character’s degree of higher education and general knowledge in the Arts and Humanities — everything from English
to history, economics to law. Dots in this Skill do
not directly correlate to a given level of education. Your
character could have entered a doctorate program but
spent more time partying than studying, resulting in low
dots. Conversely, a self-taught individual who read voraciously
and studied intensively could have high dots without
ever earning a diploma.
Computer: Characters possessing this Skill have the necessary
training or experience to operate a computer. At high levels
(3 or more), a character can create his own computer
programs. People with high levels in this Skill are familiar
with a variety of programming languages and operating
systems.
Note that dots in Computer do not apply to manually
fixing or building machines, only to operating them.
Construction and repair is the province of the Crafts Skill
Crafts: Crafts represents a character’s training or experience
in creating works of physical art or construction with his
hands, from paintings to car engines to classical sculpture.
Characters possessing this Skill typically have the
knowledge, but not necessarily the tools or facilities to
make use of their capabilities. A character might be an exceptional mechanic, for example, but still needs to
sweet-talk his boss into opening up the garage after-hours
to work on his friend’s car. Crafting a piece of art or creating
an object is almost always an extended roll, with the
length of time and number of successes required determined
by the complexity of the piece. The Storyteller has
final say on the time required and the number of successes
needed for a particular item.
Investigation: Investigation is the art and science of solving mysteries,
examining seemingly disparate evidence to find a connection,
answering riddles and overcoming paradoxes. It
not only allows your character to get into the head of a
killer to grasp his motives or plans, it allows her to look
beyond the mundane world to guess at answers to mysterious
problems, or to have a “eureka” moment that offers
insight into baffling circumstances. Your character might
realize that all murder victims have the same digits jumbled
in their phone numbers, she might interpret a dream that
has striking similarities to events in the real world, or she
could recognize why an intruder took the time to paint a
room red. Certain individuals such as law-enforcement
officers, forensic specialists, scientists and investigators are
trained in the art of examination, while others simply
develop the knack through years of practice.
Medicine: The Medicine Skill reflects a character’s training and
expertise in human physiology and how to treat injuries
and illness. The trait represents knowledge of human
anatomy and basic medical treatments. Characters with a
low level in this Skill (1 to 2) often possess only rudimentary
first-aid training, while characters with high levels
(3+) are the equivalent of physicians or surgeons
Occult: The Occult Skill reflects a character’s knowledge and experience with the world’s various legends and lore about
the supernatural. A character with this Skill not only
knows the theories, myths and legends of the occult, but
can generally discern “fact” from rumor. Characters may
come by this Skill in a variety of ways, from oddball college
courses to learning legends and myths from the lips
of superstitious family members.
Polotics: Characters possessing this Skill are not only familiar
with the way the political process works, they’re experienced
with bureaucracies and know exactly who to call in
a given situation to get something done. Your character
keeps track of who’s in power and how she got there, along
with her potential rivals. He has a grasp of the issues of
the moment and how they affect the political process, and
knows whose palms to grease. It’s possible that your character
acquired this Skill by running for political office at
some point, or by working on a campaign or as a public servant. Or he could simply be someone who follows the
news and understands the money trail.
Science: This Skill represents your character’s understanding
of the physical and natural sciences: biology, chemistry,
geology, meteorology, physics. Science is useful not only
for understanding how the world works, but it helps characters
make the most of the resources at hand to achieve
their goals. A character with a strong Science background
could describe the chemical process for plating metals, for
example, allowing another character with Crafts to make
a silver-edged steel sword.
Athletics: Athletics encompasses a broad category of physical training, from rock climbing to kayaking to professional
sports such as football or hockey. The Athletics Skill can
be applied to any action that requires prolonged physical
exertion or that demands considerable agility or handeye
coordination. Examples include climbing a high wall,
marching long distances and leaping between rooftops.
In combat, the Skill is combined with Dexterity to determine
the accuracy of thrown weapons.
Brawl: Brawl defines your character’s prowess at unarmed
combat, whether he’s a black belt in karate, a hard-bitten
street tough or a college student who’s taken a few selfdefense
courses. Characters with this Skill know how to
hit an opponent, where to hit for maximum effect and
how to defend themselves from attack. It can mean using
fists, but also elbows, knees, shoulders, head butts wrestling,
joint locks and choke holds. Characters with a several
dots could be familiar with multiple techniques of
unarmed combat. Expertise in such techniques is reflected
in the Fighting Style Merits , which are based on Brawl.
Drive: The Drive Skill allows your character to operate a
vehicle under difficult or dangerous conditions. Characters
don’t need this Skill simply to drive a car. It’s safe to
assume in a modern society that most individuals are familiar
with automobiles and the rules of the road. Rather,
this trait covers the training or experience necessary to
operate at high speeds, to tackle hazardous road conditions
and to push a vehicle to the limits of its performance.
Drive is the difference between a typical suburban parent
with a minivan and a police officer, car thief or racecar
driver.
The Skill also applies to piloting and controlling
boats; your character’s Drive dots are applied equally to
handling boats. In order for your character to be able to
pilot a plane, he needs a Pilot Specialty in the Skill. With
that, efforts to control a plane call for a Drive-based roll,
plus one die for your character’s Pilot Specialty. A character
with the Drive Skill who does not possess a Pilot Specialty
cannot effectively operate a plane. His efforts to fly
are based on Attribute alone, at a -1 untrained penalty
Firearms: Firearms allows your character to identify, operate and maintain most types of guns, from pistols to rifles to
military weapons such as submachine guns, assault rifles
and machine guns. This Skill can represent the kind of
formal training provided to police and the military, or
the basic, hands-on experience common to hunters, criminals
and gun enthusiasts. Firearms also applies to using
bows. Your character can use guns and bows equally
Larceny: Larceny is a broad Skill that covers everything from picking locks to concealing stolen goods and everything
in between. Most characters obtain this Skill the hard way,
by committing crimes and often paying the price for their
mistakes. Some individuals such as government agents and
members of the military receive formal training in bypassing
security systems and stealing valuable assets
Stealth: The Stealth Skill represents a character’s experience or training in avoiding notice, whether by moving silently, making use of cover or blending into a crowd. When attempting to sneak silently through an area or to use the
local terrain as concealment, roll Dexterity + Stealth +
equipment. When trying to remain unseen in a crowd,
Wits + Stealth is appropriate. The Storyteller may make
Stealth rolls secretly on your behalf, since your character
usually has no way of knowing he’s been noticed until it’s
too late. If your character attempts to avoid notice by a
group of alert observers, a contested roll versus the observers’
Wits + Composure + equipment is required
Survival: Survival represents your character’s experience or training in “living off the land.” He knows where to find
food and shelter, and how to endure harsh environmental
conditions. The more capable your character is, the fewer
resources he needs in order to prevail. A master survivalist
can walk into a forest, desert or mountainous region with
little more than a pocketknife and the clothes on his back
and survive for weeks if necessary
Weaponry: As the name implies, the Weaponry Skill represents your character’s experience or training in fighting with everything from beer bottles to pipes, knives to swords.
While formal instruction in Weaponry is uncommon (restricted
to military and law-enforcement training and a
few martial arts), any character who has grown up on the
street or spent a lot of time in seedy bars has had ample
opportunity to learn this Skill.
Anamal Ken: Anticipating and understanding human emotions is one thing, but being able to interpret and recognize the behavior of animals is something else entirely. Your character intuitively grasps or has been trained to read animals
to know how they react to situations. The Skill also involves
innately understanding how the animal mind operates,
and what may appease or enrage beasts. The knack
often coincides with a respect for animals, but it could
derive from the analytical observation of a lab scientist or
from years of abuse inflicted by a callous animal handler.
Empathy: This Skill represents your character’s intuition for reading people’s emotions. For some, it’s a matter of observing body language and non-verbal cues. Others employ
an extraordinary sense that helps them divine a
person’s true mood. As the name implies, Empathy also
involves the capacity to understand other people’s views
and perspectives, whether your character agrees with those
positions or not. This is useful in everything from negotiations
and crisis counseling to reading faces in a crowd
and looking for potential trouble. If a subject actively conceals
his emotions or motives, make a contested roll versus
the person’s Wits + Subterfuge + equipment
Expression: Expression reflects your character’s training or experience in the art of communication, both to entertain and
inform. This Skill covers both the written and spoken word
and other forms of entertainment, from journalism to poetry,
creative writing to acting, music to dance. Characters
can use it to compose written works or to put the
right words together at the spur of the moment to deliver
a rousing speech or a memorable toast. Used well, Expression
can sway others’ opinions or even hold an audience
captive.
Intimidation: Intimidation is the art and technique of persuading others through the use of fear. Your character can intimidate someone with a show of brute force (Strength + Intimidation), through more subtle means such as verbal
threats (Manipulation + Intimidation), or simply through
menacing body language (Presence + Intimidation). It can
be used to get other people to cooperate (even against
their better judgment), back down from a confrontation,
or reveal information that they’d rather not share.
Persuasion: Persuasion is the art of inspiring or changing minds through logic, charm or sheer, glib fast-talking. Though it
can be taught to varying degrees of success, most characters
with the Skill possess a natural talent and have honed
it over years through trial and error, practicing their delivery
until it rolls effortlessly off the tongue. Persuasion
is the Skill of convincing others by force of personality
alone, making one’s point through carefully chosen words,
body language and emotion.
Socialize: If opponents achieve their required number of successes simultaneously, they remain at loggerheads. Both
must conceded at least one point of contention to the
other if talks are to continue. The process then begins
again from scratch.
Streetwise: Socialize reflects your character’s ability to interact with others in a variety of situations, from talking people up at bars to comporting himself with dignity at state dinners. This Skill represents equal parts gregariousness, sensitivity, etiquette and custom. Knowing how to make
friends is no less important than understanding how to
treat guests in formal situations. Characters with low dots
might be naturally entertaining or approachable, but unschooled
in the finer arts of social interaction. Or they
could be punctilious with their manners but difficult to
approach. Conversely, characters with high dots could
have the social graces of a practiced diplomat or raconteur,
knowing just what to say and when to say it in any
given situation.
Subterfuge: Characters possessing this Skill know how life on the streets works and are adept at surviving by its harsh rules. Streetwise characters can gather information, make contacts, buy and sell on the black market, and otherwise
make use of the street’s unique resources. The Skill is also
important for navigating urban dangers, avoiding the law,
and staying on the right side of the wrong people.
Secondly you can get above five dots in something but only through roleplay and a lot of experience.
Attributes
Intelegence: The raw power of the mind. Cognitive capacity. The inherent
capability to digest, comprehend and remember information
and to learn more. Intelligence is a direct measure of
how smart your character is. She may be dull-minded or have
narrow-vision. She may be book-smart, or she may simply be
able to grasp concepts, interpret situations and solve problems
quickly. Intelligence is valued by planners, theorists, scholars,
white-collar employees and leaders.
Wits: The ability to think on one’s feet, under pressure or
duress, without letting them see you sweat. Wits also encompasses
an eye for detail, the ability to absorb what’s
going on in the environment, and to react to events. It
might mean recognizing that the temperature in a room
slowly drops, that a landscape painting incorporates a disguised
human face, or that a trap is about to be sprung.
Wits involves the powers of perception and response. Your
character may be oblivious, dumbfounded, quick-eyed or
wary. The trait is useful for entrepreneurs, charlatans, athletes,
tacticians, lawyers and criminals.
Resolve: The focus and determination to see your character’s
will done. The capacity to stay on target, ignore distractions
and to resist coercion or browbeating. Resolve is your
character’s mental fortitude. His personal conviction. His
clarity of vision or spirit. Your character may be easily distracted,
unable to concentrate, resolute or single-minded.
The trait is pivotal to resisting supernatural forms of mental
control; it acts as a veritable defense of the mind. Resolve
is valuable to leaders, motivators, soldiers, athletes,
police and organizers.
Strength: Physical might. Sheer bodily power. The capacity to
lift objects, move items, hit things and people, and do
damage. Strength is a measure of muscle. Your character
could be 98-pound weakling, he could carry a spare tire,
or he could be lean and cut or bulky and brawny. Your
character’s Strength score is used in hand-to-hand combat.
This trait is instrumental to laborers, thugs, athletes,
brawlers and law-enforcement agents.
Dexterity: Quickness. Response time. A delicate touch. Dexterity
indicates how quickly and with how much finesse your
character responds to his physical world. While high Wits
dots helps your character spot trouble, high Dexterity dots
help him react to it, whether with a counteraction or to
simply get the hell out of the way. Dexterity also helps
with hand-eye coordination, be it to fire an accurate shot,
to juggle objects or to perform delicate jobs such as handle
explosives. Your character might be sluggish, clumsy, slight,
quick or nimble. Dexterity is invaluable to criminals, sports
stars, surgeons and dancers.
Stamina: Sturdiness. Steadfastness. Sheer physical resilience.
Stamina is a measure of how tough your character is. It
indicates how far she can push her body, and how much
physical abuse she can endure. Your character might be
sickly and frail, or hardy and unstoppable. Bouncers, brawlers,
triathletes, survivalists, heavy lifters and workaholics
thrive on Stamina.
Presence: er of your character’s very identity. Attractiveness is
only part of the trait. Your character may be jaw-dropping
gorgeous, plain-Jane or downright ugly, but her Presence
means much more. It reflects her sheer command over
the attention of others. It’s her capacity to impose her
will on others by being socially aggressive or powerful —
a veritable bull in a china shop or someone who simply
doesn’t accept no for an answer.
Manipulation: play upon the desires, hopes and needs of others to influence
them. Manipulation reflects your character’s finesse
in social situations. How well he can appeal to, gain the
favor of and generally coerce others. Manipulation is applied
to win smiles, to put people at ease or to gain favors.
Where Presence deals in social force, Manipulation focuses
on social subtlety. It’s the tool and trade of
businesspeople, politicians, salesfolk and publicists. Your
character may be a wallflower, he could frequently make
off-color statements, he might have a winning smile and
a hardy handshake, or he may be able to sell sand in the
desert.
Composure: Poise. Dignity. The capacity to remain calm and appear
— and actually be — unfazed in social and threatening
situations, usually harrowing ones. Your character
might lose his temper at the slightest perceived insult,
collapse emotionally under a mere pretense, weather a
storm of verbal (or literal) slings and arrows, or have the
nerve to look unspeakable horror in the eye. This trait is a
measure of emotional fortitude, restraint and calm. It’s
ideal among leaders, soldiers, moderators and anyone
whose movements are public consumption. Composure is
vital to resisting social influence and pressure — overt,
covert or otherworldly.
Skillsl
Academics: Academics is a broad-based Skill that represents a character’s degree of higher education and general knowledge in the Arts and Humanities — everything from English
to history, economics to law. Dots in this Skill do
not directly correlate to a given level of education. Your
character could have entered a doctorate program but
spent more time partying than studying, resulting in low
dots. Conversely, a self-taught individual who read voraciously
and studied intensively could have high dots without
ever earning a diploma.
Computer: Characters possessing this Skill have the necessary
training or experience to operate a computer. At high levels
(3 or more), a character can create his own computer
programs. People with high levels in this Skill are familiar
with a variety of programming languages and operating
systems.
Note that dots in Computer do not apply to manually
fixing or building machines, only to operating them.
Construction and repair is the province of the Crafts Skill
Crafts: Crafts represents a character’s training or experience
in creating works of physical art or construction with his
hands, from paintings to car engines to classical sculpture.
Characters possessing this Skill typically have the
knowledge, but not necessarily the tools or facilities to
make use of their capabilities. A character might be an exceptional mechanic, for example, but still needs to
sweet-talk his boss into opening up the garage after-hours
to work on his friend’s car. Crafting a piece of art or creating
an object is almost always an extended roll, with the
length of time and number of successes required determined
by the complexity of the piece. The Storyteller has
final say on the time required and the number of successes
needed for a particular item.
Investigation: Investigation is the art and science of solving mysteries,
examining seemingly disparate evidence to find a connection,
answering riddles and overcoming paradoxes. It
not only allows your character to get into the head of a
killer to grasp his motives or plans, it allows her to look
beyond the mundane world to guess at answers to mysterious
problems, or to have a “eureka” moment that offers
insight into baffling circumstances. Your character might
realize that all murder victims have the same digits jumbled
in their phone numbers, she might interpret a dream that
has striking similarities to events in the real world, or she
could recognize why an intruder took the time to paint a
room red. Certain individuals such as law-enforcement
officers, forensic specialists, scientists and investigators are
trained in the art of examination, while others simply
develop the knack through years of practice.
Medicine: The Medicine Skill reflects a character’s training and
expertise in human physiology and how to treat injuries
and illness. The trait represents knowledge of human
anatomy and basic medical treatments. Characters with a
low level in this Skill (1 to 2) often possess only rudimentary
first-aid training, while characters with high levels
(3+) are the equivalent of physicians or surgeons
Occult: The Occult Skill reflects a character’s knowledge and experience with the world’s various legends and lore about
the supernatural. A character with this Skill not only
knows the theories, myths and legends of the occult, but
can generally discern “fact” from rumor. Characters may
come by this Skill in a variety of ways, from oddball college
courses to learning legends and myths from the lips
of superstitious family members.
Polotics: Characters possessing this Skill are not only familiar
with the way the political process works, they’re experienced
with bureaucracies and know exactly who to call in
a given situation to get something done. Your character
keeps track of who’s in power and how she got there, along
with her potential rivals. He has a grasp of the issues of
the moment and how they affect the political process, and
knows whose palms to grease. It’s possible that your character
acquired this Skill by running for political office at
some point, or by working on a campaign or as a public servant. Or he could simply be someone who follows the
news and understands the money trail.
Science: This Skill represents your character’s understanding
of the physical and natural sciences: biology, chemistry,
geology, meteorology, physics. Science is useful not only
for understanding how the world works, but it helps characters
make the most of the resources at hand to achieve
their goals. A character with a strong Science background
could describe the chemical process for plating metals, for
example, allowing another character with Crafts to make
a silver-edged steel sword.
Athletics: Athletics encompasses a broad category of physical training, from rock climbing to kayaking to professional
sports such as football or hockey. The Athletics Skill can
be applied to any action that requires prolonged physical
exertion or that demands considerable agility or handeye
coordination. Examples include climbing a high wall,
marching long distances and leaping between rooftops.
In combat, the Skill is combined with Dexterity to determine
the accuracy of thrown weapons.
Brawl: Brawl defines your character’s prowess at unarmed
combat, whether he’s a black belt in karate, a hard-bitten
street tough or a college student who’s taken a few selfdefense
courses. Characters with this Skill know how to
hit an opponent, where to hit for maximum effect and
how to defend themselves from attack. It can mean using
fists, but also elbows, knees, shoulders, head butts wrestling,
joint locks and choke holds. Characters with a several
dots could be familiar with multiple techniques of
unarmed combat. Expertise in such techniques is reflected
in the Fighting Style Merits , which are based on Brawl.
Drive: The Drive Skill allows your character to operate a
vehicle under difficult or dangerous conditions. Characters
don’t need this Skill simply to drive a car. It’s safe to
assume in a modern society that most individuals are familiar
with automobiles and the rules of the road. Rather,
this trait covers the training or experience necessary to
operate at high speeds, to tackle hazardous road conditions
and to push a vehicle to the limits of its performance.
Drive is the difference between a typical suburban parent
with a minivan and a police officer, car thief or racecar
driver.
The Skill also applies to piloting and controlling
boats; your character’s Drive dots are applied equally to
handling boats. In order for your character to be able to
pilot a plane, he needs a Pilot Specialty in the Skill. With
that, efforts to control a plane call for a Drive-based roll,
plus one die for your character’s Pilot Specialty. A character
with the Drive Skill who does not possess a Pilot Specialty
cannot effectively operate a plane. His efforts to fly
are based on Attribute alone, at a -1 untrained penalty
Firearms: Firearms allows your character to identify, operate and maintain most types of guns, from pistols to rifles to
military weapons such as submachine guns, assault rifles
and machine guns. This Skill can represent the kind of
formal training provided to police and the military, or
the basic, hands-on experience common to hunters, criminals
and gun enthusiasts. Firearms also applies to using
bows. Your character can use guns and bows equally
Larceny: Larceny is a broad Skill that covers everything from picking locks to concealing stolen goods and everything
in between. Most characters obtain this Skill the hard way,
by committing crimes and often paying the price for their
mistakes. Some individuals such as government agents and
members of the military receive formal training in bypassing
security systems and stealing valuable assets
Stealth: The Stealth Skill represents a character’s experience or training in avoiding notice, whether by moving silently, making use of cover or blending into a crowd. When attempting to sneak silently through an area or to use the
local terrain as concealment, roll Dexterity + Stealth +
equipment. When trying to remain unseen in a crowd,
Wits + Stealth is appropriate. The Storyteller may make
Stealth rolls secretly on your behalf, since your character
usually has no way of knowing he’s been noticed until it’s
too late. If your character attempts to avoid notice by a
group of alert observers, a contested roll versus the observers’
Wits + Composure + equipment is required
Survival: Survival represents your character’s experience or training in “living off the land.” He knows where to find
food and shelter, and how to endure harsh environmental
conditions. The more capable your character is, the fewer
resources he needs in order to prevail. A master survivalist
can walk into a forest, desert or mountainous region with
little more than a pocketknife and the clothes on his back
and survive for weeks if necessary
Weaponry: As the name implies, the Weaponry Skill represents your character’s experience or training in fighting with everything from beer bottles to pipes, knives to swords.
While formal instruction in Weaponry is uncommon (restricted
to military and law-enforcement training and a
few martial arts), any character who has grown up on the
street or spent a lot of time in seedy bars has had ample
opportunity to learn this Skill.
Anamal Ken: Anticipating and understanding human emotions is one thing, but being able to interpret and recognize the behavior of animals is something else entirely. Your character intuitively grasps or has been trained to read animals
to know how they react to situations. The Skill also involves
innately understanding how the animal mind operates,
and what may appease or enrage beasts. The knack
often coincides with a respect for animals, but it could
derive from the analytical observation of a lab scientist or
from years of abuse inflicted by a callous animal handler.
Empathy: This Skill represents your character’s intuition for reading people’s emotions. For some, it’s a matter of observing body language and non-verbal cues. Others employ
an extraordinary sense that helps them divine a
person’s true mood. As the name implies, Empathy also
involves the capacity to understand other people’s views
and perspectives, whether your character agrees with those
positions or not. This is useful in everything from negotiations
and crisis counseling to reading faces in a crowd
and looking for potential trouble. If a subject actively conceals
his emotions or motives, make a contested roll versus
the person’s Wits + Subterfuge + equipment
Expression: Expression reflects your character’s training or experience in the art of communication, both to entertain and
inform. This Skill covers both the written and spoken word
and other forms of entertainment, from journalism to poetry,
creative writing to acting, music to dance. Characters
can use it to compose written works or to put the
right words together at the spur of the moment to deliver
a rousing speech or a memorable toast. Used well, Expression
can sway others’ opinions or even hold an audience
captive.
Intimidation: Intimidation is the art and technique of persuading others through the use of fear. Your character can intimidate someone with a show of brute force (Strength + Intimidation), through more subtle means such as verbal
threats (Manipulation + Intimidation), or simply through
menacing body language (Presence + Intimidation). It can
be used to get other people to cooperate (even against
their better judgment), back down from a confrontation,
or reveal information that they’d rather not share.
Persuasion: Persuasion is the art of inspiring or changing minds through logic, charm or sheer, glib fast-talking. Though it
can be taught to varying degrees of success, most characters
with the Skill possess a natural talent and have honed
it over years through trial and error, practicing their delivery
until it rolls effortlessly off the tongue. Persuasion
is the Skill of convincing others by force of personality
alone, making one’s point through carefully chosen words,
body language and emotion.
Socialize: If opponents achieve their required number of successes simultaneously, they remain at loggerheads. Both
must conceded at least one point of contention to the
other if talks are to continue. The process then begins
again from scratch.
Streetwise: Socialize reflects your character’s ability to interact with others in a variety of situations, from talking people up at bars to comporting himself with dignity at state dinners. This Skill represents equal parts gregariousness, sensitivity, etiquette and custom. Knowing how to make
friends is no less important than understanding how to
treat guests in formal situations. Characters with low dots
might be naturally entertaining or approachable, but unschooled
in the finer arts of social interaction. Or they
could be punctilious with their manners but difficult to
approach. Conversely, characters with high dots could
have the social graces of a practiced diplomat or raconteur,
knowing just what to say and when to say it in any
given situation.
Subterfuge: Characters possessing this Skill know how life on the streets works and are adept at surviving by its harsh rules. Streetwise characters can gather information, make contacts, buy and sell on the black market, and otherwise
make use of the street’s unique resources. The Skill is also
important for navigating urban dangers, avoiding the law,
and staying on the right side of the wrong people.
