In Thriller, skills represent your character’s specialized training, innate talents, and expertise. They determine how effectively a character can overcome narrative challenges. Through skills, your character navigates tasks, solves mysteries, and interacts meaningfully with the game world.

Using Skills

Whenever your character attempts an action with an uncertain outcome and significant consequences, the Game Master (GM) will call for a Skill Check.

Making Skill Checks

Identify the Skill: Determine which skill is most relevant to the action (e.g. use Stealth to move unnoticed, Medical to treat a wound).
Set the Difficulty Class (DC): The GM sets a target number based on task complexity:
- Routine (DC 15): Simple tasks that most people could do.
- Moderate (DC 20): Tasks requiring basic proficiency or training.
- Challenging (DC 25): Tasks demanding significant skill or effort.
- Formidable (DC 30): Very difficult tasks beyond ordinary capabilities.
- Nearly Impossible (DC 35+): Extremely challenging tasks, achievable only by true experts.
Roll and Calculate: Roll a d20 and add all relevant modifiers:
- Skill Modifier: Your skill’s rank × 5.
- Attribute Modifier: The modifier of the attribute associated with that skill (e.g. Strength for Athletics, Dexterity for Stealth).
- Situational Modifiers: Any bonuses or penalties from circumstances (equipment, environmental conditions, injuries, etc.).
Evaluate the Outcome: Compare the total to the DC set by the GM.
- Success: If the total meets or exceeds the DC, the action succeeds.
- Failure: If the total falls short of the DC, the action fails.

Degrees of Success and Failure

Critical Success (Natural 20): An exceptional outcome. The action succeeds in the best possible way, often granting additional benefits or a powerful narrative advantage.
Partial Success: The action succeeds mostly or barely. You achieve your objective, but with some complication or reduced effectiveness as determined by the GM.
Critical Failure (Natural 1): A disastrous outcome. Not only does the action fail, but it also incurs severe setbacks or negative consequences beyond a normal failure.

Skill Challenges

Sometimes a complex task requires sustained effort over time, involving multiple checks. This is handled as a Skill Challenge:

Objective: A clearly defined overall goal (e.g. disarm all traps in a room before time runs out, escape from a pursuer, etc.).
Required Successes: The number of successful checks needed to achieve the goal.
Allowed Failures: The number of failures that can occur before the entire task is considered failed.
Applicable Skills: The specific skills that can be used toward the challenge (determined by the GM, based on the nature of the challenge).

During a Skill Challenge, players take turns making skill checks related to the objective. The group succeeds if they accumulate the required number of successes before reaching the allowed number of failures. If the failures hit the limit first, the overall challenge fails and the negative outcome occurs.

Cooperative Skill Checks

Characters can work together on the same task. In Cooperative Checks, one character is designated as the lead who will make the primary skill roll, and others may assist:

Assist Checks: Each assisting character makes a relevant skill check against a DC set by the GM (typically DC 15 or 20 for a standard assist attempt).
Assist Benefit: For each successful assist check, the lead character gains a +2 bonus on their primary roll. Multiple allies can assist, stacking this bonus (up to whatever limit the GM allows based on the situation).

This cooperation mechanic represents characters helping one another — lifting a heavy object together, brainstorming a puzzle, etc. A failed assist check usually doesn’t impose a penalty; it simply means no bonus is gained (or in some cases, a dramatic failure on an assist might incur its own consequences, at the GM’s discretion).

Opposed Skill Checks

If two characters are in direct competition, they make Opposed Checks to determine the victor. Both participants roll a d20 and add their relevant skill (and attribute) modifiers:

The higher total wins the contest.
In case of a tie, the outcome is usually a stalemate or deadlock. The GM may allow a reroll or declare that neither side clearly wins, depending on context (e.g. an arm-wrestling match at a tie might continue for another round).

Opposed checks are used for contests like one character hiding (Stealth) vs. another trying to spot them (Perception via Insight), two characters arm-wrestling (Athletics vs. Athletics), or a footrace (Athletics vs. Athletics).

Skill Specializations

Some broad skills offer specializations – a focused area of expertise within the skill:

Each specialization is chosen when you gain a rank in that skill (with GM approval) and provides a permanent +2 bonus on checks for tasks that fall under that specialization.
- Example: A character with Crafting might take a specialization in Alchemy, granting +2 on Crafting checks related to mixing chemicals or potions.
Specializations are typically listed under the skill description if available. They allow characters to excel in a niche area and reflect advanced training or talent in that specific aspect of a skill.

Skill Advancement

Characters improve their skills by spending skill points, which are gained as they level up:

Skill Points per Level: Each level, a character gains skill points equal to their Knowledge attribute score. (For example, Knowledge 4 gives 4 skill points to spend each level.)
Improving Skills: To increase a skill’s rank, you must spend a number of skill points equal to the cost of the next rank. The costs are as follows:

Skill Rank	Total Skill Point Cost to Achieve Rank
1 (Novice)	1 point
2 (Apprentice)	3 points (additional points required beyond Rank 1)
3 (Professional)	9 points
4 (Expert)	27 points
5 (Master)	81 points

(The table above shows the total cost to raise a skill to that rank from Rank 0. For example, raising a skill from no training to Rank 2 would cost 1 + 3 = 4 points in total.)
Maximum Rank: No skill can be raised above Rank 5 (Master level).
Training Requirement: To acquire the first rank in a new skill (going from 0 to 1), your character must receive training or instruction from someone who already has at least one rank in that skill. In other words, you can’t learn a brand new skill without a teacher or appropriate self-study time.
Sequential Advancement: You must purchase skill ranks in order. You cannot skip from Rank 0 to Rank 2 without buying Rank 1 first, etc. Each rank must be acquired sequentially.

Skills List

Below is a list of all skills in Thriller and the primary attribute associated with each. Detailed descriptions and uses for each skill are provided in the subsections that follow:

Athletics (Strength) – General physical prowess, climbing, running, jumping, etc.
Combat (Strength or Dexterity; varies by weapon type) – Proficiency in fighting with a chosen weapon category.
Crafting (Knowledge or Dexterity; choose specialization) – Creating and repairing items, with various fields like Mechanical, Electronics, etc.
Deception (Social) – Lying, bluffing, and misdirection in social interactions.
Driving (Dexterity; choose vehicle type) – Operating vehicles like cars, motorcycles, boats, aircraft, etc.
Faith (Willpower; religion-specific) – Knowledge of and devotion to a particular religion or spiritual practice.
Insight (Perception) – Reading people and situations, detecting lies or motives.
Investigation (Perception) – Analyzing clues, solving mysteries, and finding hidden information.
Linguistics (Knowledge) – Languages, translation, deciphering codes and ancient texts.
Maintenance (Knowledge or Dexterity) – Repairing and maintaining mechanical or electronic equipment.
Medical (Knowledge) – First aid, medicine, surgery, and treating injuries or ailments.
Occult (Knowledge) – Understanding the supernatural, folklore, rituals, and esoteric phenomena.
Performance (Social) – Entertaining or influencing others through acting, music, or other creative arts.
Research (Knowledge) – Gathering information from books, archives, or digital sources; analytical skill.
Stealth (Agility) – Moving silently, staying hidden, and avoiding detection.
Subterfuge (Dexterity) – Covert operations, sleight of hand, disguise, and trickery.
Survival (Discernment) – Wilderness or urban survival skills: finding food, navigation, shelter.
Tact (Social) – Diplomacy, sensitivity, and etiquette in handling social situations.
Technical (Knowledge or Dexterity; choose specialization) – Operating or hacking computers, electronics, and other advanced systems.

Athletics (Strength)

Description:
Athletics measures your character’s overall physical fitness, endurance, and prowess in performing strenuous physical activities. It covers feats of strength and stamina such as running, climbing, swimming, or jumping. A high Athletics skill indicates significant raw physical power and conditioning, which is crucial for overcoming environmental obstacles or performing physically demanding actions under pressure.

Common Uses:

Climbing: Scaling walls, fences, rocky cliffs, or other difficult vertical surfaces.
Jumping: Leaping across gaps, vaulting over obstacles, or making long or high jumps.
Swimming: Navigating through water or strong currents, staying afloat, or diving safely.
Running: Sprinting to cover distance quickly, maintaining endurance during a chase, or outpacing an immediate threat.
Lifting/Carrying: Hoisting heavy objects (or people), pushing large obstacles, or dragging something weighing a lot.

Skill Check: To attempt a physically challenging task, roll a d20 and add your Athletics skill modifier (Strength-based). If the total is equal to or greater than the Difficulty Class (DC) set by the GM, your attempt succeeds.

Example Difficulty Classes – Athletics:

Task	Example DC
Climb a rough, rocky surface	DC 15
Swim across a turbulent river	DC 20
Lift or carry an unconscious ally	DC 25
Sprint to outrun immediate danger	DC 30
Climb a smooth, slippery surface	DC 35

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Using proper equipment or gear (climbing ropes, grappling hook, swimming fins, etc.) may grant you advantage on the Athletics check.
Difficult conditions (heavy rain, strong winds, icy surfaces, unstable footing) can impose disadvantage on your roll.
Prolonged exertion over time might call for additional Endurance checks to resist fatigue if you keep performing Athletics tasks back-to-back.

Critical Success (Natural 20): You accomplish the task with exceptional skill or speed. For example, you might scale the wall in record time or land a jump so quietly or safely that it grants an extra benefit (like avoiding alerting enemies or not tiring you out).

Critical Failure (Natural 1): You not only fail the task, but something goes wrong. Perhaps you slip and fall while climbing, suffer an injury from overexertion, or lose something important in the process (like dropping a carried item).

Athletics in Combat: In combat situations, Athletics can be used for maneuvers like grappling an opponent, shoving an enemy, or breaking free from restraints. These actions follow the standard combat rules for opposed checks or attack actions (factoring in the opponent’s stats and any relevant conditions). For example, if you attempt to grapple a foe, you might make an Athletics check opposed by the target’s Athletics (or another appropriate skill like Acrobatics/Agility). Success means you restrain the target; failure means they evade your grasp.

Combat (Weapon-Specific; Strength or Dexterity)

Description:
The Combat skill represents your character’s proficiency with weapons and fighting techniques. Because combat styles vary, this skill is specialized by weapon category – each taken as a separate skill. When you acquire or improve the Combat skill, you must specify which category of weapons it applies to (for example, Combat (Pistols) or Combat (Unarmed)). Your Combat skill reflects training and experience in that type of combat, including accuracy, technique, and tactical use of the weapon.

Weapon Categories (choose one per skill rank):

Unarmed: Fighting with fists, grapples, and martial arts maneuvers (no weapons).
Melee Weapons: Hand-to-hand weapons like knives, swords, clubs, bats, axes, or improvised close-combat tools.
Pistols: Handguns and other short-range firearms intended for one-handed use.
Rifles: Long guns including assault rifles, hunting rifles, and sniper rifles designed for two-handed use at range.
Shotguns: Spread-fire firearms effective at close to mid-range, requiring two hands.
Bows/Crossbows: Traditional or modern bow weapons that fire arrows/bolts; require aiming and draw strength.
Thrown Weapons: Any weapon meant to be thrown (knives, shuriken, grenades, etc.), relying on accuracy and timing.

Associated Attributes: The attribute used for a Combat skill check depends on the weapon:

Strength: Used for Unarmed combat and Melee Weapons (where physical power is key).
Dexterity: Used for Pistols, Rifles, Shotguns, Bows/Crossbows, and Thrown Weapons (where aim, steadiness, or finesse is key).

Common Uses:

Attacking: Striking an opponent with your weapon, whether with fists, blades, bullets, or arrows. A successful attack roll deals damage according to the weapon used.
Defending/Parrying: Using your combat training to block, parry, or avoid incoming attacks (this often happens via a separate mechanic like a Dodge or parry roll, depending on the system’s combat rules).
Quick Reload or Draw: Speedily reloading a firearm or drawing a weapon in the heat of battle. This might reduce the time or action cost required, at the GM’s discretion.
Weapon Maintenance: Knowing how to clear jams, maintain your weapon in the field, or efficiently swap magazines and gear during downtime or combat, ensuring your equipment doesn’t fail you.

Skill Check (Attacks): When you make an attack, roll a d20 and add your Combat skill modifier for the relevant weapon category. If your result meets or exceeds the target’s defense (or a DC set by the GM for situations like hitting an inanimate object or difficult shot), you hit and deal damage as appropriate for your weapon.

Example Difficulty Classes – Combat Attacks: (These DCs might be used for non-standard attack checks or special maneuvers, at GM’s discretion)

Scenario (Attack or Shot)	Example DC
Striking an unaware or immobile opponent	DC 15 (easy)
Hitting a moving target at close range	DC 20 (moderate)
Shooting accurately at medium range	DC 25 (hard)
Precision shot at a small/covered target (e.g. a headshot)	DC 30 (very hard)

(In opposed combat, typically you roll against an enemy’s defense or opposed roll rather than a fixed DC. The above can be used for guidance on trick shots or challenges outside normal combat rules.)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Environmental factors like poor lighting, cover, smoke, or long range can impose disadvantage on attack rolls (or flat penalties to the roll, depending on the rule set). Conversely, having a tactical advantage (high ground, laser sights, a perfectly aimed shot) might grant advantage.
Using superior or specialized equipment (e.g., a scope for long-range shooting, a custom grip on a pistol) might reduce penalties or increase damage rather than affect the roll, as determined by the GM.
The character’s physical condition influences combat: injuries or fatigue can impose penalties on attack rolls, while certain perks or adrenaline boosts might provide bonuses.

Critical Success (Natural 20): An attack roll of 20 is a critical hit. You strike with extraordinary effectiveness. This usually means you deal maximum damage or extra damage, and the GM might add an additional benefit: you could disarm the opponent, knock them down, or hit a vulnerable spot that has a larger impact on the encounter.

Critical Failure (Natural 1): A natural 1 on an attack is a critical miss. Something goes awry—you might jam your gun, drop your weapon, or even accidentally hit an ally or yourself if the situation makes sense. At the very least, you lose your balance or position, potentially leaving yourself open to counterattack.

Combat & Other Skills: Combat checks can work in tandem with other skills for creative tactics:

Athletics: Use Athletics when attempting special maneuvers like tackling someone (grappling), breaking a grapple, or kicking down a door mid-fight. If you grapple an enemy using Athletics vs. their Athletics (or Agility), a successful grapple can set up an easier attack or hold the foe in place.
Stealth: You might use Stealth to hide or ambush opponents, gaining an advantage on your first attack. A successful Stealth check before combat can allow a sneak attack or first strike with bonus effects.
Technical/Crafting: Technical skill might be used to handle or disable advanced weapons systems, while Crafting (Weaponsmithing) could be used in downtime to improve your weapons (which in turn enhances your Combat effectiveness). These are outside of direct combat rolls but influence combat readiness.

Crafting (Knowledge or Dexterity)

Description:
Crafting is the skill of creating, repairing, or modifying items and equipment. Because this encompasses many disciplines, Crafting is divided into specific categories, each treated as a separate skill (similar to Combat specializations). When you invest in Crafting, you choose one category to specialize in at a time, reflecting your character’s trade or technical forte.

Categories of Craft (choose one per skill rank):

Mechanical: Working with gears, engines, locks, traps, and general machinery or vehicles.
Electronic: Building or fixing computers, circuits, communication devices, cameras, or other electronic systems.
Weaponsmithing: Making and repairing weapons (firearms, bows, melee weapons) and ammunition.
Explosives: Creating bombs, grenades, or improvised explosive devices (IEDs), as well as safely disarming or handling explosives.
Chemical: Mixing chemicals to produce medicines, antidotes, drugs, poisons, or forensic reagents.
Survival Gear: Crafting and fixing outdoor equipment like tents, ropes, tools, clothing, and other survival necessities.
Artisan Craft: Practicing an artistic or artisanal trade – painting, sculpting, woodworking, metalworking for art or jewelry, etc.
Construction: Building or repairing structures, from simple barricades and traps to buildings and fortifications.

Associated Attributes: Crafting uses Knowledge for most intellectual/technical tasks, but some hands-on tasks use Dexterity:

Knowledge: applies to Mechanical, Electronic, Explosives, Chemical, Construction (where understanding theory and complex planning is key).
Dexterity: applies to Weaponsmithing, Survival Gear, Artisan Craft (where fine motor skills and manual precision are key).

Common Uses:

Creating Items: Building something new from raw materials or a kit (e.g. assembling a gadget, crafting a melee weapon, tailoring a disguise costume).
Repairing: Fixing broken equipment, vehicles, weapons, electronics, etc., to working condition.
Modifying/Upgrading: Enhancing an item’s performance or altering it for a specialized purpose (e.g. tuning up a car’s engine for more speed, or modifying a weapon to be more accurate).
Analyzing Craftsmanship: Examining an item or device to understand how it works, identify weaknesses or quality, or figure out who made it (forensic analysis of a device).

Skill Check: When you attempt to craft, repair, or modify something, roll a d20 and add your Crafting modifier for the relevant category. The GM sets a DC based on the project’s complexity, and will also determine requirements like time, tools, and materials. If your roll meets or exceeds the DC, you succeed in your task (though major projects may require multiple successes or extended time).

Example Difficulty Classes – Crafting:

Task	Example DC
Basic repair or simple item creation	DC 10 (easy)
Standard equipment construction	DC 15 (average)
Complex repair or significant modification	DC 20 (hard)
Advanced project or invention	DC 25 (very hard)

(The “DC 25+” indicates that particularly advanced or cutting-edge projects could have DCs of 30, 35, or higher, at GM’s discretion.)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Having high-quality tools or a proper workshop grants advantage on many crafting attempts (or at least lowers the difficulty). For example, trying to repair a car in a fully equipped garage is much easier than with a multitool on the side of the road.
Improvised tools or lack of proper materials can impose disadvantage, or the GM might increase the DC if you’re jury-rigging a solution.
Working under time pressure or adverse conditions (e.g., under fire, in a storm, or without light) can also impose disadvantage or other penalties on the check. Conversely, having plenty of time might allow retries or progressive progress even on failure.

Critical Success (Natural 20): You not only succeed, but do a superb job. Perhaps you create a higher-quality item than expected, build it in half the time, or use fewer resources. The GM may rule that your crafted item has an extra perk (for example, a weapon you forged does +1 damage due to superior craftsmanship).

Critical Failure (Natural 1): Your attempt backfires or goes awry. You might waste or ruin the materials, further damage the item you were trying to fix, or even injure yourself if the process was dangerous (such as an explosive detonating during assembly). A critical fail could also mean that you think you succeeded, but the item malfunctions when used.

Crafting & Other Skills: Crafting often works hand-in-hand with other skills:

Research: Use Research to find blueprints, schematics, or instructions for making complex items, or to recall formulas for chemical crafting. This can reduce the DC or time required for Crafting tasks.
Technical: If you’re crafting electronics or mechanical devices, Technical skill (in the relevant area) can help operate testing equipment or calibrate devices during the creation process.
Medical: When crafting chemicals for medical use (like antidotes, drugs, or herbal remedies), a Medical skill check can assist to ensure the concoction is effective and safe.

Deception (Social)

Description:
Deception is the art of lying and misdirection. It covers any attempt to deliberately mislead others, whether through spoken lies, bluffing in a risky gambit, disguising your true intentions, or creating forgeries. Characters skilled in Deception can maintain convincing cover stories, impersonate people, and manipulate others’ perceptions with ease. It’s a key skill for spies, con artists, and anyone who needs to operate under false pretenses.

Common Uses:

Lying/Bluffing: Convincingly telling a falsehood or feigning confidence/ignorance to mislead someone. (E.g., bluffing a guard that you belong in a restricted area.)
Disguise/Impersonation: Physically or behaviorally impersonating someone else or adopting a false identity, including using makeup, costumes, or altered mannerisms.
Feints/Diversions: In combat or contests, using a deceptive maneuver to trick an opponent (like a feint in fencing or a fake-out in negotiations) to create an opening or distraction.
Forgery: Creating false documents, identification papers, signatures, or other items that look authentic.
Con & Manipulation: Long-term cons or subtle manipulation of someone’s beliefs over time, using half-truths and psychological tricks to influence their behavior.

Skill Check: Whenever you try to deceive someone, roll a d20 and add your Deception (Social) modifier. If the deception is contested by an observer, they might make an opposed Insight (or similar) roll. Otherwise, compare your result to a DC set by the GM based on how suspicious or difficult the scenario is. Succeeding means the target believes your lie or fails to see through your ruse.

Example Difficulty Classes – Deception:

Deceptive Scenario	Example DC
Tell a harmless lie to a trusting person	DC 15 (easy)
Maintain a simple disguise or cover story	DC 20 (moderate)
Bluff a skeptical guard or official	DC 25 (challenging)
Forge convincing official documents	DC 30 (difficult)
Maintain a complex web of lies under heavy scrutiny	DC 35+ (very difficult)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Good preparation (supporting documents for a lie, a well-made disguise, rehearsed story details) can grant advantage on Deception checks.
If the target is already suspicious or if your story has obvious holes/inconsistencies, you might have disadvantage (or the GM increases the DC).
The target’s mindset matters: deceiving someone who wants to believe you (or is emotionally vulnerable) is easier, whereas trying to lie to an expert or someone with contrary evidence is harder.

Critical Success (Natural 20): Your deception is incredibly effective. The target not only believes you, but may become convinced to take your side or ignore further inconsistencies. You achieve your aim and perhaps gain an additional benefit (they trust you implicitly, or you create an opportunity for your allies, etc.).

Critical Failure (Natural 1): Your lie falls apart disastrously. The target immediately realizes they are being deceived. This could result in anger, alarm (raising an alert), or other bad outcomes. In some cases, a critical fail might mean you accidentally reveal more truth than you intended or get caught in the act of forging or disguising.

Deception & Other Skills: Deception often pairs with:

Stealth: Using distractions or lies to aid in sneaking. For example, tricking a guard to look the other way while you slip past.
Performance: If you treat a con or lie as a performance, acting out a role convincingly can bolster your deception. A character skilled in Performance might get creative advantage when telling an elaborate lie in character.
Research: Knowing background information can make a lie more convincing. Researching a person or organization ahead of time provides details that help you craft believable deceptions (for instance, knowing a code word or internal fact that sells your bluff).

Driving (Dexterity)

Description:
Driving covers the operation of vehicles and mastery of maneuvering them under various conditions. Like Combat and Crafting, Driving is typically specialized by vehicle type. Each rank of Driving you take corresponds to a category of vehicles your character is trained to handle.

Vehicle Categories (choose one per skill rank):

Cars: Standard passenger vehicles (sedans, trucks, SUVs, sports cars).
Motorcycles: Two-wheeled motorbikes and similar vehicles requiring balance and precision.
Heavy Vehicles: Large vehicles like trucks, buses, tanks, or construction vehicles (which have unique handling challenges).
Watercraft: Boats and ships, from small motorboats or jet skis up to larger vessels (though very large ships might be beyond a single skill rank without special training).
Aircraft: Planes, helicopters, or other airborne vehicles (may require multiple ranks or special GM permission due to complexity).

Common Uses:

High-Speed Chases: Either pursuing a target or evading pursuers through traffic, winding roads, or obstacle-laden paths.
Stunt Maneuvers: Performing sharp turns, skids, jumps, or other risky moves (like driving through a closing gate or doing a controlled slide).
Off-Road/Navigating Hazards: Keeping control on difficult terrain (mud, ice, steep hills) or during hazardous conditions (stormy weather, low visibility).
Vehicle Combat Maneuvers: Positioning a vehicle optimally during a fight (ramming another car, avoiding incoming fire, or providing cover for allies).
Emergency Handling: Reacting to vehicle malfunctions (like brake failure or a tire blowout) or unexpected obstacles on the road without crashing.

Skill Check: When attempting a difficult driving maneuver or handling a vehicle under stress, roll a d20 and add your Driving (Dexterity) modifier. The GM will determine the DC based on the difficulty of the maneuver and conditions. Success means you maintain control and accomplish the maneuver; failure could mean a mishap or crash.

Example Difficulty Classes – Driving:

Driving Task	Example DC
Routine driving (normal conditions)	DC 10 (very easy)
Weaving through moderate traffic at speed	DC 20 (moderate)
Evasive maneuver to avoid an accident	DC 25 (challenging)
Handling a vehicle in severe weather or on difficult terrain	DC 30 (hard)
Complex stunt (high jump, 180° spin at speed)	DC 35+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Vehicle Performance: A high-performance or specialized vehicle might make some stunts easier (advantage or lower DC), while a damaged or poor vehicle might impose disadvantage or higher DC.
Environmental Conditions: Good conditions (clear weather, empty road) make driving easier, while bad conditions (rain, ice, heavy traffic, darkness) impose disadvantage or raise the DC.
Stress and Fatigue: A driver who is injured, very tired, or under fire might suffer penalties on Driving checks. Conversely, a character with adrenaline or special training might ignore certain penalties in emergency driving.

Critical Success (Natural 20): You execute the driving task flawlessly. You might gain extra benefits like putting much more distance between you and a pursuer, pulling off the stunt more spectacularly than imagined, or even impressing NPCs who witness it (maybe cutting a deal because they respect your skills). Mechanically, a critical success could mean no wear on the vehicle or shaving time off a journey.

Critical Failure (Natural 1): A disastrous driving mishap occurs. Perhaps you crash the vehicle, spin out, or worsen the situation (like getting even more stuck or causing collateral damage). The exact consequences depend on context — it could be a minor accident that stalls progress or a major wreck with personal injury.

Driving & Other Skills: Driving can be complemented by:

Crafting/Technical: If you have mechanical knowledge, you might rig your vehicle for better performance or make on-the-fly repairs (e.g. bypassing a damaged circuit to keep a car running). In the moment, Technical skill might help hotwire a vehicle or disable a pursuer’s car electronically.
Combat: When fighting from vehicles, your Driving skill might let you line up a better shot or perform a drive-by attack, but you might also need your Combat skill for shooting while driving. The GM might allow a high Driving roll to grant an attack bonus for you or a passenger, for example.
Athletics: Sometimes getting in or out of vehicles quickly (like leaping from a moving car, or hopping between vehicles) is crucial. Athletics checks might be used in tandem with Driving to achieve these daring feats safely.

Faith (Willpower)

Description:
Faith represents your character’s devotion, knowledge, and spiritual fortitude in relation to a specific religion or belief system. This skill isn’t about proving the supernatural (that’s more Occult); it’s about how well-versed and grounded your character is in their chosen faith’s teachings, rituals, and moral code. Each time you take the Faith skill, you must specify the particular religion or spiritual path (e.g. Faith (Christianity) or Faith (Buddhism)). This specialization reflects that each tradition has its own doctrines and practices.

Examples of Religious Specializations: (each taken as a separate Faith skill)

Christianity: Knowledge of biblical scripture, Christian theology, prayers and sacraments, and church traditions.
Judaism: Familiarity with the Torah/Tanakh, Jewish law (Halakha), rituals like Sabbath and festivals, and cultural practices.
Islam: Understanding of the Quran, Hadith, the Five Pillars, prayer rituals (Salah), and Islamic jurisprudence.
Buddhism: Knowledge of Buddhist philosophy, the Four Noble Truths, meditation practices, and specific traditions (Theravada, Mahayana, etc.).
Hinduism: Understanding of Hindu epics and scriptures (Vedas, Bhagavad Gita), rituals, yoga practices, and the pantheon of deities.
Spirituality: Deep knowledge of a particular indigenous people’s spiritual traditions, rituals, myths, and relationship with nature and ancestors.

Common Uses:

Performing Rituals/Prayers: Leading or conducting religious ceremonies, blessings, exorcisms, or other sacred rites correctly.
Spiritual Counsel: Providing comfort, moral guidance, or wisdom to others based on your religious teachings; also, bolstering allies’ resolve by invoking faith.
Religious Knowledge: Recalling scripture, parables, or teachings that might apply to a situation (e.g., remembering a parable that offers a clue or moral solution).
Recognize Religious Symbols: Identifying the significance of holy symbols, relics, or sites, and knowing proper respect or protocol for them.
Resist Supernatural Dread: Using your faith as an anchor to resist fear, temptation, or sanity-threatening supernatural events (the GM might allow a Faith (Willpower) roll in place of a straight Willpower save in such cases, if the threat has a spiritual nature).

Skill Check: When calling upon your religious knowledge or attempting a spiritually charged action, roll a d20 and add your Faith (Willpower) modifier. The GM sets a DC depending on the difficulty or obscurity of the task (e.g., performing a minor blessing vs. a complex ritual, or recalling common doctrine vs. an obscure theological fact). If your roll meets or exceeds the DC, your action or knowledge is effective.

Example Difficulty Classes – Faith:

Faith-Based Task	Example DC
Recall a well-known prayer or verse, or perform a simple blessing	DC 15 (easy)
Provide comforting advice that calms someone’s fear/doubt	DC 20 (moderate)
Identify an uncommon religious symbol or interpret a parable’s meaning	DC 25 (challenging)
Perform a complex ritual under pressure or recall arcane dogma	DC 30+ (difficult)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Having appropriate religious items or texts on hand (holy books, icons, ritual tools) can grant advantage on Faith checks, as they focus the mind and lend credibility or power to your actions.
If you’re acting under stress or doubt (your faith is shaken, or you’re in a crisis of belief), the GM might impose disadvantage until you regain confidence.
Situational context can matter: performing a ritual in a hallowed place of your faith might make things easier, while doing so on desecrated or enemy holy ground could make it harder.

Critical Success (Natural 20): You experience a profound spiritual triumph. Perhaps your ritual not only succeeds but has a greater effect than intended (e.g., truly repelling an evil entity rather than just warding it off). In non-supernatural contexts, a critical success might deeply inspire those around you or give you a burst of Willpower (the GM might restore some Willpower/Sanity points, for example).

Critical Failure (Natural 1): A devastating lapse or crisis occurs. You might misquote scripture at a key moment, fumble a ritual disastrously (perhaps inviting unwanted spiritual attention), or your attempt has the opposite effect (e.g., offending someone you meant to comfort). In supernatural situations, a critical failure could mean your faith-based attempt backfires, leaving you shaken or vulnerable.

Faith & Other Skills: Faith can complement:

Insight: Understanding others’ motivations or sincerity, especially in a religious context. For instance, discerning if someone is genuinely devout or faking belief might involve both Insight and your knowledge of religious behavior.
Research: When investigating historical or doctrinal questions, your Faith skill helps interpret old texts or relate findings to religious context. Research might dig up the information, and Faith helps make sense of it within your religious framework.
Social (Diplomacy/Persuasion): Characters with Faith might leverage their moral authority or compassionate presence in negotiations or conflict resolution, effectively aiding Persuasion rolls with a touch of clerical gravitas or empathy.

Insight (Perception)

Description:
Insight is your character’s ability to read people and situations. It involves picking up on subtle cues like body language, tone of voice, and inconsistencies in behavior to discern someone’s true intentions or feelings. High Insight allows a character to detect lies or deception, sense if something “feels off” in a situation, and get hunches about what others might do next. It’s essentially emotional and social intuition.

Common Uses:

Detect Deception: Telling when someone is lying or hiding something. (Often this is an opposed roll vs. the liar’s Deception.)
Sense Motive: Getting a general feeling of a person’s intentions (hostile, friendly, nervous, etc.) even if they haven’t said so outright.
Read Emotional State: Noticing if someone is afraid, angry, guilty, or in love, often through subtle signs.
Anticipate Actions: In tense scenarios (like negotiations or standoffs), gauging what someone might do next (Are they about to draw a weapon? Are they weakening in their resolve?).
Group Dynamics: Sensing unspoken tensions or hierarchies in a group of people (e.g., noticing who is the real decision-maker despite who’s talking).

Skill Check: When you want to glean someone’s true feelings or intentions, roll a d20 and add your Insight (Perception) modifier. If opposed by a character actively deceiving, it’s contested by their Deception (Social) roll. Otherwise, the GM sets a DC based on how subtle the truth is or how well the person is hiding their emotions. A success means you pick up meaningful clues about their real state of mind or honesty.

Example Difficulty Classes – Insight:

Insight Task	Example DC
Get a read on a straightforward emotion (someone who isn’t hiding it well)	DC 15 (easy)
Notice a vague tension or odd behavior in a group	DC 20 (moderate)
Spot a cleverly disguised lie or motive	DC 25 (challenging)
Uncover deeply hidden intentions or true feelings in a poker-faced individual	DC 30+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Familiarity: If you know the person well (a long-time friend), you might have advantage on Insight checks about them, since you understand their baseline behavior.
Cultural Differences: Trying to read someone from a vastly different culture or background might impose disadvantage if you’re not familiar with their norms (what’s polite in one culture might look deceitful in another, for instance).
Distractions/Stress: If you are in a chaotic environment or personally stressed, it might be harder to concentrate on subtle cues, raising the DC or causing disadvantage.

Critical Success (Natural 20): You have a near-flawless epiphany about the person or situation. Not only do you sense the immediate truth (e.g., “This guard is nervous because he’s planning to betray his boss”), but you might also glean additional context or details that aren’t obvious. The GM might provide extra insight or a clue that wasn’t directly asked about.

Critical Failure (Natural 1): You misread the situation completely. Perhaps you trust someone who is actually deceitful, or you accuse an honest person of lying. A critical failure could mean your character is absolutely convinced of an incorrect interpretation, which can lead to bad decisions or social faux pas.

Insight & Other Skills: Insight often works with:

Social (Persuasion/Intimidation): Knowing what makes someone tick (through Insight) can help you tailor your approach when persuading or intimidating. For example, an Insight check might reveal someone’s fear, which you can then exploit or assuage with a follow-up Social check.
Faith: In matters of sincerity regarding belief or spiritual situations, Insight can tell if someone’s piety is genuine or forced, complementing the Faith skill when evaluating claims of miracles or possession (for example).
Investigation: During interviews or interrogations, Insight helps you judge if a subject’s answers are truthful or if they’re hiding something, guiding you on what questions to press (and combining with Investigation techniques).

Investigation (Perception)

Description:
Investigation is the skill of solving mysteries and uncovering hidden information through systematic analysis. While Insight is about reading people, Investigation is about examining clues, connecting the dots, and deducing conclusions from evidence. Characters with high Investigation are adept at crime scene analysis, puzzling out how something happened, and finding the one detail that everyone else overlooked.

Common Uses:

Search for Clues: Thoroughly examining a location (crime scene, ancient ruin, computer logs) to find hidden or obscure evidence.
Puzzle Solving: Deciphering riddles, codes, or complicated contraptions by logical reasoning.
Interviewing and Interrogation: Crafting the right questions and pressing inconsistencies when talking to witnesses or suspects (often combined with Social or Insight skills).
Connecting the Dots: Taking various pieces of information and seeing the pattern or bigger picture that links them together.
Surveillance Analysis: Monitoring a situation or stakeout and noticing the important events or changes over time (e.g., “After hours of watching, you spot that the janitor only checks that locker when no one’s around – something’s up”).

Skill Check: When you examine an area or analyze a problem for hidden clues or answers, roll a d20 and add your Investigation (Perception) modifier. The GM’s DC will depend on how well-concealed the information is or how complex the mystery. A success yields clues or reveals truths; a failure might mean you overlook something or interpret it incorrectly (or you simply find nothing of note).

Example Difficulty Classes – Investigation:

Investigation Task	Example DC
Notice an obvious clue at a scene (bloodstain, dropped item)	DC 15 (easy)
Spot a subtle clue (hidden compartment, slight inconsistency in testimony)	DC 20 (moderate)
Reconstruct events from fragmented evidence or decipher a basic code	DC 25 (challenging)
Solve a complex mystery or decipher an elaborate code with few leads	DC 30+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Tools and Resources: Using proper equipment (forensics kit, magnifying glass, database access) can grant advantage or lower the DC for certain investigative tasks.
Time Spent: The GM might allow lower DC or automatic success if you have a lot of time to methodically search (hours or days), whereas doing a rush job in a few minutes could impose disadvantage.
Scene Conditions: A contaminated or disturbed crime scene (lots of people have walked through it, or someone cleaned up) can make finding real clues harder (higher DC). Conversely, a pristine scene or one where you know exactly what to look for might ease the task.

Critical Success (Natural 20): You discover something really vital or piece together a solution brilliantly. Not only do you get the intended clue, but you might notice an extra layer of detail that propels the investigation forward significantly. For instance, you don’t just find the secret letter hidden in the desk; you also recognize the seal on it as belonging to a specific cult, tying two parts of the story together.

Critical Failure (Natural 1): You misinterpret the evidence in a way that could lead you down the wrong path entirely. Perhaps you conclude something incorrect and waste time on a false lead, or you accidentally destroy a piece of evidence while looking for clues. In some cases, a critical fail might mean you overlook the critical clue and think there’s nothing there at all, leaving you stumped (until maybe another approach or character finds it).

Investigation & Other Skills: Investigation works in tandem with:

Insight: While investigating people (interviews, interrogations), Insight helps you tell who’s lying or nervous, which informs your line of questioning.
Technical: In modern settings, technical skills help sift through digital evidence (like hacking a computer for files, then using Investigation to interpret those files). If examining electronic logs or security footage, Technical might retrieve the data and Investigation makes sense of it.
Research: Often, solving a mystery requires outside information (historical records, legal documents, etc.). Research can uncover those documents, and Investigation correlates that information with the case at hand, forming theories or identifying suspects.

Linguistics (Knowledge)

Description:
Linguistics is the skill of language mastery and deciphering communication. It covers knowledge of multiple languages, the ability to translate or interpret speech and text, and the talent for cracking codes or understanding ancient scripts. A character with high Linguistics might be a polyglot professor, a codebreaker, or simply someone well-traveled and versed in many tongues.

Common Uses:

Translation (Spoken or Written): Understanding or converting one language to another in real time, such as listening to a foreign language and conveying its meaning, or reading a document in an unfamiliar language.
Decipher Codes & Ciphers: Analyzing encrypted messages, puzzles, or riddles to extract the real message hidden within.
Recognize Dialects/Accents: Telling where someone is from by their manner of speech, or identifying that a written text uses an unusual dialect or archaic version of a language.
Read Ancient or Obscure Texts: Making sense of dead languages, archaic scripts, or highly technical jargon that others might not understand.
Detect Forgery in Writing: By understanding writing styles and linguistic patterns, noticing if a document’s language use is inconsistent or if signatures and handwriting are faked.

Skill Check: When language is a barrier or a puzzle, roll a d20 and add your Linguistics (Knowledge) modifier. The GM will set a DC based on the complexity of the language task—translating a common modern language might be easy, whereas deciphering a coded message or translating a long-lost language is much harder. Success means you grasp the meaning or solve the code; failure means the content remains confusing or misinterpreted.

Example Difficulty Classes – Linguistics:

Linguistics Task	Example DC
Translate a common language you’re mildly familiar with (e.g., high-school Spanish level)	DC 15 (easy)
Identify a regional dialect or accent difference	DC 20 (moderate)
Decipher a simple cipher or code	DC 25 (challenging)
Translate an ancient text or complex code with no reference	DC 30+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Reference Materials: Having dictionaries, translation software, or reference books for the language/cipher in question can grant advantage or lower the DC.
Partial Knowledge: If you only know related languages (e.g., trying to read Italian with only Spanish knowledge), the GM might increase the DC or impose disadvantage, although similarities might help a little.
Quality of Sample: A neatly written or clearly enunciated sample is easier to interpret. Smudged manuscripts or muffled recordings raise the DC.

Critical Success (Natural 20): You don’t just translate correctly; you catch every nuance. In a cipher, maybe you crack not only this message but figure out the entire code key. For a language, you might recall obscure idioms or cultural context that gives deeper meaning to the text. Essentially, you gain an exceptional understanding that could reveal hidden subtext or additional clues (e.g., realizing a letter was written by someone other than who it claims, because the linguistic style is wrong).

Critical Failure (Natural 1): You completely misread the message. You might provide a translation that is fundamentally wrong—potentially with embarrassing or disastrous consequences if acted upon. If deciphering, you might think you’ve cracked the code but actually come out with gibberish or a misleading message. In short, your linguistic interpretation is flawed and could lead you astray until the mistake is discovered.

Linguistics & Other Skills: Linguistics complements:

Investigation: Often used together when dealing with written clues or encrypted information. Investigation might find the letter; Linguistics deciphers it.
Research: If you’re dealing with an old language or code, research in libraries or online can uncover translation guides or related texts to help. Conversely, Linguistics might be needed to actually read the research sources if they’re in another language.
Social: In negotiations or diplomacy with characters who speak another language, Linguistics is essential. It also helps in ensuring nothing is “lost in translation,” which can aid Persuasion or Diplomatic efforts by avoiding cultural faux pas or mistranslations.

Maintenance (Knowledge or Dexterity)

Description:
Maintenance is the know-how of keeping equipment and structures in good working order. This skill combines mechanical aptitude with practical problem-solving to fix jams, repair damage, and perform routine upkeep on a variety of items—from guns and gadgets to vehicles and generators. It’s slightly different from Crafting in that Maintenance is generally about keeping existing things running (repair and upkeep), whereas Crafting is about creating or significantly modifying things. However, there’s overlap in that a good mechanic often both repairs and fabricates minor parts.

Associated Attribute: This can vary:

Knowledge: for understanding complex machines, electronics, engines, or theoretical troubleshooting. (E.g., diagnosing a computer network issue or figuring out why an engine won’t start using logic and knowledge.)
Dexterity: for delicate hands-on tinkering, fine mechanical adjustments, or quick fixes that require nimble fingers. (E.g., disarming a trap, reconnecting a wire, or replacing a tiny gear.)

Common Uses:

Repair Equipment: Fix a weapon that jammed or misfired, repair armor that’s been damaged, or get a radio working again.
Vehicle Repair: Patch up a vehicle after a rough journey, replace a tire, or jury-rig a short-term fix to get a wreck moving.
Electronics Fix: Get a flickering bank of security monitors back online, repair a broken keypad or lock, or bring a power grid back up.
Preventive Maintenance: Regularly service gear to prevent breakdowns (sharpening blades, oiling hinges, updating software, etc.). Might be handled outside of stressful situations but ensures no penalties for wear-and-tear.
Improvise Fixes: Use whatever materials are at hand to do emergency repairs (using a pen spring to replace a small machine spring, etc.).

Skill Check: When something is broken or malfunctioning and you attempt to fix it (especially under pressure), roll a d20 and add your Maintenance modifier (Knowledge or Dexterity as appropriate to the task). The GM sets the DC depending on how severe the damage is or how tricky the device is to fix. Success means the item is repaired or at least patched together to function for now.

Example Difficulty Classes – Maintenance:

Maintenance Task	Example DC
Basic tune-up or minor fix (oil a squeaky hinge, reload jammed ammo)	DC 15 (easy)
Repair moderate damage (fix a leaky pipe, repair a broken lock mechanism)	DC 20 (moderate)
Restore function to a heavily damaged or very complex device (engine overhaul, circuit board repair)	DC 25 (challenging)
Rebuild something from scraps or repair near-total damage (reconstruct a smashed drone, hotwire a wrecked car)	DC 30+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Proper Tools & Parts: If you have a good toolkit and replacement parts on hand, you may get advantage or a lower DC on repair tasks. Lacking the right tools imposes disadvantage or might even make certain repairs impossible (GM’s call for realism).
Conditions: Trying to fix something in a calm workshop is ideal; doing it under fire or in a storm is not. Adverse conditions (time pressure, being shot at, working in the dark) can impose disadvantage or increase the DC.
Item Familiarity: If the item is something you’ve worked with often (like a soldier fixing a standard-issue rifle), the task might be easier. Unfamiliar alien technology, by contrast, would be much harder (increased DC or requiring Research/Technical to even attempt).

Critical Success (Natural 20): Your repair not only works, it improves the item. Perhaps the device now runs smoother than before, or you managed to fix it in record time, or you spotted another potential problem and fixed that too. The GM might grant a small bonus to using that item because of your excellent maintenance (for example, a gun you repaired critically might get a one-time bonus to damage or reliability).

Critical Failure (Natural 1): The repair attempt goes awry. You might worsen the damage (strip a gear, short a circuit), break the item beyond immediate repair, or cause a new problem (like triggering an alarm while trying to fix security wiring, or causing sparks that start a fire). At best, you wasted time; at worst, the situation is now more dire.

Maintenance & Other Skills: Maintenance overlaps or works with:

Technical: For high-tech devices, Technical skill (computers, electronics, etc.) can be needed to diagnose or operate diagnostic tools, while Maintenance is the physical act of the fix. E.g., Technical might help interface with a machine’s software while Maintenance fixes its hardware.
Crafting: If parts are missing, a character might use Crafting to fabricate a replacement piece which Maintenance then installs. In some cases, a really complex fix could require a bit of Crafting know-how for custom solutions.
Investigation: When examining sabotage or mechanical failures, Investigation helps determine why something broke (was it cut intentionally?), while Maintenance is used to actually reverse the damage if possible.

Medical (Knowledge)

Description:
Medical is the skill of healing, first aid, surgery, and the general treatment of injuries and illnesses. A character with Medical expertise might be a field medic, a doctor, a paramedic, or anyone with training in medicine. This skill allows you to diagnose ailments, stabilize wounded characters, treat diseases or poisonings, and even perform complex procedures given the right tools and environment.

Common Uses:

First Aid: Stopping bleeding, bandaging wounds, CPR, or other immediate interventions to stabilize a character who is dying or injured (often to prevent further HP/VP loss).
Treat Wounds/HP Recovery: After a fight, using medical supplies to heal a character’s hit points or vitality points through suturing, disinfecting wounds, setting broken bones, etc.
Treat Ailments: Diagnosing and treating illnesses, infections, or poisons (this may involve creating or administering antidotes, medicines, etc.).
Surgery: Performing more intensive medical procedures, such as extracting a bullet, amputations, or internal surgery, usually requiring proper facilities and higher DCs.
Medical Knowledge: Remembering clinical facts – identifying a disease from symptoms, knowing the effects of a certain drug, or recognizing the cause of an injury (e.g., “these wounds were caused by an animal’s claws”).

Skill Check: When you attempt a medical task, roll a d20 and add your Medical (Knowledge) modifier. The GM will determine a DC based on urgency and difficulty (e.g., basic first aid might be easy, while surgery in a battlefield is very hard). A success generally means the patient improves or stabilizes; a failure could mean no progress or the patient’s condition worsens.

Example Difficulty Classes – Medical:

Medical Task	Example DC
Stabilize a lightly injured person or perform basic first aid (wrap a sprain, clean a cut)	DC 15 (easy)
Diagnose a common illness or identify a known poison	DC 20 (moderate)
Treat a serious injury (deep wound treatment, set a fracture) or cure a disease with proper meds	DC 25 (challenging)
Perform major surgery in less-than-ideal conditions or treat an unknown ailment/poison	DC 30+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Medical Equipment: Having a first aid kit, proper surgical tools, or medication grants advantage or lowers the DC for most medical checks. Without any tools, the GM might increase the DC or limit what you can do (you can’t do surgery with bare hands, for example).
Environment: A clean, controlled environment (hospital, clinic) is ideal. Field medicine in rain, mud, or combat imposes disadvantage or raises DCs.
Patient Condition: If the patient is stable and calm, easier; if the patient is thrashing, unconscious, or has multiple wounds, it might be harder and require multiple checks (or an assistant to hold them, etc.).

Critical Success (Natural 20): Your treatment is remarkably effective. The patient might recover much faster than normal or regain more HP/VP than expected. If diagnosing, you pinpoint the issue exactly and perhaps recall an ideal treatment. If performing emergency aid, a critical success could even revive someone who was at death’s door (maybe restoring a bit of vitality or preventing a long-term injury).

Critical Failure (Natural 1): Your medical attempt fails badly. You might accidentally inflict additional harm (stitch the wound with something inside, administer the wrong medicine, etc.). The patient’s condition could deteriorate; in dire cases, a critical fail on a life-saving procedure could even cause the patient’s death (GM’s discretion, and usually only if multiple failures or circumstances are already bad).

Medical & Other Skills: Medical knowledge can link with:

Research: To find cures or reference medical texts. For example, if you encounter a rare disease or toxin, using Research in a library or database can inform your Medical approach to treat it.
Crafting (Chemical): Brewing medicines, antidotes, or drugs requires both Medical knowledge (what is needed) and Crafting/Chemistry skill (to actually mix the compounds). A doctor might know the recipe, but a chemist character might be needed to create it, unless the doctor has both skills.
Investigation: Medical skill is useful in forensics. You can determine cause of death or details of an injury, which feeds into an investigation of a crime. While Investigation gathers clues, Medical provides the clinical insight on wounds and health-related evidence.

Occult (Knowledge)

Description:
Occult is the knowledge of the supernatural, paranormal, and hidden lore. In a thriller setting that may involve uncanny phenomena, this skill measures how much your character knows (or can find out) about things that lurk beyond the understanding of mainstream science. It includes familiarity with occult symbols, rituals, magical theory (if any exists in the world), folklore about monsters or spirits, and practices of secret societies or cults.

Common Uses:

Identify the Supernatural: Recognizing that a scenario or clue is supernatural in nature (e.g., “these claw marks aren’t from any known animal, possibly a werewolf or other creature”).
Occult Symbolism: Deciphering the meaning of strange runes, symbols, or magic circles. Knowing which cult or tradition uses a particular symbol or ritual style.
Lore Recall: Remembering legends, myths, or folklore that might be relevant to the current situation (how to deal with a vampire, the significance of a particular full moon, etc.).
Perform/Recognize Rituals: Understanding what a particular occult ritual is intended to do, or conducting one if you have the components (could overlap with Faith if it’s religious, but Occult covers non-religious/esoteric rituals).
Identify Occult Creatures/Phenomena: Based on descriptions or evidence, figure out what kind of entity or curse you’re dealing with (e.g., differentiating between a ghost haunting vs. a demonic possession, or knowing a certain plant wards off a specific creature).

Skill Check: When encountering something possibly supernatural or esoteric, roll a d20 and add your Occult (Knowledge) modifier to see if your character recalls or can deduce useful information about it. The DC is higher for more obscure or rare phenomena. On success, the GM will reveal lore or hints related to the occult occurrence.

Example Difficulty Classes – Occult:

Occult Task	Example DC
Recall common superstition or folklore (basic vampire weakness lore, etc.)	DC 15 (easy)
Identify a moderately obscure symbol or ritual from a known grimoire	DC 20 (moderate)
Recognize a rare creature’s signs or decipher an ancient magical text	DC 25 (challenging)
Know detailed specifics about a unique artifact, curse, or one-of-a-kind entity	DC 30+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Reference Materials: Access to occult libraries, ancient texts, or a mentor (perhaps an NPC occult expert) can grant advantage or outright information without a roll for some questions. Conversely, lacking any references and going purely off memory might be harder for very rare lore (higher DC).
Cultural Relevance: If the occult matter is from your character’s culture or background, it might be easier for you to recall (lower DC). If it’s from a completely foreign tradition, it might be harder (higher DC or disadvantage).
Active Phenomena: If supernatural events are actively happening, sometimes an Occult check can be easier due to the “evidence” present (e.g., seeing a ghost can confirm its traits). Other times, it can be more overwhelming (disadvantage due to fear, unless you have strong Willpower or Faith to offset it).

Critical Success (Natural 20): You gain a profound understanding of the occult issue at hand. Not only do you recall the relevant lore, but perhaps an extra detail or a correct intuition strikes you that isn’t common knowledge. For example, you realize the precise way to banish the entity, or recall a historical incident very similar to this one which provides a blueprint for what to do (or not to do).

Critical Failure (Natural 1): You recall or assume something dangerously incorrect. Maybe you mix up two symbols or believe a superstition that isn’t actually true. Acting on this bad information could make things worse (e.g., using an herb that you think repels a monster, but actually attracts it!). Until you have reason to doubt your information, your character might be confident in this wrong conclusion.

Occult & Other Skills: Occult knowledge often ties in with:

Research: Many occult truths are buried in old books or online forums. Research skill will help you find the tomes or documents, and Occult lets you interpret them correctly.
Investigation: If you suspect a crime or mystery has a supernatural element, Occult helps filter the clues through that lens. Investigation might gather the evidence, and Occult helps explain the unexplainable aspects.
Linguistics: Ancient spells or cryptic runes often require translation. Linguistics can decode the text, and Occult gives it meaning and context in the supernatural realm.

Performance (Social)

Description:
Performance is the skill of entertaining and influencing through artistic expression. This could be playing a musical instrument, acting, dancing, oratory, or any other form of performance art. It’s not just about technical skill, but also about captivating an audience, conveying emotion, and perhaps swaying opinions or moods through your presentation. In a thriller game, Performance might also cover things like pulling off a convincing act (overlapping a bit with Deception, but more for show than for trickery).

Common Uses:

Entertainment: Put on a show – play a piece of music flawlessly, tell an enthralling story by the campfire, or perform a stand-up comedy routine to lift spirits.
Acting/Disguise: Portray a character or emotion convincingly. While Deception is for lying, Performance is for selling a role or feeling (useful in undercover scenarios where you need to act like someone else in a public setting, for example).
Public Speaking: Deliver a speech or rally cry that inspires a crowd, calms a mob, or holds an audience’s attention. (This overlaps with Persuasion, but Performance emphasizes style and captivation rather than logical argument.)
Distraction: Use a performance to distract guards or draw attention away from another action. If you start singing and dancing in the street, the crowd (and guards) might focus on you while your allies slip by.
Improvise Storytelling: In social situations, you might use performance to lighten the mood or strengthen social bonds (like a bard boosting morale).

Skill Check: When the impact of your performance is uncertain or crucial (will it impress the king? Will it calm the frightened child?), roll a d20 and add your Performance (Social) modifier. The GM sets a DC based on the audience’s disposition and the difficulty of the performance (a simple folk song vs. a complex concerto). Success means you achieved the desired effect on your audience; failure means the performance falls flat (or possibly has the opposite effect if truly bad).

Example Difficulty Classes – Performance:

Performance Task	Example DC
Entertain a friendly audience with a simple song/story	DC 15 (easy)
Give a convincing theatrical performance or speech	DC 20 (moderate)
Sway the emotions of a skeptical or neutral crowd	DC 25 (challenging)
Impress a hostile or highly discerning audience	DC 30+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Proper Props or Instruments: Using a well-tuned instrument, a good stage, or appropriate costume can grant advantage on a performance. Lack of tools (singing while hoarse, no instrument for a musician, etc.) can impose disadvantage.
Audience Bias: If the audience is predisposed to like you (fans, or they’re bored and want entertainment), performance is easier. If they’re biased against you or not in the mood (a hostile crowd), the DC goes up.
Nerves/Stress: If your character is under personal stress (maybe performing to prove innocence in a trial by song?), the GM might impose a penalty unless the character has traits to resist stage fright.

Critical Success (Natural 20): A breathtaking performance. You achieve more than expected – not only do you entertain or convince, but you might gain fame, a reward, or a lasting positive impression. The audience might remember you favorably, granting future social bonuses. In terms of narrative, a critical success could defuse a tense situation entirely or win over a staunch critic.

Critical Failure (Natural 1): A disastrously bad performance. Perhaps you forget lines, break an instrument string at the worst time, or accidentally offend your audience. A critical fail means you not only fail to achieve the performance’s goal, but you suffer a setback: maybe the crowd turns against you, boos, or in extreme cases it provokes anger (like an insulted noble who now wants you punished).

Performance & Other Skills: Performance can assist or be assisted by:

Social (Persuasion/Intimidation): A performance can soften up an audience or target for a subsequent Persuasion attempt. For example, a heartfelt song (Performance) might make a guard nostalgic and more receptive to a sob story (Persuasion). Conversely, a good Persuasion can convince someone to listen, which you then follow with a Performance to seal the deal.
Insight: Knowing your audience is key. Using Insight to gauge the crowd’s mood or an individual’s taste can inform what kind of performance will be most effective. Adjusting your act on the fly based on their reactions (Insight) can turn a decent performance into a great one.
Crafting (Artisan): Creating props, costumes, or instruments via Artisan Crafting can improve your performance quality. Likewise, someone with Crafting might build stage effects or help set the scene to enhance a performance.

Research (Knowledge)

Description:
Research is the skill of gathering information from external sources. It involves knowing how to look for answers—whether in old books, academic journals, libraries, online databases, or even public records. It’s about efficiency in search and discernment of credible information. In a game sense, Research can help you find background on a suspect, historical data about a haunted location, legal information, or schematics for a building, given you have the means and time to look.

Common Uses:

Library/Archives Search: Finding the relevant book, file, or record among many. For example, digging through newspaper archives for articles on a similar incident or finding a birth certificate in city records.
Online Investigation: Using the internet or hacking public databases to find info on people or topics (to the extent allowed by setting/technology).
Academic Research: Reading scholarly papers or technical manuals to gather understanding on a subject (like understanding a rare disease by reading medical journals, if you’re not a doctor).
Cross-Referencing Clues: Taking disparate pieces of info you’ve found and cross-checking them. For example, matching a symbol you found (maybe an occult rune) to images in a reference book.
Legal/Forensic Records: Looking up criminal records, case files, or forensic reports if you have access, to support an investigation.

Skill Check: When attempting to find information, roll a d20 and add your Research (Knowledge) modifier. The GM will consider how obscure or protected the information is, and also whether you have access to the right source. Success means you uncover useful and accurate information; failure means you come up empty or only find misleading info (which could be dangerous if taken at face value).

Example Difficulty Classes – Research:

Research Task	Example DC
Find basic, publicly available info (recent news, common knowledge)	DC 15 (easy)
Locate specific but accessible info (an old newspaper article, common legal record)	DC 20 (moderate)
Uncover obscure or hidden info (old archives, local legend in out-of-print texts)	DC 25 (challenging)
Discover deliberately concealed or encrypted info (restricted files, secret records)	DC 30+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Quality of Sources: Being in a top-notch library or having access to specialized databases can grant advantage. If your only source is hearsay or you’re stuck with limited references, it might impose disadvantage or limit how high a result can effectively get info.
Time Spent: Given enough time, some research tasks become easier or even automatic. If you have days to research, you might not need to roll for certain moderate tasks. If you have only minutes, you might take a penalty or face a higher DC to skim effectively.
Information Security: If someone intentionally hid or falsified information, even a good research roll might only reveal what they want found (depending on context, GM might require multiple avenues or other skills like Technical to hack deeper).

Critical Success (Natural 20): You hit the mother lode of information. Not only do you find what you were looking for, but perhaps you uncover additional valuable data that you weren’t even explicitly seeking. For example, you don’t just find the name of the cult leader in an old journal; you also find a map of their meeting places tucked in the pages. Or while researching the building’s blueprints, you discover a secret tunnel marked in an older plan.

Critical Failure (Natural 1): Your research leads you astray. You might find a convincing but entirely wrong piece of information (a mislabeled diagram, a fictional account you think is factual, etc.). Or you miss the relevant info and conclude nothing helpful is there, potentially giving up on a lead prematurely. In some cases, the GM might feed you false info that your character believes is true until contradicted by later evidence.

Research & Other Skills: Research bolsters many other areas:

Investigation: After gathering clues in the field (Investigation), you might use Research to fill in the blanks or get historical context that ties them together.
Occult: If you encounter a supernatural event, Research at a library or online might be needed to find accounts of similar events or references to it, supplementing your Occult knowledge.
Medical/Technical: For particularly tough medical cases or technical problems, Research can uncover solutions (like looking up a rare disease in medical journals or finding a user manual/schematic for a device).

Stealth (Agility)

Description:
Stealth is the art of moving unseen and unheard. It covers sneaking, hiding, and any action taken to avoid detection by others, whether you’re infiltrating a secure facility, tailing someone through a crowd without being noticed, or lying in ambush. Stealthy characters are masters of staying in the shadows and minimizing the evidence of their presence.

Common Uses:

Sneaking: Moving quietly and keeping out of sight while in motion, such as creeping past a guard or traversing a hallway without making a sound.
Hiding: Staying in one place but keeping concealed, like ducking behind crates, blending into foliage, or finding a good spot in the dark.
Shadowing: Following someone at a distance without them realizing they are being tailed. This often combines movement and hiding skills.
Silent Takedowns: Approaching a target quietly to subdue them before they can raise an alarm (this might involve a Stealth roll to approach undetected, followed by a Combat roll for the takedown itself).
Conceal Object or Action: Subtly picking a pocket or planting a device on someone without being seen (overlaps with Subterfuge/Dexterity too, but Stealth helps in remaining unseen while doing it).

Skill Check: Whenever you risk being noticed while trying to be stealthy, the GM will ask for a Stealth (Agility) check. This is often opposed by observers’ Perception (perhaps using Insight or a general notice skill) to see if they spot you. If it’s not opposed (like security cameras with a set difficulty), compare to a DC based on factors like lighting, distance, and the alertness of anyone around.

Example Difficulty Classes – Stealth:

Stealth Scenario	Example DC
Move silently in dim or noisy environment (lots of cover noise)	DC 15 (easy)
Sneak past an inattentive guard in average conditions	DC 20 (moderate)
Remain unseen in a quiet, well-lit area with light cover	DC 25 (challenging)
Approach a highly alert sentry or traverse an area under surveillance	DC 30+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Lighting and Cover: Darkness, fog, or plenty of cover (walls, furniture, trees) will grant advantage or lower DC on Stealth. Bright light and open spaces raise DC or impose disadvantage.
Noise: Ambient noise (machinery hum, crowds, rain) can cover your sounds and give advantage, whereas a silent environment means even a creak could be heard (disadvantage in a silent museum at night, for instance).
Speed: Moving slowly and deliberately is easier for Stealth; trying to rush while staying quiet is harder (the GM might increase DC if you’re in a hurry or require an additional check to move quickly without extra noise).

Critical Success (Natural 20): You are like a ghost. Not only do you avoid detection, but you might gain an extra edge, such as positioning yourself ideally (perhaps giving you an automatic surprise on an enemy or a bonus on your next action because you caught them completely off-guard). You leave no trace of your passing.

Critical Failure (Natural 1): You make a blunder at the worst possible time. You might knock over a vase, step on a loud floorboard, sneeze, or otherwise announce your presence. A critical failure typically means you are noticed immediately, possibly in a dramatic or alarming way (the guard hears the noise and instantly spots you, potentially triggering alarms or combat).

Stealth & Other Skills: Stealth often works hand in hand with:

Combat: A successful Stealth approach can grant a big advantage in combat (surprise attack, bonus damage if your system has backstab mechanics, etc.). Likewise, after attacking, you might try to hide again if the scenario allows (like Batman disappearing in the shadows).
Athletics: Getting to certain hiding spots or bypassing obstacles often requires Athletics (climbing a wall to use the rooftops for stealth, jumping quietly between balconies, etc.). A stealthy route might be physically challenging.
Maintenance/Technical: Deactivating security devices (cameras, alarms) quietly often requires technical or maintenance know-how. You might use Stealth to get to the alarm panel unseen, then Maintenance or Technical to disable it without alerting anyone.

Subterfuge (Dexterity)

Description:
Subterfuge is a blend of stealthy deception and hands-on trickery. It covers feats like pickpocketing, lockpicking, sleight of hand, setting up cons, and general rogue-ish behavior that requires a deft touch and a cunning mind. Where Deception (Social) is about verbal and social lying, Subterfuge (Dexterity) is often about physical deception and covert actions.

Common Uses:

Pickpocketing/Pilfering: Lifting a wallet, key, or item off someone’s person without them noticing, or shoplifting small objects.
Lockpicking & Security Bypass: Using lockpicks or hacking simple electronic locks to open doors, disabling traps quietly, or cracking safes (some aspects might involve Technical skill too, but traditional lockpicking is Subterfuge).
Disguise (Physical aspects): Actually dressing up and physically disguising yourself as someone else, using makeup, fake IDs, etc. (Often combined with Deception for the behavioral side, but Subterfuge covers the craftsmanship of the disguise.)
Sleight of Hand: Quickly concealing or producing objects (like hiding a gun up your sleeve or doing a card trick), and any kind of quick manual trick to deceive the eye.
Creating Diversions: Physically setting up distractions, such as intentionally dropping a plate to cause a noise, or rigging a timed event (like a small fire or alarm) to draw attention away.

Skill Check: When performing a covert action that requires dexterity and cunning, roll a d20 and add your Subterfuge (Dexterity) modifier. This might be opposed by someone’s perception (noticing the pickpocket or the trick), or a fixed DC (the quality of a lock, the difficulty of palming an object without notice). Success means your trick goes off without a hitch; failure means you fumble or get noticed.

Example Difficulty Classes – Subterfuge:

Subterfuge Task	Example DC
Lift a small object from a distracted person’s pocket	DC 15 (easy)
Pick a simple lock (basic door lock)	DC 20 (moderate)
Forge a believable fake ID or documents	DC 25 (challenging)
Impersonate a known individual’s appearance/mannerisms perfectly	DC 30+ (very hard)

(Note: Some of these examples, like forging documents or impersonation, could also involve Deception/Performance. Subterfuge focuses on the technical execution—making the fake ID, crafting the disguise. The social aspect of convincing others might fall under Deception.)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Tools: Lockpicks, disguise kits, or forgery kits greatly help Subterfuge tasks. Without proper tools, many such tasks are significantly harder or impossible. With tools, you might get advantage or a lower DC.
Alertness of Target: A fully alert guard is hard to pickpocket (disadvantage or higher DC), but a drunk or distracted patron is easier (advantage or lower DC).
Complexity: The more complex the con or lock, the higher the DC. Some sophisticated locks might even require multiple checks or special equipment (or someone with Technical skill for electronic components).

Critical Success (Natural 20): Your sneaky maneuver is flawlessly executed. You not only achieve your goal (steal the item, open the lock, fool observers), but you do it in such a way that it might provide a bonus. For example, a critical pickpocket might yield an extra unexpected item of value, or a critical disguise might be so good that even the target’s close friends are fooled automatically.

Critical Failure (Natural 1): Caught red-handed or blundered badly. Maybe your lockpick snaps loudly in the lock, or you accidentally bump into the very person you were trying to steal from. A critical failure means the jig is up — others notice your attempt and you likely face immediate consequences (arrest, alarm triggering, a punch in the face, etc., depending on context).

Subterfuge & Other Skills: Subterfuge is aided by or aids:

Performance: If you’re impersonating someone, acting the part (Performance) complements the physical disguise (Subterfuge). Performance can also help misdirect while your hands do the trick (like stage magicians talking to distract from sleight-of-hand).
Insight: Knowing who or what you’re up against (via Insight) can inform your strategy. For instance, insight into a guard’s behavior might tell you the best moment to pick his pocket or that he’s left-handed so he likely keeps his keys on the left side.
Linguistics: If forging documents, knowledge of language and proper phrasing (Linguistics) is crucial to make the forgery believable. A combination of Subterfuge (physical forgery skill) and Linguistics (getting the words/seals right) might be needed for high-stakes forgeries.

Survival (Discernment)

Description:
Survival is the skill of enduring and navigating harsh conditions, whether in the wilderness or an urban disaster zone. It includes finding food and water, building shelter, tracking animals or people, and avoiding environmental dangers. Essentially, it’s knowing how to stay alive when civilization isn’t there to support you, using knowledge of nature (or the streets) and practical resourcefulness.

Common Uses:

Navigation: Finding your way with or without a map/compass. This could mean charting a path through a dense forest, orienting by stars in a desert, or navigating city backstreets when lost.
Foraging: Locating and safely identifying edible plants, hunting or fishing for food, and finding clean water sources in the wild. In a city, it might translate to dumpster diving or scavenging supplies from abandoned buildings.
Shelter Building: Constructing a makeshift shelter to protect from elements (snow, rain, sun) or creating a safe campsite.
Tracking: Following the tracks of a person or animal over distance, or recognizing signs of passage (broken twigs, footprints, disturbed trash). Also determining how old the tracks are and maybe what made them.
Weather/Environment Survival: Predicting weather changes, knowing how to dress/prepare for extreme cold or heat, avoiding natural hazards (like recognizing unstable ground or avalanche risk, identifying which way is downstream for civilization).

Skill Check: When the challenge is surviving or navigating through tough conditions, roll a d20 and add your Survival (Discernment) modifier. The GM will set a DC based on how hostile the environment is or how difficult the task (e.g., tracking on hard ground might be hard, finding food in a barren desert very hard). A success means you manage to keep yourself (and often your party) safe, fed, and on track; a failure could mean getting lost, going hungry, or exposure to danger.

Example Difficulty Classes – Survival:

Survival Task	Example DC
Find basic necessities (food, water, simple shelter) in a mild environment	DC 15 (easy)
Navigate or track with some difficulty (thick jungle, nighttime travel)	DC 20 (moderate)
Survive harsh conditions (desert with limited supplies, track someone days old trail)	DC 25 (challenging)
Endure extreme situations (arctic blizzard, find sustenance in a wasteland)	DC 30+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Equipment: Having tools like a compass, map, hunting rifle, fishing gear, or all-weather clothing can grant advantage or simply reduce the difficulty of tasks. Without any tools (no fire source, no knife), even simple tasks can become much harder (disadvantage or higher DC).
Knowledge of Area: If you’re in your native environment (a ranger in their home forest, or a local in their hometown’s back alleys), you get a boost due to familiarity. In a completely alien environment (someone from the tropics in a polar region, or a city dweller in a jungle for the first time), tasks are harder until you adapt.
Time: Many survival tasks can be retried or done slowly; failure might just cost you time. But if you’re under the gun (needing to find water today or you’ll dehydrate), the pressure might effectively make the DC higher or limit retries.

Critical Success (Natural 20): Not only do you survive, you thrive. Perhaps you find an unexpected bounty (a hidden spring or abandoned cabin with supplies) or you navigate straight to a safe haven without any missteps. In tracking, maybe you also deduce additional info like exact numbers or a shortcut to cut them off. A critical success might also bolster your allies (morale boost from how well things are going).

Critical Failure (Natural 1): You face a dire setback. Maybe you eat something poisonous mistaking it for food, get completely lost and turned around, or inadvertently walk into danger (like quicksand or a predator’s den). A critical fail in survival might not kill you outright, but it can severely compound your problems—lost equipment, injury, or wasting precious time/energy.

Survival & Other Skills: Survival can work alongside:

Crafting (Survival Gear): Being able to craft snares, fishing lines, or makeshift tools from the environment can greatly improve survival odds. Crafting skill (if you have the Survival Gear specialty) directly complements Survival tasks.
Medical: Treating illnesses or injuries in the field is important. Survival might tell you which herb reduces fever, but Medical knowledge confirms how to safely prepare/administer it. Or if someone falls ill, Medical helps cure them while Survival finds the natural remedy.
Investigation: In certain scenarios, Survival can provide clues (like “these tracks show someone was dragging a heavy object”). Investigation then might deduce why or what the object was. Also, investigating a campsite with Survival skill can tell you how long ago it was used, how many people, etc., which is investigative information gleaned through wilderness knowledge.

Tact (Social)

Description:
Tact is the skill of handling delicate social situations with grace and sensitivity. It’s about choosing the right words, tone, and approach to avoid offense and maintain harmony. A character with high Tact can diffuse arguments, deliver bad news gently, or navigate tricky political situations without stepping on toes. It’s not exactly the same as Persuasion (which is about convincing someone of something) — Tact is more about how you say things rather than what outcome you want, aiming to keep relationships positive or neutral.

Common Uses:

Conflict Mediation: Calming down an argument between others, or smoothing over a disagreement so that everyone feels heard and no one loses face.
Delivering Bad News: Telling someone something they don’t want to hear (a failure, a death, a rejection) in the kindest way possible, to minimize upset.
Diplomatic Conversation: Handling negotiations or interactions that are sensitive (perhaps between factions or when talking to someone prideful or easily offended) such that you maintain respect and courtesy on all sides.
Social Grace: Navigating formal events, knowing when to speak up or stay quiet, and using proper etiquette so as not to embarrass yourself or others. Essentially, being socially adept and polite.
Encouraging Openness: By being tactful and non-judgmental, you can often get people to open up or share information they otherwise might withhold out of pride or fear of reaction.

Skill Check: When a social situation could go wrong with a misstep, use Tact. Roll a d20 and add your Tact (Social) modifier. The GM will gauge the difficulty based on how volatile or delicate the scenario is. Success means you managed to say or do things in just the right way to achieve a peaceful or positive outcome (even if you didn’t fully change anyone’s mind, at least no one is upset). Failure means you might inadvertently offend, aggravate, or embarrass someone, worsening the social climate.

Example Difficulty Classes – Tact:

Tactful Task	Example DC
Smooth over a minor misunderstanding between friends	DC 15 (easy)
Gently refuse or correct someone without upsetting them	DC 20 (moderate)
Defuse a heated argument or calm an angry individual	DC 25 (challenging)
Navigate a highly charged negotiation or appease someone who is deeply hurt/offended	DC 30+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Existing Relationship: If you have a good relationship or trust with the people involved, it’s easier to be tactful (they’ll give benefit of the doubt) – potentially advantage or lower DC. If you’re an outsider or the parties are already hostile, the task is harder (disadvantage or higher DC).
Cultural Etiquette: Knowing the customs of those you’re dealing with is crucial. If you’re familiar with their social norms (or have the Linguistics or appropriate Knowledge skill for their culture), that helps. If you accidentally violate a taboo or don’t know the proper manners, even a well-intended effort could fail (GM might raise DC or cause a misstep unless you succeed a culture knowledge check first).
Emotional Intensity: The more emotional people are, the harder to calm them. Trying to be tactful with someone in a rage or someone deeply grieving is very challenging (possibly higher DC). Timing matters too—sometimes it’s best to be silent until a better moment.

Critical Success (Natural 20): You handle the situation with exceptional grace. Not only is the immediate tension resolved, but those involved may feel genuinely understood and positive towards you. A critical success in tact could turn a potential enemy into a friend, or at least secure a strong measure of respect. The effects can be lasting: NPCs remember that you treated them or their concerns with great respect, which can influence future interactions.

Critical Failure (Natural 1): Despite your attempt, you say exactly the wrong thing. A critical social blunder—perhaps you accidentally insult someone’s deeply held values or remind them of a painful memory. The situation likely escalates: anger flares, feelings are hurt, or you embarrass yourself badly in front of important people. Depending on context, you might need significant effort later to mend the damage.

Tact & Other Skills: Tact combines well with:

Insight: Knowing what people are feeling or what the root of a conflict is helps you address it delicately. If you succeed on an Insight check to understand the emotions at play, it could grant advantage or at least guide your approach for the Tact check.
Performance: In some cases, being tactful could involve a bit of performance—keeping your own emotions in check, or even acting a bit to soothe egos (e.g., exaggerating how understandable someone’s mistake was). Performance skill might help you appear sincere or unruffled even if you’re nervous.
Subterfuge: Occasionally, tact might involve not telling the whole truth to avoid hurt feelings. Knowing how to omit or soften the truth (a bit of deception) without actually lying outright can be part of tact. Subterfuge can help craft those white lies or gentle phrasings that keep the peace.

Technical (Knowledge or Dexterity)

Description:
Technical skill represents expertise with advanced systems and technology. Like Crafting, it’s broad and therefore divided into specific fields of specialization. Each time you take a rank in Technical, you choose one category (and each category functions as its own skill for checks). This covers operating, hacking, or manipulating complex devices and technological systems beyond basic consumer use.

Categories of Technical Expertise (choose one per skill rank):

Computers: Proficiency with computer systems, software, and networks. Hacking, programming, using advanced software tools, and cybersecurity all fall here.
Electronics: Skill with electronic devices and gadgets – from setting up surveillance cameras and sensors to repairing circuit boards or customizing electronic gear.
Engineering: Operating or modifying complex mechanical systems and heavy machinery, including robotics, factory equipment, or even building structures (overlaps with mechanical Crafting but on the usage side).
Security Systems: Bypassing or setting up advanced security measures – electronic locks, alarm systems, traps. (Combines some electronics with the specific know-how of security countermeasures.)
Communications: Using and manipulating communication tech like radios, satellite phones, encryption/decryption devices, and signal jammers/boosters.

Associated Attributes:

Technical skills that are more brainy and knowledge-based (Computers, Communications, Electronics) use Knowledge.
Technical skills that require manual operation or agility with devices (Engineering, Security Systems especially for lock bypassing or physically handling gadgets) might use Dexterity.

Common Uses:

Operate Equipment: Use complex machinery or devices correctly. For instance, piloting a drone (if not covered by Driving), using a complex medical scanner, or calibrating a piece of lab equipment.
Hack/Bypass Security: Breaking into computer systems, decoding encrypted data, or disabling electronic locks and security through technical means (hacking keypads, loop security cameras, etc.).
Repair High-Tech Devices: Fixing or tweaking advanced equipment like servers, robots, advanced weapons (this can overlap with Maintenance, but Technical covers the specialized knowledge for high-tech innards).
Build/Program Systems: Writing software, programming a machine, assembling a custom electronic device (overlap with Crafting/Electronic, but a Technical (Electronics) check might be used to correctly wire and program it after crafting components).
Use Communications Gear: Jamming a radio signal, finding a frequency, boosting a signal to call for help, or decrypting a coded message transmission (overlaps with Linguistics for the language of the message, but Technical for the code encryption algorithm).

Skill Check: When dealing with a technical challenge, roll a d20 and add your Technical modifier for the relevant category. The DC depends on the complexity of the system and what you’re trying to do with it. For hacking or opposed scenarios (like another hacker or an active security system), there might be an opposed roll or a series of checks in a mini “hacking challenge.” A success means you accomplish the technical task—access granted, device operational, etc.

Example Difficulty Classes – Technical:

Technical Task	Example DC
Use a standard piece of tech equipment for its intended purpose (operate a lab analyzer)	DC 15 (easy)
Troubleshoot a common hardware/software issue or pick a simple electronic lock	DC 20 (moderate)
Bypass a secure computer system or disable a high-end alarm (with some security protocols)	DC 25 (challenging)
Hack a government-grade encryption, control complex robotics remotely, or otherwise tackle cutting-edge tech	DC 30+ (very hard)

Modifiers & Situational Adjustments:

Tools/Software: Having the right tools (debugging software, lock decoder, admin passwords, etc.) can grant advantage or reduce the DC significantly. Without tools (trying to hack on a locked-down interface with no kit), you might not even be able to attempt some tasks, or you’d have disadvantage.
Physical Access: Direct access to a device (like plugging into a server physically) often makes hacking easier than doing it remotely. If you’re remote or using improvised interfaces (like hacking via a smartphone only), the GM may increase the DC.
Countermeasures: High-end systems might have counter-hacking measures; failure by a certain margin could trigger alarms or lock you out. Likewise, some tasks might require multiple successes (extended tests) if they’re very complex.

Critical Success (Natural 20): You achieve a superior outcome with the technology. If hacking, you get in undetected and perhaps find a wealth of additional data or even plant a backdoor for later use. If operating or repairing, the device works better than expected (maybe you overclocked a machine for extra performance or found a hidden feature). In general, you do it faster or more stealthily or gain extra benefit (like additional encrypted files deciphered in a hack).

Critical Failure (Natural 1): A technical disaster. For hacking, you might trigger a security lockdown or alert, possibly even get traced. For operating machinery, maybe you cause a serious malfunction or even an explosion depending on what it is. If trying to disarm a lock or bomb, a critical fail could mean it goes off or becomes permanently jammed. The device or system is not only uncooperative, it’s now a bigger problem than before.

Technical & Other Skills: Technical expertise often intersects with:

Maintenance: Traditional mechanical fixes might require Maintenance, but anything with circuits or code likely needs Technical. The two together cover pretty much any device. For example, fixing a car’s engine (Maintenance) but also recalibrating its computer system (Technical). Working together, a tech-specialist and a mechanic can restore complex vehicles or systems completely.
Crafting (Electronics/Mechanical): Crafting an electronic gadget from scratch uses Crafting skill, but once built, using or programming it might use Technical. Conversely, if you hack together a device (Technical) you might need some crafting skill to physically assemble or solder components. These skills often complement each other in invention or gadgeteer characters.
Research: If you’re diving into a large database or need specs for a device, Research helps locate the data, while Technical helps you actually interface with it or understand the technical jargon. Research might find the manual, Technical lets you apply the manual’s info to fix the machine.

This completes the comprehensive overview of Skills in the Thriller RPG. Each skill above is designed to give players a clear idea of what their characters can do and how to resolve those actions with dice rolls. Remember, the GM is the final arbiter of which skill applies to a given situation, and creative problem-solving is encouraged—sometimes multiple skills could apply and clever approaches or teamwork can grant bonuses or lower difficulties. Use these skills as tools to survive and thrive in the thrilling world of the game!

Perks

Jayce Ran's Sweet Insanity

TCR: Skills

Using Skills

Making Skill Checks

Degrees of Success and Failure

Skill Challenges

Cooperative Skill Checks

Opposed Skill Checks

Skill Specializations

Skill Advancement

Skills List

Athletics (Strength)

Combat (Weapon-Specific; Strength or Dexterity)

Crafting (Knowledge or Dexterity)

Deception (Social)

Driving (Dexterity)

Faith (Willpower)

Insight (Perception)

Investigation (Perception)

Linguistics (Knowledge)

Maintenance (Knowledge or Dexterity)

Medical (Knowledge)

Occult (Knowledge)

Performance (Social)

Research (Knowledge)

Stealth (Agility)

Subterfuge (Dexterity)

Survival (Discernment)

Tact (Social)

Technical (Knowledge or Dexterity)