Here’s a new piece of homebrew ive been doing. I’m a big fan of this mechanic, and the new skills are gonna be really fun to see in play.
Below are four skill groups, brawn, finesse, personality, and ingenuity.
If a player character dies they may choose to lose one of these groups permanently and survive. the character is stable but unconscious and takes the injured flaw. This may be done 2 times before there is no coming back.
BRAWN:
Brawling: Fight with fists and feet. Two uses: 1) Roll the skill to grapple
or stun a foe for 1 round. 2) Use a D6 when attacking without a weapon.
Breakfall: Half damage taken in long falls if this skill rolled successfully.
Climber: Climb any reasonable surface with texture, holds, or crevasses.
Elixir: Resistance to and knowledge of poisons, alchemy, liquor, and drugs.
Grit: Roll to resist fear, pain, or insanity for d4 rounds.
Goosebumps: The hair on the back of your neck. Notice danger. Resist surprise. Intuit the story of an area.
Intimidate: Roll this to threaten people into doing what you want.
Muscle: You have a knack for leverage, a powerful grip, and raw strength.
Roll this skill to bend bars, lift the unliftable, or brace against wind.
Running: Run double the distance of others, outrun pursuers in the open.
Resist: You are hearty. Roll to ignore extreme cold, poison, or too many
mugs of ale. Hold your breath or fight back harmful magic with Resist
Shield Fighting: When using a shield, roll this skill instead of Defense.
Additionally, add the Defense bonus of your shield to this skill.
Survival: If your heart is hit, a lethal injury, roll this skill instantly (it will be crossed off). On a success, you fight off death’s embrace for 1 round. Also rolled when refusing to rest and pushing onward after lack of sleep.
Swimming: Swim twice as far as others. Stay under water twice as long.
FINESSE:
Evade: Used to avoid attacks that armor cannot protect against.
Hunting: Acquire food in natural environments, enough for a group
Jump: Leap with uncanny agility, out-jumping the untrained by 3-fold.
Nimble: pick locks, interact with objects, sleight of hand.
Profession: Any working skill or commerce skill, its tools and ways.
Pickpocket: Acquire small or simple items on unsuspecting targets.
Vehicles: Drive or service wagons and other non boat vehicles
Take Aim: Add a die of your attack type on the next attack you make.
Riding: Perform daring maneuvers on horseback without penalties.
Sailing: Operate marine vessels, with appropriate crew
Scout: Find all kinds of clues, information, or traps in the immediate area.
Skinning: Harvest a slain beast for pelt or hide in 1D4 rounds.
Stealth: Go unnoticed when moving. Easier if perfectly still or hidden.
PERSONALITY:
Animal Training: Charm or induce an animal companion to perform
simple actions. Can only be used with one animal at a time.
Bribery: Spend a hero point to convince someone to do what you want, bigger, harder, asks are worth more hero points. if this roll is failed the hero point(s) are not crossed off.
Charm: Flirt. Make people like you. Convince people of things.
Courtier: Roll to outwit bureaucrats or royalty
Disguise: Hide your identity, assume the identities of others.
Faith: The ability to call forth miracles with prayer (see Divine Magic).
Gambling: Cheat or overcome casino games with devious attention.
Languages: Be fluent with a successful roll. Only spend here for languages
outside what would be normal for your folk to speak.
Medical: Recover a crossed-off skill on yourself or an ally, with a touch. A
failed roll renders that skill recoverable only by rest.
Streetwise: You know shady people and back-alley secrets.
Tracking: Find obscured foes in the wild
Trading: Get more value out of trade despite hagglers, bad leverage,
distractions or scammers.
INGENUITY:
Animal Training: Charm or induce an animal companion to perform
simple actions. Can only be used with one animal at a time.
Armorer: In arm’s length of an ally, roll this skill to repair 1 damaged
armor item in their inventory. On a failure, the armor is destroyed.
Conceptualization: Understand creativity. See art in the world. Make art.
Forage: A skill used to fi nd plants in the Herbalists’ Guide.
Investigate: Uncover hidden information, history or subtle facts.
Knowledge: Roll to recall details on a single topic or area of expertise.
Linguist: Discern lost or unknown language, glyphs, or writing.
Lore: Remember the history of the world.
Magic: Used to contain infernal or unstable magic, or as a resistance to
spells. Also used for wild magic and anti-magic.
Oratory: lie. realize you are being lied to. tell
stories with bravado.
Repair: Mend a damaged weapon or item. Not usable on armor. A failed
roll destroys the item. “I think I dropped a piece…”
Scholar: Achieve renown in a specifi c topic. You are published.
Spell Research: Roll to study spells with time and materials in a safe
place. Gain 1 hero point per day invested thus, spendable only on spells.
Scholar: Achieve renown in a specific topic. You are published.