Skills
From Risenholm
Skills represent the talents and knowledge a character accumulates over the course of their career. With the nature of being Risen and the ebbs and flow of Power within the body, one should not expect to retain absolute mastery within a particular set of skills unless they wholly dedicate themselves and do not seek to experiment.
A table of available skills and some examples of use outside of combat is below. In general:
- Skills are not tied to fundamental combat attributes like AB, AC, or Saves in any capacity.
- All skills are available to every class as a class skill.
- Most classes gain 6 skill points per level. Bard gains 8, and Rogues gain 10.
- Intelligence does not give you additional skill points.
Skill Name | Description | Base Attribute | General Mechanical Effects | Found on Loot Type |
Acrobatics | The ability to perform tasks that typically require coordination and grace. Balancing on narrow surfaces, performing graceful tumbles, and squeezing through tight spaces are examples of an acrobatic character. | Dexterity | Prevents attacks of opportunity when moving around. | Chest, Boots |
Alchemy | The ability to combine various reagents to produce mundane and extraordinary effects. Experimenting with dangerous reagents, deciphering an unknown substance's properties and efficiently utilizing ichor in powerful potions are examples of a character with mastery of alchemy. | Intelligence | Gives 1% bonus chance per skill level to refund materials when brewing potions and crafting runestones. | None |
Animal Handling | The ability to intuit the disposition of an animal and guide it towards an intended purpose. Making a hostile creature docile, discovering the abilities of an unknown creature, and guiding a creature to do a particular action are hallmark actions of a master animal handler. | Charisma | Use to charm animals. | Rings |
Appraisal | The ability of a character to estimate the (typically monetary) value of an object. Sorting out junk from antique treasures, spotting a forgery, and knowing general mercantile trends are activities of a master appraiser. | Intelligence | Lowers merchant pricing. 1% per skill rank. | None |
Arcana | The knowledge a character possesses regarding the influence of Power within the arcane and creatures of a magical nature. Recalling complicated arcane theories, determining what unknown magical artifacts are capable of, and directing Power in peculiar arcane rituals are examples of a character well versed in Arcana. | Intelligence | Identifies cast spells, affects counterspell. | Rings |
Athletics | The ability of a character to perform feats of physical prowess. Leaping down from a high balcony without injury, holding your breath underwater for long periods of time, and outrunning pursuers over a seemingly endless marshland are hallmark feats of an athletic character. | Strength | Provides a 1% movespeed bonus per rank when utilizing the Dash action | Chest, Boots |
Deception | The ability of a character to deceive others and tell convincing lies. Convincing townsfolk of a nonexistent threat outside the town gates, forging a convincing merchant contract, and performing a particularly devious feint are examples of a deceptive character's actions. | Charisma | Characters can utilize disguises (not yet implemented) | None |
Influence | The ability to convince, persuade, and coerce others to your line of thinking. Rallying strangers to fight off a common threat, intimidating your client that your premium rate is well worth it, and effectively leveraging political power in a public setting are examples of an influential character's activities. | Charisma | Increases gold rewards from scars when turning in fragments. 1% per skill rank. | None |
Insight | The ability to discern aspects about a person or creature. Finding someone's tell when they lie, understanding the general traits and tactics of an enemy squadron, and deciphering the true intentions behind someone's words are examples of an insightful character's actions. | Wisdom | Examining creatures you have experience defeating may yield information regarding weaknesses and general enemy type. | Head, Belt |
Investigation | The ability to discover hidden objects within a room or space. Finding a pressure plate that activates a nearby trap, discovering a clue at the scene of an attempted murder, and rummaging through old tombs to find hidden treasure are hallmark feats of a character skilled in investigation. | Intelligence | Aids Detect Mode in finding hidden traps and objects. | Head, Amulet |
Knowledge | The ability to recall and acquire memories regarding a specific field of study, so that you might answer specific or complex questions. This skill can represent a character's training in a particular profession. It also can represent the ability of a character to acquire knowledge through a currently unexplained phenomenon - where a character may just acquire memories or glimpses of something they normally wouldn't have business knowing. | Intelligence | May provide additional information when examining certain objects. May acquire information seemingly at random. | None |
Locksmithing | The ability to gain or prevent entry to a space through a variety of means, physical and metaphysical. Opening a particularly ancient door without ruining the mechanisms within, securely locking a vault door, and breaking a window silently are all activities a master locksmith is capable of handling. | Dexterity | Can pick locked doors and chests to open shortcuts or provide additional loot. | Gloves, Belt |
Medicine | The ability to diagnose and treat maladies effecting a creature. Performing field surgery on an ally who took a bolt to the stomach, diagnosing a patient exhibiting unusual symptoms, and producing an antivenom from materials found in the nearby wilderness are example actions of a master in medicine. | Wisdom | Healing kits heal 10 + Medicine + 1% per Medicine HP. | Rings |
Perception | The ability to of a character to gain a general awareness of their surroundings through their senses. Locating the source of a peculiar creature noise, spotting the gleam of hidden steel in a stranger's cloak, and feeling the vibrations of a distant marching warband are all examples of what a particularly perceptive character might be aware of. | Wisdom | Passively counters Stealth | Head, Amulet |
Sleight of Hand | The ability to obfuscate an object or manipulate something with one's hands without being noticed. Picking the pocket of a guard for the prison key, performing a simple street magic trick, and pocketing an esoteric artifact without your nearby allies noticing are all example actions of a character utilizing sleight of hand effectively. | Dexterity | Chance to passively gain gold from killing monsters. 1% chance per skill rank. | Gloves, Cloak |
Stealth | The ability to generally hide oneself from the notice of others. Masking your scent in the wilds to avoid the notice of creatures, blending into a crowd, and creeping along the floor without making noise on creaky floors or broken glass are example actions of a character skilled in stealth. | Dexterity | Affects Stealth Mode | Boots, Cloak |
Survival | The ability to subsist and navigate in the wilderness. Knowing the difference between a tasty mushroom and a lethal one, identifying your prey within a pack of tracks, and constructing shelter and other necessities in the middle of the wilds are example activities of a master survivalist. | Wisdom | Can be used to find information about creatures in the area using the Track action. | Chest, Cloak |
Tinkering | The ability to assemble and understand objects made from everyday and unique materials. Prototyping a unique mechanism to control the flows of water in the mill, patching up a collapsing building with nearby objects before the storm hits, and reinforcing a door with a few bits of steel as the enemy charges upstairs are all examples of a master tinker's activities. | Intelligence | Gives 1% bonus chance per skill level to refund materials when crafting Tinkering items. | None |
Trapping | The ability to set dangerous traps, as well as possessing the nerve to disarm them effectively. Laying an effective series of snares to delay pursuing guards as you make away with your score, disarming the mechanism that's causing the room to slowly descend, and deploying a device that injects an imperceptible amount of lethal poison when your prey touches a doorknob are activities of a master trapper. | Dexterity | Set and disarm trap items | Gloves, Belt |