phantomdoodler
Mongoose
Having run a Dresden files game recently, I think there is some merit in using skills in Lonewolf, without disrupting disciplines - actually they serve to compliment them.
To succeed at a task, roll a die, adding +1 to +5 for a specific skill. If you have an appropriate discipline, increase your total by an additional 2 points. You need to get a total of 3 for an easy task, 5 for a routine task, 7 for an average difficulty and 9 or more for a very difficult attempt. When testing against another characters skill, the target number is 5, plus their relevant skill (Alertness against Stealth, Deceit against Empathy etc), plus any modifiers the gm think should apply (such as say, -4 if the target is asleep!)
During character generation, everyone gets 20 points to spend on their skills, each costing 1 point per +1 bonus.
Skills:
Alertness (spotting ambushes, passive awareness etc)
Athletics (jumping, climbing, throwing etc)
Burglary (breaking and entering, disarming traps, lockpicking)
Contacts (gathering information, knowing people in area)
Craftsmanship (building, repairing items)
Deceit (lying, distraction, disguise)
Driving (operating sleds, chariots, coaches, lajakeka)
Empathy (Reading people, being supportive)
Gambling (dice games, samor, cheating)
Intimidation (interrogation, scaring)
Investigation (Eavesdropping, searching)
Might (lifting, bending, breaking)
Performance (dancing, entertaining a crowd)
Piloting (operating balloons, skyships, barges or ships)
Presence (leadership, command)
Rapport (charm, good impressions)
Scholarship (research, medicine, book lore)
Sleight of Hand (pick pockets, stage magic, palming)
Stealth (Ambush, hiding, shadowing)
Survival (animal handling, riding, tracking, foraging)
Advancement:
At the end of each gaming session, players may choose to swap two skills, or replace a +1 skill with another they dont have.
At the end of a scenario, when you would normally gain a new discipline, you may also improve a skill by +1 point (up to +5), or gain a new skill at +1.
Sample Character: Silent Otter (Kai Lord)
Silent Otters player starts with determining their CS and EP, rolling 4 for CS (CS 14, EP 25)
The player then decides on the skills for Silent Otter, thinking of a cunning, stealthy character. He chooses:
Stealth +4, Deceit +3, Athletics +2, Survival +3, Rapport +2, Alertness +2, Investigation +1, Gambling +1, Burglary +1, Contacts +1
And finally chooses his Disciplines:
Tracking, Sixth Sense, Camouflage, Hunting and Mind Blast.
During a mission, Silent Otter is attempting to pick up some rumours from a local tavern. The Gm rules this to be a Rapport based skill, and determines that the locals are suspicious, so this will require a total of 8 to succeed. Silent Otters character adds 2 for his skill, plus another 2 for using his Camouflage discipline to sound like a native. Fortunately, he rolls a 5, for total of 9 - enough to tease some juicy gossip from the locals....
Since each discipline could increase several skills here, Disciplines will always be important. ie:
Sixth Sense (Gambling, Empathy, Alertness)
Hunting (Survival, Stealth, Athletics)
Tracking (Investigation, Survival)
Camouflage (Stealth, Deceit, Rapport)
Animal Kinship (Survival, Scholarship)
As a guide, when choosing skills for npcs:
+0: Mediocre - the default for most skills.
+1: Fair - Reasonable level of skill (apprentice)
+2: Average - Competent level of skill (journeyman)
+3: Good - Unusual level of skill (skilled craftsman)
+4: Great - exceptional skill (master craftsman)
+5: Superb - very unusually gifted (guildmaster)
Most npcs will be around the +1 or +2 mark in appropriate skills, with more experienced characters, such as officers or skilled assassins having +3 or +4. A bonus of +5 is reserved for a major character of some ability and note. Some monsters will have much higher bonuses than these.
Monsters and Adversary Skills:
Bandit
Stealth +2, Alertness +1, Survival +1, Athletics +1, Intimidation +1
Bandit Leader
Presence +3, Stealth +3, Intimidation +2, Survival +2, Alertness +2, +1 Contacts, Rapport +1
Bear
Athletics +2, Alertness +2, Might +3
Burrow Crawler
Alertness +8, Athletics + 5, Might +2
Crypt Spawn
Scholarship +3, Stealth +1
Doomwolf
Alertness +2, Stealth +3, Might +2, Survival +3
Drakkarim
Athletics +1, Intimidate +3, Survival +2, Might +1, Presence +3
Drakkarim Captain
Survival +4, Intimidate +4, Might +2, Athletics +2, Presence +4
To succeed at a task, roll a die, adding +1 to +5 for a specific skill. If you have an appropriate discipline, increase your total by an additional 2 points. You need to get a total of 3 for an easy task, 5 for a routine task, 7 for an average difficulty and 9 or more for a very difficult attempt. When testing against another characters skill, the target number is 5, plus their relevant skill (Alertness against Stealth, Deceit against Empathy etc), plus any modifiers the gm think should apply (such as say, -4 if the target is asleep!)
During character generation, everyone gets 20 points to spend on their skills, each costing 1 point per +1 bonus.
Skills:
Alertness (spotting ambushes, passive awareness etc)
Athletics (jumping, climbing, throwing etc)
Burglary (breaking and entering, disarming traps, lockpicking)
Contacts (gathering information, knowing people in area)
Craftsmanship (building, repairing items)
Deceit (lying, distraction, disguise)
Driving (operating sleds, chariots, coaches, lajakeka)
Empathy (Reading people, being supportive)
Gambling (dice games, samor, cheating)
Intimidation (interrogation, scaring)
Investigation (Eavesdropping, searching)
Might (lifting, bending, breaking)
Performance (dancing, entertaining a crowd)
Piloting (operating balloons, skyships, barges or ships)
Presence (leadership, command)
Rapport (charm, good impressions)
Scholarship (research, medicine, book lore)
Sleight of Hand (pick pockets, stage magic, palming)
Stealth (Ambush, hiding, shadowing)
Survival (animal handling, riding, tracking, foraging)
Advancement:
At the end of each gaming session, players may choose to swap two skills, or replace a +1 skill with another they dont have.
At the end of a scenario, when you would normally gain a new discipline, you may also improve a skill by +1 point (up to +5), or gain a new skill at +1.
Sample Character: Silent Otter (Kai Lord)
Silent Otters player starts with determining their CS and EP, rolling 4 for CS (CS 14, EP 25)
The player then decides on the skills for Silent Otter, thinking of a cunning, stealthy character. He chooses:
Stealth +4, Deceit +3, Athletics +2, Survival +3, Rapport +2, Alertness +2, Investigation +1, Gambling +1, Burglary +1, Contacts +1
And finally chooses his Disciplines:
Tracking, Sixth Sense, Camouflage, Hunting and Mind Blast.
During a mission, Silent Otter is attempting to pick up some rumours from a local tavern. The Gm rules this to be a Rapport based skill, and determines that the locals are suspicious, so this will require a total of 8 to succeed. Silent Otters character adds 2 for his skill, plus another 2 for using his Camouflage discipline to sound like a native. Fortunately, he rolls a 5, for total of 9 - enough to tease some juicy gossip from the locals....
Since each discipline could increase several skills here, Disciplines will always be important. ie:
Sixth Sense (Gambling, Empathy, Alertness)
Hunting (Survival, Stealth, Athletics)
Tracking (Investigation, Survival)
Camouflage (Stealth, Deceit, Rapport)
Animal Kinship (Survival, Scholarship)
As a guide, when choosing skills for npcs:
+0: Mediocre - the default for most skills.
+1: Fair - Reasonable level of skill (apprentice)
+2: Average - Competent level of skill (journeyman)
+3: Good - Unusual level of skill (skilled craftsman)
+4: Great - exceptional skill (master craftsman)
+5: Superb - very unusually gifted (guildmaster)
Most npcs will be around the +1 or +2 mark in appropriate skills, with more experienced characters, such as officers or skilled assassins having +3 or +4. A bonus of +5 is reserved for a major character of some ability and note. Some monsters will have much higher bonuses than these.
Monsters and Adversary Skills:
Bandit
Stealth +2, Alertness +1, Survival +1, Athletics +1, Intimidation +1
Bandit Leader
Presence +3, Stealth +3, Intimidation +2, Survival +2, Alertness +2, +1 Contacts, Rapport +1
Bear
Athletics +2, Alertness +2, Might +3
Burrow Crawler
Alertness +8, Athletics + 5, Might +2
Crypt Spawn
Scholarship +3, Stealth +1
Doomwolf
Alertness +2, Stealth +3, Might +2, Survival +3
Drakkarim
Athletics +1, Intimidate +3, Survival +2, Might +1, Presence +3
Drakkarim Captain
Survival +4, Intimidate +4, Might +2, Athletics +2, Presence +4
