PenDragon Pass Skills PenDragon Pass SkillsAnimal Lore
Animal Lore represents biological knowledge. The character who makes an Animal Lore roll can identify an animal, know what to feed it, tell if it's in good health, or perhaps predict its behavior.Major uses of Animal Lore are to manage herds, and to train riding animals.
Bargaining
How well a character can receive equal or superior value in negotiation, contracting, trading, estimation of worth, and so on. Both diplomats and merchants use this skill.Status can be gained from the use of this skill, but almost always from diplomacy rather than trade.
Custom (Orlanthi)
The Orlanthi Custom roll includes two things: the amount of knowledge possessed and the ability to extract conclusions from that data. It includes the ability to recognize what is going on at a hill fort, both in the broad sense (such as knowing who is the thane of a clan or the Lightbringer story) and the finer (such as knowing the different forms of poetry or what tests one must pass to become king).Orlanthi society is tribal, with frequently warring clans. Positions of authority and honour are filled by merit rather than inheritance. They practice mixed herding and agriculture, raising cattle, sheep, and pigs and sowing wheat; they also hunt. They worship the Storm pantheon.
The Orlanthi speak one of the Theyalan languages.
Custom (Safelstran)
Safelstran society is feudal, with many regional variations. Wheat agriculture is the most important. The middle class of merchants and burghers dominates. They worship the Invisible God, according to the local heresy.Each city-state has a unique accent but all speak Safelstran.
Custom (Troll)
Trolls speak Darktongue, which they call Uz.Devise
This is the skill of both assembling and disassembling mechanisms such as traps and locks. If a mechanism has been devised by someone for the purpose of foiling subsequent devisers, an opposed skill roll is made.The quality of work produced by Devise is based on the number rolled for success. A critical success creates a work of great cunning and craftsmanship.
Duration
This skill is used to cast sorcery spells. See the Magic chapter.Industry
Industry is the work of creating things by hand. Women practice the arts of spinning, weaves, and sewing. It can also be applied by guildsmen, and to shamans who create fetishes and charms.The quality of work produced by Industry is based on the number rolled for success. A critical success creates a work of great craftsmanship or even art.
Someone trying to make a living as a crafter makes a yearly Industry roll.
Status can be gained from the use of this skill, if a particularly beautiful item is made and presented to someone in public. Usually this should be only ordinary Status (10 points).
[Option: People specialize in a particular craft. Using Industry outside this craft is at half the normal skill.]
Intensity
This skill is used to cast sorcery spells. See the Magic chapter.Mathematics
The use of mathematics, particularly geometry, in any circumstances. For example, how well a character can navigate unfamiliar waters or strange lands; how well the moon and stars can be used for hourglass and calendar; how well he could supervise construction of simple walls and small defensive towers; how well a character can plan and provision an expedition.Memorize
The ability to remember information verbatim. It's used by heralds and messengers, who have to recite their liege's words exactly. It's an important skill for someone to have in an illiterate society.Memorize also indicates the number of spirit magic or sorcery spells that can be remembered. Characters can know no more spells than their Memorize skill value.
Mineral Lore
Use Mineral Lore to understand geology and soils. A successful roll allows the character to recognize types of rock formations, determine if what glitters really is gold, check soil for fertility, decide if his mine is valuable or not, or discover the best place for a copper deposit in the region. A yearly roll is required for a productive mine.Plant Lore
With Plant Lore a character can identify plants and know their uses. This skill also allows one to determine the plants appropriate to an environment, good growing soil for particular crops, crop yields, and the edibility of plants in the wild. The skill is used when engaging in agriculture.Range
This skill is used to cast sorcery spells. See the Magic chapter.Read (language)
This skill includes the ability to read as well as write the symbols of a particular language. A successful roll at Read (language) indicates that the writing was read and understood, or written in intelligible fashion. A critical success means that only a short time was needed to read the writing, or that symbols were written quickly and cleanly. A failure indicates that the symbols remain incomprehensible, or that the writing is an illegible or confusing scrawl. A fumble means that misinterpretation occurs.Status could be gained for a use of Read (language) if important information or hidden secrets were revealed thereby.
Literacy is extremely rare in East Ralios.
Religion (deity)
This is a knowledge skill which quantifies how much is known concerning the beliefs, rites, sacred calendar, and practices of the specified deity. It also indicates a person's ability to follow a ceremony and do what is appropriate to his station within a sacred context.A high Religion skill does not necessarily indicate belief: this is measured by the Piety trait. Nor does it indicate sincerity: this is measured by passions.
This skill is used during High Holy Day observances. An initiate who succeeds with a Religion roll on High Holy Day gains a POW check. The presiding Priest first makes his roll while casting Worship, and modifiers are applied to worshippers.
Critical +5Successful use of the Religion skill does not usually gain Status unless a successful prayer or ritual was crucial to the scenario.
Success +0
Failure -5
Fumble -10Ritual
This skill includes arcane knowledge, such as the rituals needed to enchant magic items and summon beings from the Otherworld, or how to perform a marriage ceremony.Shamanism
This skill covers secret knowledge possessed by shamans, such as how to discorporate and travel the spirit plane, and identify spirits.Sleight
A character can use this skill of quick hands and misdirection to hide or take a small object while being watched by others. Sleight manipulates small objects, as in juggling, and can be used to determine whether or not a small object is caught.A person with a high Sleight skill does well with shell games, card tricks, and picking pockets. His Sleight may be opposed by the Awareness of a watcher.
Sleight always starts at DEX / 6, and may never be less than this value (adjust Sleight if necessary when DEX is increased).
Sorcery
This skill is used to cast sorcery spells. See the Magic chapter.Speak (language)
There are several Theyalan languages spoken in Ralios. The Eastern group includes Delelan, Keano, and Saugan. Other Theyalan languages inlcude Lankan and Naskori. Unrelated languages are: Safelstran (spoken in the Safelstran city-states), and Tradetalk (an artificial language spread by the Issaries cult). Nonhuman languages are: Aldryami, Darktongue, Mostali, Wyrmish.Stealth
This skill covers such activities as hiding in natural cover, silently sneaking up on someone, or concealing an object. It is often opposed by the Awareness of a guard.Stealth always starts at DEX / 2, and may never be less than this value (adjust Stealth if necessary when DEX is increased).
Characters who are sneaking suffer a -5 modifier for metal armour. A +5 or better modifier should be gained if there is a lot of cover or noise, or the victim is engaged in an activity other than devoting his attention to watching and listening for intruders.
Stewardship
Stewardship is the ability to plan, administer, and oversee the keeping of a farm or similar holding. It is used to maintain and improve the income generated from land. This skill also incorporates general knowledge of economics, and can be used to evaluate trade goods a character has some familiarity with.World Lore
World Lore is knowledge of the physical world. A successful roll allows a character to predict weather, remember geographical facts, and generally understand the processes of the physical world around him.
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