Magipunk Skills

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Skills

There are a number of houseruled changes to the skill system for this campaign setting.  I'm compiling the skill descriptions and other changes here for easy reference.

General Changes:

• Use Magic Device and Use Psionic Device no longer exist as skills.  Magic items are extremely prevalent and common in the world, and pretty much anyone has basic training in how to use them (it's kind of necessary to function).  Thus, activating an item now requires a simple level check, modified by Intelligence (stilled called a Use Magic Device check).  However, emulating a class feature, race, or alignment is only possible for Magitechnicians.
• Since like-minded skills have been grouped together, there are no more synergy bonuses.  Instead you get more efficiency out of your skill points.

List of Skills:

• Acrobatics (Dex) -- Balance, Escape Artist, Tumble
• Animal Affinity (Cha) -- Handle Animal, Ride
• Arcana (Int) -- Knowledge (arcana), Spellcraft
• Athletics (Str) -- Climb, Jump, Swim
• Concentration (Wis) -- Concentration, Autohypnosis
• Engineering (Int) -- Craft, Disable Device, Knowledge (arch & eng), Search (for secret doors)
• Heal (Wis)
• Natural Lore (Wis) -- Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Survival
• Negotiation (Cha) -- Diplomacy (essentially, this)
• Perception (Wis) -- Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, Search (for traps)
• Perform (Cha)
• Persuasion (Cha) -- Bluff, Disguise, Intimidate
• Psi (Int) -- Knoweldge (Psionics), Psicraft
• Profession (Wis)
• Scholarship (Int) -- All knowledge skills not included elsewhere
• Stealth (Dex) -- Hide, Move Silently
• Streetwise (Cha/Int) -- Gather Information, Knowledge (Local)
• Thievery (Dex) -- Open Lock, Sleight of Hand, Use Rope
• Wordcraft (Int) -- Decipher Script, Forgery

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Acrobatics (Dex)

Balancing (action: none.)

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You can walk on a precarious surface. A successful check lets you move at half your speed along the surface for 1 round. A failure by 4 or less means you can’t move for 1 round. A failure by 5 or more means you fall. The difficulty varies with the surface, as follows:

Being Attacked while Balancing
You are considered flat-footed while balancing, since you can’t move to avoid a blow, and thus you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). If you have 5 or more ranks in Acrobatics, you aren’t considered flat-footed while balancing. If you take damage while balancing, you must make another Acrobatics check against the same DC to remain standing.

Accelerated Movement
You can try to walk across a precarious surface more quickly than normal. If you accept a -5 penalty, you can move your full speed as a move action. (Moving twice your speed in a round requires two Acrobatics checks, one for each move action used.) You may also accept this penalty in order to charge across a precarious surface; charging requires one Acrobatics check for each multiple of your speed (or fraction thereof) that you charge.

Table: Acrobatics DC (balancing)

Narrow Surface Acrobatics DC1 Difficult Surface Acrobatics DC1 7-12 inches wide 10 Uneven flagstone 102 2-6 inches wide 15 Hewn stone floor 102 Less than 2 inches wide 20 Sloped or angled floor 102

1Add modifiers from Narrow Surface Modifiers, below, as appropriate. 2Only if running or charging. Failure by 4 or less means the character can’t run or charge, but may otherwise act normally.

Table: Narrow Surface Modifiers (balancing)

Surface DC Modifier1 Lightly obstructed +2 Severely obstructed +5 Lightly slippery +2 Severely slippery +5 Sloped or angled +2

1Add the appropriate modifier to the Balance DC of a narrow surface.

Escaping from Restraints (action: varies.)

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The table below gives the DCs to escape various forms of restraints.

Ropes
Your Acrobatics check is opposed by the binder’s Thievery check. Since it’s easier to tie someone up than to escape from being tied up, the binder gets a +10 bonus on his or her check.

Manacles and Masterwork Manacles
The DC for manacles is set by their construction.

Tight Space
The DC noted on the table is for getting through a space where your head fits but your shoulders don’t. If the space is long you may need to make multiple checks. You can’t get through a space that your head does not fit through.

Grappler
You can make an Acrobatics check opposed by your enemy’s grapple check to get out of a grapple or out of a pinned condition (so that you’re only grappling).

Action
Making an Acrobatics check to escape from rope bindings, manacles, or other restraints (except a grappler) requires 1 minute of work. Escaping from a net or an animate rope, command plants, control plants, or entangle spell is a full-round action. Escaping from a grapple or pin is a standard action. Squeezing through a tight space takes at least 1 minute, maybe longer, depending on how long the space is.

Table: Acrobatics DC (escaping from restraint)

Restraint Acrobatics DC Ropes Binder’s Thievery check at +10 Net, animate rope spell, command plants spell, control plants spell, or entangle spell 20 Snare spell 23 Manacles 30 Tight space 30 Masterwork manacles 35 Grappler Grappler’s grapple check result

Tumbling (action: none.)

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You can’t use this application of Acrobatics if your speed has been reduced by armor, excess equipment, or loot.  You can land softly when you fall or tumble past opponents. You can also tumble to entertain an audience (as though using the Perform skill).  Obstructed or otherwise treacherous surfaces, such as natural cavern floors or undergrowth, are tough to tumble through.    You can also try to tumble past or through enemies more quickly than normal. By accepting a -10 penalty on your Acrobatics checks, you can move at your full speed instead of one-half your speed.

Table: Acrobatics DC (tumbling)

Acrobatics DC Task 15 Treat a fall as if it were 10 feet shorter than it really is when determining damage. 15 Tumble at one-half speed as part of normal movement, provoking no attacks of opportunity while doing so. Failure means you provoke attacks of opportunity normally. Check separately for each opponent you move past, in the order in which you pass them (player’s choice of order in case of a tie). Each additional enemy after the first adds +2 to the Acrobatics DC. 25 Tumble at one-half speed through an area occupied by an enemy (over, under, or around the opponent) as part of normal movement, provoking no attacks of opportunity while doing so. Failure means you stop before entering the enemy-occupied area and provoke an attack of opportunity from that enemy. Check separately for each opponent. Each additional enemy after the first adds +2 to the Acrobatics DC.

Surface Is... DC Modifier Lightly obstructed (scree, light rubble, shallow bog1, undergrowth) +2 Severely obstructed (natural cavern floor, dense rubble, dense undergrowth) +5 Lightly slippery (wet floor) +2 Severely slippery (ice sheet) +5 Sloped or angled +2

1Tumbling is impossible in a deep bog.

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Animal Affinity (Cha)

Handling an Animal (action: varies)

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The DC for this usage depends on what you are trying to do.

Handle an Animal (move action)
This task involves commanding an animal to perform a task or trick that it knows. If the animal is wounded or has taken any nonlethal damage or ability score damage, the DC increases by 2. If your check succeeds, the animal performs the task or trick on its next action.

“Push” an Animal (full-round action)
To push an animal means to get it to perform a task or trick that it doesn’t know but is physically capable of performing. This category also covers making an animal perform a forced march or forcing it to hustle for more than 1 hour between sleep cycles. If the animal is wounded or has taken any nonlethal damage or ability score damage, the DC increases by 2. If your check succeeds, the animal performs the task or trick on its next action.

Teach an Animal a Trick
You can teach an animal a specific trick with one week of work and a successful Animal Affinity check against the indicated DC. An animal with an Intelligence score of 1 can learn a maximum of three tricks, while an animal with an Intelligence score of 2 can learn a maximum of six tricks. Possible tricks (and their associated DCs) include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following.

• Attack (DC 20): The animal attacks apparent enemies. You may point to a particular creature that you wish the animal to attack, and it will comply if able. Normally, an animal will attack only humanoids, monstrous humanoids, giants, or other animals. Teaching an animal to attack all creatures (including such unnatural creatures as undead and aberrations) counts as two tricks.
• Come (DC 15): The animal comes to you, even if it normally would not do so.
• Defend (DC 20): The animal defends you (or is ready to defend you if no threat is present), even without any command being given. Alternatively, you can command the animal to defend a specific other character.
• Down (DC 15): The animal breaks off from combat or otherwise backs down. An animal that doesn’t know this trick continues to fight until it must flee (due to injury, a fear effect, or the like) or its opponent is defeated.
• Fetch (DC 15): The animal goes and gets something. If you do not point out a specific item, the animal fetches some random object.
• Guard (DC 20): The animal stays in place and prevents others from approaching.
• Heel (DC 15): The animal follows you closely, even to places where it normally wouldn’t go.
• Perform (DC 15): The animal performs a variety of simple tricks, such as sitting up, rolling over, roaring or barking, and so on.
• Seek (DC 15): The animal moves into an area and looks around for anything that is obviously alive or animate.
• Stay (DC 15): The animal stays in place, waiting for you to return. It does not challenge other creatures that come by, though it still defends itself if it needs to.
• Track (DC 20): The animal tracks the scent presented to it. (This requires the animal to have the scent ability)
• Work (DC 15): The animal pulls or pushes a medium or heavy load.

Train an Animal for a Purpose
Rather than teaching an animal individual tricks, you can simply train it for a general purpose. Essentially, an animal’s purpose represents a preselected set of known tricks that fit into a common scheme, such as guarding or heavy labor. The animal must meet all the normal prerequisites for all tricks included in the training package. If the package includes more than three tricks, the animal must have an Intelligence score of 2.

An animal can be trained for only one general purpose, though if the creature is capable of learning additional tricks (above and beyond those included in its general purpose), it may do so. Training an animal for a purpose requires fewer checks than teaching individual tricks does, but no less time.

• Combat Riding (DC 20): An animal trained to bear a rider into combat knows the tricks attack, come, defend, down, guard, and heel. Training an animal for combat riding takes six weeks. You may also “upgrade” an animal trained for riding to one trained for combat riding by spending three weeks and making a successful DC 20 Animal Affinity check. The new general purpose and tricks completely replace the animal’s previous purpose and any tricks it once knew. Warhorses and riding dogs are already trained to bear riders into combat, and they don’t require any additional training for this purpose.
• Fighting (DC 20): An animal trained to engage in combat knows the tricks attack, down, and stay. Training an animal for fighting takes three weeks.
• Guarding (DC 20): An animal trained to guard knows the tricks attack, defend, down, and guard. Training an animal for guarding takes four weeks.
• Heavy Labor (DC 15): An animal trained for heavy labor knows the tricks come and work. Training an animal for heavy labor takes two weeks.
• Hunting (DC 20): An animal trained for hunting knows the tricks attack, down, fetch, heel, seek, and track. Training an animal for hunting takes six weeks.
• Performance (DC 15): An animal trained for performance knows the tricks come, fetch, heel, perform, and stay. Training an animal for performance takes five weeks.
• Riding (DC 15): An animal trained to bear a rider knows the tricks come, heel, and stay. Training an animal for riding takes three weeks.

Rear a Wild Animal
To rear an animal means to raise a wild creature from infancy so that it becomes domesticated. A handler can rear as many as three creatures of the same kind at once.  A successfully domesticated animal can be taught tricks at the same time it’s being raised, or it can be taught as a domesticated animal later.

Time Investment
For tasks with specific time frames noted above, you must spend half this time (at the rate of 3 hours per day per animal being handled) working toward completion of the task before you attempt the Animal Affinity check. If the check fails, your attempt to teach, rear, or train the animal fails and you need not complete the teaching, rearing, or training time. If the check succeeds, you must invest the remainder of the time to complete the teaching, rearing, or training. If the time is interrupted or the task is not followed through to completion, the attempt to teach, rear, or train the animal automatically fails.

Special
You can use this skill on a creature with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2 that is not an animal, but the DC of any such check increases by 5. Such creatures have the same limit on tricks known as animals do.  A domeskipper gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Animal Affinity checks involving his animal companion, and can handle his animal companion as a free action or push it as a move action.

Table: Animal Affinity DCs (handling)

Task Animal Affinity DC Handle an animal 10 “Push” an animal 25 Rear a wild animal 15 + HD of animal Teach trick: Attack 20 Teach trick: Come 15 Teach trick: Defend 20 Teach trick: Down 15 Teach trick: Fetch 15 Teach trick: Guard 20 Teach trick: Heel 15 Teach trick: Perform 15 Teach trick: Seek 15 Teach trick: Stay 15 Teach trick: Track 20 Teach trick: Work 15 Train for purpose: Combat riding 20 Train for purpose: Fighting 20 Train for purpose: Guarding 20 Train for purpose: Heavy labor 15 Train for purpose: Hunting 20 Train for purpose: Performance 15 Train for purpose: Riding 15

Riding (action: varies)

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If you attempt to ride a creature that is ill suited as a mount, or if you attempt to ride bareback, you take a -5 penalty on your Animal Affinity checks.  Typical riding actions don’t require checks. You can saddle, mount, ride, and dismount from a mount without a problem.

The following tasks do require checks.

• Guide with Knees -- You can react instantly to guide your mount with your knees so that you can use both hands in combat. Make your Animal Affinity check at the start of your turn. If you fail, you can use only one hand this round because you need to use the other to control your mount.
• Stay in Saddle -- You can react instantly to try to avoid falling when your mount rears or bolts unexpectedly or when you take damage. This usage does not take an action.
• Fight with Warhorse -- If you direct your war-trained mount to attack in battle, you can still make your own attack or attacks normally. This usage is a free action.
• Cover -- You can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside your mount, using it as cover. You can’t attack or cast spells while using your mount as cover. If you fail your Animal Affinity check, you don’t get the cover benefit. This usage does not take an action.
• Soft Fall -- You can react instantly to try to take no damage when you fall off a mount—when it is killed or when it falls, for example. If you fail your Animal Affinity check, you take 1d6 points of falling damage. This usage does not take an action.
• Leap -- You can get your mount to leap obstacles as part of its movement. Use your Animal Affinity modifier or the mount’s Athletics modifier, whichever is lower, to see how far the creature can jump. If you fail your Animal Affinity check, you fall off the mount when it leaps and take the appropriate falling damage (at least 1d6 points). This usage does not take an action, but is part of the mount’s movement.
• Spur Mount -- You can spur your mount to greater speed with a move action. A successful Animal Affinity check increases the mount’s speed by 10 feet for 1 round but deals 1 point of damage to the creature. You can use this ability every round, but each consecutive round of additional speed deals twice as much damage to the mount as the previous round (2 points, 4 points, 8 points, and so on).
• Control Mount in Battle -- As a move action, you can attempt to control a light horse, pony, heavy horse, or other mount not trained for combat riding while in battle. If you fail the Animal Affinity check, you can do nothing else in that round. You do not need to roll for warhorses or warponies.
• Fast Mount or Dismount -- You can attempt to mount or dismount from a mount of up to one size category larger than yourself as a free action, provided that you still have a move action available that round. If you fail the Animal Affinity check, mounting or dismounting is a move action. You can’t use fast mount or dismount on a mount more than one size category larger than yourself.

Table: Animal Affinity DCs (riding)

Task Animal Affinity DC Guide with knees 5 Stay in saddle 5 Fight with warhorse 10 Cover 15 Soft fall 15 Leap 15 Spur mount 15 Control mount in battle 20 Fast mount or dismount 201

1Armor check penalty applies.

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Arcana (Int)

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Arcana represents a study of a body of lore, including ancient mysteries, magic traditions, arcane symbols, cryptic phrases, constructs, dragons, and magical beasts.  In many cases, you can use this skill to identify monsters and their special powers or vulnerabilities. In general, the DC of such a check equals 10 + the monster’s HD. A successful check allows you to remember a bit of useful information about that monster.

For every 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC, you recall another piece of useful information.

You can also use this skill to identify spells as they are cast or spells and magical effects already in place.  The DCs for Arcana checks relating to various tasks are summarized on the table below.

Table: Arcana DCs

Arcana DC Task 10 Answer a very easy question relating to relevant subjects. 15 Answer a basic question relating to relevant subjects. 20 Answer a difficult question relating to relevant subjects. 30 Answer a very difficult question relating to relevant subjects. 10 + monster's HD Identify a construct, dragon, or magical beast. 13 When using read magic, identify a glyph of warding. No action required. 15 + spell level Identify a spell being cast. (You must see or hear the spell’s verbal or somatic components.) No action required. No retry. 15 + spell level Learn a spell from a spellcrystal (crystal mage only). No retry for that spell until you gain at least 1 rank in Arcana (even if you find another source to try to learn the spell from). Requires 8 hours. 15 + spell level Prepare a spell from a borrowed spellcrystal (crystal mage only). One try per day. No extra time required. 15 + spell level When casting detect magic, determine the school of magic involved in the aura of a single item or creature you can see. (If the aura is not a spell effect, the DC is 15 + one-half caster level.) No action required. 19 When using read magic, identify a symbol. No action required. 20 + spell level Identify a spell that’s already in place and in effect. You must be able to see or detect the effects of the spell. No action required. No retry. 20 + spell level Identify materials created or shaped by magic, such as noting that an iron wall is the result of a wall of iron spell. No action required. No retry. 20 + spell level Decipher a written spell (such as a scroll) without using read magic. One try per day. Requires a full-round action. 25 + spell level After rolling a saving throw against a spell targeted on you, determine what that spell was. No action required. No retry. 25 Identify a potion. Requires 1 minute. No retry. 20 Draw a diagram to allow dimensional anchor to be cast on a magic circle spell. Requires 10 minutes. No retry. This check is made secretly so you do not know the result. 30 or higher Understand a strange or unique magical effect, such as the effects of a magic stream. Time required varies. No retry.

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Athletics (Str)

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Concentration (Wis)

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Engineering (Int)

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Streetwise (Cha or Int)

Gathering Information (action: varies.)

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Check
An evening’s time, a few gold pieces for buying drinks and making friends, and a DC 10 Streetwise check get you a general idea of a city’s major news items, assuming there are no obvious reasons why the information would be withheld. The higher your check result, the better the information.

If you want to find out about a specific rumor, or a specific item, or obtain a map, or do something else along those lines, the DC for the check is 15 to 25, or even higher.

Action
A typical Streetwise check takes 1d4+1 hours.  However, anyone with access to the Oracle can perform a Streetwise check in 1d4+1 minutes instead; this usage of Streetwise is modified by Intelligence, not Charisma.

Try Again
Yes, but it takes time for each check. Furthermore, you may draw attention to yourself if you repeatedly pursue a certain type of information.

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Heal (Wis)

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Natural Lore (Wis)

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Negotiation (Cha)

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Perception (Wis)

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Perform (Cha)

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Persuasion (Cha)

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Psi (Int)

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Profession (Wis)

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Scholarship (Int)

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Stealth (Dex)

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Thievery (Dex)

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Wordcraft (Int)