Character generation details, part five

So far you've generated your statistics, chosen a race, chosen your occupation, and calculated your derived statistics. Nearly done! But the next step is where you have opportunity to personalize your character a bit more.

SKILLS

After step 4, you have four skill numbers: Practical Knowledge, Common, Agility, and Extra. Take these in order, spending points from each of these four pools on the skills available to that set. If you already have a rank in that skill, spending a point will increase that skill by one rank. But if you DON'T have that skill already, the first point you spend will bring you to Familiar level (which is the number shown in parentheses).

Practical Knowledge Skills
- Arithmetic (6) - ability to solve math problems
- Bio-tec (6) - various living tools were seeded across Jorune by the original colonists. Many of the species remain: bio-tec is your ability to recognize/identify them.
- Current Events (6) - knowing political realities
- Earth-tec (6) - recognizing/identifying ancient artifacts
- Fauna Recognition (6) - identifying creatures
- Flora recognition (6) - identifying plants
- Geography (6) - knowing your way around the countryside
- Geology (6) - identifying topography, locating water, identifying minerals
- History (6) - knowledge of important events in history
- Lore (6) - knowledge of fable, myth, old wives' tales, folk wisdom, etc.
- Traveler (6) - how much you know about a particular place
- Weather (6) - reading the signs for changes in the weather, ability to predict weather in the short term

Common Skills
- Bargain (6) - haggling, getting a deal
- Bribe (6) - greasing palms, using money to influence people in authority
- Bureaucracy (6) - how well you navigate bureaucratic procedures/interactions
- Conceal self (6) - ability to hide in the wild/outdoors
- Contacts (6) - calling on acquaintances to get information
- Cooking (6) - preparing meals, using forage
- Fast Talk (6) - ability to quickly convince or bewilder people verbally
- First Aid (6) - triage, applying bandages, staunching wounds, apply limilates
- Foraging (6) - scavenging/locating food and drink from the environment
- Gaming (6) - gambling, playing games of chance
- Getting Around (6) - navigating your home turf, knowing shortcuts, etc.
- Hide in City (6) - ability to hide in an urban environment
- Information Search (6) - getting information from inanimate sources like books, archives, or libraries
- Search (6) - finding hidden things (SPOT and LISTEN are for detection)
- Silent Movement (6) - sneaking silently
- Tail (6) - following someone without being detected in a city or town
- Teach (6) - general ability to instruct others
- Tracking (6) - ability to detect traces of another's presence/passage
- Wilderness Travel (6) - finding the best route through the wild

Agility Skills
For these three skills, you start with your AGILITY divided by 4 (rounded down) as your rank in each. Then you have points equal to your AGILITY to assign among the three skills.
- Jump
- Climb
- Swim

Moon Skills
Every crystal energy (isho) effect that you want to create (dysha) requires a minimum number of ranks in one or more moon skills. The seven moons of Jorune provide their own flavors of isho, and different "colors" of isho power different types of effects. In step 4, you determined the number of moon skill ranks you have. Now you allocate those points to your moon skills. 1 point = 1 rank in the moon skill.

- Moon skill: Desti (1) - The red moon of Jorune, associated with violence
- Moon skill: Du (1) - The amber moon of Jorune, associated with light and heat
- Moon skill: Ebba (1) - The yellow moon of Jorune, associated with force
- Moon skill: Gobey (1) - The black moon of Jorune, associated with barriers
- Moon skill: Launtra (1) - The green moon of Jorune, associated with health and the body
- Moon skill: Shal (1) - The blue moon of Jorune, associated with the mind and nerves
- Moon skill: Tra (1) - The white moon of Jorune, associated with space and place

Extra Skills
Your final pool of skill points is used for any skills. You can put them into any of the skills already listed (Practical Knowledge, Common, and Athletics), you can spend them on occupation skills, and/or you can get new skills that you don't already have. The remaining skills are listed here.

Note about melee skills: Melee weapons are listed in these extra skills; any character who doesn't have a particular melee skill - he/she is unfamiliar with it and hasn't spent any points on it - nevertheless has a rank in the skill of 4. Everyone can pick up a sword and swing it to do some damage. When you spend the first point on a melee skill that you don't have already, it goes up to the rank listed in parentheses.

Note about Isho Skills
Characters who can manipulate the crystal energy of Jorune ("isho") may shape it into various effects, called "dyshas." There are seven varieties or colors of isho, corresponding to Jorune’s seven moons. Each dysha is a skill, but it also requires a minimum moon skill or skills to use. Those minimums are listed along with the type of isho for that dysha.

MELEE skills:
- Advance (10) MELEE - move closer to an opponent while in combat, and/or force an opponent back
- Axe (10) MELEE - wielding a single-bladed axe (like a woodaxe or hatchet) in combat
- Battleaxe (10) MELEE - wielding a double-bladed axe in combat
- Club (10) MELEE
- Defend without weapon (10) MELEE - blocking and parrying with your bare hands
- Entangle (10) MELEE - tripping, tangling, or ensnaring an opponent in combat with a rope, whip, net or something similar
- Fist (10) MELEE - punching, slapping, gouging, twisting, clawing, and any other attacks with your hands
- Halberd (10) MELEE - using any sort of axe on a pole in combat
- Kick (10) MELEE - kicking, tripping, shoving, raking, any any other attacks with your feet
- Knife (10) MELEE - using a short blade in hand to hand combat
- Mace (10) MELEE - using any sort of bashing weapon with a heavy head in combat
- Morning Star (10) MELEE - using any sort of weapon with a haft and a head on a chain in combat
- Pike (10) MELEE - using very long spears (more than 3 m long) in combat, usually against cavalry charges
- Shield (10) MELEE - using a shield in combat, for defense or offense
- Spear (10) MELEE - using a stabbing weapon like a javelin or spear (2 m or less) in combat
- Staff (10) MELEE - using a 2-handed blunt weapon like long stick, staff, or pole (2 m or less) in combat
- Sword (10) MELEE - using any kind of 1-handed sword in combat
- Tackle (10) MELEE - using your body, leverage and mass to take down an opponent in combat
- Thikes (10) MELEE - using a gladiator's strap-on blades in combat
- Two-handed sword (10) MELEE - using particularly long or massive swords that require two hands in combat
- Withdraw (10) MELEE - move away from an opponent while engaged in combat

Ranged weapon skills:
- Bola (4) - ability to throw a weighted rope, chain, or bola to wrap around something
- Bow (4) - using a short recurve bow to fire arrows
- Crossbow (5) - loading and firing bolts from a crossbow
- Dysha (5) - aiming a blast or orb isho projectile
- Knife (4) - aiming and throwing a knife
- Long bow (4) - using a large recurve bow to fire arrows
- Pistol (5) - aiming and firing a handgun
- Rifle (5) - aiming and firing a long gun
- Rock (4) - picking up a hard object and throwing it in combat
- Sling (4) - using a sling to throw projectiles in combat

Dysha Skills:
- Dysha: Blinding (5) - Shal 8, Launtra 6, Desti 3 - temporarily blind creatures with eyes
- Dysha: Body Freeze (4) - Shal 16, Desti 10 - remove voluntary muscle control from a creature of a certain type (Earth-descended, native Jorune, etc)
- Dysha: Body Shield (5) - Gobey 12, Launtra 6, Tra 2 - create a layer of isho armor on your body
- Dysha: Brain Blast (4) - Shal 16, Desti 10 - blast the nervous system of a creature, reducing advantage and causing them to drop carried items
- Dysha: Bubble (5) - Gobey 12, Ebba 2, Tra 1 - create a physical dome of isho to cage a target
- Dysha: Cage (3) - Lightning blast, Gobey 12, Desti 8, Ebba 6, Tra 1 - create a physical dome of isho to cage a target, which is then blasted with lightning when the dome fails
- Dysha: Calm Animal (6) - Shal 5, Tra 1 - improve the reaction of creatures of a certain type (Earth-descended, native Jorune, etc)
- Dysha: Cast Energy (4) - Du 10, Desti 4 - shoot one or more orbs of searing heat at a target
- Dysha: Constrictor (3) - Ebba 15, Gobey 12 - grab a target with a ring of isho, then contract the ring closed
- Dysha: Crater (3) - Du 15, Desti 8 - shoot an orb that explodes at its target
- Dysha: Craze (3) - Shal 16, Desti 4, Tra 4 - provoke an epileptic seizure in an opponent
- Dysha: Create Warp (3) - Tra 16 - create a warp portal connecting two locations
- Dysha: Deflector (6) - Tra 4 - redirect incoming orbs and bolts around you
- Dysha: Drain (3) - Shal 18, Tra 8, Desti 4, Du 3 - evaporate the isho out of a target
- Dysha: Faint (6) - Shal 8, Tra 2 - cause a creature to pass out
- Dysha: Faint Touch (5) - Shal 8, Launtra 4, Tra 2 - Knock out a target for an extended period
- Dysha: Fire Touch (6) - Du 5, Launtra 5 - emit an arc of intense heat, doing damage and igniting flammable objects
- Dysha: Flingers (6) - Du 3, Ebba 1 - shoot five pellets of isho to deal damage
- Dysha: Frost Bolt (5) - Desti 10, Du 4, Gobey 2 - blast a target with intense cold
- Dysha: Healer (5) - Launtra 5, Shal 3, Desti 1, Tra 1 - eliminates superficial wounds and restores stamina
- Dysha: Inner Ear (5) - Tra 6, Launtra 4 - Enable yourself to hear through solid objects
- Dysha: Inner Eye (4) - Tra 8, Launtra 6 - Enable yourself to see through solid objects
- Dysha: Levitate (5) - Ebba 8, Tra 3 - rise into the air for 10 seconds
- Dysha: Lightning Blast (6) - Desti 3 - blast a target with a bolt of plasma
- Dysha: Lightning Strike (4) - Desti 14, Ebba 10, Shal 4 - blast a target with a bolt of plasma and knock it back a few yards
- Dysha: Light Orb (6) - Du 1 - Form a ball of light
- Dysha: Night Eyes (5) - Launtra 8, Tra 2 - see in the dark
- Dysha: Penetration Bolt (3) - Desti 16, Tra 10 - Shoot a bolt that ignores all armor
- Dysha: Ping (4) - Ebba 7 - a tiny orb used to smack objects with a few pounds of force
- Dysha: Power Hold (5) - Ebba 10, Gobey 3 - bind a creature in place with fat bands of isho
- Dysha: Power Orb (5) - Ebba 5 - a fist-sized orb that impacts objects with heavy force
- Dysha: Push (6) - Ebba 3 - a large orb that exerts a gentle shove on a target
- Dysha: Quantum (5) - Du 7 - shoot a single orb of searing energy at a target
- Dysha: Reflect (4) - Tra 10 - redirect incoming orbs and bolts in a chosen direction
- Dysha: Scramble (4) - Shal 14, Desti 4 - briefly muddle the isho of a target so that it can’t form most dyshas
- Dysha: Shield (6) - Gobey 5, Launtra 4, Tra 1 - create force that reduces damage of a physical attack that would hit you
- Dysha: Shield Implosion (3) - Gobey 12, Ebba 10, Desti 2 - create a shower of energy that destroys a shield AND damages the shielded target
- Dysha: Shield Shatter (4) - Gobey 14 - create an ongoing shower of energy to destroy a shield
- Dysha: Spectral Stun (3) - Du 10, Launtra 8 - shock someone with a blast of blinding light
- Dysha: Spider Grip (5) - Launtra 12, Ebba 6, Gobey 3 - enable yourself to climb nearly any surface
- Dysha: Spinner (3) - Ebba 15, Gobey 9, Tra 2, Du 1 - pick up and wildly spin a creature
- Dysha: Stiff (6) - Desti 7, Shal 2 - jolt a target’s limbs into full extension (like a jumping jack)
- Dysha: Suspension Orb (4) - Ebba 12, Gobey 9, Tra 4 - enclose a target in a sphere of isho, which levitates off of the ground
- Dysha: Tumble (6) - Ebba 6, Launtra 3, Tra 1 - reduce damage taken from a fall
- Dysha: Wall (4) - Gobey 14, Ebba 8, Tra 1 - create a persistent wall of force out of isho

Occupation skills:
- Acting (4)
- Animal Handling, Bochigon (3) - riding and caring for your gargantuan horned riding creature ("bochigon")
- Animal Handling, Horse (5) - riding and caring for your horse mount
- Animal Handling, Pibber (5) - caring for, herding and soothing small fluffy puffball creatures that occasionally go berserk and extrude vicious spikes ("pibber")
- Animal Handling, Talmaron (4) - riding and caring for your sightless native flying mount ("talmaron")
- Animal Handling, Tarro (3) - caring for and soothing the sightless native monkey-like creature ("tarro")
- Animal Handling, Thombo (5) - riding and caring for your thombo mount
- Astronomy (3) - study of celestial bodies, particularly Jorune's seven moons and their orbits
- Caji Entropy (4) - Caji only - trying to absorb isho from the environment, beyond normal limits
- Caji Etiquette (4) - how to properly greet and honor an esteemed teacher of isho
- Carpentry (5)
- Carving (4) - craft artwork from carved wood, or other soft organic materials
- Creature Care (4)
- Crystal Cutting (4)
- Dancing (4)
- Estimate Isho (4) - Caji only - discern how much isho a creature or thing has currently
- False Signature (4) - humans and boccord only - disguise your isho signature to fool creatures that use tra-sense
- Farming (5)
- Fishing (5)
- Iscin: Astronomy (3) - particularly the study of Jorune's seven moons
- Iscin: Biology (4) - detailed study of different life forms on Jorune
- Iscin: Bio-tec (3) - creation and use of bio-tec using ancient lore/technology
- Iscin: Earth-tec (4) - engineering with ancient artifacts and technologies
- Iscin: Geography (4) - deep knowledge of the world's geography; both atlas and almanac
- Iscin: Geology (4) - science of inorganic materials
- Iscin: History (3) - analysis and organization of written and digital history records
- Iscin: Isho Weather (4) - analysis and prediction of the ebb and flow of crystal energy on Jorune and its seven moons ("isho")
- Iscin: Linguistics (4) - study of the evolution of languages
- Iscin: Literature (3) - analysis and knowledge of classical literature and lore
- Iscin: Mathematics (3) - abstract mathematics
- Iscin: Philosophy (3) - ruminations on the nature of things
- Iscin: Physics (3) - science of matter and how it interacts with other matter
- Juggling (4)
- Language, Acubon (3) - speak with amphibious humanoids native to freshwater lakes
- Language, Blount (3) - speak with frog people
- Language, Bronth (4) - speak Boru, the language of the bear people
- Language, Cleash (3) - speak with the terrifying insect-like sentient race
- Language, Corastin (5) - speak with giant, troll-like humanoids
- Langauge, Croid (3) - speak with large, umber-hulk-like creatures
- Langauge, Crugar (4) - speak Chaun-tse, the native language of the mountain lion people
- Language, Entren (4) - skill for non-natives to speak the common human language
- Language, Ramian (3) - speak Rorch-ko, the native language of the alien ramian people
- Language, Salu (5) - speak with the amphibious humanoids of the ocean; a variant of Entren
- Language, Scarmis (3) - speak with the mantis people
- Language, Shantha (3) - speak with the native sentients of Jorune, the shantha
- Language, Thriddle (3) - speak Triddis, the language of the studious, eye-stalked thriddle
- Language, Thivin (4) - speak with the horned, noseless aliens called thivin
- Language, Trarch (5) - speak Troffa, the verbal and somatic language of the ogre-like Trarch
- Language, Woffen (5) - speak Thowtis, the language of the wolf people
- Limilate finding (5) - identifying/finding herbs, roots and leaves for making limilates
- Limilate preparation (4) - preparing limilates with the proper ingredients
- Mask Signature (4) - humans and boccord only - become invisible to Tra-sense
- Medicine (3) - diagnosis, surgery, disease care
- Military etiquette (4) - conforming to military protocols of conduct
- Musical Instrument (4)
- Oratory (4) - ability to communicate and influence people through public speech
- Painting (4) - ability to create portraiture and artwork with paints
- Pick Locks (4)
- Pick Pockets (3)
- Prestidigitation (4) - sleight of hand, illusions/magic tricks/showmanship
- Race of Signature (4) - humans and boccord only - used after signature spectrum to correctly identify the species of a creature
- Sailing (6)
- Sculpture (4) - craft artwork from carved stone or other inorganic materials
- Singing (4)
- Set Traps (5)
- Shipwright (4)
- Signature Spectrum (4) - humans and boccord only - detect creatures by their isho
- Story Telling (4) - ability to entertain with stories
- Thriddle Madness Etiquette (4) - dealing with thriddle when it goes berserk
- Tra-Sense (4) - Caji only - use isho to detect everything around you in all directions
- Underground Information (4) - gathering tips, rumors
- Warp Stabilize (4) - Caji only - keeping a warp open that would close otherwise
- Writing (4)

(Edit: separated out Moon skills for ease of reference, and added Moon Skill requirements for "Spectral Stun")

Note about foci:
One of the derived statistics is your number of foci; you assign a focus to a skill in the hopes of improving that skill. At the start of the game, you will be prompted to choose your foci, but you can be thinking about which skills you want to improve now.

Once you've done all this, continue to part six.


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