Skills
In the world of Cybersphere, skills represent your character's acquired knowledge about everything from combat to stealth to electronics. Your character might learn these skills through life on the streets, pick them up from a patient teacher, or be blessed with an innate talent (a "natural"). Skills define your character's ability to interact with the world and make things happen.
Each skill requires certain stats, or governing stats, that control your character's proficiency. The actual skill level, plus the levels of your character's governing stats determines your overall level of talent. For instance, a tough solo brawler with melee skill would need high strength and agility to realize her full potential. In the following list of skills, this information is shown in the "governing stats" table for each skill entry.
NOTE: This page only provides an overview of skills, descriptions and their stat requirements. For more detail on a skill, click its title header to open its article.
Contents
Street Smarts
Essentials for navigating the intricate underworld survival protocols, or at least something that gives you a name for building up that professional network around you or get you in trouble.
Appraisal
Checking an item's value, comparing one piece of gear to another, spotting a fake, calling the price on a hustler.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2x | 1x |
Thievery
Picking a corpie's pocket, lifting a deck from a store window display, sneaking a knife off someone's belt.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2x | 1x | 1x |
Lockpick
Jimmying a vehicle lock, rewiring a door lockpad, hacking a palmlock.
Note: Requires the Lock Expert advantage (20 AP in CGEN) to pick most doors.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 3x | 2x |
Scavenge
Finding a RAMcard in a pile of junk, spotting a box of discarded ammo in broken terrain, fishing armor plating out of tank wreckage, breaking a piece of hardware down into its basic parts.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x |
Defense
Survival of the fittest - Darwinian theory to the extremes. If you want to live another day to see the acidic rain falling of poisonous skies you have to show some skill in those surviving techniques.
Shock
Taking a blow without passing out, staying on your feet despite blood loss, resisting massive injuries without dying.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5x | 1x |
Dodge
Ducking a punch, bending away from a knife thrust, swerving behind cover in a firefight, jumping clear of an ambush.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4x | 1x |
Stealth
Blending into a crowd, hiding in a shadow, sneaking through a door before it closes, slipping past a patrolling squadcar.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x | 1x | 1x |
Fighting Styles
Your hands are your weapons, or you use a some old school, tried and tested instruments to get to live another day, eliminate your prey or wear spandex and be the super hero that defends the weak.
Brawling
Fighting with your bare hands: general fistfighting and dirty infighting styles.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x |
Knife
Fighting and parrying with combat knives, utility knives, and small blades.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x |
Swords
Fencing, parrying, slashing, and stabbing with swords.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x |
Offensive Martial Arts
Martial arts prowess with offensive hand to hand styles: Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, Savate, Krav Maga, White Crane Kung-fu, One Thousand Fists and so on.
Also applies to the more offensive martial weaponry.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2x | 4x | 2x | 2x | 1x | 6x | 2x |
Defensive Martial Arts
Martial arts prowess with defensive styles: Aikijujitsu and Taijitsu.
Also applies to some defense oriented martial weapons.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | x2 | 1x |
Melee
Close-quarters combat: fighting with axes, pole-arms, spears, bashing weapons: anything that's not a sword, knife, your bare hands, or a martial art fighting style.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2x | 1x | 2x |
Firearms
Skills necessary for being more than a schmuck who holds a fire-arm. These are absolutely vital in order for you not only to know how to hold a gun, but also how to use it with lethal efficiency.
Pistol
Combat ability with pistols and pistol-gripped firearms, such as pistols, sub-machine guns in single-shot mode, and some shotguns. Although not a stat determining the success of hitting your mark, higher caliber handguns would also factor in your Strength to handle a recoil.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x |
Rifle
Combat ability with rifles and automatic weapons in single-shot mode. Although not a stat determining the success of hitting your mark, higher caliber assault rifles would also factor in your Strength to handle the recoil.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2x | 1x | 1x |
SMG (Sub-Machine Gun)
Combat ability with assault rifles and machine-guns in full-auto mode. Although not a stat determining the success of hitting your mark, keep in mind most full-auto machine guns would kick-back badly, so think about Strength to handle their recoil.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2x | 1x |
Medical
You are field med, professional surgeon, a dark alley ripper doc, or just a solo who knew how to sew-up his wounds after a close call fight.
First-Aid
Applying direct pressure to a gunshot wound, using a medkit to stitch up a sword slash, treating napalm burns.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 2x |
Cyberdoc
Ripping a cybermed implant out of a boosterganger's body, installing it back into your friend without causing permanent tissue damage.
NOTE: This skill represents the level of expertise your character has when undertaking cybernetics related surgery. The cyberdoc advantage is required to make use of this skill.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x | 1x |
Surgery
Ripping organs from a corpse, repairing limbs on a patient, sewing up critical wounds, grafting cloned tissue onto a patient.
NOTE: This skill also applies to surgery involving organ-like cybernetics. The cyberdoc advantage is still required in order to operate using a cyberclinic.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x | 1x | 1x |
Diagnosis
Finding the source of your pointman's bleeding, figuring out why he can't feel his legs, evaluating the condition of his collapsed lung, diagnosing a chronic illness. Also used in a cyberclinic to properly operate diagnostic equipment.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x | 2x |
Hacking
The matrix - cyberspace - the next frontier for the evolution of the human mind. These skills will help you make a living as a hacker.
Decking
Dodging hostile program traces, de-rezzing an enemy decker, surfing a stream of data, sniffing a password file out of incoming packets, nuking a system CPU.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x |
Programming
Coding up a custom soft, decompiling a copy-protected program, breaking encryption codes, resetting the identity profile on a passcard.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2x |
Tech
Your skills are highly valued by mercenaries and corporations alike. You can find some freelance or corporate work, or just grab a hobby.
Armor Craft
Building armor out of the materials at hand. Repairing ablated and dented armor. Knowing the qualities of different types and varieties of armored apparel.
NOTE: This skill represents your characters level of expertise when creating armor. Your knowledge of how to make use of the specific materials needed however, is governed by their respective advantages. See help armorcrafting
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x | 1x |
Mechanics
Repairing a dented fender, installing armor plating, hooking up a vehicle weapon, inspecting an explosive warhead.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x | 1x |
Electronics
Hotwiring a vehicle, replacing a fried weapon panel, installing a new car alarm, rewiring a fried cyberdeck.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x | 1x |
Gun Tech
So you have a customer that wants their firearm to be a little louder? A little crazier? A little more deadly? Or maybe they want to buy some ammunition or a brand new, custom built weapon? Then it's a good thing you're a guntech, cause it's time to make some creds!
NOTE: This skill is simply your characters level of expertise when using one of the following Gun Tech based advantages. Specific tools, kits, or shops may also be required.
The gun repair advantage is required in order to make use of the tools and shops relating to gun repair.
See also:
- Gun Repair - un-jam firearms as well as add or remove smart-link hardware.
- Weaponsmith - make custom weaponry from scratch, add accessories to weapons or modify the names / messages on existing weapons.
- Ammo Loading - make fresh ammunition of varying types and calibres.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x | 1x |
Vehicle
Everyone can learn how to ride a bike or get a driver's license, hell even flying a helicopter might be part of basic training at your military camp. But being an expert in your field requires skill. And that skill can give you more than just a job with someone rich, it can give you an edge to become that someone. Vehicular skills generally indicate your combat ability as well as your ability to navigate through treacherous terrain with the given class of vehicle. What qualifies as treacherous terrain depends on the vehicle, but generally speaking, the city streets are safe driving for cars and airways are safe flying for AVs.
Biker
Driving a motorcycle in a firefight, dodging around a crowd of rioters, jousting another bike-ganger, swerving behind a dumpster to avoid a rocket-propelled grenade.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x |
Driving
Swerving a car through gunfire, evading missiles, running a roadblock, avoiding a boulder while offroading.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x |
Pilot
Landing an AV, strafing a tank, dodging SAMs.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x | 1x | 1x |
Gunnery
Guiding a turret cannon, pointing a machinegun while the driver guides the armored car.
STR | END | DEX | AGL | INT | WIL | EMP | PCN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1x | 1x | 1x |