This time, we’re going to cover a topic that causes excitement and frustration for players and GMs alike: using character skills (sometimes called abilities or similar terminology).
Skills are one of the most fundamental tools by which characters, controlled by GMs and players alike, explore and interact with the world they inhabit. Whether you’re trying to persuade a guard to let you explore a restricted area or recall some obscure knowledge of an opponent you’re facing, most RPG systems grade your level of success via a Skills subsystem.
In Hunter: The Reckoning, you have a selection of Talents, Abilities, and Knowledges, while other d20 games (like Pathfinder and Dungeons&Dragons) simply call them Skills. No matter the name, they’re all similar in that they exist to codify each character’s unique place in the story being told. If I were attempting to persuade the guard, my GM might ask me to roll a Diplomacy, Bluff, or Intimidate skill check based on what methods I was employing. Or, if I were facing off against a vampire, my Storyteller may ask me to make an Occult Knowledge check to determine if I can recall a weakness in the heat of battle.
As before, I’m going to lay this out in a Q&A style.
How Do I Know What Skill to Use?
This is a great question, and is often the bane of new players and GMs. Depending on what system you’re playing, the breadth of skills at your disposal can leave you in quite a state of “choice paralysis.”
For players, the best advice I can give is to consult with your GM. If you’re attempting to cross a swift, narrow river, the obvious choice would be to make a Swim skill check. However, you may find that your character has little to no aptitude for swimming, but a large number of points invested in Athletics. Ask your GM if you can make the Athletics check by saying you’ll attempt to jump across the river instead (if the distance is within reason). More often than not, a GM will appreciate your creativity and give you the go-ahead.
For GMs, be open and willing to compromise with your players. If Billy wants to make an Athletics check to cross the narrow river, ask him to explain how he wants to use this skill in lieu of Swim. If the suggestion seems feasible, let it play! If the idea was particularly creative (or disastrous), give the player a slight boost or hindrance to the skill check. Make these rulings on a case-by-case basis, but always provide solid logic for why you’re making a particular ruling. You can cause unnecessary friction between you and the players with the “because I said so” argument.
As a GM, Do High-Value Skill Rolls Always Guarantee Success?
This depends on how you wish to run the game. You can certainly play this way, where the value needed to complete a particular task gets gradually higher as the players obtain more skill points. In this case, it’s purely a luck and numbers game.
In my games, however, the value simply states how well the character did for their particular skill set. For example, Sally is playing a Human Sorcerer trying to recall some ancient knowledge about a vague event in Dwarven history. I tell her to make a Knowledge (History) skill check, and she rolls a total of 21. Even though she rolled a high skill value, there is no sound reason for her character to suddenly know every finite detail of the event in question. I’ll feed her one or two pieces of helpful lore to reward her for her success, but I don’t open the floodgates and make Sally an expert of Dwarven history.
I believe this style prevents the characters from becoming godlike, even as they approach the higher levels and gain more skill points. No challenge becomes trivial when put into the proper perspective.
What If I Want to Learn New Skills?
Run it by your GM, first and foremost. Present a solid case for why your Barbarian is going to start taking a more active interest in arcane knowledge. If you’re simply reading a book or two, most GMs would be inclined to give you an extra one or two points in the skill. If you want to make that skill a more permanent part of your repertoire, expect to make some serious arguments or follow a drawn out plan to achieve that goal. For example, the GM may ask you to read a total of 50 books about arcane knowledge before allowing you to take it. However, be advised no GM is beholden to these rules.
Alternatively, some systems like Pathfinder or older editions of Dungeons&Dragons allow you to gain abilities which provide you permanent boosts in skills of your choosing.
In Summary
Skills are a beautiful part of any Roleplaying Game. But they can also be incredibly complex in their understanding and execution. As with any rule, the purpose of each skill is a guideline that, with agreement by the GM, can be bent in exciting new ways.
For some fun examples of how to use Skills creatively, I recommend listening to some of the early episodes of the Drunks & Dragons podcast. The DM, Michael Dimauro, creates a series of high-intensity scenarios he calls Skill Challenges, and are quite a treat in their execution.
Blessed be,
Matthew Wulf
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