Skills

Skills represent your character's abilities outside their Powers.

At character creation, you have 4 points to spend on Skills, plus an additional 8 points which may be spent on either Skills or Powers. All Skills start at level 0, and go up to a maximum level of 5, however 3 is the highest level available at character creation. During Advancement, it costs 2 points to increase a Skill to level 5.

It should be noted that while it is not necessary to have Skills that synergise well with your Powers, taking ones that do will allow you to make the best use of them. For instance taking Combat if you have super-strength will not only allow you to hit things really hard, but also know where you should aim to do the most damage.

Combat represents your fighting ability. This can range from hand-to-hand, to swords to firearms. Feel free to specify how your character fights when you generate them. It also represents your ability to avoid harm in combat situations, and general agility. Note that this skill is required to be effective in a fight. Even if you are capable of causing great harm using your powers, it will be hard to use them in a combat situation without this skill.

• Level 0: You have no fighting ability or knowledge of combat.

• Level 1: You are likely to come out on top of your average bar brawl, but don't measure up to anyone with formal training.

• Level 2: You have had formal combat training, possibly through military or martial arts training. Taking on a small number of untrained opponents should not be a problem.

• Level 3: You are a versatile fighter and should have little problem surviving any fight, even against larger numbers.

• Level 4: You are a certified badass, and have no problem holding off even large groups of skilled foes, and on the rare occasion that you do lose, your opponent will still be feeling whatever you did to them for a while.

• Level 5: You have reached the very peak of human ability in combat. You can figure out ten different ways to kill an opponent and execute the best one before many can even act.

Expression represents your ability to express yourself and affect the views of others. This can take many forms. It could be through their social skills, inspiring speeches, or even great works of literature, art or music. Note that to maintain player agency, this skill does not work on PCs - you will have to rely on your OOC ability to persuade them during session and in emails. It is also harder to persuade NPCs who are particularly well versed in this skill, although it is still possible.

• Level 0: You are no more persuasive or expressive than the average person on the street.

• Level 1: If someone has no particular view either way, you can usually make them see your point of view.

• Level 2: You are naturally gifted in the arts, and it is not hard for you to draw attention to yourself should you wish.

• Level 3: A speech or work of art by you is moving enough that most people in the room would become receptive to your ideas.

• Level 4: Not only can you bring people round from opposing points of view, your way with words allows you to sow enough confusion to get away with things you really shouldn't.

• Level 5: You and your works naturally inspire anyone in the vicinity, and you rarely have any problem bringing even those strongly opposed to you round to your way of thinking.

Investigation represents your ability to gather information about a person, place or thing, and, where appropriate, use that information to make deductions about events that have happened while you were not present. This might also include a degree of academic knowledge.

• Level 0: Your attention to detail and deductive reasoning won't be of much use when gathering information.

• Level 1: You can make basic inferences from evidence found. For example, cigarette ash at a crime scene likely indicates that the suspect is a smoker. You can also fill in small gaps in information if needed.

• Level 2: You can infer a basic suspect profile from evidence at the scene. For example, a blood splatter will indicate the height, handedness and weapon used by the suspect. You also know where to look for information, and have a working knowledge of most encryption techniques.

• Level 3: You are competent at making inferences from evidence and you can solve cases if they are not too complicated. You can make decent attempts at understanding information deliberately obfuscated, and in most cases understand the meaning behind things.

• Level 4: You can solve most hard cases and have cracked several cases thought long cold before. You also know how to decrypt almost any code, and know where to get information that others may think is long forgotten.

• Level 5: You are a savant when it comes to investigating. The tiniest of details can give you a hint at what really happened and when you are onto someone’s trail, they should be scared. You are also able to get a good understanding of something piecing together small fragments of information.

SCIENCE! represents your knowledge of the laws of nature and your ability to push them to their limits, as well as create technological devices and other academic knowledge. Note that what you can create with this skill is limited by the resources you have available. Biological and chemical experiments require the proper lab equipment, while feats of engineering require the raw materials. Additionally any items created that are similar to super-powers will be of limited use unless the appropriate power is taken to use it.

• Level 0: Perhaps you should have paid more attention in school.

• Level 1: You can create minor technological gadgets, although not particularly exciting ones. Examples include making traps, alarms and communication devices, as well as making minor genetic modifications with mostly aesthetic results or minor utility.

• Level 2: The gadgets you make have a bit more of a punch to them. Examples include non-lethal weapons, and the ability to clone and significantly alter plants genetically.

• Level 3: Larger scale and stranger projects can now be accessed. Examples include (mostly) mundane vehicles, laser guns, shrink rays, teleports for small objects and the ability to clone, mutate, and modify animals.

• Level 4: You are now reaching mad scientist levels. Killer robots, heavy weaponry, flying cars or larger craft, teleports for humans and cloned humans. Note that cloned humans may not necessarily do as you say.

• Level 5: You can build technological marvels such as giant airborne carriers, pilotable mechs, and artificial intelligences.

Stealth is your ability to move about unnoticed by way of disguise or concealment. It also represents your ability to sneak up on others, steal things and hide objects.

• Level 0: You have no aptitude for stealth, and most attempts to go unnoticed will likely fail if there is anyone remotely competent on the scene.

• Level 1: Avoiding the average person on the street is fairly easy, but trained guards will spot you in short order. You can also conceal very small objects using sleight of hand.

• Level 2: It is possible to avoid people even if they are actively pursuing you, and with sufficient distraction sneak past simple security measures.

• Level 3: You’re quiet enough that you’re pretty much fine as long as no-one’s looking straight at your hiding space.

• Level 4: Even if there’s a lot of people in the same area, you can move around a space and steal objects unnoticed.

• Level 5: Did you see that? See what?

Strategy represents your ability to think ahead and coordinate groups of people, be it in battle or organising large events. It also helps you to react to others' plans, or adjust your own should they go awry. Note this skill will need to be used to command minions and such in a fight effectively.

• Level 0: Your strategic abilities are non-existent.

• Level 1: Coordinating a small group of people should prove no problem.

• Level 2: Given time, you can organise large scale projects such as parties and easily coordinate larger teams.

• Level 3: Your abilities extend to making a good estimate at the plans of others involved in your own plans and, if necessary, attempt to mitigate their effect on your own plans.

• Level 4: Your plans rarely fail, and you can adapt to unexpected situations on the fly if need be. You can also predict more accurately what the opposition may do.

• Level 5: Even if caught completely flat-footed, you can adapt easily enough to any situation that you come out with minimal losses.