Skill Dictionary E-L

Hey howdy hey! Here's the continuation of the skill dictionary.

Entertaining/Music/Tales - Amusing the masses with humor, wit, or artistic talent. This skill isn't very neccessary, but it can come in handy when earning extra cash. Quite simply, the crowd may have a set number for how high of an Entertaining level they will need. Bored people are more easier amused. Other factors may subtract from your performance, such as the weather, other noises, you being a foreigner, etc. Your gold earned relates to your net entertainment value.

Escaping (Agility/Intelligence) - A must for criminals and other sorts. Escaping is that back door for when you eventually get caught. Each prison or stockade or whatever will have a set captivity number, and you need to try harder than that number to escape. Even if your lockpicking or stealth could get you out, you need an escaping number higher than the prison's level.

Fletching - This is cool; it's making arrows! You can buy or gather wood, and then spend a little time making your own arrows. You'll need some blacksmithing skill in addition if you want metal arrows.

Forgery (Intelligence) - This is duplicating someone's signature or handwriting to pass off a fake document as legal. The better your number, the less likely it is to be found out, and the less time it takes to copy stuff over. Essential if you want to steal an original and replace it with a fake.

Hand-to-hand** (Strength/Agility) - This is the same as one of the weapon skills, except it's for when you're unarmed (hence, you don't get a weapon bonus). The difference is, when you attack, it gets rid of an opponent's energy instead of health. Once their, energy is down to zero, then you convert the numbers to damage. There are special abilities and moves that let you always do damage instead of drain health.

Healing* (Intelligence) - This is a non-selfish skill, that is used to recover an ally's health. You need to use healing supplies, and better supplies can be used if you have more skill. Everyone wants everyone else to buy this skill so they can help them, but it can also be used to keep non-player characters alive. Think about it.

Horseback Riding - Your speed on a horse instead of on foot. However much energy you put into this while on a horse, you'll go triple that distance in one turn. Different horses have different limits as to how far they can go. This could also involve fighting while on a moving horse (a must for knights.)

Intimidation - Scaring someone else into getting what you want (info, stuff). Different people will have different levels that you have to reach to scare them. If you are a wimp or have no weapon, this will subtract drastically from your success.

Inventing** (Intelligence) - Coming up with Cool Stuff (note caps). There is a list of uninvented Cool Stuff showing how much skill it takes to invent, and how much time and money it costs. You can invent things off the list, and once you do, they become playable in the universe. If your skill isn't high enough, the item doesn't get made up. Please be aware that invention is not limited to the List of Coolness (hardly). In fact, you can make up anything you want (within reason). If you suggest what you want to the narrator (probably me), then I can set a skill level for it, and you can make it. This is one of the prime examples of the unlimited customization of this game.

Knowledge- General** (Intelligence) - An essential skill, this allows the player to learn about unknown objects, races, creatures, etc. The narrator can set a number for an unknown item, and if you have that General Knowledge level, you can identify it. This also lets you learn the energy needed for certain tasks instead of trying and failing.

Knowledge- Science* (Intelligence) - Same deal, just with chemicals and gadgets.

Leadership (Wisdom) - Another selfless skill, this is good if you are the leader of a group of your friends (but I didn't have to tell you that). If one of your teammates does not have enough energy for an action and is failing, you can use up your energy and add up to 20 energy into that skill for the individual (by way of warnings, smart suggestions, etc.) and make them succeed.

Listening (Senses) - This is when you Stop, Look, and Listen, just like fire drills. If you take the time (at a good spot where you might be ambushed, perhaps) you can use this skill to "sweep the area with your radar." If anything is present or trying to hide, and your Listening is higher than their Stealth, you discover them.

Luck* - My favorite skill. Ever. Luck is for people like Han Solo, Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Carribean, and others that love trouble. It's for when you do something highly dangerous and hope you'll come out alive. This skill does not get used by the player, but the narrator makes calls on when to use it. Say you jump off a waterfall (a really high one) with a few rocks at the bottom to avoid some enemies pursuing you. The narrator can quickly estimate you'd need a Luck number of 60 to survive the fall, and see if you do. Or say someone in a third-floor window is about to snipe you with 80 damage, but you have a Luck of 90, so the narrator has the shot come right when you lean over to tie your shoe. This power (the honest name for it) does not get used often or abused. It is rarely used in combat, mostly just for stuff that your character relies on a little Luck to get out of. It's hard to explain, but the narrator can have some fun in keeping your character alive just a little longer, especially when nobody wants that.

Pa-hooey! That's a lot of typing! Hope that satisfies you people.
Now post! Post, ye minions! Or great unspeakable doom shall fall upon you! Doom!