Forgotten Fable RPG™: Skills Overview

by Tim Wallace

The Forgotten Fable RPG™ will be using a variation of two different alternate skill systems introduced in Pathfinder Unchained: consolidated skills and background skills. This will look something like what follows.

Adventuring Skills	Untrained	Ability		Background Skills	Untrained	Ability
Acrobatics	Yes	Dex*		Appraise	Yes	Int
Athletics	Yes	Str*		Artistry	Yes	Int
Engineering†	No	Int		Craft	Yes	Int
Finesse	No	Dex*		Lore	No	Int
Influence	Yes	Cha		Profession	No	Wis
Nature	No	Int
Perception	Yes	Wis
Performance	Yes	Cha
Religion	No	Int
Society	No	Int
Spellcraft	No	Int
Stealth	Yes	Dex*
Survival	Yes	Wis
*  Armor check penalty applies.
† New skill detailed below.

Detailed descriptions of the new and consolidated skills can be found in Chapter 2 of Pathfinder Unchained or on the d20pfsrd (consolidated skills; background skills). The description of the engineering skill can be found below.

Gaining Adventuring Skills

Adventuring skills are those skills that are most relevant for characters while they're actively adventuring. Adventuring skills are purchased with the standard skill ranks each character class receives, modified by a character's Intelligence (and sometimes by race or other factors). No adjustments need to be made to these skills when using the background skills system.

Most adventuring skills are related to training and practice, and each has a clear and specific application to the everyday challenges that face a professional adventurer. Adventuring skills get used for the majority of skill checks, so most skill ranks should be devoted to those skills.

Gaining Background Skills

In addition to their normal allotment of regular skill ranks, all characters gain 2 background skill ranks each time they gain a level in a PC class. The character's Intelligence modifier doesn't adjust this value. Background skill ranks can be used to gain ranks only in background skills, not adventuring skills. Characters can expend their regular skill ranks on background skills if they desire.

Even the most dedicated adventurers have other things they enjoy doing in their spare time. Some pursue business interests during their downtime between adventures, and though these can be modeled with the downtime rules, players who aren't interested in such a robust system still might wish to include elements of those interests on their character sheets.

Engineering (Int; Trained Only)

You know a great deal about the technological world and how to interact with it.

Functions: Arm or disarm high-tech explosives, disable electronic triggers or locks, identify a robot's abilities and weaknesses, identify and understand unknown technological objects, recall knowledge (about construction).

Arm Explosive: If you possess a detonator, you can arm an explosive weapon as a trap. Connecting a detonator to an explosive requires a successful DC 10 Engineering check. Failure means that the attempt fails, but you can attempt to arm the explosive again. Failure by 5 or more means the explosive is triggered as the detonator is installed. You can attempt to make an explosive difficult to disarm. To do so, choose a target disarm DC of 15 or higher, with a DC increment of 5. This becomes your target DC to set the explosive as well as the DC to disarm the explosive.

Disarm Explosive: Disarming an explosive requires the character to succeed at an Engineering check as if disarming a trap. The DC is usually 10, unless the person who set the explosive successfully did so with a higher disarm DC. A failure to disarm an explosive by 5 or more immediately triggers the explosive.

Action: Arming an explosive device takes 1 minute or more, depending on the scope of the job. Disarming an explosive is treated as if the explosive were a complex trap, and takes 2d4 rounds to attempt.

Special: A character can take 10 when using Engineering to arm or disarm explosives, but cannot take 20.

Disable Electronic Lock or Trigger: Disabling an electronic lock on a door or an electronic trigger for a trap (not the trap itself) is easier if you use an e-pick—without an e-pick, you take a –5 penalty on such checks.

Action: 2d4 rounds.

Try Again: Yes, but only if you fail by 4 or less.

Identify Robots: Engineering can be used to identify constructs of the with the robot subtype and their special abilities or vulnerabilities. A successful check allows you to remember a bit of useful information about that monster. For every 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC, you recall another piece of useful information. This has a DC of 5 + the robot’s CR (for common robots), 10 plus the robot’s CR (for most robots), or 15 + the robot’s CR (for rare robots).

Identify Technological Objects: The DC to correctly identify and understand an unknown technological object is equal to the object's Craft DC. An object with a Craft DC of 15 or less can be automatically identified and understood by someone trained in Engineering.

Recall Knowledge: Engineering can be used to recall knowledge on the subjects of construction and technology. This has a DC of 10 (for really easy questions), 15 (for basic questions), or 20 to 30 (for really tough questions). Below are some specific examples.

Task	Engineering DC
Identify dangerous construction	10
Determine a structure's style or age	15
Determine a structure's weakness	20

Action: Usually none. Using a library (see Untrained, below) takes 1d4 hours.

Class Skills

The bonus from class skills functions the same way under this system, and provides the same +3 bonus. However, the class skill lists change, with the following entries replacing the normal class skills lists. The number in parentheses indicates the number of skill ranks a character of this class gains at each level. Always add 1/2 the character's Intelligence modifier (rounded down) to this number, even if the modifier is negative. A character always gains a minimum of 1 skill rank per level.

Alchemist (2 + 1/2 Int): Finesse, Perception, Spellcraft, Survival.

Arcanist (1 + 1/2 Int): Religion, Society, Spellcraft.

Barbarian (1 + 1/2 Int): Athletics, Nature, Perception.

Bard (3 + 1/2 Int): Influence, Perception, Performance, Society, Spellcraft.

Bloodrager (2 + 1/2 Int): Athletics, Influence, Nature, Spellcraft.

Brawler (2 + 1/2 Int): Acrobatics, Athletics, Nature, Perception.

Cavalier (2 + 1/2 Int): Acrobatics, Athletics, Nature, Society.

Cleric (1 + 1/2 Int): Religion, Spellcraft, Survival.

Druid (2 + 1/2 Int): Athletics, Nature, Perception, Survival.

Fighter (1 + 1/2 Int): Acrobatics, Athletics, Nature.

Gunslinger (2 + 1/2 Int): Athletics, Engineering, Perception, Survival.

Hunter (3 + 1/2 Int): Athletics, Nature, Perception, Stealth, Survival.

Inquisitor (3 + 1/2 Int): Influence, Perception, Spellcraft, Stealth, Survival.

Investigator (3 + 1/2 Int): Acrobatics, Finesse, Influence, Perception, Society, Spellcraft.

Magus (1 + 1/2 Int): Athletics, Religion, Spellcraft.

Monk (2 + 1/2 Int): Acrobatics, Athletics, Perception, Religion.

Ninja (4 + 1/2 Int): Acrobatics, Finesse, Influence, Perception, Society, Stealth.

Oracle (2 + 1/2 Int): Influence, Nature, Perception, Religion.

Paladin (1 + 1/2 Int): Athletics, Religion, Survival.

Ranger (3 + 1/2 Int): Athletics, Nature, Perception, Stealth, Survival.

Rogue (4 + 1/2 Int): Acrobatics, Finesse, Influence, Perception, Society, Stealth.

Samurai (2 + 1/2 Int): Acrobatics, Athletics, Nature, Society.

Shaman (2 + 1/2 Int): Nature, Religion, Survival, Spellcraft.

Skald (2 + 1/2 Int): Influence, Performance, Society, Spellcraft.

Slayer (3 + 1/2 Int): Athletics, Finesse, Influence, Stealth, Survival.

Sorcerer (1 + 1/2 Int): Influence, Nature, Spellcraft.

Summoner (1 + 1/2 Int): Religion, Nature, Spellcraft.

Swashbuckler (2 + 1/2 Int): Acrobatics, Athletics, Influence, Perception.

Warpriest (1 + 1/2 Int): Athletics, Religion, Survival.

Witch (1 + 1/2 Int): Nature, Religion, Spellcraft.

Wizard (1 + 1/2 Int): Religion, Society, Spellcraft.