General skills

Part of a series about the rules of Breaking Worlds.

• Safety
• Combat rules
• Calls
• Spellcasting
• Items and equipment
• Downtime
• Guides

Character creation:

• Character creation
• Starting abilities
• Skills
• Warrior skills
• Channeller skills
• Spell list
• Evoker skills
• General skills

See also:

• Overview

All skills that do not belong to a class (warrior, channeller, or evoker) are called general skills. Many of these are useful outside combat, and may give specific advantages in downtime.

Toughness

• Cost to learn: 2 XP
• Prerequisites: none

You gain an additional Hit (+1 total).

Improved Toughness

• Cost to learn: 2 XP
• Prerequisites: Toughness

You gain a further additional Hit (+2 total).

Heroic Toughness

• Cost to learn: 3 XP
• Prerequisites: Improved Toughness

You gain a further additional Hit (+3 total).

Medicine

• Cost to learn: 1 XP
• Prerequisites: none

You can spend 10 seconds appropriate roleplay to call CURE 1 on a Dying character at close range.
You can spend 60 seconds appropriate roleplay, or 10 seconds appropriate roleplay and one dose of standard reagents, to call CURE ALL on another character at close range. If you are hit by a melee blow, projectile, or call, or use a Dodge skill, this is interrupted and you must start again.

Surgery

• Cost to learn: 3 XP
• Prerequisites: Medicine

You can spend 60 seconds appropriate roleplay, or 10 seconds appropriate roleplay and one dose of standard reagents, to call RESTORE LIMB on another character at close range. If you are hit by a melee blow, projectile, or call, or use a Dodge skill, this is interrupted and you must start again.
You can examine and heal Wounds affecting another character following the instructions on the card.

Dissection

• Cost to learn: 2 XP
• Prerequisites: Medicine

You can use 10 seconds appropriate roleplay outside combat to remove an organ or body part from an unresisting or dead creature or character. (You can sever limbs using this skill, which has the same effect as CLEAVE but is harder to heal.)
You can examine the body of a dead or unresisting character or creature to get a good idea of their abilities. You must have a ref present (as a Guide or otherwise) to use this ability.

Graft

• Cost to learn: 3 XP
• Prerequisites: Surgery and Dissection

You may attempt to graft an organ, body part, or item onto another willing or unresisting character or creature.
This is a very risky process. This skill is most reliable when used to transplant a body part of the same species to replace one which has been lost or irreparably damaged. Grafting an inorganic item or an organ from another species is rather more dangerous. It is especially risky to attempt to give someone supernumerary body parts or organs.
The operation can be made easier and safer with appropriate magic, especially Wood or Earth.
You must have a ref present (as a Guide or otherwise) to use this ability.

Alchemy

• Cost to learn: 3 XP
• Prerequisites: Medicine

You can spend a few minutes appropriate roleplay and two doses of standard reagents to create a Potion of Power. When consumed by a character, it increases either their Stamina or Mana (but not both) to double its maximum value; they then take a Wound. You can also do this in downtime as a Minor Action.
You may spend 60 seconds appropriate roleplay and one dose of standard reagents to turn a glass of liquid into one of the following:
Pure water, inflammable oil, acid, alkali, lubricant, glue, solvent, dye, bleach, cooling solution, heat solution, preservative.

Advanced Alchemy

• Cost to learn: 2 XP
• Prerequisites: Alchemy

You can analyse and extract exotic reagents from biological samples in downtime as a Minor Action.
You may attempt to create new substances by combining different types of reagents. This allows you to create new consumables that grant the user special abilities, often related to the creature from which they were extracted.
You must have a ref present (as a Guide or otherwise) to use this ability.
Substances created from a combination of reagents can only be administered under the supervision of an alchemist, except for Potions of Power and any potion where the instructions specifically state otherwise.

Trader’s Appraisal

• Cost to learn: 1 XP
• Prerequisites: none

You can inspect an item with a treasure ribbon to get a good idea of its nature, value, and history.
You must have a ref present (as a Guide or otherwise) to use this ability.

Investigation

• Cost to learn: 2 XP
• Prerequisites: Trader’s Appraisal

You may detect simple forgeries with close investigation. You may use standard reagents to detect advanced forgeries. You must have a ref present (as a Guide or otherwise) to use this ability.
You are better at gathering information in downtime.

Spycraft

• Cost to learn: 2 XP
• Prerequisites: none

You can forge up to one document each downtime as a Minor Action.

Advanced Spycraft

• Cost to learn: 2 XP
• Prerequisites: Spycraft

You may choose to spend any quantity of reagents on a forgery. If you do, anyone wishing to detect it must spend at least as many doses of reagents as you spent. You must have a ref present (as a Guide or otherwise) to use this ability.
You are better at spreading information, rumours, propaganda, and similar in downtime.

Smuggling

• Cost to learn: 2 XP
• Prerequisites: Spycraft

You may conceal one item under 24” long such that a search cannot detect it. The item must be physically concealed from view for this skill to be effective.
You are better at moving goods or people unnoticed in downtime.

Business Connections

• Cost to learn: 1 XP
• Prerequisites: none

You may submit one rumour each interactive or in the following downtime, which will appear in the downtime of one or more other characters. You must have a ref present (as a Guide or otherwise) to use this ability.
You receive one additional rumour from each downtime.

Excellent Connections

• Cost to learn: 4 XP
• Prerequisites: Business Connections

You may call in a favour each downtime: this could be to get the help of some workers or thugs, borrow a fast horse to travel to other parts of the country, or ask traders for a particular item.
You receive one further additional rumour from each downtime (total two). If you don’t call in a favour, you will generally get a rumour from an obscure, distant, or powerful source.
This skill effectively allows you to choose from a range of options each downtime, and can be used as a passable substitute for skills including Followers (different from any you might already have), Exotic Income, or research abilities. It is also the only skill that reliably allows you to act outside the downtime map. However, it still doesn’t allow you to use more than one Major or Map action per downtime.

Disposable Income

• Cost to learn: 1 XP
• Prerequisites: none

You receive an extra sum of Petty Cash per interactive (twice as much as standard).

Substantial Income

• Cost to learn: 2 XP
• Prerequisites: Disposable Income

You receive a further extra sum of Petty Cash per interactive (three times as much as standard).

Exotic Income

• Cost to learn: 3 XP
• Prerequisites: Substantial Income

You receive one valuable or magical item per interactive, at random.

Followers

• Cost to learn: 3 XP
• Prerequisites: none

You have a group of followers and can ask them to do things for you. These could be a retinue, gang, military squadron, congregation, or something else.
You can order your followers to either provide backup on one of your downtime actions, or to take a downtime action on behalf of your character - although you may not take separate Major or Map Actions for yourself and your followers. They have some training in one of the following areas, which you should choose when selecting this skill:

• Exploring
• Raiding
• Foraging
• Influencing
• Investigating
• Being numerous

Career skills

These are a special category of general skills.

Buying membership in a faction marks you as a full member and gives you access to the faction’s budget. It also comes with an in-character expectation of trust and loyalty. At present, you can only spend XP for membership in the three major factions - you can belong to a smaller organisation, but there is no special skill involved in doing so.

At character creation, you may choose up to one of the faction membership skills listed here. Under certain circumstances, you may be able to advance in rank within a faction; this will allow you to spend XP on skills that give you additional in-character benefits, representing you consolidating influence after promotion.

While you are a member of one faction, you may not buy membership of or career skills for another. If you are expelled from a faction, you do not recover the XP spent on career skills for that faction, although you may be allowed to buy membership of another.

Noble Membership

• Cost to learn: 3 XP
• Prerequisites: none

You are a Knight or an influential retainer, and entitled to one share of the Noble Houses budget each week.
You may not combine this skill with any other faction membership skill.

Army Membership

• Cost to learn: 3 XP
• Prerequisites: none

You are a company officer or sergeant in the Armies, and entitled to one share of the Royal Armies budget each week.
You may not combine this skill with any other faction membership skill.

Coalition Membership

• Cost to learn: 3 XP
• Prerequisites: none

You are an active member of a reform society, and entitled to one share of the Reform Coalition budget each week.
You may not combine this skill with any other faction membership skill.