Scratch:Skills

Each of a character’s abilities gives him 1 skill point (SP) for each ability level. These SP can be used to purchase skills for that ability. A character with 5 levels of fighting ability could have the provoke (2 fighting SP) and dueling (3 fighting SP) skills, because 2 plus 3 is not greater than 5.

When a character gains ability levels he can learn new skills and trade his current skills for SP to buy different skills.

Bonus ability levels from craftsmanship or equipment do not provide extra SP.

Some skills replace other skills with lower SP values. A character with 4 levels of fighting ability and parry (3 fighting SP) can replace parry with counterattack (5 fighting SP) if she increases her fighting ability to 5.

Attack skills are new types of a attacks that a character can do instead of using the standard attacks or attack abilities. Action skills are stuff a character can do on her turn instead of standard actions like attacking, evading and using healing ability. Effect skills are not used as actions but may have an ongoing function or allow the character to do something immediately before or after a triggering event.

Some skills require specific equipment. Usually this equipment is not very expensive or rare, and you can assume that a character with those skills have the appropriate equipment. However some equipment might provide bonuses that only apply when you use that equipment. For example a sword that gives a +2 bonus to fighting attacks does not help with fighting skills that require an axe or polearm.