Mano a Mano:Abilities

Abilities

Abilities allow characters to do certain types of actions, or do them better. Each of a character's abilities has a modifier which is added as to success rolls when a character tries to use the ability to do something difficult. Abilities can also give the character other advantages based on ability modifier. Characters can usually try to use (or fake) many abilities they don't have, but some special abilities, like flight, cannot be imitated without the right abilities or equipment. These abilities often have a special CP value. (See Game Design/Template CP.)

Each game should have an ability list adapted to the setting and style of play. The following ability list is just one example of the abilities a game might have. Some abilities may only be available to certain templates, and others have a maximum modifier. (See Game Design/Templates/Abilities.) The game designer should decide which abilities characters can develop. Some abilities may be available to all characters all the time. Others may only be available to certain templates, or may only be changed while creating a character.

Athletic Abilities

can increase a character's health. (See Action/Damage and Health.) Athletic abilities do not include fighting abilities such as Hand to Hand or Marksmanship, but do include movement abilities such as running, swimming and climbing. (See Action/Movement.) Other athletic abilities could include Stamina, Acrobatics, Dance or Yoga.

Strength

An athletic ability which affects a character's grip. (See Character Creation/Grip.)

Running

An athletic ability that improves a character's ability to move on the ground. (See Action/Movement.)

Swimming

An athletic ability that improves a character's ability to move in water. (See Action/Movement.)

Climbing

An athletic ability that improves a character's ability to climb. (See Action/Movement.)

Acrobatics

An athletic ability which helps a character perform acrobatic feats, such as jumping and tumbling without getting hurt. (See Action/Movement.)

Flight

An athletic ability that improves a character's ability to move in the air. Usually characters may not develop the flight ability unless their template also has this ability. (See Action/Movement.)

Stealth and Detection Abilities

Sleight of hand

The ability to use illusion, distraction and suggestion as well as manual dexterity to perform subtle actions in plain sight without being noticed. Sleight of hand can be used to conceal weapons, draw them without being noticed, pick pockets, pass notes in class and perform magic tricks.

Stealth

The ability to remain undetected while sneaking around, ambushing, or hiding from searches. Stealth is used against detection rolls. When a stealth roll succeeds against one or more opposing detection rolls, the character using stealth successfully hides from the characters trying to find him. (See Gameplay/Success Rolls/Multiple Opposing Actions.)

Detection

The ability to detect others sneaking around, avoid ambushes, and search for hidden objects and characters. Detection is used against stealth rolls. When a detection roll succeeds against a stealth roll, the detecting character successfully finds those trying to hide from him.

Transportation Abilities

Navigation

This ability is used to control water vehicles. For piloting planes, see piloting ability. Navigation includes both the ability to steer the vessel and the ability to use charts, instruments and visual cues to get where you want to go.

Piloting

This ability is used to control air vehicles. For piloting boats see navigation ability. Piloting includes both the ability to steer and land the vehicle, and the ability to use instruments, charts and so forth.

Driving

This ability is used to control mechanical ground vehicles. This ability includes both the physical skill of driving and knowledge of roads and traffic systems related to driving.

Animal handling

A knowledge of animal behavior, maintenance and safety. Animal handling includes the ability to control riding animals, but not the physical ability to do riding stunts. (See riding ability.)

Riding

An athletic ability similar to animal handling ability except that it can only be used to control animals that are ridden. Riding ability helps with physically challenging riding stunts.

Combat Abilities

Unarmed combat

A character's unarmed combat modifier is added to their close range fighting bonuses with grappling techniques or natural weapons. A martial-arts themed game might have more than one unarmed combat ability, with a different set of techniques for each of these abilities.

One-handed weapons

A combat ability which can be used with short weapons and flexible weapons as long as the heft of the weapon is at least one point less than the character's grip.

Two-handed weapons

A combat ability which can be used with long weapons and some short weapons and flexible weapons (ball and chain, giant sword, bastard sword, broadsword, club, cane, maul, axe, mattock)

Thrown weapons

A combat ability used when throwing thrown weapons or hand weapons. This ability can be used for catching and throwing both weapons and other items.

Marksmanship

A combat ability used with guns and bows

Communication Abilities

Each language the character knows in addition to the character's first language is an ability. Effective conversation in languages other than the character's first language usually requires a success roll.

Communication

This ability improves a character's ability to communicate in all languages, including the character's native language. Communication or specific language ability modifier, whichever is greater, is added to success rolls for simple communication, like asking for the general direction to a named place. More complex communication may use the character's language ability or communication modifier, whichever is less. Complex communication in a character's first language can even require a communication success roll.

Acting

This ability is used by a character to change their own behavior for entertainment or deception. Acting can be used for concealing beliefs or intentions, and for impersonation. Acting ability can make a believable lie more convincing, but making a lie believable may require both communication and acting ability.

Other Abilities

Agriculture

The ability to produce raw materials by growing plants and animals.

Art

This ability is used to make effective visual presentations, including decoration, sculpting, painting and drawing.

Cooking

This ability is used to produce food from appropriate raw materials.

Craftsmanship

General proficiency in creating "low tech" products in a variety of materials from textiles to smithing, carpentry and stonework.

Engineering

The ability to design and repair technologically sophisticated things, from structures to gadgets.

Law

Understanding how systems of government work, and the ability to use those systems.

Medicine

This ability is used to help injured characters heal, to treat sickness, disease and poisoning, and to help characters stay healthy. (A character can also use their medical knowledge to poison others or spread disease.)

Music

The ability to produce effective structured audio presentations. Music includes the ability to recognize, remember and repeat organized patterns of pitch and rythm, as long as the character is physically able to hear and duplicate the sounds.

Regeneration

Improves the character's ability to heal quickly. The character recovers one extra damage point each week for each point of their regeneration modifier.

Science

The ability to learn about the natural world through observation and experiments. Science also includes the ability to share observations and broad familiarity with current scientific knowledge. Scientific research combined with the application of other abilities helps to increase the level of technology available.

Teaching

This ability is used to help other characters learn.

Disabilities

While other Abilities have a positive effect on a character, disabilities have a negative effect. Disabilities affect a broad range of success rolls. One disability can interfere with the use of several Abilities.

Farsighted

Farsightedness affects close range actions such as hand to hand and craftsmanship.

Nearsighted

Nearsightedness affects long range actions such as navigation and marksmanship.

Deaf

Deafness affects sound-dependent actions such as detection and communication.

Lame

Lameness affects movement abilities such as acrobatics, running, swimming, and climbing.

Ignorant

Ignorance affects any action for which you do not have a specific ability modifier.

Disability levels are similar to normal ability levels, but disability levels are subtracted instead of added to success rolls. Disability Level modifiers are cumulative: If a character has 3 levels of Deaf and 4 levels of Nearsighted, then he has a total of -7 to detect a target at a distance (-3 for not being able to hear well and -4 for poor distance vision.) Unless otherwise specified, disabilities have a maximum level of 4 (a modifier of -4/negative four.)

Game designers should consider limitations on disabilities, to prevent characters with severe disabilities or multiple disabilities from getting huge advantages with the extra CP, and to prevent players from creating characters who are too difficult to play. A gem could limit which disabilities are allowed, maximum disability levels, how many disabilities a character can have, or the combined CP value of a character's disabilities.