What Are Skills?

Skills, along with Traits, are a common way for the game to determine whether Your Character succeeds on a task. Each skill has a rating that can't go below 0 and has no upper limit. Usually, skills don't become reliable until at least skill 10 and, depending on the task, skill 20. Most skills are fairly reliable with a rating of 30 or more, but there are checks that require even higher levels of skill.

How to Increase Skills

Gaining Experience

In general, attempting a task gives experience that accumulates to increase the skill rating. At low skill ratings, any success or failure will raise the rating, though success seems to increase it more. As the rating increases and success rates go up, it becomes harder to raise the rating. For optimum skill increases, attempt tasks that have about a 75% success rate if possible. In general, if your skill has a 100% success rate, success won't raise a skill, but there are exceptions (for instance, working the stalls at the Border Market will raise Skill/Business without apparent limit).

Boosting Skills with Gear

Clothing, equipment, and Spikes can raise your effective skill levels. Adjust your Outfit and Equipment to improve your odds or your training.

All Known Skills

This is the list of all known skills in the game. Your character may not show all of the skills, as skills with an effective rating of 0 or less are not displayed in the Character tab.

Analytical thinking

Thinking. Analyzing. Figuring things out.

Business

Money. Management. The hustle.

Close range

Pistols. Shotguns. Up close, but not too personal.

Cooking

Preparing food for yourself or others. Maybe other things too.

Creativity

Art, writing, music, whatever your calling.

Cybernetics

The machine inside you. Or inside someone else. Wetware. Firmware. Hardware. You know it all.

Dancing

Got your moves on.

Driving

Just drive.

Electronics

Wiring, solder, chips, capacitors…

Empathy

Putting yourself in another’s shoes. Understanding them. Helping them out.

Explosives

For when you really want to create an impact. Make sure to keep your distance.

First aid

Blood. Bruises. Broken bones. No problem.

Flirtation

The opposite sex… your own. Whatever works for you.

Hacking

Machines. Data. Interrupted.

Hand to hand

Knives. Blood. That’s it.

Heavy weapons

Heavy machine guns. Rocket launchers. Mortars. Flame throwers. Little things like that.

Intimidation

It’s not about raw strength. More a certain kind of presence.

Knives

Fighting. Throwing. Honing. Everything you need to make use of these silky little things.

Lateral thinking

Creative problem solving. Thinking outside of the box.

Leadership

It’s not about bending people to your will. It’s about making them want to bend.

Learning

Learning how to learn is an art in itself.

Lock picking

It just takes practice.

Long range

Pick them off from afar. Crave the red mist.

MMI

The mind machine interface. Hard to master. Perfection if you do.

Martial arts

Speed. Precision. Resolution.

Mechanic

Engines. Gears. Grease and hard metal.

Medicine

More than mere first aid. A better understanding of the body.

Nanotech

There’s a fine art to nanites; bending them to your will.

Observation

Can you see behind the obvious? Detect clues that others would miss?

Persuasion

Talking sweet. A certain look. Reading a person’s mood.

Physical labour

It’s hard work but someone’s got to do it.

Pimping

They are willing, you just have to show them how much they want it.

Riding

Boards, blades, you name it.

Self-control

Control only comes from awareness, and awareness only comes from knowledge. Of the self.

Self-presentation

Getting out there. Getting your moves on.

Sex

Got the moves when it comes to bumping and grinding.

Silent kill

Elegant. Deadly. Precise.

Sleight of hand

Deft fingers, misdirection. Smoke and mirrors.

Sneak

Moving silently. Catching people unaware.

Survival

Living off the land. Living by your wits.

Tactical awareness

You, the opponent, and all the choices in between.

Throwing

Throwing a heavy object to precisely where you need it to be? Harder than it looks.

Torture

Hurting people. Getting what you need to know. Simple.

Training

There’s an art to your gains.

Unarmed

Boxing or bare knuckle, doesn’t matter.

Urban survival

Got what it takes to survive on the streets?

Urbex

Getting deeper into the mean streets. Rooftops. Drain pipes. Underground. Doesn’t matter.

Very long range

Sniper rifles. The pink mist.

Weapons

Gun nut? Or just for practical purposes.

Prostitution

The oldest profession.

Chemistry

Cooking with science.