Skill Based Action
A class, profession, or vocation is a function of the campaign world, not a universal aspect that can give structure to a game. The advantage of such a template is that it identifies the basic fantasy archetypes. For those who want to explore the archetypes a method of breaking the mold and reshaping it must exist. In choosing a skill based system all characters are reduced to first principles. It is therefore critical that the setting help shape the re-creation of the characters with access (or denial of access) to various skill groups. The societies, knighthoods, schools, churches, orders, guilds, and clubs of your campaign world will provide a living framework for this interaction. Skills are part of the campaign, not the rules The method of resolving skills and integrating them into the action of the game is well documented in the core rules. Included with the core rule book is a wide selection of skill descriptions on separate pages. Why? Skills are source material. This is a truth that few game designers are able to come to terms with. Pottery is a skill that grows from a culture -- a culture with access to clay; a culture with the need to store things in jars and pots. Almost every culture on Earth has had the ability to make clay pots. Almost.
Regional Variation and Exploration through Learning
Skills are not meaningless numbers on a sheet. They are the accumulated experience of a character and a portal into the world from which they were born. As you explore new areas and cultures your characters are discovering new skills. Some of these skills will be compelling enough to learn. As you learn cross-cultural skills you are performing an exploration. The bottom line is that you don't know what is around the next corner. You can't predict what an initiate of the Red League is capable of -- you won't even be able to classify them as belonging to a character type. Certainly they may have some skills and guarded secrets that are common amongst them, but those are after all the secrets. In ancient Japan there were a group of people called ninjas who worked for their Daimyo, or feudal lord. These people didn't all have the same set of skills, and many of them, contrary to popular belief, knew very little about the martial arts. There were common elements, shared skills, and most importantly lots of stories and rumours.
Skill Development
Skills develop over time. Although there may be some times when a threshold is crossed that allows a certain skill to become useful or to take on a new dimension, skills don't randomly appear out of nowhere. A character who begins his career weilding an axe, and practices it every day will not easily match that skill the day they are shown spear fighting. Mystical skills and abilities do not appear out of a vaccuum either, however they may require the culmination of other skills to become effective. Skills that may enhance other skills are known as transferrable skills. Highly transferrable skills are some of the most sought after. What these skills are and where they can be acquired belong strictly in the providence of the story-teller.
Mystery, Imagination, and Philosophy
Preserving the mystery of the game requires that the mechanics and inter-relationship between skills rest with the storyteller. As each skill exists in both a societal and philosophical milieu the imaginative nature of the game takes shape. Players are free to develop their character in any way that they want without being able to cherry-pick a list of great skills. Skill requires a commitment -- commitment to a teacher, commitment to a philosophy, and commitment to action. Game Balance As every aspect of a character can be balanced into a skill, preserving game balance is extremely easy. Developing challenges for players is made is as thre is such a breadth of skills, no character can hope to become a master of everything. Excitment is restored for every kind of character, from the novice to the seasoned veteran.
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