Skills

Gaining skills

Skills must be learned before their benefits can be used. Whenever the LEARN order is issued you gain experience points in the chosen skill. After earning some points your level in this skill increases. You need 5 experience points to attain first level in a skill and then 5 additional for every level thereafter (10 for level 2, 15 for level 3), making it harder and harder to get a new level. After gaining a new level, the expercience points will be decreased by the value that was necessary to get the new level.

Free experience points

Some actions grant free experience points. Whenever you learn a skill and have some of these, one point is automatically converted into a skill experience point, thus increasing the learning effect.

Racial modifiers

Almost every race has some skills they can learn faster or slower than others (see below for racial modifiers). These modifiers affect the skill level by adding it's value to it. However, these modifiers won't affect the character's skill value until first level.
Example:
An elf learns streetwise (modifier: -1). After he gained 5 experience points, his skill level would be normally 1, but with the modifier it drops back to 0. The elf gains 10 more experience points. His level would now normally be 2 but is decreased to 1.
He now wants to learn bow (modifier: +2). After collecting 5 points, his actual skill level is 1 + 2 (the modifier) = 3.

full name	short	drakkan	elf	lizardman	hawkman	halfling	halfgiant	human	dwarf
alchemy	alc	1	0	1	0	0	-2	0	0
armorer*	arm	0	-3	-1	-3	-1	-1	0	2
axe	axe	2	-3	0	0	-1	2	0	2
blacksmith	bla	0	-1	-1	0	0	1	0	1
bow	bow	1	2	-2	1	-1	-2	0	-3
bowyer*	boy	1	2	-2	1	0	-2	0	-3
brawling	bra	1	-2	0	0	1	3	0	0
club	clu	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
crossbow	cro	0	-1	-2	1	0	-1	0	1
dagger	dag	-1	1	1	0	2	-2	0	0
disarm traps	dis	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
driving	drv	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
endurance	end	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
evasion	eva	0	1	1	0	2	0	0	0
gambling	gam	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
herb lore	her	1	2	2	0	0	-2	0	0
joiner	joi	1	2	2	0	-1	-1	0	0
leadership	lea	0	1	0	0	0	-1	0	1
magic theory*	mag	0	1	1	0	1	-2	0	-1
make music	mmu	-1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
muscle training	mus	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
observation	obs	1	2	2	2	1	1	0	0
pick locks	pic	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
psionics	psi	-2	-3	-2	-2	-3	-3	-2	-3
riding	rid	0	0	0	0	-1	0	0	-1
sailor	sai	0	-1	1	-3	-3	-2	0	-3
sling	sln	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
spear	spe	2	1	2	2	0	0	0	-1
stealing	stl	-2	1	2	-2	3	-3	0	0
stealth	sth	-2	1	0	-2	1	-3	-1	-1
streetwise	str	-1	-1	-2	0	3	-1	0	0
sword	swo	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
tactics	tac	0	0	0	1	0	-1	0	1
tamer	tam	1	2	2	0	-1	-2	0	-2
teacher	tea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
theology*	the	0	0	2	0	0	-1	0	0
trading	tra	0	0	-2	2	3	-1	0	2
weaponsmith*	wea	0	-2	-1	-2	-1	0	0	2
writing	wri	-1	1	-2	0	0	-1	0	1

* - These skills have prerequisistes that must be met, before thay can be learned.

Descriptions

Alchemy[alc]
Allow you mix potions.

Armorer[arm]
Let you build all types of armors including shields. You need blacksmith on level 2 before you can learn this skill.

Axe[axe]
Gives a bonus to hit chance and damage when using an axe in combat.

Bow[bow]
Gives a bonus to hit chance and damage when using a bow in combat.

Bowyer[boy]
This skill allows a character to build bows and crossbows in a smithy or forge. You need joiner on level 2 before you can learn this skill.

Brawling[bra]
If a character looses his weapon, he can resort to this skill, for means of self-defense.

Club[clu]
Gives a bonus to hit chance and damage when using a club or cudgel in combat.

Crossbow[cro]
Gives a bonus to hit chance and damage when using a crossbow in combat.

Dagger[dag]
Gives a bonus to hit chance and damage when using a dagger in combat.

Driving[drv]
This skill is needed to drive all sorts of wagons and chariots.

Endurance[end]
Increases the base hitpoints by 10% per skill level.

Evasion[eva]
A combat skill that increases the chance to successfully flee from combat. As long as no armor is worn, the defense value increases also. Note that clothes and robes are technically used like armour but are not considered to be it.

Gambling[gam]
This skill combines statistic fortelling with intuition to successfully participate in games of chance.

Herbalist[her]
Let you find herbs.

Joiner[joi]
Let you build all types of wooden weapons.

Jousting[jou]
Gives a bonus to hit chance and damage when using a lance and mount in combat. Usage: combat action use jou.

Leadership[lea]
Allows successfully leading a small group into combat.

Magic theory[mag]
Gives the abillity to learn and use magic spells. You need writing on level 2 before you can learn this skill.

Make music[mmu]
This skill allows to earn money in taverns.

Muscle training[mus]
Increases the base strength by 10% per skill level.

Observation[obs]
Useful to find hidden persons, objects or places.

Psionic[psi]
Gives the abillity to learn and use psionic powers.

Riding[rid]
This skill is used to ride all kinds of mounts.

Sailor[sai]
Let you drive boats and catch fishes.

Sling[sln]
Gives a bonus to hit chance and damage when using a sling in combat.

Spear[spe]
Gives a bonus to hit chance and damage when using any kind of spear or staff in combat.

Stealing[stl]
An illegal way to earn money. A good thief can earn a lot of money. A bad one can loose his freedom or even worse: his life.

Stealth[sth]
Prevents the character from being seen. Needed when pick-pocketing or doing other criminal things.

Streetwise[str]
The character knows where to look for the right places. Needed to locate some buildings in settlements.

Sword[swo]
Gives a bonus to hit chance and damage when using a sword in combat.

Tactics[tac]
Allows successfully leading an army into battle.

Tamer[tam]
Lets the character tame wild horses and other animals.

Teacher[tea]
Necesary to teach another person a skill.

Theology[the]
Gives the abillity to learn and use holy miracles. You need writing on level 2 before you can learn this skill.

Trading[tra]
Allows you to get better prices when buying or selling stuff.

Weaponsmith[wea]
Let you build all types of weapons. You need blacksmith on level 2 before you can learn this skill.

Writing[wri]
Let you read old scrolls and allows you to write notes.

Advanced skills

There exist many so-called advanced skills that aren't available for a new charakter. As soon as he has learned some basic skill, though, he may have met the prerequisites for one or more advances skills. They will be shown in the report and the character can learn and use them from then on.

Teachers

There exist two types of teachers: PCs and NPCs. PC teacher need the TEACHER skill in order to teach other characters. The higher the teacher skill and the bigger the difference in the skill that is taught between teacher and teached, the higher the experience bonus. A PC teacher is required to set the TEACH order every day he wants to teach someone.

Example:
A character with TEACHER 7 and RIDING 9 wants to teach a character with RIDING 4. The difference is 3 (the minimum of TEACHER and RIDING of the teacher against RIDING skill of learner). This will grant only a small bonus (+1).
Later he teaches another character with RIDING on level 0. The difference is now 7 and the bonus will be substantially higher.
Later again, he teaches a character with RIDING 8. No bonus is granted, even though his RIDING is 9, his TEACHER skill is below 8.

NPC teachers need to be hired. The best time to do this is between morning and mid of the day. At evening a teacher will recap if the character he tried to teach was learning the skill he teaches. If not, he automatically resigns his service and is free to be hired by someone else. NPC teachers grant a higher bonus to experience, the bigger the difference in the skill level is.