Skills

Skills are ranked on a scale from 0 to 6, with higher numbers representing increasing mastery of the skill. At character creation, you have 7 points with which to purchase skills. These costs are not cumulative.

Levels 5 and 6 are unavailable at character creation. In order to reach them, you will need to find a Master who will teach you and will more often than not demand something in return.

You receive one training point on turns 1, 3, 5 and 7. These can be traded in for advancement of any skill to the next rank (1-4). Up to one training point may be saved and spent on any subsequent turn. Skills improve at the end of the turn, except on Turn 7.

To advance to Rank 5 you require a Master. To advance to Rank 6 you need a Transcendent Master. If you took the positive Master quirk at game start then you already have a master willing to train you to Rank 5.

If you do not already have a Master or Transcendent Master and are considering training a skill to a rank which requires one then please email us in advance of turnsheeting. This will allow us to give you a small quest or task which will make the training more interesting.

If you do not already have a Master then you must spend one action to find or impress a new one. Only then may you spend a training point. The action and spending the training point must be on separate turns, i.e. spread over two turnsheets.

If you do not already have a Transcendent Master then you must spend two actions to locate and impress such an illusive or legendary figure. Only then may you spend a training point. The two actions and spending the training point must each occur on separate turns, i.e. spread over three turnsheets.

“Those of you lucky enough to still have your lives, take them with you! But leave the limbs you have lost. They belong to me now.”
-Meng the Monstrous, Duke of Wu

The Martial Arts skill represents your abilities and knowledge of combat. An experienced Martial Artist will obviously be good in a fight, but may also be better in physical situations in general, as well as being proficient at analyzing other peoples styles and weaknesses. The Martial Artist skill will be used to determine the results of small combats, and while it may help you individually in a large battle, the skill to lead great armies and win decisive victories against large groups is Strategy.

When choosing this skill, you must specify a specialisation, such as Dragon Style, mounted archery, or underwater spear fighting. You may take this skill multiple times for multiple specialisations.

Note If, for whatever reason, you decide to fight without using your fighting style (say you have a banned style and wish not to use it in a fight or as a swordsman you lose your blade) then your Martial Arts level will be treated as if it were 1 less for that action.

“The finest plans have always been spoiled by the littleness of them that should carry them out. Even emperors can't do it all by themselves.”
-Francesca An

The Administration skill represents your ability to make the Bureaucracy work for you rather than against you. It is a valuable skill in any manner of large scale project, be it monitoring trade, feeding an army or organising the construction of a palace. Highly skilled administrators are often practitioners of Wei Wu Wei (action without action) and are able to achieve desirable results with a minimum of personal intervention.

“I shoulda known you'd be behind this, Fiendish Dr. Wu. Your knowledge of scientific transmogrifications is only outmatched by your zest for Kung-Fu treachery!”
-Heise Zhayao, Agent of the Chrysanthemum

The Artifice skill represents your ability to create devices wondrous or terrible. This ranges from simple traps and crude weapons to nigh-impenetrable armour and rocket-powered gliders.
Artifice is the skill of creating unique items rather than mass produced goods. It is suitable for designing colossal war machines or forging legendary blades from meteoric iron, not for equipping the Duke of Wu's army with a 3 percent more accurate crossbow.

“The musician can have Kung-Fu, or the poet who paints pictures with words and makes emperors weep. This, too, is Kung-Fu.”
-Lu Yuan, the Immortal

The Artistry skill represents your ability to create inspiring works. Any fool can pick up a brush or canvas but there is skill to creating true art. People with this skill are capable of creating truly moving works, for example a painting can inspire an army to fight, a poem may make a person question their beliefs. The world can be changed with an inspirational work.

“Medicine can only cure curable disease, and then not always.”
-Sifei Wen, Court Physician

The Medicine skill represents your ability to heal people of their ills, as well as your knowledge of herbs, massage, acupuncture and other medical techniques. The body may be suffering from an unbalance of chi caused by some underlying pattern of disharmony. One skilled in Medicine is able to diagnose the cause of the condition and find some way to cure it. A good physician is capable of restoring a person to their peak of physical perfection, or even beyond, yet the practice of medicine is not always easy, sometimes the cure may require rare herbs far from Chi'in, or unusual treatments. See also The Medicine of Chi'in.

“The most merciful thing in the world is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.”
-Tung Fu Kela Fu Te, Explorer

The Occult skill represents your knowledge of the various supernatural entities in the world in and around the Empire. It gives you great knowledge of local superstition and the various ghosts, demons and other beings encountered about Chi'in. This knowledge may be practically used to help ward off or combat supernatural entities, for example allowing you to try to exorcise a demon, or fend off a vengeful jiangshi (hopping vampire) with rice chaff and thread stained with black ink.

“Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”
-Moon, Imperial Courtesan

The Oratory skill represents your skill with words, your ability to convince and manipulate or mislead people to your advantage. A whisper in the right ear, a well spun rumor can bring a nation to its knees. This skill does not make people instantly believe or do anything you tell them, but cunning lies and half-truths are more likely to be accepted, your arguments and points are made well, your words have more weight behind them, and you generally come across as you wish to in conversation.

Note: This skill will not work on player characters, you will have to attempt to manipulate them yourself.

“Attack if you can attack, defend if you can't attack, flee if you can't defend, surrender if you can't flee, die if you can't surrender!”
-Sima Yi, General of the Empire, to the rebel warlord Gong Sun Yuan.

The Strategy skill represents your ability to lead armies into combat. While the Martial Artist may be unbeaten in single combat, your battles are of a far larger scale, you are responsible for the life and death of thousands. Your strategies are well thought out and decisive, your ingenuity and cunning helping you win great victories on the battlefield. This skill may also be used if you participate in any kind of strategic game.

“Is the sword the only answer?”
-Zhan Jian, Assassin of the Black Lotus

The Tradecraft skill represents your ability to conduct the discreet activities of a thief or spy. Stealth, larceny, lockpicking and sleight of hand all fall within its purview. A knowledge of Tradecraft also allows one to protect against intrusions and increases your chance of spotting less skilled practitioners should they attempt their arts in your presence.