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- Danger Sense (Mental 2, Ego/Aura +1, Wisdom/Intuition +1) — This skill provides
the character with a sixth sense that warns him of impending danger
from traps, hazards and ambushes. When the character is approximately
one round away from triggering the threat (for example, in one
round he’ll step on a rattlesnake if he keeps moving at his current
rate), the DM makes a secret skill check. If the check fails,
the DM tells him nothing. If the check succeeds, the character
feels a tingling in the back of his neck or on the tips of his
fingers; the DM tells him the general direction of the threat
(in front, to the right, overhead, and so on). The character doesn’t
learn anything about the type of threat; it might be pool of quicksand,
a concealed lion or a hidden trip wire. It’s up to the character
to figure out how to respond to the warning.
- If the threat is an impending ambush from an NPC or a creature,
the character can only be surprised on a roll of one and if not
surprised, automatically gains the initiative on the first round
of combat (assuming that combat ensues one round after the character
is altered by his Danger Sense). On a successful skill check,
a character with Danger Sense is affected by a rear attack as
if it were a flank attack.
- The DM may decide that the character’s Danger Sense does not work
against unfamiliar dangers. If an island barbarian has never seen
a poisonous snake, he might be oblivious to the rattlesnake’s
danger. Exotic magical traps or illusions may also circumvent
Danger Sense.
- Debate (Mental 1, Intelligence/Reason) — Characters with the Debate
skill can hold their own during heated discussions, remaining
quick-witted and cool-tempered. They do not gain the ability to
convince guards or holy warriors of their viewpoints, however.
Nor can they sway the thinking of unruly hordes or skeptical masses.
- This skill does allow them to engage in meaningful arguments,
impressing others with their mental faculties. As a result, debaters
gain a +2 bonus to encounter reactions. When they’re attempting
to smooth ruffled feathers, the bonus is subtracted from the result
on the dice. When they’re attempting to enrage another character
with cheek and guile, the bonus is added to the dice roll.
- An individual with the Debate skill is quite engaging. As a result,
a character verbally battling one-on-one with such a debater is
less watchful of his or her surroundings. Pickpocket attempts
against that character are made at +5% bonus, the character’s
initiative is penalized by one phase, the character’s ability
checks are made at -3 and skill checks are at -15%. (The debater
does not suffer these penalties unless doing battle with another
debater.)
- Debaters cannot automatically preoccupy others, however. An individual
must be willing to talk in the first place before a debater can
use this skill.
- Further, the skill doesn’t work unless the targeted individual
is at least cautious (on the Reaction Table) toward the debater
(if they saw eye-to-eye, there would be nothing to debate). Assuming
these conditions are met, the debate begins if a successful skill
check is rolled. If the roll fails, the debater cannot attempt
to engage the target again for at least one turn. If the skill
check succeeds, the debate continues until the target makes a
d20 roll higher than his or her Intelligence/Reason score. The
smarter the individual, the livelier the debate, and the harder
it is to end it. Debate also ends if a sudden action or activity
interrupts it — for example, a failed pickpocket attempt, a sudden
attack or magical explosion, a scream from the harem, and so forth.
As soon as the debate ends, so do the penalties noted above.
- Two individuals with the Debate skill can seek to best each other
in verbal sparring. In this case, both make skill checks each
round until one fails. Both characters are preoccupied; they suffer
the penalties noted above while engaging each other in debate.
- Detect Signing (Mental 1, Intelligence/Reason +1) — This skill allows a character
to realize when rogues from other guilds or crime families are
communicating using their own secret signs. The character who
makes a Detect Signing roll recognizes seemingly meaningless symbols
found in writing and ordinary speech as having special meaning,
although he will not know the content of the communication.
- If a character makes a Detect Signing roll by 30% or better, he
can recognize one word or symbol in a specific communication and
understand its meaning. The DM chooses which word the character
recognizes. (This is an opportunity for the DM to pass an intriguing
clue on to the rogue character.)
- Diagnostics (Mental 1, Intelligence/Knowledge -1) — Both the Healing and Diagnostics skills aid victims of trauma and disease. However,
while the Healing skill can be used to restore lost hit points,
Diagnostics is mainly concerned with determining the cause of
the damage and the prognosis. Diagnostics alone will not heal
damage. With a successful skill check, a character becomes aware
of all the following information applicable to a particular patient:
- If the patient has suffered physical damage, the character can
determine the extent of the damage, though he may not be able
to ascertain the exact cause (if a victim was attacked by a tiger,
the character will know that the victim was clawed by a large
animal, but not necessarily the species). The character can recommend
treatments and offer a prognosis, as with victims of diseases.
- If the patient has been poisoned, the character knows the antidote
(if one exists) and how to prepare it. Note, even if the character
knows how to prepare an antidote, he may not have access to the
necessary ingredients.
- The character knows the name of the disease, its cause, how long
the patient has had it, and the optimum treatment. If the patient
is treated as specified, he suffers the mildest form of the disease
and its shortest duration. If the patient declines treatment,
or the treatment doesn’t work, the character can determine the
patient’s prognosis with reasonable accuracy. (“The patient will
recover by the end of the month.” “The patient will become permanently
blind if not treated within a year.”) The character may diagnose
both natural and magical diseases.
- When examining a corpse, the character can determine how the victim
died and approximately how long it’s been dead. If the victim
died of unnatural causes, the character will only be able to determine
the general circumstances of the death. For example, if an evil
wizard incinerated the victim with a fireball, a successful Diagnostics
check might reveal that the victim burned to death very rapidly
as a result of some type of magic, but not that it was affected
by a fireball.
- A character with this skill may diagnose himself or any other
character or animal, except for supernatural creatures (such as
a ghost or skeleton) and creatures from another plane of existence
(like a xorn or aerial servant). He may attempt to diagnose an
individual or creature only once.
If a character also has the Healing skill, he may modify all Diagnostic checks by +5%.
- Diplomacy (Mental 1, Charisma/Leadership -1) — This is the grand art of
high diplomacy between states or organizations. A character skilled
in Diplomacy knows the correct procedures and unwritten rules
of negotiations between states or large organizations. He is capable
of discerning the true intent of the various declarations, statements
and gifts or exchanges that make up a diplomatic encounter, and
he is able to take his own wishes and couch them in proper diplomatic
terms.
- Normally, the character only needs to make a skill check if the
negotiations are particularly delicate or difficult. However,
if there is a specific goal or compromise the character is working
towards, he may attempt a check to see if he can win the other
side over to his point. Naturally, the DM can apply a modifier
of -40% to +40% depending on what the diplomat’s offer means to
the parties involved. Requesting the surrender of a vastly superior
enemy is next to impossible, unless the character can convince
them that they stand to gain something of great value by giving
up. In any event, the DM shouldn’t use this ability as a substitute
for good role playing by the players.
- Direction Sense (Mental 1, Wisdom/Intuition +1) — A character with this skill
has an innate sense of direction. By concentrating for 1d6 rounds,
the character can try to determine the direction the party is
headed. If the check fails but is less than 96%, the character
errs by 90 degrees. If a 96-00 is rolled, the direction chosen
is exactly opposite the true heading. (The DM rolls the check.)
Furthermore, when traveling in the wilderness, the character’s
chance of becoming lost is reduced by his ability score bonus
for this skill.
- Racial modifiers: Surface elves receive a +5% bonus to this skill. Dwarves and races
native to the Everdark receive a +5% bonus to this skill when
using it underground. However when using the skill on the surface
their skill scores are penalized by -15%. Surface dwelling races
receive a -10% penalty when using this skill underground, but
receive no special bonus (except for elves) when using it on the
surface. Oceanus elves receive a +5% bonus when using this skill
in a watery environment, but are penalized -15% when using it
on land.
- Dirty Tricks (Mental 1, Wisdom/Intuition -2) — The Dirty Tricks skill allows
a character to learn how to fight dirty against an opponent. Although
the exact methods may vary from character to character, the skill
allows the PC to distract an opponent just long enough to get
away with something otherwise not possible. The method of trickery
must necessarily vary depending on terrain, the opponent, and
numerous other factors. Even weather can have a serious effect
on the tricks a character can play.
- The Dirty Tricks skill gives a +1 bonus to one of several actions
the PC can take in the combat round, provided the PC makes a successful
skill check. A foe may make a Wisdom/Intuition check at -2 to
detect the trick or alternately a Dirty Tricks skill check if
the opponent has also has the skill. A successful Wisdom check
or Dirty Tricks skill check negates the Dirty Trick for that round.
- The Dirty Tricks bonus may be applied to the user’s attack, initiative
(one phase bonus) or damage results. The trickster may also choose
to apply the bonus as a penalty (-1) to an opponent’s attack,
initiative or damage. The desired bonus must be announced before
the skill is checked. A failed check indicates that the enemy
is alert to such tricks and will not fall prey to them later in
the combat.
- Dirty Tricks generally work only once or twice against any given
opponent, no matter what forms are used. They remember those who
engage in such tricks against them, usually with negative overtones.
Only those with average or lower Intelligence will succumb to
a dirty trick played twice unless it is exceptionally clever.
Players are encouraged to think of the tricks themselves, rather
than simply rolling the dice.
- Each Dirty Trick played by the PC against the same enemy gives
the enemy a cumulative +2 bonus on his Wisdom/Intuition check
or +10% bonus to his Dirty Tricks skill check. Unless it can be
reasonably expected that the foe would not remember the character
using a dirty trick, this bonus is permanent. A bonus also applies
if the character has a reputation for dirty tricks, when facing
someone who would know of this reputation.
- Sample Dirty Tricks include throwing sand in a foes’ eyes, playing
dead to lure and enemy into striking distance, clouting him in
sensitive areas, forcing him to spring arena-laid traps and so
forth.
- Disguise (Mental 1, Charisma/Appearance -1) — The character with this
skill is trained in the art of disguise. He can make himself look
like any general type of person of about the same height, age,
weight and race. A successful skill check indicates that the disguise
is successful, while a failed roll means the attempt was too obvious
in some way.
- The character can also disguise himself as a member of another
race or sex. In this case, a -35% penalty is applied to the skill
check. The character may also attempt to disguise himself as a
specific person, with a -50% penalty to the skill check. These
modifiers are cumulative, thus, it is extremely difficult for
a character to disguise himself as a specific person of another
race or sex (a -85% penalty to the check).
- Racial modifiers: Dwarves are penalized by -5% when using this skill.
- Distance Sense (Mental 1, Wisdom/Intuition) — This skill enables a character
on a successful skill check to estimate the total distance he’s
traveled in any given day, part of a day, or a number of consecutive
days equal to his level. For instance, a 7th-level character can
estimate the distance he’s traveled in the previous week. The
estimate will be 90 percent accurate.
- Dowsing (Mental 1, Wisdom/Intuition -3) — This is the skill of finding
lost or hidden items by seeking a disturbance in the subtle natural
energies that permeate the earth. A dowser is attuned to the invisible,
intangible eddies and currents of the world around him; by careful
and methodical searching, he can detect particular emanations
or anomalies.
- Dowsing has two general uses: First, the character can attempt
to detect natural deposits or minerals in the ground, such as
water, gold or other ores. Secondly, the character can attempt
to find a specific man-made item that has been lost or hidden,
such as a friend’s dagger, a buried treasure chest or the entrance
to a barrow mound. The search must be very precise — the dowser
will have no luck if he sets out to find “the most valuable thing
in this field” or “the nearest magical weapon,” but “Aunt Claire’s
missing brooch” or “the gold buried by the pirate Raserid” are
suitable searches.
- Unlike the spell locate object, the dowser isn’t led or directed
to the item he seeks; he has to actually pass within 10 feet of
the item, or walk over the place where it is buried, and succeed
in a skill check to detect the item. (The DM should keep this
check hidden from the players so that he doesn’t give away the
location with a failed check.) Dowsing can take a long time; quartering
the dirt floor of a cellar 20 feet square might take 1d3 turns,
while checking a field or courtyard might take 1d3 hours. Searching
an area larger than 100 yards square is impractical — the dowser
gets tired of concentrating.
- A dowser can detect items or substances within 100 feet of the
surface, although very strong or powerful sources may be detected
slightly deeper. The dowser can guess the approximate depth of
what he’s seeking within plus or minus 10 percent when he stumbles
across it.
- Dwarf Runes (Mental 2, Intelligence/Knowledge +2) — Dwarf Runes are the basic
dwarven alphabet given to the dwarves by the dwarven god Dumathoin,
and are taught to all young dwarves as a part of their basic education.
- Dwarven runes are found engraved in stone and only rarely written
on such transitory materials as parchment, cloth or paper. They
are used to denote ownership, give warnings of nearby dangers
and to record history. The tombs of dwarves who have been properly
interred, as opposed to hasty burial during battle, are engraved
with runes which tell the occupant’s clan, his parentage, children
and the deeds of his life. In the absence of proper interment,
dwarves erect stone monoliths or engrave entire cavern walls depicting
the deeds of their dead. These list the clans, the names of those
who died and the nature of their deaths. The numbers of slain
enemies are greatly detailed.
- Dwarven runes are not a phonetic form of writing, but a conceptual
one, with each rune delineating an idea or implying a range of
ideas depending on placement. A single rune might convey pages
of human or elf writing or be as simple as a sign saying “stairs.”
It’s a matter of knowing what the rune means and how it is to
be interpreted in context. Dwarven runes do not contain conjunctions
or pronouns, but proper names are represented by altering an existing
rune. This makes runes difficult for other races to understand
and dwarves consider themselves superior to races who cannot read
even the most simple of them.
- Racial modifiers: All dwarves receive Dwarven Runes as a bonus skill.
 
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