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- Seamanship (Physical 1, Dexterity/Balance +1) — Seamanship is the stock-in-trade
for sailors and pirates everywhere. Any character wishing to work
as a crewman aboard a ship must have this skill.
- At sea a successful crew skill check (see the naval combat rules)
adds 25% to the speed of a ship at sea. Also note, the quality
of a crew in combat is determined in part by the average Seamanship
skill score of the crew members.
- Characters with the Seamanship skill have a base climbing percentage
of 65% (modified by Dexterity/Balance) when climbing rigging aboard
ship. This percentage does not apply to other sorts of climbing
(walls, mountains, etc.); in such areas a sailor is assumed to
be untrained and should be treated as such.
- The basic modifiers in climbing combat are:
- A climbing character loses all Armor Class bonuses for Dexterity
and shield;
- A climbing character suffers a -2 penalty to attack, damage, and
saving throw rolls;
- A character attacking from above gains a +1 bonus to his attack
roll;
- A character attacking from below suffers a -2 penalty to his attack
roll.
- Other modifiers that often come into play are:
- An off-balance defender is attacked with a bonus of +2 to hit;
- A rear attack (that is, against a character trying to climb up
a rope) gains a +2 bonus to hit.
- Losing and regaining balance: Any character engaged in combat on ropes runs the risk of losing
his balance. A character who is struck by a weapon, or attempts
to climb in the course of combat, must make a climbing check or
lose his balance.
- Lost balance means the next round the character must either fall
voluntarily or attempt to regain his balance. In either case,
the character can perform no other action. A successful climbing
check means the character has regained his balance. A failure
means the character has fallen (and, may suffer falling damage).
Don’t forget, all attacks against an off-balance character are
at +2 bonus to hit.
- Set Snares (Physical 1, Dexterity/Balance -1) — Rope Use (50%) is a prerequisite for this skill.
- The character can make simple snares and traps, primarily to catch
small game. These can include rope snares and spring traps. A
skill check must be rolled when the snare is first constructed
and every time the snare is set. A failed skill check means the
trap does not work for some reason. It may be that the workmanship
was bad, the character left too much scent in the area, or he
poorly concealed the finished work. The exact nature of the problem
does not need to be known.
- The character can also attempt to set traps and snares for larger
creatures: tiger pits and net snares, for example. A skill check
must be rolled, this time with a -20% penalty to succeed. In both
cases, setting a successful snare does not ensure that it catches
anything, only that the snare works if triggered. The DM must
decide if the trap is triggered.
- Setting a small snare or trap takes one hour of work. Setting
a larger trap requires two to three people (only one need have
the skill) and 2d4 hours of work. To prepare any trap, the character
must have appropriate materials on hand.
- Characters with Animal Lore skill gain a +10% bonus to their ability score when attempting
to set a snare for the purposes of catching game. Their knowledge
of animals and the woods serves them well for this purpose. They
gain no benefit when attempting to trap monsters or intelligent
beings.
- Racial modifiers: Kobolds and Death Finger, Black Blood, Severed Limb and Veka-kri
orcs are master snare builders and receive a +15% bonus to their
skill score. Orcs and goblins receive a +10% bonus to their Set
Snares skill. Wild halflings receive a +5% bonus when using this
skill.
- Skiing (Physical 1, Dexterity/Balance +3) — A skilled skier can travel
across snow covered terrain quickly; normal Movement Rate on relatively
level terrain is 15 or the character's normal Movement Rate on
foot plus three, whichever is greater. Speeds of up to two or
even three times that rate can be reached skiing downhill, depending
on the steepness of the slope.
- An adventurer must make a skill check when he attempts a particularly
difficult feat, such as racing at a high speed down a slope, jumping
over a chasm or other fancy skiing. A skill check is also required
when engaging in combat (see below).
- A character without Skiing skill may still try to ski. The skill
score for an untrained character is 15% plus the character's (unmodified)
Dexterity/Balance skill score modifier. A skill check must be
made when the character initially attempts to stand on the skis
and additional checks must be made every turn or whenever a skill
check would normally be required for a skilled skier.
- The Movement Rate for an unskilled skier is Movement Rate 12 or
his normal Movement Rate on foot, whichever is greater (better
than walking through deep snow at one-third to half the normal
Movement Rate).
- Engaging in melee while on skis requires a successful skill check
each round to avoid falling, unless the skier stands absolutely
still (negating any Dexterity bonuses to Armor Class). A skilled
character who falls may regain his feet at the cost of one attack.
An unskilled character must make a successful Skiing skill check
to regain his feet or remove the skis (which takes one round).
Attack rolls for characters without Skiing skill are penalized
by -1, and Armor Class is penalized by -1 (but never worse than
AC 10). Unskilled characters also attack one phase slower than
normal during the combat round (a fast phase attack becomes an
average phase attack).
- A character with a skill score of 90% or higher in Skiing is considered
an expert and never needs to make skill checks in combat. In addition,
a skilled skier gains a +1 to hit bonus when fighting unskilled
skiers or creatures hampered by heavy snow.
- Racial modifiers: Uldra and Furchin halflings receive a +10% bonus when using this
skill. Juad humans receive a +5% bonus when using this skill.
- Somatic Concealment (Physical 1, Dexterity/Aim -1) — Though spellcasters can mumble
verbal components and hide material components in their hands
or robes, somatic components are harder to hide. The somatic component
of any spell, wizard or priest, is apparent to any character watching
the spell caster. However, a caster who wishes to conceal the
fact that he is casting a spell can learn to conceal the somatic
gestures involved in spell casting. If movements can be concealed,
a spell can be unleashed without calling attention to the caster.
- A character using the Somatic Concealment skill must announce
to the DM his intention to do so at the beginning of the round.
Then, when the character casts his spell, the DM makes the skill
check secretly. A successful check indicates that anyone who could
normally see the caster does not recognize his gestures as magical
in nature. A failed check means that all who can see the casting
wizard recognize his movements for what they really are.
- On a skill check of 96-00, the caster does not perform the gestures
properly and expends the magic of the spell without achieving
the desired result (the spell fails and but the magic points are
expended anyway).
- Speed (Physical 2, Constitution/Health -6) — On a successful skill
check, the character, through concentration and muscle control,
gains double the amount of melee attacks and twice his normal
combat Movement Rate. This skill is very tiring and can be done
only once per day for a maximum of five rounds. After this time,
an individual can fight normally for 1d4 rounds more, then must
rest for 2d4 rounds, during which time he can move at only half
speed and can only defend himself (no attacks, spell-casting or
psionics use). He may fight normally thereafter.
- This skill cannot be combined with haste, potions of speed, acceleration or other magical or psionic speed enhancements.
- Speed Casting (Physical 2, Dexterity/Balance -2) — This skill allows the spellcaster
to reduce the casting time of any spell if he makes his skill
check. A caster with a skill score below 75% reduces casting time
by one. A caster with a skill score of 76% to 90% decreases casting
time by two. A character with a skill score above 90% may reduce
casting time by three. No spell may have its initiative modifier
reduced below one. A skill check is always required to use this
skill.
- Swimming (Physical 1, Strength/Stamina) — All characters are either untrained
or skilled swimmers. If a character grew up near the sea or another
large body of water, chance are good that he knows how to swim.
- However, being a good sailor does not guarantee a character can
swim. Many a medieval mariner or black-hearted pirate never learned
to swim and so developed a morbid fear of the water. This is one
of the things that made walking the plank such a fearful punishment.
- Furthermore, some character races are normally suspicious of water
and swimming. Gnomes, halflings, dwarves, uldra and most of the
humanoid races don't often know how to swim.
- A character with Swimming skill knows how to swim and has a wide
range of options for moving about in the water. An unskilled swimmer
may manage to stay afloat, but is extremely limited in his ability
to move about compared to the skilled swimmer. Rules for unskilled
and skilled swimmers are detailed below.
- Unskilled swimmers: An untrained swimmer, when unencumbered, can manage a rough
dog-paddle in relatively calm waters. If the waters are rough,
the current strong or the depth excessive (at sea or far out on
a lake), an untrained swimmer may panic and sink. If weighed down
with enough gear to reduce his Movement Rate, he sinks like stone,
unable to keep his head above water. In no way does he make any
noticeable progress (unless, of course, the object is to sink
below the surface).
- Skilled swimmers: A skilled swimmer is able to swim, dive and surface with varying
degrees of success. (See the Deep Diving skill for rules on diving and surfacing.) Any skilled character
is able to swim at half his current land Movement Rate times five
in yards, provided he is not wearing metal armor. A character
with a Movement Rate of 12 could swim 30 yards (90 feet) in a
round. A character whose Movement Rate has been reduced to a third
or less of normal (due to encumbrance) or who is wearing metal
armor cannot swim — the weight of the gear pulls the character
under. He can still walk on the bottom, however, at a third of
his current rate (see below for additional details).
- A skilled swimmer can double his swimming speed with a successful
Swimming skill check modified by -30%. For a character with a
Movement Rate of 12, a successful check means he can swim 60 yards
in one round. A character can maintain this speed by making successful
skill checks each turn for up to an hour without additional penalty.
If the character, swims at double-speed for more than an hour,
the rules below apply.
- Swimming speed: Like running, swimming is not something that a character can
do indefinitely. There are several different speeds a character
can choose to swim at, thus moving in either short sprints or
a slower, but longer-lasting pace.
- Half-speed: If swimming at half normal speed or treading water,
the character can endure for a number of hours equal to his Constitution/Health
score. A Constitution/Health check must be made for each additional
hour. For each extra hour of swimming, one Constitution/Health
point is temporarily lost. Each hour spent swimming causes a cumulative
penalty of -1 to all attack rolls.
Double-speed: A character can also swim long distances at a faster
pace by making a skill check at a -30% penalty, although at increased
risk. Swimming at the character's normal Movement Rate (instead
of the usual swimming speed of half the normal Movement Rate)
requires a Constitution/Health check every hour, reduces the character's
Swimming skill score by 5% per hour, reduces the character's Constitution/Health
by one point per hour and results in a -2 cumulative attack penalty
for each hour of swimming.
- Quadruple-speed: A character can swim at twice his normal Movement
Rate (quadruple normal swimming speed), but he must roll a skill
check (modified by a -30% penalty) every turn and suffer the above
penalties for every turn spent swimming.
- Fatigue and drowning: If a swimming character fails a Constitution/Health check, he
must tread water for half an hour before he can continue swimming
(this counts as time spent swimming for purposes of Constitution/Health
point loss).
- When Constitution/Health or the Swimming skill score reaches zero,
the character sinks and drowns.
- Swimming in adverse weather: All the rules above assume calm water. If the seas are choppy,
a Constitution/Health check should be made every hour spent swimming,
regardless of the character's Constitution/Health score. Rough
seas can require more frequent checks; heavy seas or storms may
require a check every round. The DM may decide that adverse conditions
cause a character's Constitution/Health score to drop more rapidly
than one point per hour.
- Swimming underwater: A character who decides to swim underwater faces a difficult
task. Water resistance and the additional weight of adventuring
gear combine to slow the progress of a swimming character. All
underwater Movement Rates are half the surface Movement Rate.
(Additional details on underwater movement appear in Of Ships and the Sea, pg. 76-78.)
- Swimming in armor: A character without Swimming skill cannot dog-paddle in any
armor except padded or leather. If weighed down with enough gear
to reduce Movement Rate, he sinks.
- A character with the Swimming skill can swim in leather or padded
armor with no significant reduction in ability (although the weight
of the armor and other gear may still reduce his Movement Rate).
Padded armor counts as double weight for purposes of determining
encumbrance and Movement Rate, because it tends to absorb water
quickly.
- A skilled swimmer wearing studded leather, ring mail, or hide
armor can swim with a successful Swimming skill check. This check
must be repeated each hour in addition to the normal Swimming
skill check; failure indicates the character has suffered an additional
hour’s worth of strain from bearing the armor. A character wearing
such armor also suffers double penalties to his attack rolls,
Constitution/Health score and Swimming skill score.
- A swimmer who tries to increase his speed by making a skill check
suffers a further -30% penalty to his skill check (-60% total)
if wearing one of the above armors. Thus, a character with Swimming
skill score of 80% who tried to double his movement would normally
have to make a Swimming skill check modified by -30%, giving him
an effective skill score of 50%. If wearing ring mail, however,
the character would have to make a check at -60%, giving him an
effective skill score of only 20%.
- A character wearing heavy armor (banded mail, brigandine, chain
mail, plate of any type, or splint mail) cannot swim, although
he can walk across the bottom at a third of his normal Movement
Rate. Enchanted armor is treated identically to normal armor in
this respect (see “Equipment (Encumbrance)” in the Player’s Handbook). A character with a shield must drop it before he can swim.
- Recovery: Upon reaching shore, a character can recover lost ability score
points and negate attack penalties by resting. Each day of rest
recovers 1d6 points of Constitution/Health or 5-30 (5d6) points
to the Swimming skill score. (If both Constitution/Health and
the Swimming skill score were reduced then the recovery rate for
both is reduced by half.) Each day of rest also removes 2d6 points
of attack penalties.
- Rest assumes adequate food and water. A character need not be
fully rested before undertaking any activity, although the adjusted
ability scores are treated as the character's current scores until
the character has rested enough to fully recover from the swim.
- Underwater, there is one notable difference to the recovery rules.
A character who rests while submerged regains Constitution/Health
and Swimming skill at half the normal rate. If the character has
lost points from both his Constitution/Health and Swimming skill,
then only one point of Constitution/Health and five points of
Swimming skill can be regained each day. Likewise, attack penalties
incurred through extensive swimming are removed at the reduced
rate of 1d3 points per day of rest.
 
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