Simple skills

The following list of skills is a general skill that covers most tasks in the Fallout setting. Each skill lists its skill bonus in parentheses and has several entries for sample task difficulties. Use these task difficulties as a guide for completing similar tasks in the world.

To make a skill check, roll 2d10 and to it, add your skill ranks, skill bonus, and any other appropriate modifiers. If the sum is equal to or greater than the task difficulty, you successfully make the check.

Task Difficulty Ratings:


 * Trivial : 5
 * Very Easy : 10
 * Easy : 15
 * Average : 20
 * Hard : 25
 * Very Hard : 30
 * Epic : 35

Academics
(IN)

Most knowledge not covered by other skills is covered by Academics. Academics represents trivia and general lore about history, philosophy, and the like.

Athletics
(ST)

No, this skill isn't intended to cover sporting events. Instead, Athletics covers general activities of an athletic nature. Climbing, jumping, and swimming are all covered by Athletics.

Task Difficulties:


 * Trivial - Climb a sturdy ladder without losing your grip. Jump down from a height of 4'-6' onto level ground without falling prone. Tread calm water while unencumbered.
 * Very Easy - Climb a rickety ladder without losing your grip. Jump down from a height of 4'-6' onto uneven ground in dim lighting without falling prone. Tread calm water while lightly encumbered.
 * Easy - Climb a slippery ladder without losing your grip. Jump across a 1 hex chasm from a standstill or a 2 hex chasm with 1 hex of running. Swim a short distance in calm water while lightly encumbered.
 * Average - Climb using improvised but sturdy, well-placed handholds without losing your grip. Jump across a 1.25 hex chasm from a standstill or a 2.5 hex chasm with 5 hexes of running. Swim a short distance in choppy water while lightly encumbered.
 * Hard - Climb using improvised, awkward handholds without losing your grip. Jump across a 1.5 hex chasm from a standstill or a 3 hex chasm with 5 hexes of running. Swim a long distance in choppy water while lightly encumbered.
 * Very Hard - Climb using improvised, awkward, widely-spaced handholds without losing your grip. Jump across a 1.75 hex chasm from a standstill or a 3.5 hex chasm with 5 hexes of running. Swim a long distance in choppy water while heavily encumbered.
 * Epic - Climb using improvised, slippery, awkward, widely-spaced handholds without losing your grip. Jump across a 2 hex chasm from a standstill or 4 hex chasm with 5 hexes of running. Swim a long distance in stormy water while heavily encumbered.

Deception
(CH)

This combination of speech, facial expressions, and body postures is used to trick people.

Task Difficulties:


 * Trivial - Convince an average little kid or a slightly retarded person of something a little implausible.
 * Very Easy - In casual conversation, successfully tell a minor lie to an adult of average intelligence.
 * Easy - In casual conversation, successfully tell a risky/dangerous lie to an adult of average intelligence.
 * Average - Under suspicion, successfully tell a minor lie to an adult of average intelligence or in casual conversation, successfully tell a minor lie to an adult of high intelligence.
 * Hard - Under suspicion, successfully tell a risky/dangerous lie to an adult of average intelligence or in casual conversation, successfully tell a risky/dangerous lie to an adult of high intelligence.
 * Very Hard - Under great suspicion, successfully tell a minor lie to an adult of average intelligence.
 * Epic - Under great suspicion, successfully tell a risky/dangerous lie to an adult of high intelligence.

Firearms
(AG)

The firing of all mechanically launched projectiles (including bows and crossbows) is covered by this skill. By far, the most common skill check for firearms is attempting to hit a target. For that reason, the difficulty listed here is simply the base required to hit a default target at close range.

Task Difficulties:


 * Very Easy - Hitting a clearly illuminated stationary large target at point blank range.

Investigation
(PE)

Not to be confused with the Perception attribute (which is used for passive detection), the Investigation skill is used to actively perceive things in the environment and in other characters.

Mechanics
(PE)

Mechanics covers knowledge for all sorts of mechanical and electronic devices (other than computers). It's used to deal with everything from engines to elevator doors to weapons and armor.

Task Difficulties:


 * Trivial - Make really easy repairs to machines of low complexity (rusty door hinge, stuck doorknob). Operate simple machines.
 * Very Easy - Make easy repairs to machines of low complexity (fix simple hand pump, clean out clogged drain pipes). Build the most rudimentary melee weapons.
 * Easy - Make standard repairs to machines of low complexity (fix the gears on a bike, change the brake rotors on a car). Build some ordinary melee weapons. Operate machines of average complexity.
 * Average - Make standard repairs to machines of average complexity (replace a gasket on a standard engine, fix a smashed grandfather clock). Build all "ordinary" melee weapons and first tier armor types (Metal Outfit, Scav Outfit, Leather Outfit). Repair most conventional firearms. Operate complex machines.
 * Hard - Make standard repairs to machines of high complexity (overhaul a coal generator to run on diesel fuel, calibrate a large, complicated water filtration system). Build a few advanced melee weapons (Ripper, Super Sledge, etc.) and tier two armor types (Metal armor, Env. Armor, Leather Armor) Repair all conventional firearms and a few advanced ones.
 * Very Hard - Make difficult repairs to machines of high complexity (rebuild a robot destroyed by a minigun, mount a jet engine to a car and wire in a remote control to the steering, acceleration, and brakes, perform maintenance on a functioning tokamak reactor). Build any weapon short of the most advanced, and build tier three armor (Power Armor, Tesla Armor, Combat Armor, UAF Armor). Repair any weapon.
 * Epic - Make insane repairs to machines of high complexity (piece together bits of robots into a new mega-robot, build your own verti-bird, build your own nuclear reactor). Build any weapon, any armor, repair any broken equipment.

Medic
(PE)

The medic skill covers everything from the knowledge of creature anatomy to hands-on proficiency at treating wounds, healing broken limbs, and dealing with toxins/disease.

Task Difficulties:


 * Trivial - Can sometimes heal scrapes. Knows which end of the stimpak to put into a person.
 * Very Easy - Can heal trivial wounds, can rarely fix broken limbs.
 * Easy - Can heal minor wounds, perform trivial surgeries. Can occasionally fix maims.
 * Average - Can heal serious wounds, perform minor surgeries, lessen the effects of minor toxins and diseases. Can fix maims most times. Can remove low gray count. Can make sloppy chems.
 * Hard - Can heal severe wounds, perform average surgeries, lessen the effects of many toxins and diseases. Can almost always fix maims, sometimes fix breaks. Can remove medium gray count. Can make standard chems and healing kits.
 * Very Hard - Can heal critical wounds, perform complicated surgeries, lessen the effects of deadly toxins and diseases. Can easily fix maims, usually fix breaks. Can remove high gray count. Can make advanced chems, doctor kits, and stimpaks.
 * Epic - Can heal outright deadly wounds, perform astounding surgeries, eliminate the effects of any toxin or disease. Can easily fix maims and almost always fix breaks. Can remove very high gray count. Can make super chems, advanced medical tools, and stimpaks.

Specific tasks:


 * Field Healing: A PC can tend to one character with field healing at a cost of 30 AP and two charges of a kit. The check is Very Easy Difficulty and heals 8 points of damage. For every 5 points over the check, the character heals an additional +4 points. A character can only receive field healing once in a day.
 * Long-Term Healing: A PC can tend to up to five characters (including himself or herself) to heal more damage over time. The character must make a Trivial Difficulty Medic check. Making it heals an additional +8 damage over the character's normal healing rate and uses one charge from their kit. For every 5 points over the check, the character heals an additional +4 points.
 * Lowering Grays: Characters suffering from Acute Radiation Sickness (ARS) will have a Gray count that usually spells their quick death. Timely use of the Medic skill and a kit can help alleviate these problems. A character's Gray count falls at their healing rate per day, but this usually isn't quick enough to prevent their death. An Easy Difficulty Medic check will heal an additional +4 damage over the character's normal healing rate and uses one charge from their kit. For every 5 points over the check, the character heals an additional +4 points.
 * Repair Maim: Repairing a maim requires an Average Medic check and requires a full day of rest from the receiving character. For 5 points over the check, the amount of rest required drops by 2 hours.
 * Repair Break: Repairing a break requires a Very Hard Medic check and requires 10 full days of rest from the receiving character. For every 5 points over the check, the amount of rest required drops by 1 day.

Melee
(ST)

The use of all hand-to-hand and thrown weapons is covered by the Melee skill.

Task Difficulties:


 * Very Easy - Hitting a clearly illuminated stationary large target at point blank range.

Outdoorsman
(PE)

This skill covers scouting and survival in the wilderness.

Task Difficulties:


 * Trivial - Finding north when you know the time of day and can see the sun in a clear sky. Associating heavy clouds and thunder with rain and lightning. Knowing not to eat rotten or maggot-infested flesh.
 * Very Easy - Finding north when the sun is partially obscured and the time of day is uncertain. Associating a change in humidity with the possibility of impending rain. Able to prepare ordinary game to make it palatable for consumption.
 * Easy - Finding north in a clear sky at night. Associating creature movements with weather patterns and the locations of food and water. Able to prepare poisonous game to make it palatable for consumption.
 * Average - Tracking a small group of people or animals over clear ground during daylight. Finding enough water to keep a single human adult healthy for a day. Able to forage safe plants for human consumption. Turn a large animal into a leather outfit or six shivs.
 * Hard - Tracking a small group of people or animals over broken ground during night. Finding enough water to keep three or four human adults healty for a day. Able to forage safe plants for three or four adults to consume. Able to spot dangerous natural locations for what they are one hundred feet ahead of time. Turn a small animal into a leather outfit or six shivs. Make equivalent of Medic chems.
 * Very Hard - Tracking a single person or animal over clear ground during daylight. Finding enough water in the desert to keep a single human adult healthy for a day. Able to forage safe plants in the desert for a single adult human to consume. Able to spot dangerous natural locations for what they are one hundred yards ahead of time. Turn a large animal into leather armor, ten shivs and two bows. Make equivalent of Medic chems.
 * Epic - Tracking a single person or animal over clear ground during night. Finding enough water in the desert to keep three or four human adults healthy for a day. Able to forage safe plants in the desert for three or four adults to consume. Able to spot dangerous natural locations for what they are a mile ahead of time. Turn a small animal into leather armor, ten shivs and two bows. Make equivalent of Medic chems.

Persuasion
(CH)

Persuasion is used to convince people of what you want them to believe, either through diplomacy or threats.

Task Difficulties:


 * Trivial - Companions do what they want to do and don't listen to a goddamned thing you say. Convince a weak-willed person to do something he or she doesn't mind doing.
 * Very Easy - Companions do what you ask, but only when everything is perfect. Convince an average Joe or Josephine to do something he or she doesn't mind doing.
 * Easy - Companions do what you ask, but only when odds are in your favor. Convince a weak-willed person to do something he or she "kinda" doesn't want to do.
 * Average - Companions do what you ask, but only when odds are fair. Convince an average Joe or Josephine to do something he or she "kinda" doesn't want to do.
 * Hard - Companions do what you ask, even when the firefights get heavy. Convince an average Joe to do something very dangerous or otherwise seriously repulsive.
 * Very Hard - Companions will fight alongside you even when the going gets very, very tough. Convince hardened skeptics to do something very dangerous or otherwise seriously repulsive.
 * Epic - Convince shaky companions to follow your lead into certain torture and death. Break the resolve of a fanatically stubborn individual.

Pilot
(AG)

Not commonly used in the wasteland, Pilot is required for the operation of vehicles of all sorts.

Security
(AG)

This catch-all skill encompasses lockpicking and dealing with traps. While Investigation is used for locating traps of all sorts, Security must be used to disarm or otherwise neutralize a trap once it has been found.

Science
(IN)

The broad Science skill covers knowledge of mathematics, physics, computers, and a bit of biology and chemistry (overlapping with Medic).

Task Difficulties:


 * Trivial - Follow the most simple-minded directions on a computer designed for ignorant buffoons. Perform up to double-digit addition and subtraction without trouble.
 * Very Easy - Do very simple menu surfing on a computer. All addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are fine.
 * Easy - Use a decent computer interface to get information. Simple algebra and geometry. Build crude explosives. Very rudimentary chemistry and physics knowledge.
 * Average - Use a crummy computer interface to get information, some of it requiring permission changing and other "average" operations. Build standard ammo, simple materials. Complex algebra and geometry. Solid chemistry and physics knowledge.
 * Hard - Get information from a low-security computer, hop through unintentional security holes to gain access to remote information (like Linux's horrible sendmail and telnet weaknesses). Build standard ammo variants (armor piercing, hollow point, etc.). Solid calculus and differential equations knowledge. Complex chemistry and physics knowledge.
 * Very Hard - Get information from well-protected computers. Exploit bizarre, hidden weaknesses to do impressive things with computers. Build rare/complicated ammunition, refined explosives, and complex polymers/alloys/assorted compounds. Advanced calculus and differential equations knowledge. Advanced chemistry and physics knowledge.
 * Epic - Crack the highest security computers made by man. Build the most sophisticated industrial components in existence. Solve math problems that are incomprehensible to all but geniuses. Stretch the limits of scientific knowledge.

Sneak
(AG)

General skulking and creeping without detection is covered by Sneak.

Steal
(AG)

The Steal skill is used to swipe things without being detected.

Unarmed
(ST)

Punching, kicking, holding, and otherwise beating people down with your body (and objects like brass knuckles) is covered by the Unarmed skill.

Task Difficulties:


 * Very Easy - Hitting a clearly illuminated stationary large target at point blank range.