Skills
You buy skill ranks with training points at the Crooked Lantern Inn (TRAIN shows prices, TRAIN <skill> buys a rank). Points come in two kinds, physical and mental, earned every level from your stats. Each profession pays its own price for each skill, and can only buy so many ranks of a skill per level; a second rank in the same level costs double.
The first ranks in a skill help most; after that each rank adds a little less. SKILLS shows what you have.
Weapons
| Skill | What it does | Cheapest for |
|---|
| Edged Weapons | Swords, daggers, axes and other bladed weapons. | Warrior, Rogue |
| Blunt Weapons | Maces, hammers, clubs and flails. | Warrior |
| Two-Handed Weapons | Greatswords, war mauls and other weapons that need both hands. | Warrior |
| Polearm Weapons | Spears, halberds and other long-hafted weapons. | Warrior, Oathsworn |
| Ranged Weapons | Bows and crossbows. | Warrior, Rogue, Warden |
| Thrown Weapons | Daggers, axes and javelins thrown at a foe. | Warrior, Rogue, Warden |
| Brawling | Fists, feet and fist-weapons. | Warrior, Rogue, Ascetic |
| Armor Use | Moving and fighting well in heavier armor. | Warrior, Oathsworn |
| Shield Use | Blocking attacks with a shield. | Warrior, Oathsworn |
Combat
| Skill | What it does | Cheapest for |
|---|
| Dodging | Getting out of the way of attacks. | Rogue, Ascetic |
| Physical Fitness | Raises maximum health and stamina. | Warrior, Oathsworn |
| Combat Maneuvers | Special combat moves: trips, feints, disarms and more. | Ascetic |
| Two-Weapon Combat | Fighting with a weapon in each hand. | Warrior |
| Multi-Opponent Combat | Fighting several enemies at once. | Warrior |
| Ambush | Striking precisely from hiding. | Rogue |
Everyday
| Skill | What it does | Cheapest for |
|---|
| Perception | Noticing hidden things, people and danger. | Rogue, Warden |
| Stealth | Hiding and moving unseen. | Rogue |
| Survival | Skinning, foraging and living off the land. | Warden |
| First Aid | Tending wounds and stopping bleeding. | Mender |
| Climbing | Climbing walls, cliffs and trees. | Rogue, Ascetic |
| Swimming | Crossing water without drowning. | Rogue, Ascetic |
| Lockpicking | Opening locked boxes and doors. | Rogue |
| Disarming Traps | Finding and disarming traps on boxes. | Rogue |
| Trading | Better prices from merchants. | Skald |
Magic
| Skill | What it does | Cheapest for |
|---|
| Spellcraft | Raw magical power: raises maximum mana, and at 30 ranks your casting roundtime drops to 2 seconds. | Arcanist, Priest, Mender, Occultist |
| Spell Aiming | Hitting targets with bolt spells. | Arcanist, Priest, Occultist |
| Arcane Symbols | Reading scrolls and runes. | Arcanist, Occultist |
| Magic Item Use | Using wands, rods and other magic items. | Arcanist, Occultist |
| Elemental Lore | Deepens elemental spells: +1 Casting Strength and +1 healing per rank. | Arcanist, Occultist |
| Spiritual Lore | Deepens spiritual spells: +1 Casting Strength and +1 healing per rank. | Priest, Mender |
| Mental Lore | Deepens mental spells: +1 Casting Strength and +1 healing per rank. | Skald, Ascetic, Mender |
Crafting
| Skill | What it does | Cheapest for |
|---|
| Mining | Digging ore, coal and limestone from veins in the wild (MINE, with a pick) and crushing limestone into flux (CRUSH). More ranks mean more ore and fewer wasted swings. | Warrior, Warden, Oathsworn |
| Woodcutting | Felling timber (CHOP, with an axe) and sawing logs into billets at a workbench (SAW). More ranks mean more billets from each log. | Warrior, Warden, Oathsworn |
| Smelting | Running a smelter: melting ore into iron, bronze, steel and rarer metals (SMELT). More ranks mean less ore lost and harder metals within reach. | Warrior, Warden, Oathsworn |
| Forging | Working metal at the forge (FORGE, HAMMER, QUENCH) and carving billets at the workbench (CARVE) into weapons, armor, shields and bows. More ranks mean fewer ruined pieces and more masterworks. | Warrior, Warden, Oathsworn |
| Alchemy | Brewing herbs into draughts, tonics and blade oils at an alchemy table (BREW), and finding herbs in the wild (FORAGE). More ranks mean stronger brews. | Arcanist, Priest, Mender, Occultist |
| Enchanting | Binding power into weapons, armor and shields with gems and mana at an enchanting circle (ENCHANT), +1 at a time up to +5. More ranks mean fewer gems lost and higher enchantments within reach. | Arcanist, Priest, Mender, Occultist |
Spell ranks
Each magic circle has its own research skill. Ranks in it make that circle's spells stronger and make your buffs and curses last longer. See Magic.