INTELLECT SKILLS
These skills use intellect as the action ability. Intellect skills are related to knowledge, reason, invention, science, energy manipulation and logic. If the hero has two suitable skills for the same action (such as Robotics and Mechanics), only one applies.
Scientific Genius* (special skill): This dedication to science over all other pursuits applies only if the hero has an Intellect of 8 or more and an Intellect code of A, and an x code in all other abilities. This allows the hero to start with up to eight Intellect skills with the word science in italics in their descriptions. Scientific geniuses have no limit to their number of skills, as long as all of them are sciences.
Aeronautics: The science of flight. Your hero knows about wind velocity, aerodynamics, speed control, and the harsh effects of gravity.
Archeology: The science of ancient treasures. Your hero knows a great deal about paleontology, historical records, and ancient sites.
Architecture: Designing and recognizing designs of buildings and other large structures.
Assessment: Your hero can tell the difficulty of many tasks and judge the abilities of others. If you take a full exchange to analyze a person or task, you can learn the difficulty of a task or one ability score or intensity of an individual.
Astronomy: The science of the stars. Your hero can use this skill to plot a course through the solar system.
Biochemistry: The science of life processes of plants and animals. Your hero knows about drugs, organic poisons, and diseases of all types.
Biology: The science of living creatures. Your hero understands animal and plant taxonomy, can predict the behavior of unknown species, and knows what eats what. Specialties include Ichthyology (fish) and ornithology (birds), among many others.
Bionics: The science of replacing living tissue with mechanical constructs. Your hero can fashion artificial limbs, prosthetic wings, mechanical organs, and cybernetic intellect-altering tools.
Chemistry: The science of chemicals. Your hero can develop new formulas, develop antidotes for inorganic poisons, and identify chemicals by smell, touch, and taste.
Computers: The science of electronic intelligence. Your hero can program computers, design computer-run equipment, and control - to a certain extent- artificial intelligences.
Criminology: The science of the criminal mind. Your hero can find clues at crime scenes, analyze patterns of criminal behavior, and guess where crimes will occur.
Cryptography: The art of codes. Your hero is particularly good at analyzing, solving, and making codes and other puzzles.
Dimensional Geography: The science of leaving this plane of existence. Your hero has cataloged alternate realities and new dimensions.
Electronics: The science of electricity. Your hero can analyze and build electronic devices, from as small as a vacuum tube to as large as a power plant.
Energy Control: The use of any Intellect-based Control power, except the use of Energy Blasts.
Espionage: The art of spying. An espionage-trained hero can notice small clues, operate spy equipment, and tell when someone is on his or her trail.
Genetics: The science of genes. Your hero understands mutations, the effects of radiation on cellular matter, and even new life forms.
Geology: The science of the Earth. Your hero comprehends volcanic activity, the geology of the surrounding land, and types of rocks and minerals. He or she may also use equipment
for finding oil and predicting earthquakes.
History: The science of humanity’s past. Your hero knows of lessons from past events that may have an impact on the modern day. If the hero is transported back in time, he or she can pass for a native of the past time period.
Journalism: The reporter’s art. Your hero has skill with and access to many sources of information. If a hero with this skill makes a challenging action, he or she can find out pretty much anything that’s at least semi-public knowledge within a day.
Law: The workings of the legal system. Your hero has an extensive background in the law of the United States or some other jurisdiction. He or she may reduce the difficulty rating for a client who is in danger of being convicted of a crime. (see American Criminal Justice on page 52).
Linguistics: The science of words. Your hero can understand at least the basics of any terrestrial language, and may reduce the difficulty rating to comprehend even alien languages.
Lore: The science of studying a culture. Your hero must pick a group of people to study (Incas, Deviants, Kree, etc.). Your hero then has basic grasp of nearly all of that culture’s knowledge.
Mechanics: The science of machinery. Your hero has an intuitive understanding of how inorganic parts come together to make machines work.
Medicine: The science of health. Your hero knows complex medical procedures, from first aid to surgery. The hero may make a first aid average Intellect action to restore a card or the value of a random card in Health to a combatant who fell unconscious during the previous exchange. Your hero also can perform medical treatments that will help heal serious wounds, but these ministrations cannot take place during fights.
Mythology: The study of classical myths, which may seem all too real in a world where Thor, Hercules, and Dracula walk the earth. Your hero should treat this like the Lore skill above when considering either a real-world or purely fictional culture.
Occult: The study of mystical practices. Your hero learns of magical societies, antiquities, runes, and forgotten lore. This skill is required if the hero wants to create magical items.
Oceanography: The science of the seas. Your hero knows how currents work, the complexities of depth, the patterns of marine life, and the dangers of pollution to the ecosystems.
Photographic Memory: An amazing skill which allows the hero to remember anything he or she saw or learned. A successful average Intellect action requires the Narrator to repeat anything the hero might have come across (if the Narrator can remember it).
Physics: The science of physical laws. Your hero understands spatial geometry, flight, light and sound, and the motions of planets and stars.
Psychiatry: The science of the human mind. Your hero can tell if an individual is under mental control. The hero may be able to heal emotional scars and fractured psyches, given time.
Radiology: The science of radiation. Your hero understands the different kinds of radiation, including its careful handling and the dangers of its effects on humans.
Robotics: The science of robots. Your hero can make and dismantle unintelligent servitors with complex programming. A hero with this skill can even rewire a robot programmed for evil into one with only servile intentions (temporarily, at least).
Sociology: The science of human interaction. A hero with this skill can predict how a person or group of people will react to an event with some accuracy. If the hero does not attack in an exchange, he or she can always launch an undeclared contingent action.
Spacecraft: The science of building space transports. Your hero understands how spaceships work and how to repair them.
Super-Physiology: The science of super powers. This specialized skill allows the hero to gage a super-being’s power intensities and work to reduce or enhance those power levels over time.
Time Machinery: The science of time travel. Another rare skill, this allows the construction of machines that allow transport through time. (Obviously, the Narrator has complete control over whether a hero gets this amazing skill.)
Trivia: A mishmash of specialized knowledge. Your hero has one or more subjects in which he or she is an acknowledged expert. This can be anything: Old movies, military history, sports, rock music, comic books, you name it.
Weapons Systems: The science of complex weaponry. Your hero can build and dismantle high-powered guns and guidance systems.
WILLPOWER SKILLS
These skills use Willpower as the action ability. Willpower skills are related to control of individuals, emotions, persuasion, artistry, mental toughness, and magic. If the hero has two suitable skills for the same action (such as Mesmerism and Leadership), only one applies.
Animal Handling: Training animals to perform tricks. Your hero may reduce the difficulty rating to teach a trick that an animal is capable of, such as fetching, stealing, jumping, and so forth.
Art: Creating works of art, either for personal gratification or for sale to others. This includes painting, sculpting, and graphics, among other disciplines.
Finance: Capitalism at its finest. Willpower may be used in all business dealings.
Intimidation: Terrifying someone into doing or saying what your hero wants. Your hero performs an average Willpower (Willpower) action against an individual, and if successful, gets the individual to reveal or go along with what the hero desires, at least temporarily.
Law Enforcement: Cops, robbers, and other interested parties. In addition to familiarity with police agencies, the hero may legally carry a gun and make arrests if active in law enforcement.
Leadership: Keeping a team together and focused on goals. If the hero completes an average Willpower action, all allied heroes gain +1 on all actions. But once this inspiration is triggered, if the hero leaves the scene or blacks out, all allies suffer -1 on all actions until the hero returns.
Manipulation: Getting people to do what you want without letting them know it. This includes scheming, seduction, and other such machinations.
Meditation: Concentration so intense that it focuses mental powers. Your hero may reduce the difficulty rating of any Willpower-based action if he or she spends one exchange meditating first.
Mental Control: The use of all non sensory powers that have Willpower trump suits.
Mesmerism: Low-grade mind control. If your hero succeeds in an average Willpower (Willpower)action, he or she can gain information and implant post-hypnotic suggestions. Thralls won’t act counter to their own desires. A hypnotic command fades a few hours after it is given.
Military: Understanding of the armed services. Your hero may reduce the difficulty rating to lead troops or understand a military commander’s strategies.
Observation: The use of all sensory powers with Willpower trump suits, plus a general ability to tell when something is interesting or out of place.
Performing: Acting, singing, dance, mime, broadcasting, striptease, or any other form of performance entertainment. Your hero can attempt an average Willpower (Willpower) action to distract someone from his or her intentions for one exchange.
Photography: Shutter bugging for fun or profit. Your hero can reduce the difficulty rating for any action involving a still or motion picture camera.
Politics: The art of oration and political strategy. Your hero can reduce the difficulty rating to influence others to his or her views. This skill aids in dealing with the complexities of bureaucracy.
Survival: Dealing with the rigors of outdoor life. Your hero can use this skill any time he or she is faced with natural challenges, such as frigid cold, desert heat, starvation, and loss of direction.
Taunting: Cracking wise in combat, to the detriment of easily irritated opponents. If your hero spends at least one exchange talking up a storm (and you must do so for the hero), he or she may attempt an average Willpower (Willpower) action to cause an opponent to attack the hero with his or her bare fists or another instantaneous attack. If so enraged, the opponent cannot make surprise attacks or use any skills to modify the difficulty of the attack.
Teaching: Passing on one’s wisdom to others. If another hero is interested in using a response bonus to gain a skill (see Self-Improvement), a teacher who knows that skill can help that hero gain it.
Tracking: Following prey through any environs. Your hero may reduce the difficulty rating to catch the track, and then doesn’t need to try further actions unless there is a chance of losing the track. Distractions-rivers, perfume factories, crowds, and so forth-require new actions.
Trance: Meditation so deep that the outside world seems to slip away. Your hero may enter a trance which slows body functions to such a level that he or she may be assumed dead (making an average willpower (Intellect) action to fool observers). A hero in a trance reduces the need for food and water to a minimal level, and may heal serious wounds in days.
Writing: Expressing oneself in, um, one’s, well, you know. Your hero can reduce the difficulty rating when writing persuasive fiction or nonfiction.