Page 79 - World of Darkness

gonna to take a little walk somewhere private, and then we’ll years of experience rather than by any formal training.
go our separate ways.” You can teach someone the basic principles of Persuasion,
but true leaders are born rather than made. These Skills
Lydia set her jaw and took a half-step forward, bending
her knees into a fencer’s stance. She raised the umbrella are generally paired with your character’s Social Attributes,
point even with her assailant’s nose. but can also be used with Physical and Mental Attributes
in cases such as bodily threats (Strength + Intimidation)
“What the fuck you think you’re going to do with that?” or orchestrating a complex deal (Wits + Persuasion).
the man snarled, swiping at the umbrella with his free hand. Untrained Skill Use: If your character doesn’t have
His snarl turned to a shriek as Lydia flicked the umbrella the necessary Social Skill required for a feat, he can still
under his hand and stabbed the metal point neatly through make the attempt. Roll his Attribute alone at a -1 pen-
the mask’s right eye hole. alty.
As the name implies, the Weaponry Skill represents
your character’s experience or training in fighting with Animal Ken
everything from beer bottles to pipes, knives to swords.
While formal instruction in Weaponry is uncommon (re- Patrick followed the blood trail through the woods. He
stricted to military and law-enforcement training and a knew it was only a matter of time before the deer he had shot
few martial arts), any character who has grown up on the would collapse. The red drops scattered across the leaves and
street or spent a lot of time in seedy bars has had ample ground leapt out to his trained eyes. Or they did until he
opportunity to learn this Skill. reacted instinctively to a nearby sound. To Patrick’s surprise,
A character’s Weaponry is added to his Strength to a wolf emerged out of nowhere and barred his path. “It’s on
stage armed attacks. For more information, see Chapter the blood trail, too,” he thought. Then he reassured himself,
7: Combat. “It’s alone. It won’t attack without its pack.” Or so he
Note that dots in Weaponry do not apply to manu- thought, until a malicious glimmer shone in the animal’s eye
ally fixing or creating weapons, only to wielding them. that Patrick had never seen before.
Construction and repair is the province of the Crafts Skill Anticipating and understanding human emotions is
(see p. 57). one thing, but being able to interpret and recognize the
Possessed by: Bikers, criminals, martial artists, po- behavior of animals is something else entirely. Your charac-
lice officers, soldiers ter intuitively grasps or has been trained to read animals
Specialties: Improvised Weapons, Knives, Swords to know how they react to situations. The Skill also in-
volves innately understanding how the animal mind op-
Roll Results erates, and what may appease or enrage beasts. The knack
Dramatic Failure: Not only does your character fail often coincides with a respect for animals, but it could
to hit his opponent, the attack leaves him wide open for a derive from the analytical observation of a lab scientist or
counterblow. Your character’s Defense or Dodge trait does from years of abuse inflicted by a callous animal handler.
not apply to the next close-combat attack staged against Animal Ken could be applied to grasp the thoughts
him. or intentions of supernatural animals, if the Storyteller
Failure: Your character’s attack misses its target. allows. Sometimes these beings have human or greater
Success: Your character scores a hit against his op- intelligence and cannot be read by this Skill alone.
ponent. See Chapter 7 for details on combat and inflict- Possessed by: Animal rescue workers, hunters, long-
ing damage. time pet owners, park rangers, ranchers, trainers, veteri-
Exceptional Success: Your character lands a particu- narians
larly powerful blow or hits his opponent in a vital area, Specialties: Animal Needs, Imminent Attack, Spe-
for exceptional damage. cific Kind of Animal, Training
Suggested Equipment: See Chapter 7: Combat for
sample weapons and their Damage ratings, which are Roll Results
added to Weaponry rolls as equipment bonuses. Dramatic Failure: Your character completely misreads
Possible Penalties: Opponent’s armor, opponent’s an animal’s state, possibly with disastrous results. He may,
Defense, fighting blind, improvised weapon. See the Com- for example, interpret furiously energetic behavior as play-
bat Chapter for the preceding factors. Slippery conditions fulness rather than as a warning.
(-1), drunk (-2), surrounded by inferno (-3) Failure: Your character is unable to gauge the animal’s
true state.
Social Skills animal’s true emotional state.
Success: Your character has a good read on the

Social Skills are applications of your character’s bear- Exceptional Success: Your character notes enough
ing, charm and poise, such as negotiating with a bank rob- tell tale clues in the animal’s behavior to gain a detailed
ber, wooing a crowd or telling a faultless lie. These Skills understanding of its state. Not only might he recognize
most commonly represent innate capabilities honed by that the animal is anxious, but that its offspring are nearby.

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Chapter 3- SKILLS