Knowledge skills
Astronomy
Check: SGC/SGC/INT
Applications: Astrology, Calendars, Stellar Cartography
Encumbrance: No
Quality: quicker creation of horoscopes or determining direction of travel at night.
Failed Check: the hero has no idea.
Critical Success: the hero can calculate the exact movements of heavenly bodies.
Botch: make a mistake drawing up a horoscope or predicting a lunar eclipse, and so on.
Improvement Cost: A
Gambling
Use: Cheating
Check: SGC/SGC/INT
Applications: Betting Games, Board Games, Card Games, Dice Games
Encumbrance: No
Tools: game
Quality: make a smart gambit.
Failed Check: lose the game.
Critical Success: win spectacularly. If playing for money, double your winnings.
Botch: others suspect the character of cheating, especially if they have suffered losing streaks. If playing for money, lose at least your whole stake (if not more).
Improvement Cost: A
Geography
New Application: Cartography
Check: SGC/SGC/INT
Applications: Provinces of the Middenrealm (Albernia, Almada, Garetia, Kosh, Northmarches, Rommilysian Marches, Tobrien, Weiden, Windhag), Al’Anfan Empire, Andergast, Arania, Bornland, Caliphate, Cyclops’ Islands, Deep South, Gjalskerland, High North, Horasian Empire, Lands of the Tulamydes, Maraskan, Mountain Kingdoms of the Dwarves, Nostria, Orclands, Salamander Stones & Elf Realms, Shadowlands, South Sea & Forest Islands, Svellt Valley, Thorwal
Encumbrance: No
Quality: uncover more details about population, places, and river crossings
Failed Check: the hero has no idea.
Critical Success: the hero knows many details of the region, such as rulers, population count, customs, river courses, and bridges.
Botch: misremember geographic details completely (the population count is off, bridges are not where they were thought to be, and so on).
Improvement Cost: B
History
Check: SGC/SGC/INT
Applications: Provinces of the Middenrealm (Albernia, Almada, Garetia, Kosh, Northmarches, Rommilysian Marches, Tobrien, Weiden, Windhag), Al’Anfan Empire, Andergast, Arania, Bornland, Caliphate, Cyclops’ Islands, Deep South, Gjalskerland, High North, Horasian Empire, Lands of the Tulamydes, Maraskan, Mountain Kingdoms of the Dwarves, Nostria, Orclands, Salamander Stones & Elf Realms, Shadowlands, South Sea & Forest Islands, Svellt Valley, Thorwal
Encumbrance: No
Quality: uncover more details about historical personalities and epochs
Failed Check: the hero has no idea.
Critical Success: the hero knows many details about a certain event or historical person.
Botch: everything you remember about the subject is incorrect; you are wrong about dates and events.
Improvement Cost: B
Law
New Application: Guild Law
Check: SGC/SGC/INT
Applications: Provinces of the Middenrealm (Albernia, Almada, Garetia, Kosh, Northmarches, Rommilysian Marches, Tobrien, Weiden, Windhag), Al’Anfan Empire, Andergast, Arania, Bornland, Caliphate, Cyclops’ Islands, Deep South, Gjalskerland, High North, Horasian Empire, Lands of the Tulamydes, Maraskan, Mountain Kingdoms of the Dwarves, Nostria, Orclands, Salamander Stones & Elf Realms, Shadowlands, South Sea & Forest Islands, Svellt Valley, Thorwal
Encumbrance: No
Quality: expose more options to solve a case
Failed Check: the hero has no idea.
Critical Success: know the peculiarities of the law and develop a plan to use it to your advantage.
Botch: misinterpret the law, or overlook an important provision.
Improvement Cost: A
Magical Lore
Check: SGC/SGC/INT
Applications: Artifacts, Magical Beings, Rituals, Spells
Encumbrance: No
Quality: more details about spells, magical beings, or exotic uses of magic
Failed Check: the hero has no idea.
Critical Success: the hero knows the origin, acting spell, and trigger of an ancient artifact.
Botch: the hero’s mistaken knowledge results in a fatal misjudgment.
Improvement Cost: C
Math
Check: SGC/SGC/INT
Applications: Addition and Subtraction, Fractions, Multiplication and Division, Geometry, Trigonometry
Encumbrance: No
Quality: get a result more quickly
Failed Check: the result is incorrect.
Critical Success: you quickly derive the correct answer.
Botch: the result is completely wrong, but the hero is sure that it’s correct.
Improvement Cost: A
Mechanics
Check: SGC/SGC/DEX
Applications: Complicated Systems, Hydraulics, Levers
Encumbrance: No
Quality: quicker planning
Failed Check: the planned mechanism doesn’t work.
Critical Success: SP = 2 x SR.
Botch: Regardless of what the hero intended to build, the result is dangerous or collapses. The hero triggers the trap with the worst possible effect (it inflicts maximum damage, and so on).
Improvement Cost: B
Myths & Legends
Check: SGC/SGC/INT
Applications: Provinces of the Middenrealm (Albernia, Almada, Garetia, Kosh, Northmarches, Rommilysian Marches, Tobrien, Weiden, Windhag), Al’Anfan Empire, Andergast, Arania, Bornland, Caliphate, Cyclops’ Islands, Deep South, Gjalskerland, High North, Horasian Empire, Lands of the Tulamydes, Maraskan, Mountain Kingdoms of the Dwarves, Nostria, Orclands, Salamander Stones & Elf Realms, Shadowlands, South Sea & Forest Islands, Svellt Valley, Thorwal
Encumbrance: No
Quality: more details about various versions of the story
Failed Check: the hero doesn’t know the story.
Critical Success: the hero knows many details from the story and recalls many variants.
Botch: the hero mistakes the story for another or misremembers details.
Improvement Cost: B
Religions
Check: SGC/SGC/INT
Applications: depends on the god or philosophy (for example, Praios, Rondra, Swafnir, Nameless One, Rastullah, and so on)
Encumbrance: No
Quality: more details about Churches, cults, gods, and clergy
Failed Check: The hero has no idea.
Critical Success: the hero knows detailed information about the topic, including special rituals, prayer texts, and philosophical basics.
Botch: confuse special rites and philosophies of one Church for those of another.
Improvement Cost: B
Note: If the description for a church or cult states that knowledge of the religion is a trade secret, that Church or cult cannot normally be taken as an Application of this skill. The GM has the final say.
Sphere Lore
Check: SGC/SGC/INT
Applications: Beings from the Spheres, Limbo, a specific Sphere
Encumbrance: No
Quality: more details about Limbo or the Spheres
Failed Check: the hero knows nothing about the topic.
Critical Success: the hero remembers some interesting details about individual demons or the paths into a hidden Globule.
Botch: the hero makes a dangerous misjudgment.
Improvement Cost: B
Warfare
Check: COU/SGC/INT
Applications: Open Battle, Partisan Tactics, Sea Battle, Siege Tactics, Tunnel Fighting
Encumbrance: No
Quality: gain an advantage during a battle
Failed Check: the hero makes a bad decision.
Critical Success: the hero’s brilliant plan grants more advantages in combat and may lead to victory.
Botch: the hero makes a critical mistake that leads to trouble, either personally or for the hero’s side in the battle.
Improvement Cost: B
Core Rules page 201