Character Skill System
The Skill System
Skills Introduction
For many players, describing their characters is intuitive; they understand what their character is good at, what they’re bad at, and what they’re simply mediocre at as an extension of their backstory. In order to keep this comparable to a degree across characters however, however, the VI staff has created a relatively simple skills system to help with character creation and to judge where your character stands in general. This guide will go over what the skill system is and is not, how to easily create a character with it, and how one can improve and change their skills over time.
The head administrator requires, before you continue reading this, to read the dispute resolution policy, namely what happens when two writers are having a hard time coming to an agreement in PVE or PVP, are decided. This is so that you understand that skills are only a part of how this is determined and to gain a clear understanding that having a higher skill in an area does not constitute an automatic “victory” in such situations.
Now that you have read how disputes are handled, we are almost ready to dive into details on how the skill system works, but just one more thing before we take that plunge. When describing certain skills, try to make them as specific as you can, e.g. for a physical fighting style do not put down general swordsmanship, but put down the type of sword they are proficient in. There is a system to on how to handle “general expertise” towards the end of the guide.
Excellent, now that all that is out of the way, we can now jump right in to the three different skill categories.
The Three Categories
Physical
Physical skills include everything from martial training and prowess to fleetness of foot, stealthiness, and physical endurance. These skills are primarily gained by honing one's body, or at least learning how to move one's body with more precision to match one's intent. Generally speaking, these can be divided into fighting styles and physical skills. Fighting styles encompass how your character survives combat and other dangerous situations in which the ability to throw a punch, swing a blade, or maneuver a shield can mean the difference between a celebratory night out with friends and a stay in the hospital. The second type, approaches, is how your character gets themselves into, through, and out of danger; it includes movement skills like stealth, parkour, sprinting, and tumbling, but also being able to endure or withstand a blow, use dirty tricks to your advantage, or wrestle a dangerous foe to the ground.
Example fighting styles: katanas, rapiers, knives, traditional bows, crossbows,
Example approaches: stealth, parkour, endurance, duck and cover, dirty tricks, wrestling, sprinting, tumbling
Mental
Mental skills are everything that your character has learned to do via study and hard work. Unlike physical skills, which run a lot more on muscle memory, mental skills are primarily sourced in an intellectual understanding of facts and procedures, even in cases requiring a certain amount of raw strength to execute (no matter how burly the weaponsmith, after all, it’s a matter of learning, not weightlifting, that makes a master). Mental skills include both trades (what your character has learned how to do) and knowledge (what your character happens to know by rote). These can be overlapping categories; a character might know how to play the piano as matter of practical skill, while also having a great deal of rote knowledge about various composers and styles of music. It is still worth considering approaching these as separate types to build a more well-rounded character. Think about their trade as what they were doing (or at least were training to do) before their time in the Imperium; this includes all the practical day-to-day knowledge of how to adequately perform that job, such as lockpicking and pickpocketing for a thief, a basic understanding of the law (or at least general social morality) for police, and shorthand and filing practices for clerks. Think of their knowledge as what they learned a great deal about, but which is either extraneous to or in excess of what is required for job performance; a thief might know a great deal about rare and valuable Alkamarian frescoes, a Fogey police officer is secretly passionate about jurisprudence and wants to become a lawyer, or a clerk has an eye for engineering and design far beyond the demands of his menial position. While you can certainly build a character who is heavy on knowledge and light on practical skills, they may find themselves feeling useless or helpless in situations where this knowledge does not apply. Similarly, a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none may be able to help in a pinch, but might lack a deeper understanding of and passion for their craft.
Example trades: accounting, thievery, sailing, smithing, policing, espionage, dancing, music, medicine, racketeering, administration
Example knowledge: literary analysis, history, music theory, chemistry, biology, jurisprudence, engineering, art history, world languages
Social
Social skills are how your character engages with the beasts around them, at least when they aren't trying to kill each other. Generally speaking, social skills are all equally applicable, but can best be understood in terms of in-group and out-group socializing. Everyone's character has groups in society who recognize them as ‘one of us’: social clubs, niche hobbies, and professional organizations are among the most common, and the warmth and camaraderie within can make for a comfortable environment. Conversely, there are many out-groups to whom a character would be seen as a stranger or, worse, an interloper. How one interacts in these two fundamentally different environments can be radically different, and can certainly be a reflection of the station in which one grew up. A haughty noble might be congenial to his peers and condescending to the workers on and around his land; a sailor might be raucous with his crewmates and in taverns, but respectful in more formal environments.
If it helps to differentiate, one can also think of how a character deals with beasts of elevated status (that is, those with more money, power, and fame than them) versus similar and lower-status beasts. A mob boss might regularly intimidate those in his organization and rule by fear, but be all groveling and flattery with the government officials on whose goodwill his business relies. A ship's officer might be chummy and permissive with the crew, content to be ‘one of the guys’, and be flippant and disrespectful with the captain and brass, relying on their sterling performance and reputation to buy them some leeway. However you approach it, the end result would be one (or more) skill used primarily when at ease, and other(s) used primarily when out of one’s depth.
Example social skills: flattery, persuasive argument, logical debate, incendiary rhetoric, bad puns, intimidation, blackmail, fast talk, seduction, impersonation, deceit, appeals to the masses
A special note on world languages: the world of the Vulpine Imperium is a big place, full of all sorts of different beasts with different norms, cultures, and yes, languages. While the default language in the setting of the Vulpine Imperium is Vulpinsulan (or, just because we are a predominantly English-reading fanbase, the English language if you have to get more precise), there's no reason your character has to be limited to that language. Perhaps your character is from a land where Vulpinsulan is a distant second or third language, or is an enthusiastic Vulpinsulan-born student of another land's native tongue. Generally speaking, you don't need to take a skill rank in world languages to have knowledge of a language that your character would have grown up speaking, or which they would have been raised to understand. That being said, if your character is a burgeoning polyglot or just has a sharp ear for picking up new languages, it may be worth taking a rank or two in the skill. Perhaps they were even trained in languages as a career, groomed to be an interpreter to diplomats and politicians. While languages in and of themselves are not necessarily a ‘social’ skill, they can open doors that would otherwise stay closed.
SKILL LEVELS
There are eight levels for skills, ranging from Unskilled (no particular talent or training to speak of; considered to be default for skills not listed or those your character has no experience with) up to Imperium’s Finest (typically the result of an extensive devotion to a single craft or skill). There is one level above Imperium’s Finest, Superlative, but this is not and will not be available to player characters. For initial character creation, with limited exceptions approved by the VI staff, you will not be able to start with a skill above Seasoned and must earn this through roleplaying.
Unskilled (default for all skills not listed on the character sheet)
Your character has no experience to speak of. In terms of fighting, think about this being a random, off-the-street civilian given a sword; more than likely, they will flail it about and risk injuring themselves or others more than any foe.
Novice
Your character has begun their journey towards the mastery of a skill. They may be learning their skill as a junior apprentice, or out of a dog-eared How-To book from the public library, and just starting to grasp the basics. In terms of fighting, think of this as someone who is in training to learn swordsmanship and the general basics of combat, making them somewhat better than an unskilled civilian
Trained
Your character now has a solid understanding of the fundamentals of a skill in theory and the ability to carry out the basics of it in practice in a reliable manner. They may be able to stand on their own and make a career of their skills without landing themselves in prison or the poorhouse, though more than likely they work with or for a more experienced group or individual to hone the fine points of their craft. In terms of fighting, this would be equivalent to someone just out of basic training in the generalities of combat and with just a bit of specialized weapons training. They may even have survived their first pitched battle.
Proficient
Your character has started to gain an advanced understanding of a skill in theory and has completely mastered the fundamentals in practice. At this point, they have gained enough skill to be considered reliable in their craft and even able to do some freelancing, though they lack the stability and expertise that further experience brings. In terms of fighting, this would be the equivalent of a trained swordsbeast who has survived more than a few battles. The regular standing Imperial Navy and Army soldiers fall into this category
Seasoned
Your character now has a solid understanding of advanced concepts of this skill in theory and has moved beyond the basics into their journey towards practical mastery. They may have taken a novice or two under their wing and become a trusted figure among their neighbors for their expertise. In terms of combat, this would be a trained swordsbeast who has seen quite a bit of battle and a few campaigns under their belt, but not quite yet at the level of a hardened veteran.
Veteran (Initially Restricted)
Your character, for all intents and purposes, is now able to discern the steps towards complete mastery of a skill. They have a theoretical understanof how the savants of their trade operate, and in practice have become quite advanced. In context of a career, they would have emerged as among the local leaders in their field and become sought-after as a mentor by novices just starting out. In terms of combat, this would be a trained swordsbeast who has seen many battles and more than a few campaigns and can be considered an elite. A fully trained Stoatorian Guardsbeast is generally considered to be at this level.
Master (Initially Restricted)
Your character is now regarded by all, even their most ardent enemies, to have achieved a solid practical mastery of a skill, with the ability to understand feats of true greatness in theory and maybe even a few good ideas on how to replicate them in practice. In terms of combat, this would be an equivalent to a swordsbeast accomplished enough to either lead their own school of swordsmanship or be certified to lead an already created school. This is the pinnacle of an average beast’s ability; going beyond this level requires a singular will, a great amount of experience, and perhaps fate’s fortune.
Imperium's Finest (Initially Restricted)
Your character is now regarded as one of the Imperium’s leading masters in their field and may even be known to the general public as a household name. They have successfully broken through a barrier few beasts have the ability to pierce, one even fewer have accomplished in their particular skill. They typically have either invented some kind of novel breakthrough in their field or learned such from some fabled master and keep such information close to their hearts. In terms of combat this could for example be a master swordsbeast who has invented or inherited one or two secret techniques that verges on the legendary that in a duel with a regular master will decide the match by in the IF’s favor. This is the maximum level a player character may achieve and is a hard cap. You may not be IF in more than one skill, and an IF specializes in one particular subset of an overall category: for example you cannot be an IF in swordsmanship in general, but you can be, say, a katana IF.
Imperium’s Finest is broken down into essentially two levels: the relative finest and the absolute finest, the difference being a paper-thin margin between the two. If all things are exactly equal, then the absolute finest will win out over the relative finest, but it is very rare for a situation there to ever be so clear cut, so the absolute finest is more for bragging rights than anything.
Superlative (Staff NPC Restricted)
Although the rank of Imperium’s Finest is the highest skill rating that the player can achieve, this does not signify the absolute peak of achievement. They are the finest in the Imperium, not necessarily the world. There are all kinds of legendary beasts who may eclipse that of one or perhaps even multiple of the Imperium’s best. These will typically be written by staff or the head admin themselves for story purposes or perhaps some kind of group challenge and to remind IFs that while they are very skilled, they are also still very much mortal.
Skills and Your Character Sheet
So now that we have an understanding of the what the skill system is and the categories and levels, let’s delve into how this applies to your character sheet. In general this operates by what is known as a “point buy” system wherein you get a certain amount of points at character creation and can freely spread them across the three categories as seen fit with the details below. The VI staff, while permitting what is known as “skewed” characters, characters who put the majority or all of their points into one category of skills, recommends in general at least a somewhat balanced character for people new to roleplay. This is because many adventures and threads will have challenges involving two or more skills, and it allows your character to have a broader depth of experiences and problem-solving abilities. There is no “hard cap” towards a character’s skill development, but there is a “soft cap” of 20 maximum points achieved through RP over time, getting increasingly more difficult for every point you achieve over this, and it is recommended at a certain point to perhaps transfer the points you may gain toward one character's advancement over to an alt rather than continuing to grind upwards on a soft-capped character.
Point Cost Per Skill Level:
Novice: 1 Point
Trained: 2 Points
Proficient: 3 Points
Seasoned: 4 points
Veteran: 6 points
Master: 8 Points
Imperium’s Finest: 12 Points.
If competing with another player in a particular specialty at the IF level, e.g. katanas, one moves to the second higher level of IF, the absolute finest, by devoting more points to this, with no theoretical cap to this competition but given the nature of the soft cap level and the exceptionally minor benefits of this vs the work put in, it is usually not recommended unless you want bragging rights.
Starting Points and Levels
Characters Aged 16+
Characters 16 or above receive 12 points to begin with to freely spread across three categories, with a maximum initial skill level cap of Seasoned per particular skill. For example, you could devote all twelve points into the physical category at the beginning, but you would only be able to have a maximum of four devoted to towards a particular style of swordsmanship (Seasoned), and would need to choose additional physical skills for your remaining points.
Characters Aged <16
Characters 15 or below start with 11 points with a starting skill cap of Proficient, meaning if you wish to play a child prodigy, it is a bit more work. It should be noted that the VI staff will take a closer look at characters under 16 for approval to avoid completely nonsensical situations, so please use this responsibly.
Skill Increases
As your character continues to roleplay and gains more experience, they will acquire more skill points at a consistent rate up until meeting the soft cap limit of 20 where the difficulty to gain more skill points begins to increase in an exponential manner. This is typically done by roleplaying with bonuses for completed and particularly well-written threads. The initial rollout of this system will be based on admin judgment, but there will be, relatively soon after the 1.0 site launch, an “influence” currency that can be spent on gaining more skill points that will be standardized across players for fairness.
Resetting Your Skills
If you do decide that you do not like where you put your skill points or decide your character has evolved in a different manner over time, it is possible to reset your skills upon staff approval or by spending influence to signify your character significantly retraining their abilities. Think of this as them undergoing an intense training “montage” so to speak; if you have questions about this, message the VI staff.
Exceptions To The Above
The VI Staff reserves the right to grant comparatively rare exceptions to the above for a variety of reasons, but this shall be closely monitored and reviewed by the head admin. Examples include a VI old timer who roleplayed a lot returning and getting a small bonus for (one) returning character, and Ministers being allowed, but not required, to have their official Ministerial character start at the soft cap. In the latter case of the Ministers, for the purpose of fairness they are not allowed to advance beyond the soft cap until a decent portion of the site has reached the soft cap. Such exemptions will be rare.
General Expertise
To a certain degree depending on the skill one has chosen to put points in, one may acquire what is known as “general expertise” at higher skill levels, representing acquisition of generally transferable techniques relevant to closely-related skills, trades, and approaches. For example, an Imperium’s Finest in katanas may be able to have a generalized swordfighting ability even if he or she loses access to their weapon of choice; or perhaps a motivational speaker, forced into an uncomfortable situation, can attempt to bluff their way free of trouble. Generally speaking, one's general expertise in a given fighting style, approach, trade, knowledge, or social skill will be considered to be three ranks below one’s current skill level in that area. For the previous situation, that IF will be able to operate at a Seasoned level if forced to improvise with a longsword, or a Seasoned motivational speaker would be treated as a Novice liar. This allows for a more even and realistic playing field while allowing some situational versatility.