New Uses for Old Skills: In the City

Every character has the same set of skills, regardless of class or rank. That said, the ranks that are allocated to the skill list can define a character and give them certain advantages and disadvantages depending on the situation.

This new column will dive into skills, with a specific focus on alternate uses for these common skills. Where possible, I will try to come up with a specialized theme to revolve around. Please note that class and feat selection will ultimately specialize a character (for example, a crafter or assassin), but a strong set of complimentary skills will push that character into an expert of their field. Also, as a general rule, I will not talk about Craft, Knowledge and Profession, as these skills must have a specific focus chosen which could apply to nearly any field. Consider these skills as important for any character concept.

In this first installment of "New Uses for Old Skills", I review a few skills that could be very useful for characters who is an expert in city life; regardless of social standing.

Skills for City Life

• Appraise
• Diplomacy
• Disguise
• Forgery
• Gather Information
• Hide
• Intuit Direction
• Perform
• Pick Pocket
• Sense Motive
• Wilderness Lore

Let's now take a look at how alternate uses for the previous skills can help define a character who might specialize in city life.

Appraise
The hagging use of Appraise is essential for the discerning consumer. A stuffy noble of Montaigne would likely not lower themselves to pinching pennies, but a commoner certainly would.

Diplomacy
Begging for Alms - there is a right and wrong way to do it - can be essential to surviving in the city for a peasant. In fact, many monks will beg for alms in order to remain humble. Another alternate use for Diplomacy is Negotiations, a less "commoner" way of trying to get a good price on a purchase then Haggling.

Disguise
Blend In allows a skilled user to move into a large crowd of people and slightly change their appearance to resemble those in the crowd. Perhaps it is grabbing a nearby, filthy cloak to fit in with commoners, or standing just a little straighter, with nose in the air, to walk amongst nobles.

Forgery
Yes, you can probably guess that the ability to forge documents and papers would be useful in a city (in fact, how often would it be needed outside of a city?). But did you know that a use of Forgery is for Forge Coins? Until the Vendel have their way and standardize the Guilder as the official Thean currency, there will always be numerous coins and monies that are just asking to be illegally copied.

Gather Information
Important nearly anywhere, anytime; the Informant use of this skill can help turn a complex urban environment into a wealth of gossip and information. There is a cost associated with having an Informant in a city. A "flip side" use of Gather Information is Spread Rumors, perfect for throwing others off your tail, or to defeat the competition as you both clamour for the same information.

Hide
Two important uses of this skill for city life are Tail and Wall Flower. Tail allows a user to follow another person using city crowds as cover. (NOTE: Tail can be used in non-urban environments also; using foliage or other cover). Think of Wall Flower as the old Unobtrusive skill from the Roll and Keep 7th Sea Rules - fading into the background and remaining quiet and keeping still. People will be aware of the Wall Flower, but generally ignore their presense.

Intuit Direction
Simple enough, the City Sense allows a user to determine where they are in a city or other urban area. This is the ability to look at buildings and judge the distance to certain neighborhoods and landmarks and also how to get there.

Peform
Aside from the obvious uses for Perform, a new use would be the Distract ability. This is an eye-catching performance that draws onlookers to the performer and away from associates who are performing criminal activities. Devious but effective!

Pick Pocket
Of course the Pick Pocket skill would make this list, as it's most useful in a city. But there are two new uses of the skill that you may not be aware of: Pat Down and Plant Object. Pat Down is used for those who operate in a bodyguard or security role; the ability to casually check the contents of a victim's pockets and gear to locate weapons or other items. This is not the same as an overt Search of the target, because if done properly - he or she is not even aware of the attempt! Plant Object is the reverse of Pick Pocket, as it entails placing an item on the target rather then removing one.

Sense Motive
When attempting to sell an item, the new use Haggling can be used to counter the buyers efforts to reduce your asking price.

Wilderness Lore
You read that correctly: Wilderness Lore. Instead of applying the survival instincts to the wilderness, the user instead has focused their ability to gather food, shelter, etc. to urban life. There are no game mechanics in place to prevent a user from applying this skill in both city and the wilderness, so it falls on the player's shoulders to justify how this skill is used and which discipline (if not both) is applied.

Summary
Armed with this knowledge, you should now be able to not only apply these alternate uses to new characters of your own design, but also to think about how your current characters might be able to make use of these skills. Remember - you already have these skills - now you just have to find a way to use them!