Skills for Adventurers
"I think that players would be far less unhappy about surprises if more GMs made lists like this and did everything possible to get players to take them seriously. A PC with Brawling, Fast-Talk, Forced Entry, Holdout, Knife, Scrounging, Stealth, and Wrestling should be able to make and conceal a shiv, overpower a guard, steal his clothes, sneak away from the scene, talk his way past the other guards, and leave through an inadequately bolted back door."
- Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch
GURPS Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games
Influence/Social Skills:
Carousing
- Socializing, partying, buying drinks, etc.
Diplomacy - Negotiations and compromise.
Fast-Talk - Lying and deceit.
Intimidation - Threats and violence
Savoir-Faire - Manners and etiquette. Mainly useful in "high-society" situations.
Sex Appeal - Vamping and seduction, usually of the opposite sex.
Streetwise - Contacts and (usually) subtle intimidation. Only useful in "street" and criminal situations.
Often Assumed That You Have Skills:
Stealth
- the party is only as good as its worst member.
First Aid - effective bandaging is not an unskilled activity.
Driving/Riding/Piloting - travel is vital, and most heroes will want to ride a horse/motorbike/hoverspeeder etc.
Forced Entry - No, it isn't easy to kick in a door. Unless you know how, you could hurt yourself.
Holdout - "Concealable" equipment only works if you have skill at concealment.
Throwing - Whether you're tossing spare magazines to friends or grenades at enemies, this is a trained skill, so it pays to know it.
Gesture - Sooner or later communication without making a sound may come up (more optional than some of the others).
Search - Specifically people, luggage, vehicles.
Combat Skill Suggestions:
(Melee) Axe/Mace, Broadsword, Knife, Shortsword, Staff, etc.
- skill with using a weapon effectively with training.
(Ranged) Beam Weapons, Bow, Crossbow, Guns, etc. - point and shoot looks easy, but rarely is in practice.
Boxing, Brawling or Karate - These skills improved damage, other bonuses, and allow you to get better at unarmed combat - defaults to DX otherwise.
Innate Attack - Practically necessary for a character with magic or powers.
Judo, Sumo Wrestling, or Wrestling - grabbing people is hard enough in combat, nevermind throwing people or cool holds!
Other Commonly Useful Skills:
Area Knowledge
- when a player asks if they know something about a place…
Climbing - Scaling difficult things can be very useful at times.
Observation - Watching others without being spotted.
Survival - building shelters, knowing how to weather a storm, etc.
Research - this can be handy in nearly any setting! But not every character needs it.
Languages - there might be more than just Common!
Tactics - if you like the idea of your character planning neat short term plans.
Hiking - if everyone in the party knows it the group can travel further faster.
Swimming - Swimming in emergency situations - defaults to HT/Easy or HT-4
Boating - like canoes and the like - I would imagine people who grew up on rivers or lakes would often have this!
Scrounging - finding useful items can be real handy.
Running - Races, long distance running, etc. - defaults to HT/Average or HT-5
Knot-Tying - You don't need knot-tying for everyday use, but under pressure...?
Cooking - I would imagine this would rarely come up under pressure, but amazing for roleplaying!