A Skilled Frontier

From Star Frontiers Network

by Bill Logan

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Professional Skill Areas 2.1 Character Generation 2.2 Skill checks 2.2.1 Standard Rules 2.2.2 Unskilled Skill Checks 2.3 Character Advancement 2.4 Optional Rules 2.4.1 Optional Rule: Linear Skill Development 2.4.2 Optional Rule: Non-Linear Ability Score Development 3 The Skill Areas 3.1 Agent PSA 3.2 Artist PSA 3.3 Linguist PSA 3.4 Military PSA 3.5 Pilot PSA 3.6 Scholar PSA 3.7 Scientist PSA 3.8 Scout PSA 3.9 Tech PSA 4 More Skills 5 Author’s Final Notes

Introduction

Whenever you ask someone what the biggest hole in Star Frontiers rules is, they point at the skills system. When TSR wanted to address this, they came up with Zebulon’s Guide to the Frontier, which added more than one hundred and twenty skills, and modified the whole game system in the process… which alienated many. This article has a newly proposed, play-tested skill system for your gaming enjoyment.

Professional Skill Areas

There are nine professional skill areas (PSAs) describing all potential aspects of a character's knowledge and ability. None of these PSAs are skills unto themselves, but instead a categorical collection of related skills. For example, you won't have a military skill; instead you'll have a melee weapons skill or a demolitions skill.

Character Generation

All players must decide which PSA is primary to their character concept, and which two are secondary to it. List one PSA with a "P:" next to it. List two PSAs with an "S:" next to them. All other PSAs are tertiary to your character concept.

Your character will begin with three level 1 skills. One of which must be from your character's Primary PSA. The second can be from any Primary or Secondary PSA. The third can come from any PSA (even one tertiary to your character concept).

Skill checks

Where are the sub-skills? Where are my character's chances of success listed? The existing Alpha Dawn skill system requires lists and tables to be present at the gaming table, something that has been an antiquated idea since the early 1990s in role-playing evolution. This skill system takes its mechanics from the way Alpha Dawn expressed chance of success in combat. However, this helps keep your ability scores relevant even when testing one of your character's skills.

To make a skill check, use 1/2 your character's ability score relevant to the situation, then add 10% per skill level. This applies to any roll having anything to do with that skill. There is no list of "sub-skills" defining what you can do with a skill. For example, if you have a Survival skill (from the Scout PSA), you get to make any roll having to do with survival (finding shelter, hunting, gathering, etc.) in the same way. Modifiers apply based on any situational condition the Referee decides what applies. The ability scores in Star Frontiers are sufficiently comprehensive that it should become obvious which ability score applies to which situation.

Standard Rules

Many skills from the tech skill area involve repairing equipment. These will use the standard repair rule from Alpha Dawn rulebook. Application of medical science can use the standard rules from Alpha Dawn as well, or a simpler mechanic: a successful Medic skill roll will heal a number of d10 equal to the medic's skill level, but require a like number of hours of recovery (thus a 3rd level medic might roll 3d10 and get 15... meaning he heals 15 STA if the patient rests 15 hours afterwards). If the full period of rest isn't taken, the healing will be halved.

Unskilled Skill Checks

If you are asked to make a skill roll for a skill that is from your primary PSA, yet you have no skill level in that skill, you may (if the Referee allows, based on the situation) use 1/2 your attribute but add nothing for skill level. This is called an Unskilled Skill Check. If you are asked to make a skill check for a skill you don't possess and is one that is from another PSA, you can only succeed on a 01-05 (which is an automatic success in Alpha Dawn rules). Unskilled skill checks can be abused by players, and Referees are to be the final arbiter in such situations.

Character Advancement

Instead of keying the costs of individual skills to the skill area itself (as it was done in Alpha Dawn rules), the costs are keyed to your PSA selections, thus rewarding a solid concept. Some people are good at learning sciences, some are good at learning languages, and others might be natural born pilots. Whichever PSA is chosen as your character's primary one will have the easiest experience point progression. Your secondary PSAs will advance slightly slower, and all other skills will advance slowest still.

After earning experience points, players may spend them on new skills or to advance skills they already have. The cost of the new skill level depends on whether the PSA which governs that skill was important to the character concept (i.e. was selected as either Primary or Secondary to your concept). The table below summarizes experience point costs, and examples follow.

Table: Experience Point costs

Skill Area	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5	Level 6
Primary	3xp	6xp	9xp	12xp	15xp	18xp
Secondary	4xp	8xp	12xp	16xp	20xp	24xp
Tertiary	8xp	16xp	24xp	32xp	40xp	48xp

Optional Rules

The following are optional rules that you can use at your own discretion.

Optional Rule: Linear Skill Development

The existing experience point advancement system is not congruous with the rest of Star Frontiers rules. It costs more per level with higher skill levels, but ability scores can be increased on a linear 1:1 basis. The end result is people will end up with 100’s in important ability scores long before sinking the high costs into their sixth level of skill. I kept this progression the same in the proposed skill system described in this article, but consider this optional rule. Instead of the experience point cost chart, simply use the following:

Table: Linear Experience Point costs

Skill Area	Experience Cost
Primary	3xp per level
Secondary	4xp per level
Tertiary	8xp per level

If your character has a skill level of 5 in a Secondary PSA skill, it costs 4xp to raise it to skill level 6, period. You will see skill development become the primary means of character advancement quite quickly, since it only costs 3xp to get a +10% chance of success in a Primary PSA skill. This makes the game mechanics break away from the standard Alpha Dawn rules, but is an interesting option nonetheless.

Optional Rule: Non-Linear Ability Score Development

As an alternative to the optional rule above, you could change the ability score advancement to be non-linear. Doing this, you have to keep track of what the original score was and record your development as additional plusses. For example, if you increase your Dexterity from 50 to 55, you’d record it as 50+5 to remember how much of it is from development and how much of it is natural. Then consider using the following table:

Table: Non-Linear Ability Score Experience Point Costs (per +1 to abilityscore)

Ability Scores	Up to +10	Up to +20	Up to +30	Up to +40	Up to +50	Up to +60
Physical Ability Scores (STR, STA, DEX, and RS)	1xp	1xp	2xp	2xp	3xp	3xp
Social Ability Scores (PER, and LDR)	1xp	2xp	2xp	3xp	3xp	4xp
Mental Ability Scores (INT, and LOG)	2xp	2xp	3xp	3xp	4xp	4xp

Experience Point Costs are per +1 to ability score. Therefore, it costs 1xp per +1 to STR up until you have +10, then it costs 2xp per +1, etc. The highest you can ever boost an ability score is +60, which should be quite rare indeed.

The Skill Areas

Rather than provide an exhaustive list of skills, this system provides nine categories of professional skill areas. Individual skills are to be drawn from these PSAs. After each skill name is an example of the types of situations where that skill might come into play. This is meant to be a short example, not a comprehensive list of all situations.

Agent PSA

The Agent professional skill area governs those specialty skills associated with activities often outside the law. They deal with deception, coercion, theft, and espionage. Skilled agents can slip into an area, carry out a mission, sense any traps you've prepared for him, and if caught convince you to let him go. The Agent PSA consists of the following skills:

• Stealth (rolls apply to prowling, hiding, shadowing, concealment, etc.)
• Persuasion (rolls apply to con, charm, convince, intimidate, etc.)
• Thievery (rolls apply to lock picking, pocket picking, forgery, sleight of hand, etc.)
• Detective (rolls apply to listening, spotting clues, gathering information, surveillance, searching for weapons, reading body language, etc.)

Artist PSA

The artist professional skill area covers skills designed to create and interpret various forms of expression. Effective professional artists have a creative streak that permeates everything they do in life. Creative individuals have an easier time learning to play musical instruments, write elegant speeches or songs, sculpt things from various materials, and draw/paint their visions to canvas or paper. The Artist PSA consists of the following basic skills:

• Visual Art (rolls cover creation or interpretation of drawings, paintings, photographs, holovideos, etc.)
• Structural Art (rolls cover creation or interpretation of sculptures, pottery, woodcraft, leatherwork, etc.)
• Composition Art (rolls cover creation or interpretation of poetry, stories, articles, music scores, songs, etc.)
• Performance Art (rolls cover acting, singing, musical instruments, dancing, mime, or other forms of performance art)

Linguist PSA

The linguist professional skill area is for those individuals determined to speak, read, and write every language in the Frontier. Although few player characters would select this as their Primary PSA, many may wish to purchase individual skills. Purchasing languages is handled simply: level 1 allows for basic/halted/limited conversation, level 2 allows basic/limited reading and writing, level 3 means your character is fluent with a strong accent but can read/write effectively, level 4 is completely fluent and completely literate, level 5 is able to pick up and simulate local dialects, and finally level 6 is a mastery normally reserved for those raised to speak to the language, indistinguishable from a native. If you want to get around in an area, building a language skill to level 2 is typically sufficient. Starting players are automatically considered level 6 in the languages of their native race and level 5 in Pan-Galactic. The Linguist PSA consists of the following basic skills, but more languages can be found throughout the Frontier:

• Human Languages
• Dralasite Languages
• Yazirian Languages
• Vrusk Languages
• Pan-Galactic

Military PSA

The military professional skill area represents the specialized form of destruction practiced by soldiers, mercenaries, and even private bodyguards. Military specialists are unfortunately common throughout the Frontier. Effective military specialists can take out their enemies with speed and precision. The Military PSA consists of the following skills:

• Beam weapons (roll defines chance to hit with beam weapons)
• Space Energy Weapons (roll defines chance to hit with energy-based starship weaponry)
• Space Rocket Weapons (roll defines chance to hit with rocket-based starship weaponry)
• Gyrojet weapons (roll defines chance to hit with gyrojet weapons)
• Projectile weapons (roll defines chance to hit with projectile weapons)
• Archaic weapons (roll defines chance to hit with archaic ranged weapons)
• Unarmed Combat (roll defines chance to hit while unarmed)
• Melee weapons (roll defines chance to hit with hand-held weapons)
• Thrown weapons (roll defines chance to hit with hurled weapons)
• Demolitions (roll includes chance to set or deactivate an explosive charge)

Pilot PSA

The Pilot professional skill area covers the operation of vehicles, military or otherwise, in stressful situations. A skilled pilot can maneuver his vehicle through tight confines, across dangerous terrain, and recover from losses of control. The following skills comprise the Pilot PSA:

• Ground vehicles (roll for control of ground cycles, cars, and transports)
• Hover vehicles (roll for control of hover cycles, cars, and transports)
• Water vehicles (roll for control of boats, ships, and submarines)
• Air vehicles (roll for control of rotor-wing, propeller-, or jet-based air vehicles)
• System vehicles (roll for control of shuttles and fighters and short-range transports)
• Space vehicles (roll for control of large spaceships capable of FTL speeds)

Scholar PSA

The scholar professional skill area involves skills that are all about knowledge. Even if that knowledge isn't quite scholarly, it falls under this skill area. Effective scholars can draw parallels between literary and historical events and apply them to what is going on around them, giving them an insight that unscholarly people might lack. Note that all rolls for scholarly skills can be made twice: first to see if you know the fact, and second to research it if you don't know it. The Scholar PSA includes the following skills:

• Literature (rolls involve knowledge of authors and their writings)
• History (rolls involve knowledge of the past, or researching past events, people, or places)
• Politics (rolls involve knowledge of the inner workings of politics and bureaucracies)
• Economics (rolls involve knowledge of the financial infrastructure of the Frontier)
• Pop Culture (rolls involve knowledge of present people, places, and events)
• Law (rolls involve knowledge of -and around the laws throughout the Frontier)
• Philosophy/Theology (rolls involve knowledge of the religions and philosophies of the Frontier)

Scientist PSA

The scientist professional skill area covers those skills that deal with the living, chemical, or physical laws of the universe. Scientists give names to the unknown, bringing them into the realm of the known. A skilled scientist develops ideas or diagnosis, plans experiments, and proves theories. Whether they're in it for the discovery or for the glory, scientists are part of what makes the Frontier an exciting place. The Scientist PSA is comprised of the following skills:

• Medic (rolls deal with the diagnosis and treatment of infections, disease, toxin, and injury)
• Psycho-Social (rolls deal with the study of the psyche, hypnosis, and the unconscious mind)
• Environmental (rolls deal with terrestrial land, water, and air sciences)
• Space Science (rolls deal with astrogation, spatial physics, and starship engineering)

Scout PSA

The scout professional skill area includes those skills the outdoorsman would require. Effective scouts can live off the land and survive adversity off even complex environments if they have the right materials handy. The following skills comprise the Scout PSA:

• Animal Handling (rolls include influencing animal behavior, riding, husbandry, etc.)
• Athletics (rolls include climbing, running, jumping, etc.)
• Survival (rolls include procuring shelter, hunting, tracking, building fire, etc.)
• Navigation (rolls include finding way in wilderness, charting new courses).
• Mariner (rolls include swimming, diving, operating terrestrial watercraft, etc.)

Tech PSA

The Tech professional skill area includes those skills that deal with the repair, configuration, programming, and engineering of technology. Effective Techs can repair damaged goods in adverse conditions, operate technological devices to their fullest, and reprogram captured enemy or alien technology for their own use. The following skills comprise the Tech PSA:

• Technician (rolls include operation, accessing, and repairing vehicles and machines)
• Computers (rolls include programming, interfacing, hacking, and repairing computers)
• Robotics (rolls include programming, accessing, configuring, and repairing robots)

More Skills

Although a list of skills exist under each PSA shown above, these lists are not exhaustive. Players are encouraged to develop their own ideas for skills to complete their character conceptions. This skill system is designed to focus on the character concept. Referees must approve the skill and the PSA under which it falls. Different players may even have the same skill under different skill areas if the Referee allows, representing different types of skill training.

Be aware that if you allow the same skill to exist under different PSA’s, some players may abuse that (“My character learned to shoot Beam Weapons in the university, so can it please be covered under my Scientist PSA?”).

Author’s Final Notes

The defining factors about this skill system are the following:

• More PSAs. There are nine PSAs for your character to choose from instead of only four (Alpha Dawn had three, and Knight Hawks added Spacer skills, an unnamed fourth PSA).
• More Skills. The original game had eighteen skills (thirteen from Alpha Dawn, five from Knight Hawks). This system has 48 skills, and extreme effort was made to make these skills comprehensive. However, new skills can be made and hopefully it will be quite obvious and instinctive under which PSA a newly-developed skill should fall.
• Easier Gameplay. The elimination of predefined lists of "sub-skills" and the requirement to look up their individual success rates and special rules have been eliminated, being replaced with a streamlined common rule to use in all uses of a skill. No more looking things up in-game.
• Secondary PSA. To make your character more unique, you select a Primary PSA like always, but also select two Secondary PSAs. This is possible because of the added number of PSAs, and helps make your character more individual. For example, a character conception that is P:Military, S:Scout, S:Pilot is quite different than P:Military, S:Agent, S: Scholar. In the original Alpha Dawn system, they both would have been Military PSA characters.
• Experience Costs. The cost to purchase skill levels has changed. Rather than encouraging military skills this system encourages staying within your character concept. You'll pay the cheapest cost for skills within your Primary and Secondary PSAs. This is to help encourage strong archetypes, and reward players for staying within their character concept. In the original Alpha Dawn game, the Military PSA characters achieved more skills and more skill levels than those in the other PSAs because their skills were simply much cheaper.