Chapter 8 — Skills in Play

There are 30 skills in Wanderstar, organized across five categories of six skills each. Every skill has a default characteristic that governs whether rolls are made with Advantage or Disadvantage (Chapter 6). The GM may call a different characteristic when the situation warrants. This chapter covers how skill ranks work and lists the full skill set; the detailed description of what each skill does is in Chapter 23.

Skill ranks§

Every character defaults to Untrained in all skills. Skills advance through careers, XP spending, and the fail-forward advancement system (Chapter 20).

Rank	Bonus	Notes
Untrained	−3	Default for all skills. Cannot be marked for advancement.
Trained	+0	The floor of competence. Removes the penalty; no bonus.
Experienced	+1
Professional	+2
Expert	+3	Maximum rank.

Trained is the threshold that matters most: it is where the penalty disappears and the skill becomes useful under pressure. Getting a skill from Untrained to Trained costs 10 XP and is the only advancement path for Untrained skills.

Physical§

Physical action and fieldcraft — moving through the world, scouting it, enduring it, and operating vehicles and vessels.

Skill	Default Characteristic
Athletics	Dexterity
Recon	Intellect
Driving	Dexterity
Piloting	Dexterity
Sneaking	Dexterity
Survival	Endurance

Academics§

Formal and scientific knowledge — the disciplines that explain how the universe works.

Skill	Default Characteristic
Biology	Education
Chemistry	Education
Physics	Intellect
Political Science	Education
Psychology	Intellect
Research	Intellect

Combat§

Applying force in conflict — ranged and close, direct and indirect.

Skill	Default Characteristic
Ranged Weapons	Dexterity
Close Quarters	Strength
Remote Weapons	Intellect
Heavy Weapons	Strength
Explosives	Intellect
Tactics	Intellect

Technology§

Operating, maintaining, repairing, and compromising the systems that run the Shore.

Skill	Default Characteristic
Cracking	Intellect
Communications	Intellect
System Operations	Education
Electronics	Education
Engineering	Intellect
Mechanical	Strength

Navigating the human (and non-human) landscape — persuasion, reputation, and institutional power.

Skill	Default Characteristic
Negotiate	Intellect
Network	Social Standing
Deceive	Intellect
Command	Social Standing
Charm	Social Standing
Bureaucracy	Intellect

Notes on skill use§

Overlapping skills: Some situations could fall under multiple skills — a border crossing might call for Bureaucracy (working the system), Deceive (lying about your cargo), or Negotiate (cutting a deal). The GM picks the most appropriate skill for the specific approach taken.

Untrained rolls: Characters can attempt tests for skills they haven't trained, but the −3 penalty is severe. On a flat roll, an Untrained character succeeds only on an 11 or 12 (~17%). This is intentional: Wanderstar is a game where knowing what you're doing matters.

Characteristic substitution: The GM may call a different characteristic than the default when circumstances justify it. A Cracking test performed under fire might use Endurance (staying calm) rather than Intellect. A Charm test against a known enemy might use Social Standing (your reputation precedes you) rather than the usual read.

Remote Weapons & operating at a remove: Remote Weapons is the gunner's skill for any weapon you aren't physically holding — a drone's gun, a vehicle or starship turret, an automated mount. Moving a drone with finesse uses Piloting, and building or repairing one uses Engineering. See Chapter 25.

Cracking & electronic intrusion: Hacking has no minigame — it is a Cracking test (Intellect) like any other. Against an undefended lock, a single test opens it. Against a system someone is actively guarding, run it as an opposed test (Chapter 5) — your Cracking against the defender's Cracking or System Operations — and against a tough, well-built system the GM simply imposes Disadvantage or calls for repeated tests. Physical access, stolen credentials (an encrypted data-key), or a Disruptive hit can grant Advantage; a botched roll trips an alarm, locks you out, or traces your signal back rather than merely failing. The same applies to slicing comms, spoofing a sensor, or subverting a drone.

Rolling a Random Skill§

When you need a skill chosen by the dice — a Life Event that grants training, a career benefit that reads "roll a random skill," or a GM seeding an NPC — roll two D6: the first picks the category, the second picks the skill within it. Read the first die down the left column and the second die across the top.

1st die	1	2	3	4	5	6
1 — Physical	Athletics	Recon	Driving	Piloting	Sneaking	Survival
2 — Academics	Biology	Chemistry	Physics	Political Science	Psychology	Research
3 — Combat	Ranged Weapons	Close Quarters	Remote Weapons	Heavy Weapons	Explosives	Tactics
4 — Technology	Cracking	Communications	System Operations	Electronics	Engineering	Mechanical
5 — Social	Negotiate	Network	Deceive	Command	Charm	Bureaucracy
6 — roll again	—	—	—	—	—	—

A first-die 6 has no category — reroll it (or, if you'd rather not reroll, let the roller pick any category and read the second die into it). When a result lands on a skill you already have at maximum rank, or one that makes no sense for the character, take the next skill down the row or pick a neighbor — the table is here to break ties, not to override the fiction.