Chapter 23 — Skill Descriptions
Chapter 8 covered how skill ranks work and listed all thirty skills with their default characteristics. This chapter says what each one actually does in play — the kinds of action it covers and the cases where the line between two skills can blur. The rank ladder, the Trained threshold, and the rules for untrained attempts and characteristic substitution all live in Chapter 8 and are not repeated here.
Each entry names the skill's default characteristic in parentheses; the GM may call a different one when the situation warrants (Chapter 6).
Index§
Physical§
Physical action and fieldcraft — moving through the world, scouting it, enduring it, and operating vehicles and vessels.
Athletics (Dexterity). Running, climbing, jumping, swimming, balancing, and raw bodily exertion. The skill behind the Dodge reaction (Chapter 11), catching yourself in a fall (Chapter 13), and any feat of agility or coordination under pressure.
Recon (Intellect). Observing and interpreting your surroundings — spotting an ambush, noticing a tail, reading tracks, picking the detail that's out of place. It is the active counterpart to another's Sneaking, and the skill the GM leans on whenever a character is trying to see what's there.
Driving (Dexterity). Operating ground and atmospheric vehicles — rovers, crawlers, ground-cars, skimmers — under ordinary or hostile conditions. Used for pursuit, evasion, and crossing bad terrain (Chapter 25).
Piloting (Dexterity). Flying spacecraft and small craft, from atmospheric landings to hard maneuvering in a fight. The pilot's skill at a ship's helm (Chapters 25, 27), and what moving a drone with finesse falls back on (Chapter 25).
Sneaking (Dexterity). Moving unseen and unheard, hiding, tailing, and slipping past watchers. Resolved against a sentry's Recon as an opposed test (Chapter 5) when someone is actively watching.
Survival (Endurance). Staying alive in hostile environments — foraging, shelter, pacing exertion, weathering the elements. The skill that resists most environmental hazards (Chapter 13) and the one a field medic rolls to administer first aid (Chapter 10).
Academics§
Formal and scientific knowledge — the disciplines that explain how the universe works.
Biology (Education). Living systems — medicine, anatomy, xenobiology, ecology. The core of diagnosis and treatment, identifying organisms, and understanding how a body (human or otherwise) works or fails.
Chemistry (Education). Substances and reactions — synthesizing drugs and compounds, identifying toxins, handling reactive materials, formulating treatments when the supply chain can't.
Physics (Intellect). The hard math of matter, energy, and motion — including the exotic physics behind jump travel and the calculation of safe routes (Chapter 27).
Political Science (Education). How power is structured and exercised — governments, factions, institutions, and the forces that make them rise and fall. The scholar's read on who really holds power and why.
Psychology (Intellect). How minds work — reading people, understanding motivation and trauma, counseling, and sizing up a stranger. The usual counter to another's Deceive (Chapter 5).
Research (Intellect). Finding the true answer in a sea of sources — archives, records, databases, and the discipline of running a question to ground. The skill for getting at information that exists but is buried.
Combat§
Applying force in conflict — ranged and close, direct and indirect.
Ranged Weapons (Dexterity). Firing handheld guns and thrown weapons — pistols, rifles, shotguns, grenades, and the like (Chapter 11). The most common attack skill in a firefight.
Close Quarters (Strength). Hand-to-hand and melee combat — fists, blades, clubs, grapples. The skill behind the Parry reaction and all fighting at Engaged range (Chapter 11).
Remote Weapons (Intellect). Operating any weapon you aren't physically holding — a drone's gun, a vehicle or ship turret, an automated mount (Chapter 25).
Heavy Weapons (Strength). Crew-served and shoulder-fired ordnance — machine guns, launchers, and other hardware that needs bracing or a mount (Chapters 11, 24).
Explosives (Intellect). Demolitions and area munitions — placing charges, breaching, and lobbing explosives onto a position (where the Blast trait then resolves, Chapter 11).
Tactics (Intellect). Reading a battle and directing it — planning an operation, positioning allies, anticipating the enemy. The skill that turns individual fighters into a coordinated force.
Technology§
Operating, maintaining, repairing, and compromising the systems that run the Shore.
Cracking (Intellect). Electronic intrusion — defeating locks, breaking encryption, subverting drones and sensors. There is no minigame; it is a test like any other, run as an opposed test against an active defender (Chapter 8).
Communications (Intellect). Operating comms gear, working coded channels and dead drops, and keeping signals flowing across distance — including ship-to-ship and long-range relay.
System Operations (Education). Running the consoles and control systems of ships, stations, and facilities — sensors, life support, and the day-to-day operation of complex installations.
Electronics (Education). Building, diagnosing, and repairing electronic devices and circuits — sensors, surveillance gear, and the wiring that ties machines together.
Engineering (Intellect). Designing, building, and repairing major systems — drives, reactors, structures, and craft. The skill behind keeping a ship running and building or fixing drones (Chapters 25, 26).
Mechanical (Strength). Hands-on work with machines — stripping and rebuilding engines, fabricating and repairing physical hardware, keeping aging equipment alive.
Social§
Navigating the human (and non-human) landscape — persuasion, reputation, and institutional power.
Negotiate (Intellect). Bargaining and deal-making — haggling, brokering agreements, finding terms both sides can live with. The merchant's and diplomat's stock-in-trade.
Network (Social Standing). Working your web of contacts — finding the right person, calling in favors, getting an introduction or a tip. The skill that turns who you know into what you can do (Chapter 35).
Deceive (Intellect). Lying, conning, and misdirecting — passing a false identity, spinning a cover story, bluffing past a checkpoint. Opposed by the mark's Psychology (Chapter 5).
Command (Social Standing). Leading and directing others — issuing orders that get followed, rallying a group, holding authority under pressure.
Charm (Social Standing). Winning people over — making a good impression, building rapport, persuading through warmth rather than logic or threat.
Bureaucracy (Intellect). Working institutions and their paperwork — permits, tariffs, regulations, chain of custody, and the procedures that sink amateurs. The skill for getting what you need through a system rather than around it.
When skills overlap§
Many situations could fall under more than one skill, and that's by design — the same goal admits different approaches. A border crossing might call for Bureaucracy (work the system), Deceive (lie about your cargo), Charm (befriend the inspector), or Negotiate (cut a deal). The GM picks the skill that fits the approach the player actually takes, not the outcome they want. This is the heart of skill play: describe what your Wanderer does, and the right skill follows from it.
Masteries by skill§
A skill held at Expert (+3) unlocks its Masteries — signature techniques bought with XP (20 each; see Chapter 20). A Mastery grants a permission, never a higher number. Roll D6 on a skill's table for a suggestion, or simply choose; reword any entry to fit your Wanderer, and invent your own with the GM's blessing — the GM has final say on scope, as with Boons (Chapter 9). Limits written into an entry — once per scene, once per session — are part of it.
Physical§
Athletics Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catlike | Reduce falling or impact trauma (Ch 13) by one node; a short fall doesn't harm you at all. |
| 2 | Freerunner | Difficult terrain, climbs, and gaps cost you no extra movement or action. |
| 3 | Second Wind | Once per scene, set aside one Wounded node's complication until the scene ends. |
| 4 | Always Moving | Take the Dodge reaction even when a rule denies it (surprised, pinned, restrained-but-conscious). |
| 5 | Sprinter's Start | In a chase or fight's first round, act as if you'd already closed or opened one range band. |
| 6 | Sure-Footed | Ignore Disadvantage from unstable footing, low/zero-g, or a moving platform. |
Recon Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saw It Coming | Never caught flat-footed; act in an ambush's first round, and may spend 1 Momentum to give the crew Advantage that round. |
| 2 | Eye for Detail | Once per scene, ask the GM one concrete question about a scene you've observed; they answer truthfully. |
| 3 | Tracker | A trail is never simply lost; bad conditions are Disadvantage at worst, never a dead end. |
| 4 | Count the Exits | On entering a place, you know its ways in and out and any obvious hazard, no roll. |
| 5 | Range Finder | Ignore the Disadvantage others suffer spotting or marking at Extreme range or in poor visibility. |
| 6 | Threat Read | Once per scene, learn the single most dangerous person or thing present. |
Driving Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Threads the Needle | Activating Advantage while driving a chase, hazard, or tight space costs 0 Momentum. |
| 2 | Bootlegger | Once per scene, reverse, pivot, or reposition a full range band as a free part of another action. |
| 3 | Knows the Streets | In settled areas you always know a route; pursuers chase you at Disadvantage. |
| 4 | Ram | When you collide deliberately, you choose which vehicle takes the worse of it (within a scale band). |
| 5 | Hold It Together | Once per scene, ignore a Damaged vehicle's handling penalty. |
| 6 | Smooth Ride | Your driving never costs passengers their footing; they act normally aboard. |
Piloting Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Threads the Needle | Activating Advantage on Piloting in a chase, hazard, or tight/low-g flying costs 0 Momentum. |
| 2 | Crash Positive | Bring a Wrecked or Offline craft down without killing those aboard, however violent the end. |
| 3 | Evasive Ace | Evade a second incoming attack each round, ignoring the one-action limit (Ch 25). |
| 4 | Slingshot | Once per scene, open or close two range bands in a single maneuver. |
| 5 | Dead-Stick | Fly a craft with no power, drives offline, or instruments dead, where others can't. |
| 6 | Greaser | Reentry, docking, and hard landings never fail to disaster on a bad roll — at worst a delay. |
Sneaking Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ghost | Once per scene, break line of sight and vanish; pursuers lose you without a way to track beyond sight. |
| 2 | Shadow Step | Move at full speed while sneaking with no Disadvantage for haste. |
| 3 | Hide in Plain Sight | Conceal yourself with no cover where a crowd, shadow, or distraction exists. |
| 4 | Silent Hands | Lifting, planting, or picking goes unnoticed on a success, no separate roll. |
| 5 | First Blood | Your first strike from concealment is at Advantage and cannot be evaded. |
| 6 | No Trace | Ordinary searching never finds your passage; it takes a sensor or a Mastery to track you. |
Survival Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steady Hands | Administer first aid to yourself, which the rules otherwise forbid (Ch 10). |
| 2 | Iron Constitution | Once per scene, ignore one environmental hazard's complication for a round. |
| 3 | Field Medic | Your first aid clears a Wounded or Shaken node even with no kit. |
| 4 | Live Off the Land | Food, water, and shelter come without a roll wherever any exist. |
| 5 | Pace the Group | Once per journey, extend a hazard's clock (Ch 13) for the whole party. |
| 6 | Triage | When you treat someone, choose which node clears (Wounded or Shaken), not just the lighter. |
Academics§
Biology Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surgeon | Once per session, attempt to clear a Maimed node in the field with tools and time (vs. the usual recovery session, Ch 10). |
| 2 | Diagnostician | Name a disease, poison, toxin, or cause of death at a glance, no roll. |
| 3 | Field Pharmacist | Improvise a needed drug, antitoxin, or stim from what's at hand. |
| 4 | Knows the Body | Once per scene, a hit that meets armor may mark a precise effect (deadened limb, knockout) instead of trauma. |
| 5 | Xenobiologist | No Disadvantage for the unknown when healing, handling, or analyzing alien or engineered life. |
| 6 | Stabilize | Once per session, a dying ally you tend does not die while you tend them — buying the scene to save them. |
Chemistry Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Field Chemist | Improvise a useful compound (acid, accelerant, smoke, gas) from scavenged materials. |
| 2 | Stable Hands | Volatile substances never go off in your hands on a bad roll; at worst, wasted materials. |
| 3 | Antidote | Identify and counter any poison or toxin you've met before, no roll. |
| 4 | Accelerant | A fire or corrosive you set deals its damage one extra round before guttering. |
| 5 | Assay | Detect adulterants, contaminants, or true composition by touch or taste. |
| 6 | Reagent Cache | Once per session, declare you happen to have mixed exactly the compound now needed. |
Physics Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jump Plotter | Your jump plots never misjump on a bad roll; at worst a delay or Disadvantage (Ch 27). |
| 2 | Reads the Void | Sense gravity wells, radiation, and hazards in space before instruments confirm them. |
| 3 | Trajectory | Once per scene, predict where something will be; whoever acts on it gains Advantage, free. |
| 4 | Overload | Once per session, push a power system past spec for one dramatic effect, then it needs repair. |
| 5 | Improvised Science | Solve a physical problem (vacuum, pressure, orbit) with what's at hand, no lab. |
| 6 | Fast Plot | Plot a jump in a fraction of the usual time when speed matters. |
Political Science Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Knows the Law | You always know the relevant law, custom, or jurisdiction — and how to bend it, no roll. |
| 2 | Reads the Faction | Name a faction's true goal, leadership, and pressure point on brief exposure (Ch 34). |
| 3 | Loophole | Once per session, find a legal or procedural way out of a bind, fiction permitting. |
| 4 | Precedent | In a dispute touching law or custom, cite chapter and verse for Advantage, free. |
| 5 | Power Map | On arriving somewhere, learn who truly holds power and who only appears to. |
| 6 | Credentials | Once per session, invoke a status, treaty, or office that stays an official's hand, fiction permitting. |
Psychology Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reads a Room | Once per scene, learn the emotional truth of a person or group — who lies, fears, or is about to break. |
| 2 | Unshakable | Once per scene, ignore a Shaken node's complication. |
| 3 | Talk Them Down | Once per scene, attempt to end a hostile encounter with words where violence is expected, fiction permitting. |
| 4 | Profiler | Predict a person's likely next move on brief acquaintance; acting on it is at Advantage, free. |
| 5 | Cold Read | Learn a true fact about a stranger after a minute's talk, no roll. |
| 6 | Mind's Armor | Shrug the first Mental trauma you'd take each scene. |
Research Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forewarned | Once per session, declare you researched the now-relevant person, place, or thing in advance, and know one useful fact. |
| 2 | Archivist | Given any archive or database, you find what's there to find (time permitting), no roll. |
| 3 | Cross-Reference | Once per scene, connect two facts into a conclusion the GM confirms or denies plainly. |
| 4 | Speed Reader | Absorb a document, dataset, or briefing in moments. |
| 5 | Source | You always know where an answer could be found, even if you can't yet reach it. |
| 6 | Deep Dive | Once per session, given time, dig up a secret someone meant to keep buried. |
Combat§
Ranged Weapons Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Called Shot | Once per scene, on a hit add a fitting complication beyond trauma (disarm, cut line, dropped device). |
| 2 | Quickdraw | You act first against anyone you both have weapons drawn against; drawing is never an action. |
| 3 | Trick Shot | Once per scene, a shot that ignores cover or ricochets to a target you can't directly see. |
| 4 | Steady | Aiming is free and instant; gain its benefits without spending the action. |
| 5 | Cover Fire | Once per round, force an enemy to take cover or act at Disadvantage with the threat of your fire, no attack. |
| 6 | Fast Reload | The Reload drawback never costs you an action. |
Close Quarters Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No Opening | Once per round, parry an attack that can't normally be parried (e.g., Smasher). |
| 2 | Disarm | On a hit, take the enemy's weapon instead of dealing trauma. |
| 3 | Riposte | When you evade a melee attack, strike back immediately, free. |
| 4 | Grappler | Restrain a same-scale foe on a hit (as Entangle) with no special weapon. |
| 5 | Inside Their Guard | Longer-reach weapons gain no edge against you; you close for free. |
| 6 | Knockout | Once per scene, a hit meeting armor incapacitates instead of wounding (as Stun). |
Remote Weapons Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slaved Guns | Fire two mounts in one action, splitting them between targets (Ch 25). |
| 2 | Point-Defense Ace | Intercept an incoming missile or strike even without the Point-Defense quality (Ch 25). |
| 3 | Feed the Gunner | Your sensor lock grants the gunner Advantage at 0 Momentum. |
| 4 | Drone Swarm | Run a second drone with no Disadvantage (Ch 25). |
| 5 | Predictive Fire | Once per scene, fire on a target you've lost sight of from its last track, no Disadvantage. |
| 6 | Overwatch | Set a remote mount to fire on your terms; once per scene it acts without costing your action. |
Heavy Weapons Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braced | Ignore the bracing or mount requirement on heavy weapons. |
| 2 | Walking Fire | Move and fire a heavy weapon with no penalty for either. |
| 3 | Danger Close | Your Blast attacks never catch you or your allies. |
| 4 | Suppression Master | Your Suppressive fire pins an extra target or covers a wider area. |
| 5 | Tank Killer | Once per scene, treat a heavy weapon as one scale band higher for a single shot (as Destructive). |
| 6 | Never Dry | Belt-fed and single-shot heavy weapons never run dry at the wrong moment on a bad roll. |
Explosives Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaped Charge | Your demolitions affect exactly what you intend and nothing you don't. |
| 2 | Defuser | Disarming a device never sets it off on a bad roll; at worst you can't, not that it blows. |
| 3 | Breach | Once per scene, open any door, wall, or hull you can reach, cleanly and on cue. |
| 4 | Timer | Set a charge for a precise cue or condition, no roll. |
| 5 | Improvised Munitions | Build a grenade, charge, or mine from materials at hand. |
| 6 | Knows the Blast | Predict a blast's radius and effect exactly; allies you warn are never caught. |
Tactics Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Read the Battle | Once per scene, name the enemy's plan or weak point; whoever acts on it gains Advantage, free. |
| 2 | Coordinated Strike | Your Command/Tactics call grants Advantage to two allies at once (still no stacking on one roll). |
| 3 | Fallback Plan | Once per session, declare a contingency you set earlier; it pays off now, fiction permitting. |
| 4 | First Move | You and your side act first in a fight you saw coming. |
| 5 | Hold the Line | Once per scene, let an ally ignore a wound's complication to keep fighting at your direction. |
| 6 | Exploit | When an enemy fails an action, direct an ally to capitalize immediately, free. |
Technology§
Cracking Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Backdoor | Once per session, declare you left or found a way into a system you've touched before. |
| 2 | Ghost in the System | A failed Cracking never traces or alarms; at worst you don't get in. |
| 3 | Override | Once per scene, seize one device or door on a network you've breached, no roll. |
| 4 | Fast Hands | Crack an undefended system instantly, no action. |
| 5 | Counter-Intrusion | Sense and bounce a hostile hacker targeting your systems. |
| 6 | Hijack | Take a drone or automated mount with Cracking even mid-action (Ch 25). |
Communications Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Punch Through | Hold or open a link through interference, jamming, or range that would cut anyone else off. |
| 2 | Jammer | Once per scene, sever a hostile link or lock outright (Ch 25). |
| 3 | Polyglot Signals | Decode, translate, or spoof an unfamiliar signal or language on the fly. |
| 4 | Eavesdrop | Once per scene, pull one useful transmission out of local traffic. |
| 5 | Spoof | Make a signal or transponder appear to come from someone else, convincingly. |
| 6 | All Hands | Once per scene, coordinate the crew so a call grants Advantage at 0 Momentum. |
System Operations Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Full Sweep | Once per scene, your sensor read answers one concrete question about the area, no roll (Ch 25). |
| 2 | Redline | Push a ship system past spec for one scene, then it needs attention. |
| 3 | Damage Control | Once per session, reroute around a Systems hit, clearing an On Fire node without the engineer (Ch 25). |
| 4 | Master of the Boards | Run two stations in a round with no Disadvantage (Ch 25). |
| 5 | Early Warning | Never surprised by anything your sensors could catch; you always get the first read. |
| 6 | Override Lockout | Once per scene, seize manual control of a system someone else is running. |
Electronics Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jury-Rig | Once per session, make broken or missing gear work for one scene from scavenged parts. |
| 2 | Bug | Plant or find surveillance flawlessly; yours go unnoticed without a counter. |
| 3 | Field Fabricator | Build a simple device or drone from parts on hand, no shop. |
| 4 | Diagnostic | Know what's wrong with any device at a glance, no roll. |
| 5 | Hardened Kit | Your devices shrug the first Disruptive hit each scene (Ch 24). |
| 6 | Universal Interface | Operate unfamiliar or alien tech with no Disadvantage for the unknown. |
Engineering Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Field Miracle | Once per session, clear a Wrecked or Offline craft node in the field with a test (Ch 25). |
| 2 | More Power | Once per scene, divert power for a dramatic boost (a faster jump, a harder burn), then repair. |
| 3 | Held Together | Ignore one Damaged node's complication on a craft you tend, each scene. |
| 4 | Knows This Hull | On a ship you've worked, repairs and damage control never fail to disaster — at worst Disadvantage. |
| 5 | Cold Restart | Bring a dead (Offline) system back for one scene (Ch 25). |
| 6 | Overhaul | Downtime repair you lead clears a second node or shaves a recovery session. |
Mechanical Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pick Anything | Mechanical locks and restraints never simply stop you; at worst, time and Disadvantage. |
| 2 | Brute Repair | Force a stuck or broken mechanism to work once by hand, no parts. |
| 3 | Knows the Make | Identify a machine's maker, condition, and weak point at a glance. |
| 4 | Sabotage | Rig a machine to fail on a cue you set, undetectable without a check. |
| 5 | Field Strip | Disassemble or reassemble any mechanism in moments. |
| 6 | Salvage Eye | Once per scene, find a usable part or tool in any wreck or junk. |
Social§
Negotiate Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hard Bargain | Once per scene, on a successful deal, win one concession the other side didn't mean to give. |
| 2 | Read the Price | Know what something is really worth and what the other party will really pay, no roll. |
| 3 | Walk Away | Threatening to leave a negotiation grants you Advantage on it, free. |
| 4 | Closer | A failed Negotiate never blows the deal; at worst, no movement. |
| 5 | Leverage | Once per session, name a pressure point that swings the deal, fiction permitting. |
| 6 | Trade Tongue | No Disadvantage haggling across language, culture, or unfamiliar markets. |
Network Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Name Everywhere | Once per session, declare you know someone here — a minor Contact, on the spot (Ch 35). |
| 2 | Word on the Street | Surface a relevant rumor or lead in any settled place, no roll. |
| 3 | Favor Owed | Once per session, call in a Contact's favor, fiction permitting. |
| 4 | Fixer | Find where to buy, sell, or fence almost anything, given a little time. |
| 5 | Grapevine | Get a message to a distant Contact faster and more discreetly than normal channels allow. |
| 6 | Friend of a Friend | Borrow a Contact's standing to open a door closed to you. |
Deceive Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perfect Cover | The first failed Deceive that would expose a cover identity only stalls; the lie holds. |
| 2 | Master of Disguise | Pass as someone else; scrutiny is Disadvantage at worst, never automatic exposure. |
| 3 | Poker Face | Psychology and lie-detectors get nothing from you. |
| 4 | Sleight | Once per scene, palm, plant, or swap a small object unseen, no roll. |
| 5 | The Long Con | Once per session, reveal a lie you planted earlier was set up to be true, fiction permitting. |
| 6 | Convenient Truth | Fold a verifiable truth into a lie to gain Advantage on it, free. |
Command Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rally | Once per scene, an ally ignores a Shaken or Wounded node's complication and keeps going on your word. |
| 2 | Voice of Authority | Once per scene, a stranger obeys a simple order on reflex, fiction permitting. |
| 3 | Coordinate | Your Command call grants Advantage at 0 Momentum, once per scene (Ch 25). |
| 4 | Hold Fast | Allies in earshot shrug the first Mental trauma each scene while you lead. |
| 5 | Field Promotion | Once per session, direct an ally so they use your skill rank in place of their own for one task you're present for. |
| 6 | Take Heart | Once per scene, an ally who just failed may immediately try a different approach at your urging. |
Charm Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disarming | Once per scene, defuse a hostile person enough to talk, fiction permitting. |
| 2 | First Impression | Strangers start one step friendlier on the Contact disposition scale (Ch 35). |
| 3 | Win Them Over | A failed Charm never turns someone against you; at worst, unmoved. |
| 4 | Center of the Room | Once per scene, draw all eyes — a perfect entrance or distraction. |
| 5 | Fast Friends | Once per session, a good impression becomes a minor Contact (Ch 35). |
| 6 | Tell Them What They Want | Know what someone wants to hear, gaining Advantage to win them, free. |
Bureaucracy Masteries
| D6 | Mastery | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Right Forms | You always have or can produce the correct paperwork or credential, fiction permitting. |
| 2 | Cut the Line | Once per scene, skip a queue, delay, or process that would cost time. |
| 3 | Loophole | A failed Bureaucracy never escalates to suspicion or arrest; at worst, denial. |
| 4 | Greased Palm | Know exactly whom to pay, and how much, to make a problem quietly vanish. |
| 5 | Audit | Find the irregularity, missing record, or buried truth in any bureaucracy's files. |
| 6 | Rubber Stamp | Once per session, make an official decision go your way on procedure alone, fiction permitting. |