We are now using the modified Skills system found in Star Frontiersman (Issue #9, p. 1, at www.starfrontiersman.com ).

EXISTING PLAYERS: Take your skill levels and break them up into the XP they represent on the skill cost table (page 11 of the Expanded Rules).  (For example, if you are military PSA and have Beam Weapons level 3 and Computer Level 2, you would convert that into 3+6+9=18 XP for beam weapons (PSA) plus 8+16=24 XP for computers (non-PSA), for a total of 42 XP.)

FOR NEW PLAYERS: Use the new skills system instead of the one in the book.

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SKILLS SYSTEM

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).

For example, your character's primary PSA is Military, and your secondary PSAs are Tech and Agent. You begin with three level 1 skills. One of which must come from your Military PSA, the other may come from any primary or secondary PSA (Military, Tech, or Agent). The third can come from any PSA you want. You select Beam Weapons level 1 from Military, Robotics level 1 from Tech, and Survival level 1 from Scout.

Skill checks

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.

Example: A robotics expert (someone with skill levels in Robotics, a skill in the Tech PSA) would be using his Intuition coupled with robotics skill when guessing
where an access panel might be located on an attacking alien robotic technology, however if he were repairing it, he might be using Logic. There may even exist situations where the robotics skill could be used in conjunction with Dexterity or even Persuasion (haggling over the price of robotics parts with a chop shop owner?). In each of these cases, the player would use half of his relevant ability score added to 10 times his skill level.

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.

For example: Uwan is a yazirian fleeing for his life from natives on a dangerous world that he has gotten himself stranded on. As he rounds a corner in the
canyon, he sees a place he thinks he can quickly climb up to a higher level. He needs to do this before the natives round the canyon, or they'll see him climbing and he'll be in trouble. His player, Fred, is told to make a climbing check using his Reaction Speed. His character's primary PSA is Scout, but he never thought of devoting any experience points to an athletics skill. He is allowed to use 1/2 his Reaction Speed score and use 0 as his skill level. Since his Reaction Speed is only 45, he has a 23% chance. He fails, and is half-way up the canyon wall when natives
round the corner, spears in hand. Fred decides that after the adventure, he'll buy a level of athletics -- if his character survives!

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


Example: Logan is quite good at technical things. He can't change that about himself. Tech PSA is primary to his concept. He's quite knowledgeable in many
obscure areas and therefore Scholar PSA is secondary to his concept. Finally, he's a fair artist and that creativity often gives him insight to troubleshoot where hard facts fail him. Artist PSA is also secondary to his concept. All other skill areas are tertiary to his concept.

He advances best at technical skills. He advances fairly well with artistic and scholarly skills, and all other skills require him to put in extra effort to
master. It's just the way he's built.

He begins play with three level-1 skills, and his player selects Computers, Robotics, and Visual Art. After a game session, the player earns 7 experience points. Since Tech skills are primary to his concept, it would cost 6 experience points to advance Computers or Robotics to level 2. Alternatively, he could buy a new level 1 Tech skill for 3 experience points. If he wanted to purchase Level 1 in Pop Culture (a Scholar PSA skill), it would cost 4 experience points because Scholar is secondary to Logan's character concept. He can’t currently afford to increase his Visual Art skill, because Artist is a secondary PSA and would cost 8xp when he only has 7xp. Finally, if he wanted to buy a new level 1 skill with medicine (from the Scientist PSA, which is completely tertiary to his concept), it would cost 8 experience points, which he cannot currently afford.

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

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)



OOC: NOT SURE IF WE WILL USE ANY OF THESE YET:
Optional Rules

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:
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