Skills

Academics
Academics represents subjects of study your character might be studying or that they might pursue as hobbies, and reflect areas of knowledge that you might have. Note that while the skill is listed as "Academics" here, you will want to list the specific area of Academics that your character is specialized in when choosing this. This can be any area of expertise, but some suggestions are below: Academics skills are important because they will be used in Discovery sessions and might be used in the creation of magical artifacts. Many forms of Magic often key off of the practitioner's knowledge of one branch of academics or another.
 * Arcana: The study of the theory of magic and the ecology of fey creatures.
 * Arts: The study of traditional arts and crafts, aesthetics, and art history
 * Humanities: The study of literature, history, or anthropology. Despite the name, this category might also include the study of fairy culture as well.
 * Machinery: The study of traditional machinery, including computers.
 * Math: The study of various forms of math and of physics.
 * Music: The study of music, dance, and the history of either.
 * Science: The study of traditional sciences such as chemistry and biology.

Athletics
Athletics stands for your character's agility. It will determine your ability when running, dodging, climbing, etc.
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 * Overcome physical obstacles by doing things like running, jumping, climbing or swimming.
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 * Create advantages by maneuvering into HIGH GROUND or outrunning an opponent with a MAD DASH.
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 * Defend against physical attacks by dodging or outmaneuvering the opponent. Alternately, you can defend against an opponent's attempts to move around you if you're in a position to do so.
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 * Defend against physical attacks by dodging or outmaneuvering the opponent. Alternately, you can defend against an opponent's attempts to move around you if you're in a position to do so.
 * }

Burglary

 * Burglary describes your rogue-like capabilities like lock-picking, trap avoidance, sleight of hand, and of course stealing.
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 * Overcome obstacles such as locks, disable traps, pick pockets, or hide evidence--that sort of thing.
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 * Create Advantages on scenes such as CASING THE JOINT to figure out vulnerabilities in the security. If the GM allows it, you may even be able to declare that using your burglary skills you discovered a SECRET ENTRANCE into a place that's otherwise impregnable.
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 * Create Advantages on scenes such as CASING THE JOINT to figure out vulnerabilities in the security. If the GM allows it, you may even be able to declare that using your burglary skills you discovered a SECRET ENTRANCE into a place that's otherwise impregnable.
 * }

Combat
Combat is the catch-all physical fighting skill. You use Combat mostly just for trying to smash, cut, skewer, or shoot things.
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 * Display fighting prowess in some sort of contest where you're not actually trying to hurt an opponent, such as a martial arts display, or a sparring match. If you use a ranged weapon, you might also use Combat to make a trick shot.
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 * Create advantages against opponents in a physical conflict, such as performing a KICK TO THE NADGERS or other tricks of fighting dirty, or DISARM an opponent.
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 * Attacking with Combat is pretty self explanatory when you think about it. You'll almost always do Physical Stress with your Combat rolls, unless you have some sort of special weapon or Stunt or Extra.
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 * Defend against another attack, or defend against advantages opponents are trying to make against you with their Combat skills. Any other situation where parrying or the like might help could be a valid Defense action with Combat as well.
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 * Defend against another attack, or defend against advantages opponents are trying to make against you with their Combat skills. Any other situation where parrying or the like might help could be a valid Defense action with Combat as well.
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Contacts
Contacts is all about networking. A high skill in Contacts means you're likely to know someone who might be able to help you in various situations.

Contacts differs from Rapport in that Rapport helps with trying to get a specific NPC (or PC) on your side, or to win someone over to your side with a heartfelt argument, whereas Contacts represents networks of people who you are able to win over and get help from.
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 * Overcome issues related to finding someone. This can represent polling a network of informants, seeking out rumors, or doing basic detective work related to finding perps.
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 * Create Advantages based on people you know who might be able to help in the given situation. This will usually introduce a new story aspect, such as knowing a consort who is THE BEST HABERDASHER IN PARADOX SPACE who you can ask for help. With GM approval you might also be able to declare a new fact to be true that your contacts would have let you know about--like say you're trying to find out weakness of a new NPC that's notorious around town. If the GMs don't have an objection, you can declare that your network has discovered that he's SHAMELESS SKIRT CHASER and you'll be able to use that against him the next time you come into contact with him.
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 * Defend against social advantages against you that your contacts might be able to counteract, such as when people try to start rumors about you, or to prevent someone trying to use Deceive or Stealth or Contacts to hide within an environment where you contacts might see them and be able to report it to you, such as a crowded city.
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 * Defend against social advantages against you that your contacts might be able to counteract, such as when people try to start rumors about you, or to prevent someone trying to use Deceive or Stealth or Contacts to hide within an environment where you contacts might see them and be able to report it to you, such as a crowded city.
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Deceive
The ability to pass off fiction as truth, through lying, acting, or disguise. It might also be used for things like combat feints and traps.
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Trick or bluff your way past someone, make them believe your lies, successfully disguise yourself, things like that. Against mooks, this will be against a simple passive opposition, but against important characters you'll have to beat their Empathy check to pull this off.
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Deceive might also be used to represent misdirection or stage magic.
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 * Pull off feints against your opponents to create advantages like CAUGHT YOU OFF GUARD or something like LOOK OVER THERE! to give you an advantage in an attempt to escape, or create a CUNNING DISGUISE you or another character can use to blend in somwhere you probably shouldn't be.
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 * Deceive can be used to Defend against Investigation checks and Empathy checks to figure out information about you that you would prefer to keep concealed.
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 * Deceive can be used to Defend against Investigation checks and Empathy checks to figure out information about you that you would prefer to keep concealed.
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Discipline

 * Your discipline is your character's mental fortitude and their ability to resist temptation or to take the easy path. This skill affects the length of your Mental Stress track
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Counter attempts to create an advantage against you using Deceive or Rapport, or with mental magicks.
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 * Create advantages on yourself related to concentration.
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 * Counter attacks in a mental conflict. This might be against Provoke attacks, or it might be against mental magic.
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 * Counter attacks in a mental conflict. This might be against Provoke attacks, or it might be against mental magic.
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Empathy
Used for getting inside the mental state of another living creature. Can be used to determine emotions or moods, to detect lies, and can even be used to figure out the names of another character's Aspects if they're about that character's psychology. Often used when defending against Deceive checks.
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Empathy is also used to help others recover from '''mental consequences. '''And sometimes it might be used like Notice to spot someone's changing moods. Read people's emotional state or get a general sense of what kind of person they are. Against NPCs this can be used to assign Aspects to characters who don't have them yet, with GM approval, such as saying that your Empathy tells you that this character is QUICK TO ANGER.
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Against PCs or NPCs with pre-existing aspects, it can reveal those aspects to you--granting a free invoke just like it would have if you had created the aspect.

Empathy can also be used to create advantages related to mental state on a character, such as I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE AFRAID OF or SENSITIVE ABOUT HIS HUGE ADAM'S APPLE
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 * Empathy is used to defend against Deceive attempts, discerning lies and figuring out other deceptions. But Empathy can be used to defend against just about any kind of social advantage being placed against you.
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Perception
Perception is like the quick and dirty equivalent of Investigate. Perception is all about your perception, and doing quick scans of your surroundings. When someone's trying to sneak up on you, Perception will be your defense against that. When some little, useful object is around that you might be able to make use of, Perception will let you spot it.
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 * Perception is used reactively when something is happening that you might spot or overhear. Spot concealed weapons or hidden treasure, for example.
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 * Perception could be used to perform a Sherlock Scan of sorts and notice that the subject's CLOTHES ARE RUFFLED as though he's just been in a brawl, giving you an advantage in winning a confession out of him. With GM approval, you can also notice elements of your environment that could be useful, such as seeing a CONVENIENT SINKHOLE or OILY RAGS you could set on fire.
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 * Use Perception to defend against Stealth attempts to ambush or sneak past you, or to notice other characters observing you.
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 * Use Perception to defend against Stealth attempts to ambush or sneak past you, or to notice other characters observing you.
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Physique
Physique is your strength and your endurance. A character with high skills in Athletics could run a 50 meter dash, whereas a character with high Physique could run a marathon.

Physique also gives you additional Physical Stress boxes at higher levels. You get a third Physical Stress box at +1 or +2 stress, and a fourth at +3 or +4 stress.
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 * Use your physical strength or endurance to get past obstacles, often by smashing or lifting them, or to escape restraints or a grapple.
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 * Grapple opponents to create advantages like CHOKE HOLD or PINNED. You might also be able to justify discovering physical impairments in an opponent by forcing them to react to your maneuvers and spotting them favoring one side, or something.
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 * Provide active opposition to someone's movement you're in a position to get in their way.
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 * Provide active opposition to someone's movement you're in a position to get in their way.
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Pluck
Pluck represents bravery, confidence, and determination. Pluck is also used to determine the Morale stress track of Knights.
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 * Overcome fear-based advantages placed upon you using Provoke, or shrug off the effects of magic.
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 * Create advantages on yourself related to your bravery and morale.
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 * Defend against mental attacks designed to demoralize or to create fear.
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 * Defend against mental attacks designed to demoralize or to create fear.
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Provoke
Provoke represents the ability to provoke or intimidate other creatures. It can be used to deal Mental Stress directly, or it can be used to alter another character's behavior with Advantages placed on them related to fear or anger or manipulation.

There's some overlap with Rapport in the category of manipulation, but think of it this way--Rapport is about getting someone to do something through positive reinforcement. Provoke is about doing so through negative reinforcement. A character affected by your trolling is not likely going to like you afterward, whereas a person you manipulate with Rapport is likely to consider you a friend.
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Make Mental attacks against an opponent to do emotional or social harm. This can represent bullying, intimidation, irritation, or whatever else might inflict mental stress.
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 * Manipulate someone by annoying, itimidating, or otherwise provoking emotion that makes them dance to your beat. Against nameless NPCs, this will often be a simple passive opposition, but against important NPCs or other PCs, you'll oppose their Will check.
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 * Provoke specific emotional states, generally negative, in an opponent to use against them, such as FURIOUS, TERRIFIED, or NERVOUS. Like with the Overcome action, this will be opposed to their Will check.
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 * Provoke specific emotional states, generally negative, in an opponent to use against them, such as FURIOUS, TERRIFIED, or NERVOUS. Like with the Overcome action, this will be opposed to their Will check.
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Rapport
Rapport is about communicating your emotions and winning people over to your way of thinking. It's great for negotiation, debates, charm, and seduction. Rapport can also represent performances or art when the goal is to communicate or impress.
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 * Charm, seduce, or inspire people someone to form connections or get them to want to agree with you. For nameless NPCs, this is an overcome action opposed to a passive opposition set by the GM, but you might actually have to negotiate with important NPCs or PCs.
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 * Create Advantages related to cheering someone on like YOU CAN DO IT! or inspiring them, or using teamwork to succeed with an advantage like PERFECT SYNERGY, charm someone into being SMITTEN, or get them to take pity on your plight with PUPPY DOG EYES.
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 * Defend against attempts to damage your reputation or sour a good mood you've created.
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 * Defend against attempts to damage your reputation or sour a good mood you've created.
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Resources
Resources is often used to represent wealth, but could also be used to represent the sort of person who is prone to finding objects that can be put to use later. When making Resources checks, what you're really checking is your resourcefulness--did I think to pack (X ITEM)? Do I have another item I can use in place of (X ITEM)? Do I have the money to buy (X ITEM)?
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 * Throw money or similar resources at a problem to get it solved.
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 * Bribe someone with money or goods to create advantages like IN MY POCKET, ply them with drinks to get them DRUNK AS A SKUNK, or pull a Batman and buy yourself THOSE WONDERFUL TOYS.
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 * Bribe someone with money or goods to create advantages like IN MY POCKET, ply them with drinks to get them DRUNK AS A SKUNK, or pull a Batman and buy yourself THOSE WONDERFUL TOYS.
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Stealth
The ability to become or remain undetected. Pretty straight forward, you just hide, or move silently, or mask your presence in some other way. If a character's Notice check can't beat your Stealth roll, you're generally undetected.
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 * Avoid being seen by people or cameras, sneak past monsters, or avoid leaving evidence you were ever in a location you weren't supposed to be. Against important NPCs and PCs, this will be opposed to their Notice check, or Investigate if they're taking their time.
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 * Create advantages like LURKING IN THE SHADOWS or PREPARING AN AMBUSH to get the drop on opponents.
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 * Defend against Notice checks to spot you, or against Investigate attempts to figure out who you are or where you're hiding.
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 * Defend against Notice checks to spot you, or against Investigate attempts to figure out who you are or where you're hiding.
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