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Hyperlinked abilities are non-standard. Each one is meant to represent a cluster of skills typical to an occupation. These clusters may overlap -- for instance, Woodcraft and Seamanship may both allow navigation by the stars.

Note that some Abilities that are culture specific in the Near setting are consider Core abilities in this setting. They are noted below with the original culture, so as to be easier to reference in the book.

All core abilities are as written, except:

• Aim (Vigor) - applies to pistols and muskets as well.
• Battle (Reason) - applies to sailing battles as well
• Dueling (Vigor) - includes the use of pistols

Artistic

Create (I) - Freeload (I) - Music (I) - Story-tell (R) - Scholar (R)

Craftsman

Complex Crafts (R) - Fine Crafts (R) - Haggling (I) - Rough Crafts (V) - Craft Machine (R) - Demoliton (R - Maldor)

Warrior

First Aid (R) - Scrapping (V) - Sense Danger (I) - Battle (R) - Dragoon (V) - Soldiery (V)

Illicit

Clandestinity (Reason - Zaru) - Deceit (R) - Scrounging'' (Instinct - Maldor) - Stealth (I) - Streetwise (R) - Theft (I) - Carousing (I) - Intimidate (V)

Outdoor

Aim (V) - Athletics (V) - Animal Ken (I) - Farming (Reason - Zaru) - Woodscraft (R) - Riding (V) - Sailing (V)

Priestly

Counsel (R) - Discern Truth (I) - Orate (R) - Pray (V) - Science (R) - Surgery (R) - Teaching (I)

Social

Dueling (V) - Etiquette (R) - Savoir-Faire (I) - Serve (Instinct - Zaru) - Sway (I) - Diplomacy (R)

New Ability Descriptions

Artistic

Scholar (R)
Scholar covers the arts of literacy, writing, and abstract debate. A scholar will normally have a specialty such as law, history, or medicine.

Craftsman

Craft Machine (Reason)
The construction of air, water, or land vehicles as well as automata. These devices are generally powered by steam, clockwork, or electricity.

Demoliton (R)
The general creation, placement and use of explosive charges.

Warrior

Dragoon (V)
Dragoon is the traditional name for a soldier trained to fight on foot but transport himself on horseback. The name derives probably from the dragoon's primary weapon, a carbine or short musket called the dragon. Dragon carbines are so-called because they "breathed fire" — a reference to the flames carbines emit when fired.

Dragoons are organized not in squadrons or troops like the cavalry, but in companies like a foot soldier, and their officers and non-commissioned officers bore infantry ranks. The flexibility of mounted infantry make dragoons a useful arm, especially when employed for "internal security work" against smugglers or civil unrest. The dragoon regiments are also cheaper to recruit and maintain than the notoriously expensive regiments of cavalry. When dragoons were introduced, they were provided with a sabre, an axe and a musket: many armies imitated this all-purpose set of weaponry.

Soldiery (V)
This is the knowledge and training of basic soldiery drill, practice, and procedure -- usually infantry. It includes basic handling and care of military weapons within the character’s field of service, which should be defined and might include anything an infantryman’s rifle to field artillery.

Illicit

Carousing (I)
Knowing your liquor, holding your liquor, and ensuring that everyone around you is having a good time.

Intimidate (V)
The skill of scaring people into letting you have your way.

Outdoor

Riding (V)
Horsemanship, jumping, controlling a horse in dangerous conditions, taking care of horses, and maintaining riding equipment.

Sailing (V)
Sailing and/or rowing boats on a body of water; knotwork; simple boat repairs; navigation; finding and avoiding watery hazards.

Priestly

Science (Reason)
This is a thorough working knowledge of the sciences, though it can also include the more esoteric realms. Note that this skill emphasizes theory more than practicality. A scholar has knowledge, an inventor creates. This skill can be as broad or as specific as a player desires it to be.

Surgery (Reason)
This skill is used to perform minor or major surgeries on a patient that go beyond simple First Aid. If First Aid is used first on a patient suffering from physical harm, then bonus dice can be transferred over to the use of surgery.

Teaching (Instinct)
The ability to impart information to others, as well as make to a general livelihood from such a skill.

Social

Diplomacy (R)
Formal negotiation and statecraft; knowledge of politics and law; bargaining and deception.

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