In this section, the twelve basic skills, which are available to all PCs and NPCs from the start, are described. For each skill, you get short descriptions of what failure and success mean. These should not be taken too literally – you need to adapt them to the situation at hand.

Stunts: Many skills list stunts – special effects – that you get if you roll more than one 6. Every extra 6 after the first one gives you one stunt.

Endure (Strength)
Fight (Strength)
Athletics (Strength)
Acrobatics (Agility)
Stealth (Agility)
Shoot (Agility)

Comprehend (Wits)
Lore (Wits)
Notice (Wits)
Sense (Empathy)
Manipulate (Empathy)
Coolness (Empathy)

Endure (Strength)

When the Wilderness takes its toll, when your legs won’t carry you any more, you roll for Endure. For example, this skill is used when you are traveling in rough weather or when you suffer severely cold conditions.

Failure: You just can’t take it anymore. You have to rest, if just for a couple of hours. But what if some predator spots you?

Success: You manage to push on, ignoring the pain just a little longer.

Stunt: For every 6 you roll, you can help a friend (PC or NPC) in the same situation as you. He can keep moving, and doesn’t have to roll himself. You can even choose this stunt when you only roll one 6 – that means you help you friend while sacrificing yourself.

Fight (Strength)

The world of Solas is a brutal place. Sometimes, you have no choice but to fight for your life, eye to eye. Roll for this skill when you attack someone in close combat.

Failure: You stumble and miss. Now it’s your opponent’s turn…

Success: You hit, and inflict weapon damage on your opponent.

Stunts: For every extra 6 you roll, choose one of these stunts:

  • You inflict one more point of damage. You can choose this stunt multiple times, if you roll several 6s.
  • You subdue or tire your enemy. He suffers one point of fatigue.
  • You increase your initiative score by 2, taking effect next turn.
  • You knock or pull a weapon or other object from your opponent. You choose which. During a conflict, picking up a dropped object counts as a maneuver.
  • Your opponent falls to the ground or is pushed back, for example through a doorway or over a cliff.
  • You hold the opponent in a grapple. He needs to successfully Fight you to break free, and can’t perform any other action (or any maneuver) until he has done so – or until you are broken or let him go.

Weapons: When you Fight you can use weapons such as clubs, knives and spears.

Defense: When someone Fights you, you can try to defend yourself. When you defend, you also roll for Fight, with a specific set of stunts available.

Athletics (Strength)

Whenever you need body control and muscle power to perform a physical task, like running, jumping, weight lifting, swimming, you roll for Athletics.

Failure: You stumble or let go, your strength fails you and you will most likely suffer from serious damage depending on the situation.

Success: You managed to lift that boulder and remove it from the blocked entrance..

Stunts: If you roll extra 6s beyond the first, choose one of these stunts:

  • You push or throw the object with great force. One target of your choice within Arm’s Length suffers damage equal to the number of extra 6.
  •  You can increase your running speed for a few rounds or stretch the amount of rounds you can run, but will suffer from additional fatigue afterwards (GM decides amount of time and fatigue per 6 rolled).

Acrobatics (Agility)

When the heat is on and you are trying to dodge the jaws of death, you need to keep a cool head and move fast. Roll for Athletics when you want to get out of a conflict or some other hazardous situation, try to climb a tree or perform other move stunts.

Failure: You are pinned down, backed into a corner with no way out. Get ready for a fight.

Success: You get out of the sticky situation, and live to fight another day.

Stunts: For every 6 you roll, you can help a friend (PC or NPC) in the same spot of trouble as you. He makes it out, and doesn’t have to roll himself. You can even choose this stunt when you only roll one  6 – that means you help you friend while sacrificing yourself.

Acrobatics: Also use the Move skill when balancing, jumping or climbing. Failure in these cases can be fatal!

Stealth (Agility)

Often enough, it’s wiser to avoid conflict and instead sneak by your enemies. Use this skill when you try to move without being noticed, when you set up an ambush or when you attempt a sneak attack. You can also use this skill to hide from someone looking for you.

Failure: Your enemy sees you or hears you, and the element of surprise is lost.

Success: You move like a shadow in the night, noticed by no one.

Stunts: When setting up a sneak attack, you get a +1 modification to your first attack for every extra 6 rolled after the first.

Shoot (Agility)

If you have a bow and arrows, you can take down your enemy from a distance without getting your hands bloody. Throwing weapons like javelins or a hatchet also fall under this skill.

Failure: The shot misses your target. Maybe it hits something else? And the sound of gunfire could attract unwelcome attention…

Success: You hit and inflict weapon damage on your target.

Stunts: For every extra 6 you roll, choose one of these stunts:

  • You inflict one more point of damage. You can choose this stunt multiple times, if you roll several 6s.
  • You pin down your enemy. He suffers one point of fatigue.
  • You increase your initiative score by 2, effective as of the next turn.
  • Your target drops a weapon or another handheld object. You choose which.
  • Your opponent falls to the ground or is pushed back, for example through a doorway or over a cliff.

Comprehend (Wits)

The world after the Fall is a strange, incomprehensible place for most people.The knowledge of the Old Age has been worn out, just like the crumbling ruins of the dead cities. Roll for Comprehend when you want to read an old text, know what a particular ruin was used for, or understand and use an artifact.

Failure: The object of your study makes no sense to you at all, or you are mistaken (in this case, the GM can feed you false information about the object).

Success: You understand the nature or function of the object. If it’s an artifact, you can use it.

Stunt: For every 6 rolled beyond the first, you can teach someone else how to use the artifact or learn about another feature (if there are any). 

Lore (Wits)

The lands beyond your villlage borders are an unknown wilderness to most of people. But there are some individuals who have ventured out and seen what is out there. Roll for Knowledge when you encounter some creature or phenomenon and want to know stuff about it. The GM will give you a modification depending on how rare it is.

Failure: You have no, or the wrong, idea. The GM can feed you false, or a mix of true and false, information (in this way, you will know that you have failed your roll, but not what information to trust.)

Success: You know what it is, and its basic traits or effects.

Stunt: For every extra 6 you roll, you get the answer to one of these questions about the creature or phenomenon:

  • How can it hurt me?
  • How can I hurt it?

Notice (Wits)

You don’t get far in Solas if you don’t see obvious things. Being on alert and wary is essential for survival. People are not good and try to take advantage of you or sneak up on you if you’re not careful.

Failure: You do not get anything. There might be gold coins in the street, you would just keep running without noticing something.

Success: Your senses capture something that is hidden from others.

Stunt: For every extra 6 you roll, you notice an additional detail. For example, when you feel an imminent danger, you can see which direction it is coming from, or how severe it is. Awareness can be used to counter Sneak attempts.

Sense (Empathy)

To be able to read another person like an open book can be a mightier weapon than even a Great Sword. Roll for Sense when you want to know an NPC’s mood or intent toward you. You need to be within Short distance and it takes a few minutes.

Failure: You fail to read, or misread, the NPC. The GM can feed you false, or a mix of true and false, information.

Success: The GM must reveal the NPC’s most powerful emotion at this point in time – hate, fear, contempt, love, etc.

Stunt: For every extra 6 you roll, you get the answer to one of these yes/no questions about the NPC:

  • Is he telling the truth?
  • Does he want to hurt me?
  • Does he want something from me?

Strangers: If the NPC is of a foreign race or from a distant culture you get a −1 modification to your roll – strangers are harder to read.

Manipulate (Empathy)

Lie, argue, threaten, seduce, or just reason sensibly. There are many ways to get another person to see things your way. The GM will give you a modification depending on your bargaining position.

Failure: He won’t listen and he won’t do what you want. He might start to dislike you, or even attack you if provoked.

Success: He reluctantly does what you want, but wants something in return. The GM decides what this is, but it must be something you can reasonably do. It is up to you whether to accept the deal or not.

Stunt: Extra 6s on your roll mean you sow fear and doubt in your opponent’s heart. He suffers one point of doubt for every additional 6 you roll after the first one. If he is broken by doubt, he does what you want without demanding a return favor.

Coolness (Empathy)

If someone chooses to irritate you, persuade you to do something stupid or influence you in a different way, you need willpower and inner balance. Also if you face a fearsome event or creature, the ability to control yourself is important.

Failure: You fail to resist and will react in the way the other person intended or run away screaming.

Success: You can keep your composure and realise vaguely that someone has tried to manipulate you.

Stunt: Extra 6s on your roll mean you realise a detail about the manipulation attempt, like the source or a method of manipulation. When making a fear check you can negate one drawback or negative effect (rolled success in an opposed roll) from being terrified per additional 6 rolled.