Skills and Checks

Character skills can be increased during character generation or when gaining experience levels. In Arkania Online all skill upgrade attempts are successful by default.

Combat Skills

Combat techniques can be increased one point per level increase. They determine the character's attack and parry values.

Unarmed: This skill encompasses boxing, wrestling and kicking. It is a skill to fall back on in emergencies (when the weapon breaks).
Edged Weapons: Includes sharp edged (sabre cutlass) and dull (mace, morning star) edged weapons.
Pointed Weapons: Epee, rapier and foil as well as all knives and daggers are included in this category.
Swords: Swords are mainly used as striking weapons, and less commonly to pierce. they are easy to handle.
Axes: Axes are difficult to handle but cause extremely large damage. Axes and hatchets of all kinds are extremely popular among Thorwalers.
Polearm Weapons: This skill is used not only for spears and polearm weapons but also for the similarly conducted combat staffs, magic wands and witch's brooms.
Two-Handed Weapons: This skill includes all two-handed weapons such as the Tuzakian or the Rondracomb. Generally, only warriors learn to use such clumsy weapons.
Missile Weapons: The two most common types of missile weapons are crossbow and bow which are available in different types.
Thrown Weapons: Thrown weapons include all types of javelins, throwing knives, throwing stars and throwing axes.

Body Skills

This grouping includes all physical skills that are not used in combat. Body control skills can be increased by 2 points per level.

Acrobatics (CR/AG/ST): Somersaults and cartwheels are a useful way of earning money by performing for an audience.
Climb (CR/AG/ST): Climbing is always risky, regardless whether with or without specialized equipment.
Physical Control (CR/IN/ST): Good physical control reduces the consequence of a fall. Characters skillfully escape opponent's attacks and can elegantly squeeze through narrow cracks.
Ride (CH/AG/ST): The ability to stay on the back of the horse during daring maneuvers.
Stealth (CR/IN/AG): The ability to move without sound despite impassable ground and heavy armor.
Swim (CR/AG/ST): Characters are good swimmers, even with armor, aren't they?
Self Control (CR/ST/ST): Characters tolerate wounds and pain well.
Dance (CH/AG/AG): Characters can earn some silver crowns with skillful dancing.
Hide (CR/IN/AG): Characters have the ability to find an optimal hiding place within a short time.
Carouse (WD/IN/ST): Characters can drink large amounts of beer, brandy and wine without becoming intoxicated.

Social Skills

In civilized places, social skills are an advantage in social situations. They can be increased by 2 points per level.

Convert (WD/IN/CH): The ability to convince others of your point of view, especially in religious matters.
Seduce (IN/CH/CH): The ability to attract persons of the opposite sex.
Haggle (CR/WD/CH): A good haggler not only saves copper bits during purchases - he can even save silverthalers and gold ducats.
Streetwise (WD/IN/CH): Characters find their way in foreign towns - they know unguarded shortcuts, how to avoid city guards and in which section of the town to beg for money.
Lie (CR/IN/CH): The ability to make your opponent believe anything you tell him.
Human Nature (WD/IN/CH): The skill to judge conversation partners.
Evaluate (WD/IN/IN): This skill helps to estimate the value of artifacts and other useful items.

Nature Skills

Nature skills are a must for the life in the wilderness. They can be increased by 2 points per level.

Track (WD/IN/AG): The characters recognize and judge tracks well (species, human tracks).
Bind (DX/AG/ST): Useful to tie game or to free oneself out when bound and gagged by someone.
Orientation (WD/IN/IN): A good sense of direction can be of use not only in the wilderness but also in dark dungeons.
Herb Lore (WD/IN/DX): This skill enables a character to find and identify herbs.
Animal Lore (CR/WD/IN): The characters are knowledgeable about animals and their peculiarities.
Survival (IN/DX/AG): This skill is useful when finding a suitable place to set up a camp, a source of water or a good hunting ground.

Lore Skills

Lore skills reflect the level of theoretical knowledge of a character. Lore skills can be increased by 3 points per level.

Alchemy (CR/WD/DX): This skill governs the recognition and preparation of drinks and elixirs.
Ancient Tongues (WD/WD/IN): This skill enables a character to translate old inscriptions.
Geography (WD/WD/IN): The character has a knowledge of far-away lands.
History (WD/WD/IN): The knowledge of written and oral legends.
Ritual (WD/IN/CH): The knowledge of the different rituals connected with the Twelve Gods.
Tactics (CR/WD/CH): During combat characters make more tactical decisions.
Read/Write (WD/WD/DX): The skill to read and write in the native tongue is still rare in Aventuria.
Arcane Lore (WD/WD/DX): Gives even non-spell-casters the chance to recognize artifacts or judge the effect of a spell. It is an absolute must as theoretical background for magicians.
Tongues (WD/IN/CH): This talent determines how many foreign languages a character speaks.

Craftsmanship Skills

All craftsmanship skills are the direct result of practice and use and can be increased by 2 points per level.

Train animals (CR/IN/CH): Used to train and tame animals, e.g. horses, hound and falcons.
Drive (IN/CH/DX): This skill determines how well a character handles coaches and sleds.
Cheat (CR/CH/DX): As long as nobody notices that the character plays with loaded dice or marked cards, this skill promises substantial monetary rewards. When discovered, however, there is no mercy.
Treat Poison (CR/WD/IN) Treat Disease (CR/WD/CH) Treat Wounds (WD/CH/DX): These three healing skills should be mastered by several characters of your party because wounds are very common for an adventurer.
Instrument (WD/IN/DX): Using this talent (and the appropriate instrument) lets a character earn some additional silver crowns in a tavern - if he hits the right note and the mood of the audience.
Locks (IN/DX/DX): The opening of doors and chests without matching key is an essential skill for the survival in towns and dungeons.
Pickpocket (CR/IN/DX): Pickpocket theft is risky. It can have a lot of promises: silver crowns or…

Intuitive Skills

Intuitive skills can't be trained. They only improve through experience and can therefore be increased by only 1 point per level.

Danger Sense (WD/IN/IN): This skill is a sort of a sixth sense which warns the character of immediate danger, e.g., of an ambush or a trap.
Perception (WD/IN/IN): Characters immediately notice hidden signs, secret doors, movements on the horizon and/or sounds.

Checks

When your party or one of your characters performs an action with an unknown outcome, he has to pass a check. Such checks take place by rolling a dice in the game world of Aventuria. They take place without announcement and are completely automated. Depending on the situation, the checks may be either difficult or easy (e.g. it is easier to climb up a flat hill than a steep rock).

Generally a check can have two outcomes:

The check succeeds, in other words, the character or party achieves its objective.
The check fails, in other words the action to be performed is not successful.

The team leader should have appropriate skill and attribute values for the situation. E.g., travel/hunter or dungeons/dwarf.

Value Checks on Positive Attributes

Each character is characterized by seven positive and seven negative attributes (refer to The Character Attributes), which are tested with attribute checks. Each of these positive attributes can have a value of 1 to 20.

The higher the value, the greater the chance to perform the check successfully. The probability of passing a test is equal to 5 percent times the attribute value. Therefore an attribute value of 20 will always pass such a check, while an attribute of the value 10 will pass such a check in only 50 percent of all cases.

Value Checks on Negative Attributes

In addition to the seven positive values, there are also seven negative values that determine the personality of a character (refer to Character Attributes). The negative values may impact many check outcomes. Assuming your characters are on a steep narrow mountain path, an attribute check is conducted against acrophobia. If the check succeeds, the negative attribute comes into play. In this case the character succumbs to his acrophobia and refuses to continue.

Skill Checks

In addition to attribute checks, checks on skills have to be passed as well. The character skills are based on the three attributes which belong to each skill. A skill check is always conducted when a character has consciously or unconsciously performed a task and the outcome of this action strongly depends on this skill. E.g., to check whether the adventurer can cross a river, a talent check on swimming is performed. This happens with three attribute checks (Swimming: CR, AG, ST).The result of this check is modified by the corresponding skill value. A skill check is successful when all three attribute tests have succeeded after the modification; it fails when one or more attribute checks have failed.

If your character has a skill value of 0 for the talent to be checked, attribute checks are conducted without a modification. The attribute checks are made easier by 5 percent with each point above 0 of this skill. For each point below 0 they are made more difficult by 5 percent. In other words, even if your character has a very low value for one of the three to be checked attributes, he can balance it with a high skill value.

Spell Checks

They are conducted the same way as the skill checks described above.

Three attribute checks are being conducted on the attributes which belong to the spell (refer to Spells). Instead of the skill value the character's spell value is used (negative or positive, similar to skills) to see if the action succeeds.