Skills System

#systemRPG

Skills System

Core Mechanics

Path Points (PP) Generation:

  • Each skill level gained = 1 PP earned
  • This rate is consistent regardless of skill rarity
  • PP is the primary currency for advancing along Paths

Skill Rarity:

  • Determines the scope and scale of power for the skill
  • Higher rarity skills have greater effects but are not worth more PP
  • Rarity affects availability and unlock conditions, not PP value

Skill List:

  • The skill list is intentionally dynamic and growing
  • GMs can create new skills as needed for their campaigns
  • Example skills will be documented and linked as guidelines
  • AI agents can be used to generate appropriate skills based on existing examples

Skill Resolution

All skill checks use the same fundamental system:

  1. Calculate Power Level: Skill Level + Relevant Stat(s)
  2. Compare Power Levels (attacker vs defender or actor vs difficulty)
  3. Roll dice pool (default 3d6 per Flux Check System)
  4. Count successes to determine outcome

This unified system applies to:

  • Combat skills (e.g., Brawl + Strength)
  • Social skills (e.g., Persuasion + Charisma)
  • Crafting skills
  • Knowledge skills
  • Any other skill type

Design Philosophy

Skills serve as the primary driver of character progression through PP generation. This creates a feedback loop where:

  1. Using skills → Gaining levels → Earning PP
  2. Spending PP on Paths → Gaining new abilities/stats
  3. Improved stats/abilities → More effective skill use
  4. Repeat

The intentionally open-ended skill system allows for emergent gameplay and character specialization based on player actions rather than predefined class restrictions.

Rarity and Experience Requirements

Skill Rarity Determines Base XP Costs:

  • Each skill has a Rarity rating (1-25) that determines its potential power and base experience requirements
  • Higher rarity skills require exponentially more experience to level but offer proportionally greater capabilities
  • Rarity affects the base XP cost for each level, while Power Scales determine the milestone multipliers

Rarity Categories:

  • Common Skills (Rarity 1-5): Basic abilities with low XP requirements
  • Advanced Skills (Rarity 6-12): Specialized abilities with moderate XP costs
  • Legendary Skills (Rarity 13-25): Extraordinary abilities with high XP requirements

XP Cost Calculation:

  • Base XP cost is determined by skill rarity
  • Milestone levels (1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, etc.) apply exponential multipliers
  • Total XP required = Base Cost (from Rarity) × Milestone Multiplier (from Power Scales)

Example Progression:

  • A Common skill (Rarity 3) might require 100 base XP per level
  • A Legendary skill (Rarity 20) might require 10,000 base XP per level
  • Both face the same milestone multipliers at levels 25, 50, 100, etc.
  • This creates meaningful choices between broad competency vs specialized mastery

Skill Leveling Mechanics:

  • All skills generate 1 PP per level gained regardless of rarity
  • Higher rarity skills are harder to level but provide the same PP reward
  • Players must balance effort investment vs progression speed
  • Rarity represents potential power ceiling, not PP generation efficiency