Skills are special feats, or actions, your character can take that produce certain (usually) predictible results. Skills are broken up into two major types: Spells and Proficiencies. Spells are of a magical nature and require the use of spell power to cast. They also usually require physical magical supplies (known as reagents). Proficiencies are everything else, including the more physical skills (weapon use, tracking, stealing, etc.) and special race-based skills such as Fey and Sidhe shape-shifting. The skills your character will have access to are dependent upon his race and class selection. Some magical items can also grant the use of particular skills to a character.
There are several different schools among which proficiencies and spells are divided. Schools are a way of classifying the tangible aspects of a spell or proficiency, and while some skills may seem to overlap schools, there is generally one main school in which they fit the best, as follows:
Proficiency Schools
Proficiency schools are as follows:
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Weaponry (WEA) |
Defense (DEF) |
Combat (COM) |
Technical (TEK) |
Mystical (MYS) |
Proficiencies that involve a physical weapon |
Proficiencies that are primarily defensive in nature |
Proficiencies that are primarily combative in nature |
Proficiencies that involve technical knowledge |
Proficiencies that use spiritual and mental powers |
Spell schools are as follows:
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Abjuration Spells that banish or send away |
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Alteration Spells that change the state of an item or being |
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Chaos Spells that deal with chaos and the nature of chaos magic |
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Conjuration Spells that mold astral energy into a physical force |
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Divination Spells that reveal details about items or beings |
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Enchantment Spells that enhance the nature of an item or being |
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Evocation Spells that cause a physical manifestation of a force |
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Fundamental Basic spells not requiring reagents or memorization |
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Illusion Spells that confuse and mislead |
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Invocation Spells that bring an outside force to bear on the caster |
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Necromancy Spells that deal with the dead or with a being's life force |
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Summoning Spells that summon an item or a being to the caster |
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Thought Spells that require no spoken words and few reagents |
Spell and Proficiency Complexity and Comprehension (SCC and PCC)
Spell and Proficiency comprehension percentages are used to determine what skills your character can use, and how difficult they are for him or her to use. These comprehension ratings run from 1% to 100%, 100% being the best, and 1% being the worst. For example, if a spell had a complexity rating of 45%, it means that only a spellcaster who had a Spell Complexity Comprehension (SCC) rating of 45% or higher would be able to cast it. And, of course, the more above 45% his SCC rating was, the easier the spell would become to cast, and the less spell points it would take.
Spell Complexity Comprehension has just one rating, which applies to all magic across all schools used by the character. Proficiency Complexity Comprehension is split up into five separate ratings, based on the school of that proficiency.
Practicing Skills
The PRACTICE command allows you to train a skill (proficiency or spell) and increase your knowledge of it. It is different from the TRAIN command in that you are not learning about an attribute or a vital statistic, but about something more specific.
You may only PRACTICE at a designated trainer (sometimes called Guildmasters). These trainers can be found in most major cities and in some remote locations.
You cannot practice all available skills at the same trainer. As in real life, each trainer has a skill set he or she is most familiar with and offers that knowledge to Adventurers. Also, trainers may only offer limited practice sessions in a particular skill (for instance, the trainer may only offer 10 practice sessions of the spell 'kill' each day - first come, first served).
The number of practice sessions a spell or proficiency will take in order to raise it one percentage point is largely based on your level. As you progress through levels and change classes, it will take more and more practices to raise a skill one percentage point, as it is harder to learn new skills as you get more experienced in multiple disciplines.
When you start out in the Village of Lasler at your first trainer, you will want to note the weapon your character had equipped from the start, and train that proficiency as much as you can (By default, you will have this skill learned at 40% of the maximum). This will give you a good start in fighting with that weapon. If you are a magic-user, you will want to practice one or two of your key spells, as well - defensive or offensive (or both) is up to your preference, as well as your available practice points. Bards may also want to use some practices to increase their music proficiency learned percentage.
