ARCHITECT/BUILDER (2): Ability to design and build buildings,castles, labyrinths, etc.; ability to direct a mining operation in a siege; ability to read plans and maps and spot weak points. If a character has this talent, the GM should give him a few extra hints when the players are presented with mysterious labyrinth or building maps. An architect also rolls 1 less die to see a hidden trap, door, or similar item, unless he already has ALERTNESS or DETECT TRAPS. GOLDSMITH (2): Ability to work with gold, silver, jewels, etc. Both this talent and ARMOURER are needed for the manufacture of silver weapons, armor, etc. Prerequisite: RECOGNIZE VALUE. SHIPBUILDER (2): Ability (given time) to construct any type of water-going vessel. Prerequisite: SEAMANSHIP. TWO WEAPONS (3): This is the knowledge of the Florentine style of fighting - or, in the Orient, the Nitto style of the Katori Ryu of Izasa. In other words, the ability to use two swords (or, if you want to be unconventional, any two one-handed weapons) at the same time. You MUST have DX 13 or better to learn this. Any character can fight with two weapons at once - IF one of the weapons is a dagger, main-gauche, or spike shield, or IF some combination like net-and-trident or two cesti is being used. However, a character that wants to fight with two swords, sword and mace, or other such combination MUST have this talent. This talent permits a character fighting with two weapons, on any turn he attacks, to do any one of the following: (a) attack with both weapons, at normal DX for the first attack and -4 for the second one. The attacks may be against the same OR different figures. (b) make a normal attack with one weapon and parry with the other. The second weapon acts as a shield to stop 2 hits. (c) parry with both weapons, stopping 4 hits of damage, but not threatening the enemy. It is permitted to combine the Fencing ability with this one - but you must use either two rapiers, or a rapier and main-gauche, as your two weapons, since these are the two-weapon techniques taught to fencers. If you are not using the Fencing talent and its accompanying bonuses, you may fight with any two weapons that you have the ST to use. Prerequisite: You MUST have the talents for any weapons you use this way. COURTLY GRACES (l): This is the ability to pick up court manners and protocol, and to behave in an "upper-class" fashion when necessary. A figure with this talent gets +1 on all reaction rolls involving nobility or similar figures. He/she also gets +1 on reaction rolls where very LOW-class figures are involved . . . he overawes them. If the character uses his upper-class manner in an unwise, inappropriate, or obnoxious manner, though, the GM should give him a -2. For instance, if a character attempts to bully a chance-met group of (apparent) wanderers, and one of them is an elven prince in disguise, the prince will probably take grave offense! MONSTER FOLLOWERS I (2): Works the same as New Followers (above) to bring any monster with an IQ of 6-10 into your service. The die roll against IQ is 2 dice for every I0 ST (round up) that the monster has AT THAT MOMENT. Each 10 ST that the monster has counts as one "reguIar" follower in your total number of followers. (1): The ability to guess what the enemy will do. Requires a 5-die roll against IQ. The GM makes the roll. If the roll is successful, the GM tells the player, truthfully, what he (the GM) plans to have the enemies do in the immediate situation. If the leader of a party has this ability, the party gets +1 on initiative rolls. PHYSICKER (2): Healer's ability. A Physicker can heal up to 2 hits on any humanoid figure (wounds only - not exhaustion) after any combat or accident. He MUST have a firstaid kit to do so. Efforts of more than one Physicker on the same wounded figure are NOT cumulative. Example: A figure takes 5 hits. No matter how many Physickers there are in the group, he can only be cured of 2 of them. However, if he later takes another 5 hits in a different mishap, he can be cured of 2 more by any Physicker. It takes 5 minutes to heal 2 hits. DETECTION OF LIES (2): Ability to tell when a humanoid type is lying by watching his eyes, breathing, etc. A figure with this talent may use it ONCE after conversing with any character belonging to the GM or another player. The GM makes the roll. He rolls 5 dice against the lie-detecting figure's IQ if the liar is SMARTER than he is, 4 dice if they have the same IQ, 3 dice if the liar is LESS smart than the figure detecting the lie. If the roll succeeds, the GM tells whether the figure lied. If the roll fails, the GM LIES about whether the figure lied. GMs: You can give this ability to priests and powerful leaders that you create - and make it harder for the player characters to lie to them about their missions . ., . VET (2): Just like the Physicker talent (above), but for use on animals. To know this talent, you must have the Animal Handler ability already. Special note: If you already have the Physicker ability, as well, you can get the Vet ability by "spending" only 1 IQ point, since you already have medical knowledge. Same in reverse: If you have Vet ability already, Physicker ability costs you only one IQ point. MECHANICIAN (2): A builder of mechanical gadgets. This ability includes that to REMOVE TRAPS: If you learn it, you get the ability to remove traps without recourse to the Thieves' Guild and without t.he DETECT TRAPS prerequisite. If you DO already have REMOVE TRAPS, this ability costs you only 1 IQ point. This talent also gives you the abilities of an Armourer, with respect only to crossbows and siege engines. A Mechanician can not only remove traps - he can build them, if the materials are at hand. It takes time, though . . . twice as many hours as the total number of dice needed to see the trap, to dodge it when it goes off, and to remove it. Example: A trap (the type is not important) is so well hidden that it takes 4 dice vs. IQ to see it, so quick that the saving roll to dodge it is 5 dice vs. DX, and so cunningly installed that it takes a 6-die roll vs. DX to remove it safely. It would take a Mechanician 30 hours of work to build that trap. A Mechanician can also work with, and try to figure out, strange technological devices. EXPERT HORSEMANSHIP (2): Prerequisite: HORSEMANSHIP. An Expert Horseman can break wild horses and other riding animals of any type with which he is familiar, and can ride an already-trained animal even if it is of a new type. He suffers no DX penalties for using weapons while riding, as long as he has the appropriate talent for the weapon he is using. An Expert Horseman can train riding animals as though he were an Animal Trainer, and doctor them as though he were a Vet. WOODSMAN (1): Prerequisite: NATURALIST. A Woodsman is knowledgeable at "Iiving off the Iand." Expert in camping and survival, he can build a camp, make a fire in the rain, find edible plants, etc. If a party without a Woodsman is travelling through wilderness without rations and/or camping gear, each member must make a 3-die roll daily against IQ, or take one hit of damage due to exposure, lost sleep, bad food, etc. Damage is double in a swamp or rain, triple in desert or extreme cold. ST lost this way may not be recovered until the party reaches civilization and can rest. A party in the wilderness travels at half normal speed unless half (or more) of the characters are Woodsmen. Note: Some places (like caverns) may have no food of any kind to be found . . . EXPERT NATURALIST (3): You must already be a Naturalist to learn this talent. An Expert Naturalist gets a 2-die saving roll to see ambushes by slimes, etc., before they occur, or a 4-die saving roll if he is running or fighting. He is capable of recognizing all races of intelligent creature and all types of monster and beast, and he knows all important information about them; he can make a good guess (4-die roll against IQ) as to the general nature of new beings the GM has introduced. >MONSTER FOLLOWERS II (2): Prerequisite: Monster Followers I. Works just the same way, but on monsters of IQ 11 or more. The die roll against your IQ is 2 dice for every 8 ST the monster has at that moment. Remember: this is a talent that lets the player take over one of the GM's monsters and run it as his own. The GM may decide that an intelligent monster is joining a party of its own free will - but that's not the same thing. SPYING (3): This is the ability to move so inconspicuously that people will look right through you. You must already have SILENT MOVEMENT. This talent lets you open doors a crack and look, peek around corners without being seen, etc. on a roll of 3 dice against your DX. On a roll of 4 dice, a spy can escape pursuit (even close pursuit) by ducking into a room, branching tunnel, or wide spot if one is available. (Other characters may TRY these things, but it takes a roll of 5 or 7 dice, respectively, against DX.) To spy, you must be wearing leather, cloth, or NO armor. ASSESS VALUE (1): Lets you look at any object and determine its value. You can NOT determine the value of the magic in an item unless you already know what that magic is - i.e., this is NOT an "analyze magic" talent, but a knowledge of market value. Prerequisite: RECOGNIZE VALUE. CAPTAIN (2): Prerequisite: SEAMANSHIP and two years around the sea. The ability to command a large vessel on an extended voyage. A Captain in command of your party gives you +1 on initiative rolls if the combat involves boats. VENTRILOQUIST (2): Ability to "throw" your voice. Roll 3 dice vs. IQ; subtract 1 for every megahex from your character to the target. Failure means nobody is fooled. UNARMED COMBAT II (2): An intermediate level of ability. Prerequisite: U.C. I and a DX of 14 or better. Like U.C. I, except that you do two extra hits of damage in any bare-handed combat. You also have the ability to -shield-rush" without a shield - you throw your foe, knocking him down. Use the shield-rush rules. MASTER THIEF (2): Prerequisites: THIEF talent and DX 14 or better. Like THIEF, except you roll 1 less die to pick any lock or pocket. A Master Thief knows the Thieves' Argot at no extra IQ cost. A \laster Thief is also an excellent liar; whenever he lies (even to someone with the Detect Lies talent), and an IQ roll is made to see whether the lie is detected or believed, roll one extra die. This talent rnust be learned from the Thieves' Guild. MASTER ARMOURER (2): A high degree of smithcraft. Prerequisite: ARMOURER. A Master Armourer is the only one who can make fine weapons. If he is also a Goldsmith, he can make fine weapons out of silver. A Master Armourer can, if he turns his hand to it, make or duplicate any type of weapon available to a medieval technology except a magic one - and he is even familiar with those. He will always realize that a magic weapon is magic just by the "feel" of it (unless the spell is protected by a CONCEAL spell): On a 4-die roll against IQ, he will recognize the Weapon/Armor Enchantment spells, immunity to Drop and Break Weapon, and the ability to "flame." If- he misses the roll, or if the spell is another type, he will still know the weapon is magic, but not what type.