3.41 General Skills

The areas of ability governed by each new or amended skill, and its specific effects on the game are provided below:

ACROBATICS
The Acrobatics skill includes the ability to swim for purposes of swimming and drowning in section 3.3 SPECIAL SITUATIONS in High Seas (p. 5). The Seamanship skill no longer provides a bonus to swimming.

FALCONRY
This skill represents the ability to care for and hunt with hawks and falcons. Falconry remains a popular pastime among the nobility of France. A character with the Falconry skill may train a hawk or falcon, will recognize a superior hunting bird, and will be more successful at capturing prey. See the adventure "The Royal Hunt" in The Cardinal's Peril for more information on hunting with falcons.

LANGUAGES and LITERACY
Literacy is a normal skill for Rogues, and may be purchased for one point; this provides literacy in the character’s native language. Rogues and Soldiers who wish to learn additional languages must spend one skill point for Fluency and two skill points for Literacy, for a total of three skill points for both Fluency and Literacy.
For example, Arnauld Collinoire is a Rogue and a native French speaker. He takes Literacy in French for one skill point. The player decides that Arnauld should also speak English, and spends an additional point for Fluency in English, but the player chooses not to spend the additional two points for Literacy in English as well. Arnauld can speak, read, and write in French, and he speaks English as well.
Soldiers serving in a mercenary regiment (Italians, Swiss, or German) or the Gascon regiment begin speaking their native language. Officers in any regiment are required to be fluent in French.

France in the 17th century is a polyglot nation. French is spoken by as little as one-third of the population. Characters from the northwest of France may speak Breton, while those from the south, particularly those with the background of Rogue or Soldier, may speak Occitan as their native language instead of French.

In addition, Rogues may speak argot, the slang of the lower classes in Paris and other French-speaking cities. Sailors, Pirates, and Marines may speak lingua franca, a blending of Spanish, Italian, and other languages used among the galley slaves of the nations bordering the Mediterranean.

MUSICIAN
The skill represents the ability to play musical instruments. Characters with the Musician skill may find employment as a musical performer. With the Musician skill, a character can play most musical instruments, but may select a group of instruments - strings, brass, woodwinds, or percussion - on becoming a Master in which they are particularly proficient. A character with the Musician skill may expend an additional skill point to Read and Write Music, and a Master Musician with Read and Write Music may compose original works.

NATURALIST
The skill represents knowledge of the natural world. Characters with the Naturalist skill may be able to identify plants, animals, landforms, weather, and the motions of the sun, moon, planets and stars. A character with both the Naturalist and Chemist skill may be presumed to be an herbalist.

PHYSICIAN
This skill represents skill in the diagnosis and treatment of internal illnesses. A character with the Physician skill is trained in techniques as bloodletting, fire cupping, and administering emetics. A physician may heal general damage only, as per section 4.8; a surgeon is required to heal wounds to specific locations.

Characters with the Physician skill may treat acute or chronic conditions. Treatment of acute conditions, such as ingesting a poison, requires the character with Physician skill to roll less than the character’s Wit/2 on 1D20. The character gains a + 2 bonus if he also has the Chemist skill or the the opportunity to consult with an apothecary. Treatment of chronic conditions, such as plague, is much more difficult, requiring a roll of Wit/3 on 1D20, with a + 1 bonus for the Chemist skill or an apothecary’s assistance.

SURGEON
This skill represents skill in the diagnosis and treatment of wounds and injuries. A character with the Surgery skill is trained in setting broken bones, suturing, and excising damaged or diseased tissue. A surgeon may heal wounds in accordance with section 4.8.

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