Skill Aspects

A Skill Aspect is applying one skill (or technique) to another skill (or technique).

An aspected action instruction looks like this:

search(min) -> chk(CC)= +M(Investigation) +R(Materials)

This means that you take up a d20, roll it and add your Modifier (M) in your Investigation skill and then add also your Ranks (R) in your Materials skill for the chk total, and compare that total to the Complexity Challenge (CC) of the artefact.

The fact that techniques work exactly like skills, means that aspected action instructions can combine techniqes as well, or techniques to skills and vice-versa.

Note how this differs from a straight action instruction:

search(min) -> chk(CC)= +M(Investigation)

Here, you are rolling the d20 and just adding your Modifier (M) in your Investigation skill

The aspecting skill (in this case, Materials) is changing the meaning of the activity skill (in this case, Investigation).

Skill aspects are therefore rather like provenance aspects in that by applying the aspect you are changing the context of the skill, but skill aspecting can be a lot more radical and their usage is extemely far-reaching in the game.

Returning to our engineering search example:

search(min) -> chk(CC)= +M(Investigation) +R(Materials)

we can be more descriptive of your character is doing, when making this search. Say that you have worked your way into a striker's computer system, and you want to look around to find the controller for the shield subsystem.

You make Materials an aspect on Investigation, by adding your Ranks (R) in Materials to an otherwise normal Investigation chk. Through this application, Materials changes what Investigation means.

A Complex Example Combining Autoaspects with Skill Aspects

Agility+B when concerning you own body may well be how well you dodge things, but as a pilot you use Agility+S on the aeroplane's Agility+B.

The instruction would look like this:

manoeuvre(main-act) -> chk(C)= +M(Agility+B,vehicle) +R(Agility+S,pilot) +Vcl-Air

Notice that the Vcl-Air qualifier skill is also brought in as a second aspect.

Both the pilot's Agility+S and the Vcl-Air qualifier change what Agility means in general and even dictates the autoaspects being used.

Common Activities Using Skill Aspects

Gathering Information from Locals

The Gather activity is about talking to many prople over the course of a few hours in some locality, in order to find out specific information, or picking up on the local rumours. it represents your ability to strike up conversations, without appearing too intrusive, nor tipping off any targets of your investigation.

gather(hrs+) -> chk(C) = +M(Investigation) +R(Persuasion)

Working a location for information, such as picking up on rumours.

Assistance as a Skill Aspect

When you asist another on their chk(Skill), you are contributing your ranks to their check as if you are providing your aspect on their roll:

gen(act) -> chk(C) = +M(Skill,ally) +R(Skill,you)

For some engineering skills, the skill your ally is using and your own skill need not be the same, as in:

gen(act) -> chk(C) = +M(Skill-Eng(A),ally) +R(Skill-Eng(B),you)