Terra Φ Skill list

The skill list is expanded slightly from the Diaspora default. Some of the material below is taken from VSCA's one-page skill list, and some is taken from the Diaspora SRD.

Skills modifying Stress Tracks

Assets 

corresponds to wealth and money, which is not tracked independently. Skill is used to purchase items and it establishes the length of the character’s Wealth stress track.

Resolve 

how dedicated a character is to his objectives. Resolve determines the length of the Composure stress track, and could be used to defend against covering fire or to oppose Intimidation attempts.

Stamina 

measures the character’s physical well-being and strength. It is used to establish the length of the character’s Health stress track, but would also be checked when exposed to disease (fixed difficulty check) or to lift heavy weights.

Combat Skills

(confer weapon skills in Personal Combat)

Brawling 

fists, feet, found weapons.

Close Combat 

knives, swords, spears, etc.

Energy Weapons 

lasers, plasma weapons, lightning guns, or anything else that does harm with energy.

MicroG 

the facility to move and fight in a very low-gravity environment, such as a ship under low or no thrust or in space. See Diaspora, page 39.

Slug Throwers 

firearms, whether black powder, cordite, or obscure binary propellants.

Space Skills

(offer specific applications in Space Combat)

Communications 

hacking, subverting, destroying, or otherwise incapacitating data and data carrying systems.

Computer 

the computer engineer is the one coping with data-related disasters. He wrote the security policy and he can repair and restore in real time.

Engineering 

keeps the ship in space, moving, and at a reasonable temperature; he also repairs damage from battle or accident.

Gunnery 

command over all the many ship’s weapon systems, whether torpedoes or beams.

Navigation 

locating that envelope of space where the slipstream can be entered is tricky business, and the Navigator is the one who knows it inside out.

Pilot 

used to influence each turn’s positioning roll. It also might be used outside of that system to resolve an escape scene quickly or to conduct a complicated orbital maneuver.

Social skills

(offer specific applications in Social Combat)

Bureaucracy 

facility with handling the people and paperwork associated with government and other institutional processes.

Charm 

sometimes you want to sway your opposition on looks and a smile.

Deceit 

(added skill) ability to convincingly convey a falsehood. This may be in the form of verbally lying your way through a security checkpoint, it may involve disguising yourself, or it may involve an elabourate con.

Empathy 

(added skill) ability to "read" people. Use Empathy to figure out what someone is thinking, what motivates them, or whether they might be hiding something from you.

Intimidation 

sometimes you want to force the other guy to back down or act against his interests and, violent though you may be, you don’t feel like shooting him just yet. Intimidation is your first stop before combat.

Oratory 

when you need to be persuasive to a crowd, you need to speak to them with that honeyed voice and careful elocution that makes them want to love you.

Other Skills

Agility 

how fast, flexible, and dexterous a character is.

Aircraft 

fly all aircraft, and interface vehicles into low orbit.

Alertness 

how on the ball a character is.

Animal Handler 

control, break, and ride animals on all worlds for which the character has Culture/Tech.

Archaeology 

the study of earlier civilizations, before the most recent fall. In a sense it is closer to prospecting.

Arts 

understanding of the literature, history, and fine arts on all worlds for which the character has Culture/Tech.

Brokerage 

knowledge of interstellar trade and how to manipulate it.

Culture/Tech 

represents the facility of the character with culture and technology of a given system in the cluster. Instead of a world, players may also choose C/T proficiency in "archaic weaponry" or "precollapse weaponry" to increase weapon proficiencies. See table below and Diaspora, pages 42-43.

Demolitions 

the controlled use of explosives.

EVA 

the Extra-Vehicular-Activity master knows her way around the outside of a spaceship and the equipment needed to do that: patch a pressure suit, get people into emergency gear fast, hang onto the hull under thrust, or find a way into another ship.

Investigation 

(added skill) You are a master at finding clues, interviewing witnesses and researching the past. You know when to trust your hunches and which leads to follow.

Languages (optional) 

In campaigns where language differences are interesting, this skill works like C/T. See Diaspora, page 43.

Medical 

low levels reflect basic first aid; advanced levels reflect the skills of a professional surgeon or internist.

Profession (choice) 

players choose a profession and can expect to perform any tasks related to that profession using this Skill rank. Examples: Bartender, Butler, Farmer, Naval architect, Blacksmith, Teacher. May be taken more than once. See Diaspora, page 42.

Repair 

effect mechanical and electronic repairs, excluding computer repairs, weapon maintenance, and spaceship drive maintenance.

Science 

an understanding of the principles of physics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology.

Stealth 

sneaking around, and avoiding notice.

Survival 

survive in the wilderness: building fires, making shelters, surviving hostile environments, etc.

Tactics 

make the right choices in the heat of combat.

Vehicle 

drive all terrestrial vehicles, on land and water.

Links

• One-page skill list overview from VSCA, the publishers of Diaspora.
• The Diaspora SRD.