Adding Skills to Gamma World

Skill ratings should very rarely exceed 12. That way, even the most well-trained, naturally adept (related attribute = 18) character will fail a skill roll sometimes under normal circumstances (on a roll of 19 or 20) without additional help or the aid of specialized equipment. However, because the possibility exists for characters who can never fail a skill check by the numbers to enter the game due to a very high related attribute score or expertise, a roll of 20 on any given skill check automatically fails. On the other hand, this is just a game, so a roll of 1 on any given skill check automatically succeeds.

Using Skills Your Character Doesn't Know

For most skills, a character can attempt a skill he or she doesn't have at an expertise rating equal to one-third of the skill's related attribute, modified by an unskilled penalty of -3. A skill that has an unskilled penalty score of ø (null) or a negative expertise rating after modifications, cannot be attempted by an unskilled character.

The automatic skill check success that results from a roll of 1 does not apply to rolls made with an unskilled penalty, nor to any skill that cannot be attempted by an unskilled characters (those skills with an unskilled penalty score of ø).

Skill Tech Level Range

All skills have a tech level, which denotes the level of sophistication generally required for a culture to be capable of training its members in a particular skill. If a character is from a Tech Level III society, he or she can enter play with any skill which has a tech level of I-III. The same character should not be able to enter play with any tech level IV, V, or VI skills, however.

How best to handle the acquisition of new skills through play is best left up to individual GMs. However, it is recommended that this same general rule apply. The only real way for a character to learn a tech level IV skill is from a Tech Level IV society, or an individual or cryptic alliance with knowledge of it.

Starting Skills

All characters enter the game with a number of skills equal to their INT. This number is further adjusted as follows:

• +2 skills if the character is a Pure Strain Human
• +0 skills if the character is a Humanoid
• -3 skills if the character is a Mutated Animal
• -5 skills if the character is a Mutated Plant

Once the player chooses his or her character's skills, he or she receives a number of points equal to INT+(4d6-L) to distribute among them. No character can enter the game with more than 8 points assigned to any one skill initially.

Common Skills

The rules governing the common skills listed on p. 23 of the 4th ed. Gamma World Rulebook have been amended to fit the new skill rules presented here. Common skills still include reading and writing, riding, and swimming. A fourth common skill, fire-building, has also been added.

Instead of each character class having a fixed percentage chance to know a skill (presumably inside-out), characters begin the game with all of the following skills with the expertise rating specified:

Of course, the GM is free to modify the list of common skills and starting expertise ratings as needed to fit his or her campaign.

Class Skills

Class Skills as described on pp. 19 - 23 of the Gamma World 4th ed. rules are tied to the four character classes (Enforcer, Esper, Examiner, and Scout) and cannot be learned by characters from other classes, nor can they be increased except through level advancement (see the Level Advancement rules on page 25 of the Gamma World 4th ed. rules, and sixth paragraph under Acquiring Skills, below).

Acquiring Skills

As an integral part of character development, skills don't come cheap. The cost of improving a skill is equal to 1,000 XP times his or her current expertise rating in a given skill, plus 1,000 times the expertise rating the character is trying to obtain. A character cannot raise a skill level's expertise rating by more than 1 over the course of any given play session.

For example, Jorgreff the Barbarian wants to raise his Climbing expertise rating from 4 to 5. This will cost him 9,000 XP (4 x 1,000 XP for his current expertise rating, plus 5 x 1,000 XP for his target expertise rating). Although Jorgreff has 50,000 XP to spend, he may not increase his expertise rating in Climbing above 5 during this play session; he must wait for the next game to raise it to 6, and the following session to raise it to 7, and so on, despite the fact that he has more than enough experience points to pay for such an increase right now.

Acquiring a new skill costs 3,000 XP. Newly acquired skills always have an initial expertise rating of 1.

A character may improve an unlimited number of skills during the course of any given play session, so long as none of them are improved by more than a single point. Characters may only acquire one new skill per gaming session.

A character may improve an unlimited number of skills during the course of any given play session, so long as none of them are improved by more than a single point. Characters may only acquire one new skill per gaming session.

This rule replaces the skill advancement rules on p. 25 of the Gamma World 4th ed. Rules. In effect, characters now must choose between allocating experience points for level advancements and corresponding increases in hit points, mutation power scores, and class skills or improving their skills (excluding Class Skills - these are still improved through advancing in levels).

Skill List

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

"A" Skills

ACROBATICS (adapted from CHAMPIONS, 4th ED. by HERO Games)

• Related Attribute: DX
• Tech Level: I
• Unskilled Penalty: ø (cannot be used untrained)

This DX-based skill allows a character to perform flips, jumps, and rolls. A character skilled in acrobatics could jump and flip over an obstacle, land on his feet, and be ready to fight, for example.

Acrobatics has a number of uses in combat situations:

• A character trained in acrobatics may add his DX Attribute Modifier to his Stealth score when attempting a surprise attack (or +1 if his Attribute Modifier is 0 or less).
• A character trained in acrobatics responds to surprise attacks well, and can more easily negate the effect of surprise in a combat situation. In game terms, the character may add her DX Attribute Modifier to her Perception score when determining surprise (or +1 if her Attribute Modifier is 0 or less).

Acrobatics also enables the character to retain balance under difficult conditions, like slippery floors, ice, or even a tightrope or balance beam.

Skill List

ACTING (adapted from CHAMPIONS, 4th ED. by HERO Games)

• Related Attribute: CH
• Tech Level: II
• Unskilled Penalty: -3

Acting enables a character to alter his physical mannerisms and speech patters in order to seem like someone else. A character with this skill can also fake moods and emotions. Characters may use acting to hide their own identities or impersonate someone else.

Impersonating someone specific is Challenging or Tough (-5 to -10), as is maintaining an impersonation over long periods of time. These penalties can be countered by careful study of the subject on the part of the actor, and/or an audience which is not familiar with the individual being impersonated.

Successful acting requires a check against the target's Perception score. The acting character rolls a 20-sided die and adds it to his combined base skill rating and expertise rating, plus or minus any additional modifiers the GM determines as being appropriate.

Skill List

This page last updated on 08/12/2000.
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