101 New Skill Uses (PFRPG)

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Rite Publishing Presents:

101 New Skill Uses

The Expert (Designer, Layout, Publisher): Steven D. Russell

The Adroit

The Adroit (Additional Design): Bill Collins (blather, determine aptitude)

and Michael Welham (jury-rig)

The Adept (Editor): David “Dave” Paul

The Whiz (Cover Artist): James “Devin Night” Hazelett

The Crackerjacks (Artists): Bradley K. Mcdevitt, Claudio Pozas, James “Devin

Night” Hazelett, Jeremy Mohler,

Joe Calkins, Vesalius, and William Andrews

Dedication: To

_{Sylvia Russell}

—You taught me so much, and I miss you dearly.

Special Thanks to Michael Tumey and Will McCall for serving as sounding

boards for the vast number of ideas this book required.

Additional Thanks to Mike Mearls and Mark Gedak (of the Grand OGL Wiki)

for the vast amount of OGL loot in this product.

Compatibility with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game requires the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game from Paizo Publishing, LLC. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Paizo Publishing, LLC does not

guarantee compatibility, and does not endorse this product.

Wizards of the Coast. All rights reserved, Pathfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility Logo are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used

under the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/compatibility for more information on the compatibility license.

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101

101 New Skill Uses

New Skill Uses

Acrobatics

Free Running: You move faster than normal, taking advantage of the environment, such as scurrying down a slope or making a short jump off a ledge, to increase the distance you can move. Difficult terrain, such as heavy undergrowth, broken ground, or steep stairs, which normally hampers movement, does not hamper your movement if you make a successful Acrobatics Check (DC 25); failure results in you falling prone and ending your turn halfway through your move. A successful use of Free Running allows you to run or charge across difficult terrain. GM’s can rule that it is impossible to use Free Running if there is no terrain feature for you to take advantage of (such as a flat open field of snow). Kip Up: You can get back to your feet faster than most. With a successful Acrobatics check (DC 25), you stand up from a prone position as a swift action. If you fail the check by 5 or more you suffer 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and provoke an attack of opportunity.

Le Parkour: You move through your environment like an obstacle course: vaulting obstructions, leaping gaps, running up walls, throwing yourself hard at a wall then springing off quickly enough to go ever higher, and otherwise taking wild shortcuts. To use your skill in this way, you must first use a move action to move at least half your speed. Then, as a standard action, you can move past obstacles and up to 20 ft. of additional movement as long as there is an opening within at least 15 ft. of you when you make the check. Doing this requires an Acrobatics check (DC 25). You can use the remainder of your movement (if any) to move as normal (across the ground, for instance). If your check fails you are stopped at the obstacle and fall prone suffering 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.

You cannot use Acrobatics to perform Le Parkour if your speed is reduced due to carrying a medium or heavy load. You do not provoke an attack of opportunity if your check exceeds your opponent’s Combat Maneuver Defense, and you can move through his space while performing Le Parkour if the check exceeds his CMD by 5 or more.

Leaping Charge: As you rush at an opponent, you spring into the air, adding additional momentum to your attack at the cost of accuracy. When you charge an opponent, you can choose to attempt an Acrobatics check to gain additional momentum toward your foe. You lose the standard bonus on attacks after a charge, but you inflict extra damage. Make an Acrobatics check (DC equal to your opponent’s Combat Maneuver Defense) as part of your charge. If you succeed, you inflict +4 damage on your attack. If your check result is 10 or higher than your opponent’s CMD, you gain a +8 bonus to damage. Multiply this damage on a successful critical hit. If you fail this check, you fall prone halfway

Leaping Charge

through the charge, automatically miss your attack, and end your turn. You suffer the standard –2 penalty to Armor Class for charging as normal and end your movement as normal for a charge.

Perfect Balance: In return for increasing the Acrobatics DC by 10, you can move with such grace and agility that you are no longer considered flat-footed and you maintain your Dexterity bonus to AC while balancing on a narrow surface.

Perilous Balance: If your GM judges it feasible, you can shake or disturb the object that you must balance upon. Increase the Acrobatics DC by 10; you and all other creatures balancing on the object must make new Acrobatics check. For example, you could bounce and sway on a tightrope to knock others off of it.

Pole Vault: When carrying any long pole or staff, you can use it to augment the height of a jump. Make a running high jump as normal, but make a second Acrobatics check at DC 15 to add the length of the pole to the total distance you jump. You may jump above the maximum distance normally allowed by your height after applying this modifier. If you fail the Acrobatics check to use the pole, resolve your initial jump check, but halve the height it would normally allow you to clear.

Precise Landing: You try to land in a precise spot, such as on top of an opponent, upon a horse’s back, or in a specific location (empty square), ready to fight. If you want to land in a specific location, the skill’s DC modifier is +5. If you want to end your jump by landing on a target creature, the DC is the Acrobatics DC +5 or your target’s Combat Maneuver Defense +5, whichever is higher. If you want to inflict damage or knock a foe prone with this skill use, you need to perform a combat maneuver check against your opponent (which provokes an attack of opportunity). If you fail your Acrobatics check you land prone in random square adjacent to your

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Determine Bribe

target and if your target was a creature you provoke an attack of opportunity from that creature.

Tumbling Strike: You somersault and twist to avoid your opponent’s attacks and make a single, decisive strike. Your maneuver catches your foe off guard, allowing you to strike her from an unexpected direction. As a full-round action, you may make a Tumble check with a DC equal to your opponent’s Combat Maneuver Defense. If your check succeeds, you may move up to double your speed and make a single attack at your best attack bonus. Your opponent loses her Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against this attack. If your check fails, you fall prone halfway through your movement, automatically miss with your attack, and provoke an attack of opportunity from your opponent.

Appraise

Determine Bribe: You may find it desirable or necessary to use bribery to help ‘sweeten the deal’ when you need to get something done. A successful bribe can be used to create a +10 circumstance bonus on a Diplomacy check. The cost to bribe someone is normally based on the character level of the NPC to be bribed and on the average wealth of a creature of that level (see the chart below, subject to GM adjudication). A secret check is made by the GM with a DC equal to 10 + the target’s Hit Dice + the target’s Wisdom modifier. A success by 10 or more results in you determining the minimum amount the target would accept as a bribe 1d4 levels less than the creature’s actual character level. A failure by 5 or more results in you incorrectly determining the amount to bribe by 1d2 levels less than the creature’s actual character level and the recipient of that bribe will react as if his alignment were Neutral Good. A failure by 10 or more results in you incorrectly determining the amount

to bribe by 1d4 levels less than creature’s actual character level and the recipient reacting as if his alignment were Lawful Good The alignment of the intended bribe recipient also affects the success of a bribe attempt. Attempting to bribe a Lawful creature actually results in an -20 penalty to the briber’s Diplomacy roll, that creature becoming hostile, and may also result in the creature contacting the authorities; attempting to bribe a Neutral Good creature results in a –4 circumstance penalty to your Diplomacy roll. Other alignments are not as offended by the thought of bribery, and generate no penalties.

The bribe must actually be paid in order to gain the bonuses (the penalties are applied if you attempt to bribe them). The bribe may be paid in goods or services equivalent to the amount indicated on the bribe table, but actual coin is preferable.

Table: Determine Bribe

Bribe Recipient Level Cost to Bribe(GP) 1st 5 2nd 45 3rd 135 4th 270 5th 450 6th 650 7th 950 8th 1,350 9th 1,800 10th 2,450 11th 3,300 12th 4,400 13th 5,500 14th 7,500 15th 10,000 16th 13,000 17th 17,000 18th 22,000 19th 29,000 20th 38,000

Find Weak Point: As a full-round action, make an Appraise check (DC 20) to pinpoint a weak spot in an object or weapon. This object must be in your threatened area in order for you to examine an object closely enough. If you succeed, you gain a +2 insight bonus on a sunder attempt against a weapon or a +2 insight bonus to damage against an object.

You can also use Appraise against armor. As a full-round action, make an Appraise check (DC 25) against a foe who stands in your threatened area. If you succeed, you gain a +1 insight bonus on attack rolls against this foe for the rest of the encounter. For this check to be effective, your target must have an armor or natural armor bonus to Armor Class from some type of observable physical armor. Your GM may judge that certain protective measures, such as bracers of armor, provide an armor bonus but are not subject to this use of Appraise. As a rule of thumb, this Appraise check works only against suits of armor and natural armor, not magic devices that offer similar protection in a different form.

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Bluff

Blather: With meaningless fast-talk you can converse your way out of a problem you talked yourself into without lying or being deceitful. The use of blather happens after you have just failed a Diplomacy check. If you have failed that Diplomacy check by 5 or more, the character’s attitude toward you is decreased by one step. Normally, you cannot use Diplomacy to influence a given creature’s attitude more than once in a 24-hour period. If a request is refused, normally the result does not change with additional checks, although other requests might be made.

However, if your Diplomacy check to influence an NPC’s attitude or a request failed, you can spend another full-round action talking to the NPC, and then use blather to make a Bluff check with a +10 circumstance bonus to the Diplomacy DC (or to your opponent’s original opposed Diplomacy roll). A success on this Bluff check results in the NPC forgetting or ignoring your social failure or poor request, and then you are permitted to try again with your Diplomacy skill just as though the required 24 hours had passed.

If, after your failed Diplomacy check, you also fail on your blather use of Bluff, and you fail by 5 or more, you deeply insult your target. If it was an attempt to influence a given creature’s attitude, you make the character’s attitude worsen by yet another step (so, two steps total since you failed by 5 or more on the initial Diplomacy check), and if it was a request, you cannot make any other requests of the target for 24 hours. Once you attempt this skill use (successfully or not), you cannot use it against the same target again for 24 hours. Bury Enchantment: You must have a number of ranks in Spellcraft equal to double the spell’s level +2 before you can attempt to bury enchantment. If you do, a person using Sense Motive to sense enchantment must succeed at both the DC 25 (or DC 15) and the opposed roll of your Bluff check. You must perform this Bluff check at the time you cast the spell. This skill use increases the time involved in casting: the casting of a swift action become a move action; a standard action spell becomes a full-round action, and if it is already a full-round action or more, it adds 1 round to the casting time.

Feign Death: You ready an action to make a Bluff check the next time you take damage. Make a Bluff check opposed by any interested observer’s Sense Motive check. As a rule of thumb, only opponents directly engaged against you should make this check. You automatically fall prone and drop any items you hold. Your GM keeps the result of the Sense Motive check secret, and you are considered flat-footed until your next action. You are not considered helpless, as you can try to defend yourself against a coup de grace or similar attack at the last moment.

If you attack an opponent who thinks you are dead, she is considered to be flat-footed against you until the end of your action. Once your action ends, your foes obviously know that you are alive.

Impressive Distraction

Hide Components: When casting a spell, you can attempt to hide its somatic components and thus make it harder for others to recognize that you are casting a spell. Make a Bluff check opposed by any observing creature’s Perception check (spellcasters add their caster level to their check). Each observer who fails to beat your Bluff check fails to determine that you are casting a spell. If creatures can see the spell’s effect project outward from you, they know you cast a spell. You must perform this Bluff check at the time you cast the spell. This skill use increases the time involved in casting: the casting of a swift action become a move action; a standard action spell becomes a full-round action, and if it is already a full-round action or more, it adds 1 round to the casting time.

Impressive Distraction: With a successful Bluff check, you create a large obvious distraction that draws everyone’s attention for 1 round. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + your opponent’s base attack bonus + your opponent’s Wisdom modifier. If your opponent is trained in Sense Motive, the DC is instead equal to 10 + your opponent’s Sense Motive bonus, if higher. Allies are able to use Stealth or to flee until they are out of sight during this time. There may be opponents who were aware of you or your allies before you make this attempt, if any of your allies attempt to attack those opponents during this round, that attempt negates the beneficial effect of this skill use.

If you draw attention just to yourself, you can perform this action as a full-round action. If you take at least 1d3 x 10 minutes to prepare a distraction, you can have it draw your opponent’s attention elsewhere. Using magic

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(such as a delayed blast fireball spell) reduces this action to the time required to cast the spell or trigger the effect and with the GM’s permission may grant you (up to) a +10 competence bonus to the check.

Climb

Brachiation: The deep forests and jungles of the world are choked with hanging vines and flexible branches. Some characters can use these objects as impromptu ropes and swing lines, giving them the ability to move with incredible speed, far removed from the dangers of the forest floor.

In order to use Climb in this manner, there must be sufficient flexible branches and vines for you to grasp and they must be long enough to allow you to swing between trees. For this reason, brachiation can only be used in forest, jungle and some swamp terrain (specifically, swampy forests). The DC of moving along using skill use is 20. Failure by 4 or less means you do not move but can try again (having missed your next hand hold); Failure by 5 or more results in you falling. If the GM rules that there are sufficient vines and flexible branches to use this skill, then you can use your ranks in the Climb skill, rather than the Acrobatics skill, to perform a jump. When using branches or vines to jump in this fashion, you are always considered to be making a running jump.

Fighting Climb: In return for increasing the Climb DC by 10, you can move with such speed and vigor that you are no longer considered flat-footed and you maintain your Dexterity bonus to AC while climbing.

Rapid Ascent: With the aid of the terrain or the environment, you make your way up a surface with incredible speed. You can move upward a distance in feet equal to your Climb check result, though you must move in increments of 5 feet, as normal (round down to the nearest number divisible by 5 to determine how far you can move). Note that this skill use assumes you have some method of aiding your ascent, such as handholds or a rope. Otherwise, you probably need to use Acrobatics to move upward. If you fail your Climb check you fall from your starting position, land prone, and suffer an additional 1d6 points of falling damage. If you were standing on the ground, you still fall prone and suffer the additional 1d6 points of falling damage. Rapid Descent: Using a rope or handholds, you scramble down a surface. You can move downward a distance in feet equal to twice your Climb check result, though you must move in increments of 5 feet, as normal (round down to the nearest number divisible by 5 to determine how far you can move). Note that this stunt assumes you have some method of aiding your descent, such as handholds or a rope. Otherwise, you probably need to use Acrobatics to move downward (or fall). If you fail your Climb check you fall from your starting position, land prone, and suffer an additional 1d6 points of falling damage.

Scaling Attack: Against a larger opponent, you grab hold of its belt, armor, scales, horned plates, or other footholds to scramble up its body and attack. Against a creature that is at least two size categories larger than you are, you may make a Climb check as a standard action (DC 10 + opponent’s BAB). If you succeed, you climb your opponent as per the Climb skill. You must use one hand to hold on as you take other actions, you cannot use a shield, and you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class. The opponent you climbed loses his Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against your attacks. You occupy the same space as your foe. You provoke an attack of opportunity for entering a foe’s space. In addition, you suffer a –2 penalty to your Climb check if you have only one free hand.

Your opponent can attempt to knock you off with each attack action it possesses causing you to make an additional Climb check (same DC). If he succeeds, you fall and take damage both as if he hit you with the attack and from falling, after landing you provoke an attack of opportunity. You land prone in a randomly determined, unoccupied square adjacent to your foe. If all of the adjacent squares are filled, you land in the nearest empty square (determine randomly if necessary). Slide: Some characters master the art of sliding down tree trunks, poles, columns, and other slopped surfaces by using only their feet and fingertips to maintain loose contact with the surface. With a successful Climb check (DC for surface +5), you can slide along a downward sloping surface at up to your run movement rate. Failure by 4 or less means you do not move but can try again (your grip being too tight); Failure by 5 or more results in you falling.

Slow Descent: If you fall or are knocked from a structure you can, with a successful Climb check, grab hold of that structure (such as the branches of a tree) on your way down, slowing your descent and reducing the damage you take. With a successful Climb check (DC 20), you reduce the damage you take from a fall by 10 feet. A failed check results in you taking an additional 1d6 points of damage from the fall (as you misjudge and hit what you were trying to grab.

Craft

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Refining Substance: Alchemists are prized in many communities for their ability to treat the substances used in forging such as weapons, armor, and other tools. The smith’s skill is most important in crafting these items, of course, but a skilful alchemist can provide the craftsmen with the finest raw materials from which to create their items. In order to prepare substances for forging, the alchemist must have a furnace in which to melt the metal or other substances and remove its impurities. Most smiths have no problem allowing an alchemist to use their forge for this purpose, knowing they will benefit from the improved quality of the refined substance. It requires 8 hours to refine 50 pounds of substance, plus an alchemy check (DC 25) and 1,500 gp for each weapon, armor, shield, tool, or

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10x10 foot section. Refined substances may have any one of the following properties:

• Increased Weapon Hardness: Any weapon, metal shield, or medium (or heavier) armor fashioned from refined substances has a hardness 2 higher than normal. A longsword forged from this type of refined substances, for example, would have a hardness of 12 rather than 10.

• Inner Strength: The hit points of a weapon, shield, or armor fashioned from the refined metal has 25% more hit points than normal. A large steel shield fashioned from this type of refined substance has 25 hit points rather than 20.

• Easy to Work: The substance is so easy to work with that all Craft checks made when using it receive a +1 circumstance bonus. Weapons and shields provide their normal protection but weigh 10% more than normal.

• Magically Treated: When an object is fashioned using this refined substance, the object’s Break DC is increased by +20 above normal, its hardness is increased 100% above normal and its hit points are increased 100% (or + 50 hp whichever is greater) above normal. A magically treated wall also gains a saving throw against spells that could affect it, with the save bonus equaling 2 + 1/2 your ranks in Craft (alchemy) + your Intelligence modifier.

If you fail your check you can try again but one quarter of the material used in the attempt is ruined by each failed attempt, including the first.

Craft (any)

Fast Completion: By adding 10 to the DC of your Craft check, you reduce the time needed to complete the crafting. If the check is successful, you reduce the time needed to complete the project (expressed in days or weeks) by 50 percent.

Jury Rig: You can temporarily repair an object with the broken condition as a full-round action. The DC of the check is 20, which negates the broken condition for one use plus one use per 5 points over 20 (or for 10 minutes + 10 minutes per 5 points over 20 if the item is usually involved in continuous use, such as a saddle or wagon). This skill can only be attempted once per object regardless of success or failure. Failure by 5 or more results in the object suffering 5 points of additional damage (does not ignore hardness) plus 1 point for each point beyond 5 by which it fails. This skill use has no effect on ruined or destroyed objects and does not repair hit point damage.

Diplomacy

Call for Truce: Using your skills of persuasion, you call for a temporary halt to the fighting. Your enemies may halt to listen, but they remain alert and ready for a trick. As a move action, you call for an end to the fighting and

are considered flat-footed until the beginning of your next turn. Make a Diplomacy check with a DC as indicated on the table below. If you succeed, your opponents ready actions to attack when you or your allies attack or take a threatening action. You may then parlay as normal with your foes. Your GM may consider your foes to remain active on their initiative counts. Combat does not end until both sides have stepped down from their alert standing. The base DC of the check is based on the opponent with the highest CR; 15 + that opponent’s hit dice + his wisdom modifier + a situational modifier (see below). If the Challenge Ratings of all your opponents are equal use the opponent with the highest Wisdom score.

Situation DC

Your foes have the advantage +10 The battle is even +0 Your opponents are losing -10

Your GM may rule that certain foes are immune to this skill use, such as fanatics who are inspired by religious or political fervor, raging barbarians, and other hateful enemies. In addition, you must share a language with your opponents or otherwise have some means of communicating with them.

Calm Emotions: Use Diplomacy to talk your way out of a potential fight. When dealing with an NPC who is ready to make an attack, make a Diplomacy check opposed by your opponent’s Sense Motive check (or 20 + your opponent’s Hit Dice + your opponent’s Wisdom modifier, whichever is higher), to bring him to his senses. If you fail, the target may act as normal but you are considered flat-footed against his attacks until your next turn. If you succeed, your opponent stops to consider your words, though he remains hostile. Your GM has the final say in determining if your Diplomacy skill has any use in a situation—as a rule of thumb, this skill works in any situation that arises in a neutral or safe setting with a hostile NPC who otherwise has no particular reason to seek your death. You cannot use Diplomacy against creatures that do not share a language with you or have a specific reason to attack (you attacking them or trespassing).

Complicate: Sometimes you find it to your advantage to delay the resolution of a specific discussion for a while (or even indefinitely). Every time you attempt to complicate the situation in order to delay resolution you make a single Diplomacy check. The other participants in the discussion make opposed Sense Motive checks; if you succeed, then you can prevent any of the discussion’s participants from coming to agreement for a single day, without seeming to be interfering. Each participant that beats your Diplomacy check realizes what you are doing. The danger associated with this activity is directly related to the importance of the situation. Complicating the negotiations between two countries on the brink of war exposes you to a high degree of risk. Similar actions taken to delay the discussions of a sea captain and a merchant so that your

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party can get onto a ship carry a fairly low degree of danger.

Discreet Seeker: While seeking out news and information, you keep a low profile. You focus on overhearing conversations, drawing inferences from peoples’ behavior, and spying on others. You increase your Diplomacy DC to gather information by +10, but you avoid leaving any clues about the information you seek. If you fail your Diplomacy check by 5 or more, you are automatically noticed as someone seeking information about the subject.

Informant: You establish a working relationship with a person or organization well-tuned to the gossip and information that spreads through the area. If you pay your informant 3d6 gp per week, you may make one Diplomacy check to gather information the following week without spending an evening socializing and combing for gossip. Your informant makes regular reports to you about any specific topic you designate. You may have more than one active informant, so long as you pay the required costs each week. Establishing an active informant requires on night of socialization and a successful Diplomacy check DC 20. The check is made in secret by the GM, failure by 4 or less results in the loss of the gold but you can try again; Failure by 5 or more results in a false informant (this informant works as a normal informant except he selling you bad information).

Negotiations: When bargaining with others, your Diplomacy skill allows you to negotiate a better deal or bargain. Make a Diplomacy check opposed by the merchant or negotiator’s own Diplomacy check. If you succeed, you earn a 10% discount on the price of an item +1% for every 2 ranks you have in Diplomacy. You may attempt to use Diplomacy in this manner just once for every item you wish to buy. When using this skill to hammer out a treaty, each success allows you to force your opponent to concede a point to you. However, your GM has veto power over any points he deems too extreme. For example, you could not negotiate a surrender that allows you to keep all your items, gold and magic and walk away unharmed. Failure by 4 or more results in no movement on the price or the treaty and you cannot try again. Failure by 5 or more on a price point results in you agreeing to pay +10% on the price of an item +1% for every 2 ranks your opponent has in Diplomacy (as he has convinced you, you must have it). Seduction: Some enjoy sensual pleasures for the acts in and of themselves, while some use them as a means to a greater end. You suffer a -20 circumstance penalty when attempting to seduce a creature that is not attracted to your race, culture, gender, or proclivities (such as a faithful spouse, one who only likes blonde-haired women, or someone who has taken a vow of celibacy). Before you can get to the point where a sated partner can be used for gather information, or if you are just seeking sensual pleasures, you must first get through the target’s defenses and lure him or her into your bed. You must succeed at a Diplomacy check with a DC equal to

Seduction

10 + the target’s Hit Dice + the target’s Wisdom modifier. This skill use requires an evening of socializing and usually somewhere private to retire to. If you successfully seduce a target, further attempts to seduce that person into your bed gain a +5 circumstance bonus and only require a full-round action. If you fail the check, however, you are rebuffed and may not make another seduction attempt against the same target for at least 1 week or you may succeed and end up with a false informant for gather information checks (this informant works as a normal seduction except he is providing you bad information).

After you have successfully seduced a target you may make one gather information check the following week without spending an evening socializing and combing for gossip. Your seduced target makes regular reports to you, in attempts to regain your favor, about any specific topic you designate. You may have more than one active seduced partner (1+ a number equal to your ranks in Diplomacy, divided by 5).

Spread Rumors: Rather than seek out information, you can spread rumors of your own invention across town. Make a Diplomacy check as if you were gathering

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Copy Key

information. For 1d3 weeks after this check, anyone looking for information regarding the topic of your rumor might uncover your falsehoods in place of useful information. If Diplomacy checks made by others are less than your own, they uncover your rumor instead of the information they want. If they exceed you check by 10 or more they recognize your rumors as false.

Disable Device

Copy Key: Anyone can pick a lock, but this requires time and only works once. Having a key is much faster and allows other people to open the lock, but to do this; you need the key or a copy of the key. Normally this requires access to the original key; however, some truly skilled individuals can map the internal dimensions of a lock and precisely specify the design to a locksmith. A duplicate key can then be made without ever seeing the original key. If you succeed at the Disable Device check (open locks DC of the lock +10), you can have a locksmith make a Craft (locksmith) check at (DC 15) to create a duplicate key.

Enable Device: If a trap has been disarmed or an object sabotaged but not broken or ruined you may be able to get it working again. When enabling a disarmed trap or other device, the Disable Device check is made secretly, so that you do not necessarily know whether you have succeeded. Your roll is opposed by the original Disable Device check that disarmed or sabotaged the object, if

this is not known it is the standard Disable Device check for the object. Use of this skill takes twice as long as it normally would to disarm the trap or sabotage the device. If the check succeeds, you enable the device. If it fails by 4 or less, you have failed but can try again. If you fail by 5 or more, something goes wrong. If the device is a trap, you trigger it. If you are attempting some short of sabotage, you think the device is enabled, but it will fail to work and you cannot try again.

Fast Disable: By increasing the DC by 10, the amount of time needed to make a Disable Device check is decreased as per the chart below. Disabling a simple device takes 1 move action. A tricky or difficult device requires 1d2 or 1d4 rounds. Attempting to open a lock is move action. If the check succeeds, you disable the device. If it fails by 4 or less, you have failed but can try again. If you fail by 5 or more, something goes wrong. If the device is a trap, you trigger it. If you are attempting some sort of sabotage, you think the device is disabled, but it still works normally.

Table: Fast Disable Device Time Fast

Disable DC* Example Simple 1 move action 20 Jam a lock Tricky 1d2 rounds 25 Sabotage a wagon wheel Difficult 1d4 rounds 30 Disarm a trap, reset a trap Extreme 1d4 rounds 35 Disarm a complex trap, cleverly sabotage a clockwork device * If you attempt to leave behind no trace of your tampering, add 5 to the DC.

Lock Quality Fast Disable DC Simple 30

Average 35 Good 40 Superior 50

Manual Reset: You can reset a trap that has a manual reset with a successful Disable Device check equal to the normal disarm DC; this takes the same amount of time that would be required to disarm the trap. If the check succeeds, you enable the device. If it fails by 4 or less, you have failed but can try again. If you fail by 5 or more, something goes wrong and just as you believe you have reset it, you trigger it instead; you cannot try again as the trap must now be repaired. If you built the trap or witnessed the trap go off you gain a +10 insight bonus to the check.

Modify Device: With a few carefully considered changes to a mechanism’s internal workings, you cause it to behave or operate differently. The DC of this attempt equals the DC necessary to disable the device +10. On success, you may change one aspect of the item’s

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operation. For example, a trap set to activate when a chest opens may now spring into action when the chest closes. If it fails by 4 or less, you have failed but can try again. If you fail by 5 or more, something goes wrong, if it is a trap you trigger it instead and you cannot try again; Your GM has the final say on whether a proposed modification is feasible.

Sabotage Magic Item: If you have the trapfinding ability, you can disarm magic traps. In much the same way, you can use this ability to curse a magic item or render it nonfunctional for 1 day (this curse can be negated by remove curse). The DC for this check is equal to 15 + the caster level of the magic item, with a minimum DC of 25. Failure by 5 or more results in a bestow curse spell being inflicted upon you (no save, no spell resistance; details determined by the GM, often related, in an ironic way, to the item or some feature of the plan for sabotage).

Sapper: When attempting to smash down a door, gate, or other man-made fortification, make a Disable Device check and divide the result in half, in place of making a Strength check. You must have a sledgehammer, axe, portable battering ram or other large, destructive instrument to take full advantage of this skill use. Otherwise, you may only make a standard Strength check. You may only make use of sapper against objects that allow a Strength check to break them. If it fails by 4 or less, you have failed but can try again. If you fail by 5 or more you cannot try again as you cannot figure it out, and the tool suffers an amount of damage equal to the amount you missed the DC by (does not ignore hardness.

Suppress Cursed Item: If you have the trapfinding ability, you can disarm magic traps. In much the same way, you can use this ability to suppress the penalties and drawbacks of a cursed magic item without suppressing its benefits (as if the item were in an antimagic field), for 1 day, but only if the curse could be negated by remove curse. The DC for this check is equal to 15 + the caster level of the magic item, with a minimum DC of 25. Failure by 5 or more results in a bestow curse spell being inflicted upon you (no save, no spell resistance; details determined by the GM, often related in some way to the curse already present in the item).

Trap-Springing: Sometimes you may want to set off a trap that you have detected or have bypassed, such as when there is an enemy in the room. Trap-springing is like poking at a trap with a stick while ready to jump back when the trap triggers. It is much easier than carefully disarming the trap, but riskier. The character makes a Disable Device check against a trap he has detected or has bypassed at a DC that is 5 less than the DC needed to disarm the trap. If the check succeeds, the trap is triggered, but the character and his allies who are aware of the trap gain a +5 insight bonus to any checks or saves needed to avoid or reduce the effects of the trap. If the check fails, the trap is triggered and you

Blend In

automatically fail any checks or saves needed to avoid the trap.

Disguise

Blend In: You can move into a large crowd of people and slightly change your appearance to resemble those around you. This allows you to make a check at a -5 circumstance penalty without spending 1d3 x 10 minutes creating a disguise. However, you may only use Disguise in this manner if there is a group of people nearby into which you can escape. For example, you could blend into a small group of beggars by grabbing a nearby filthy, soiled cloak, draping it over your shoulders, and sitting down amongst them. Obviously, this skill does not prevent anyone who witnessed your attempt from pointing you out to any pursuers or enemies.

Disguise Weapon: You hide a weapon on your person, making it appear as some ornament or other harmless keepsake. When you strike with it, you may surprise your enemy and leave her vulnerable to your attack. You may spend 10 minutes hiding a light, one-handed weapon on your body. You may hide only one weapon at a time in this manner. Later, you could use your Quick Draw feat or ready an action to attack. When you do so, make a Disguise check opposed by your foe’s Perception check. Your opponent also gains her base attack bonus as an insight bonus on this check. If your check succeeds, your opponent is considered flat-footed in regards to your next attack. Failure results in you provoking an attack of opportunity from your opponent.

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Manipulate Beast

Anyone who searches you must make a Perception check opposed by your Disguise check to find the weapon. They gain no special bonus on this check—unlike with weapons hidden using the Sleight of Hand skill (see below)—because you have physically modified the weapon in order to disguise it.

Escape Artist

Crafty Escape Artist: In exchange for increasing the check DC by 10, you can hide your efforts at escaping. Anyone who inspects your bindings must attempt a Perception check with a +10 circumstance bonus (DC equal to the result of your last Escape Artist check). If this Perception check fails, they do not notice the work you have done to escape. For example, you could untie the rope that binds you but leave it in place so a villain does not realize that you are free. Obviously if you free yourself and escape, the villain notices you are gone. Quick Escape: By increasing the DC of your Escape Artist attempt by 10 you can shrug off your bonds with greater alacrity. You can escape from rope bindings, manacles, or other restraints (except a grappler) as a full-round action; escape from a net or an animate rope, command plants, control plants, or entangle spell as a standard action; escape from a grapple or pin as a move action; or squeeze through tight space as a full-round action for each 5 ft. of space through which you must squeeze.

Fly

Speed Flight: If you are flying using wings rather than magical flight, you can, by taking advantage of wind direction, updrafts, and diving, increase your fly speed by one-quarter of your base speed. This use of Fly

requires a successful Fly check DC 25. If you fail the Fly check by 5 or more, you plummet to the ground, taking the appropriate falling damage. You cannot make use of speed flight if you already gain the benefits of a magical enhancement to your flying speed. If you attempt to do this in a wind condition that would cause you to make a Fly check you must add 15 to the DC of that check to perform this skill use.

Handle Animal

Handle Vermin: Some races train and use vermin for many of the tasks for which others use animals; thus, they have devised ways to train and handle vermin. Nevertheless, these creatures are nearly mindless and are thus more difficult to control than are animals or beasts. The check DCs and time required for all associated Handle Animal checks are listed in the following table.

Table: Handle Vermin

Task Time DC

Handle a vermin Varies 20 “Push” a vermin Varies 30 Teach a vermin a trick 4 months 25 Teach a vermin for a general purpose 6 months 30 Rear a wild vermin 1 year 25 + HD of vermin Manipulate Beast: Your knowledge of animals, vermin, and magical beasts allows you to alter their emotions in combat. For example, you might bat at a wolf’s head to get its attention and compel it to attack you instead of another target, or you could so enrage a basilisk that its attacks become frenzied and clumsy. Only magical beasts with an Intelligence of 7 or less are affected by this skill use. You may make a Handle Animal check against an animal or vermin as a move action. The DC of this check is 10+ the creature’s Hit Dice + its Wisdom modifier. If your check succeeds, you may cause one of the following behaviors:

• Anger: The target creature focuses all its attacks on you. It moves toward you if possible, but it does not provoke attacks of opportunity to reach you. If it cannot reach you, it fights as normal. This effect lasts 1d6 rounds.

• Calm: If the creature was not trained to fight, not set to guard an area, or not otherwise taught by a master, you can attempt to calm it. If the creature and other members of its pack or other allies are not subjected to an attack, spell, or other hostile act for 1 full round, it stops fighting. It resumes hostilities if anyone makes an aggressive move toward it.

• Rage: The creature thrashes in rage, biting and snapping at its enemies. It suffers a –2 morale penalty on its next attack roll.

Failure results in you provoking an attack of opportunity from the creature and you cannot try again against the same target for 24 hours.

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Placate Beast: If you have a tasty morsel or other treat, you can silence an angry beast or convince it to leave you alone. Give the target a day’s worth of palatable food appropriate to its diet and make a Handle Animal check (DC 15 + its Hit Dice + its Wisdom modifier) as a move action. If the check succeeds, the beast ignores you to devour the food. If you exceed the DC by 10, the target will regard you as friendly the next time it encounters you. Failure results in you provoking an attack of opportunity from the creature and you cannot try again against the same target for 24 hours. This skill works only against creatures of the animal and vermin creature types, plus magical beasts with an Intelligence of 3 or less.

Study Beast: Animals, vermin and some magical beasts rely on relatively simple tactics and maneuvers in combat, allowing you to get a handle on their plans with a close study of their actions and bearing. You make a Handle Animal check against an animal, vermin, or magical beast (with an Intelligence score of 7 or less) as a move action. The DC of this check equals its Combat Maneuver Defense. If the check succeeds, you gain a +1 insight bonus on attack rolls, combat maneuvers, and Armor Class against the creature as you learn to anticipate its actions in combat. Failure results in you provoking an attack of opportunity from the creature and you cannot try again against the same target for 24 hours.

Throw Rider: You gain a hold on another’s mount, whether by spooking the beast, grabbing the reins, or by twining your fists in its fur or mane, you can attempt to force it to throw its rider. In order to do this, you must, as a move action, succeed with Handle Animal check opposed by the rider’s Ride check, the mount’s Combat Maneuver Defense, or the rider’s Combat Maneuver Defense, whichever is highest. If your check succeeds, the rider is thrown from his mount; a Ride check to stay in the saddle is not allowed, since the initial opposed Ride check was made to avoid falling. Failure results in you provoking an attack of opportunity from both the mount and the rider.

Heal

Autopsy: By combining medical knowledge with alchemical techniques, it is possible to gain a significant amount of information from a corpse without the use of magic. Heal forms the basis of forensic pathology, but Craft (alchemy) allows you to test the characteristics of blood and is required for certain advanced actions. The table below indicates the type of information that can be gained with a Heal check (the check is made in secret by the GM, see retry), along with the DC of the check and the ranks in Craft (alchemy) that you must possess (if any). If you possess the alchemy class ability you are assumed to automatically to possess the required ranks. An alchemist and a healer can team up in order to perform a task.

Autopsy

Table: Autopsy

Nature of Information DC Ranks Cause of Death 10 None Examine Injury 10 None Presence of Foreign Substances 15 1 rank Nature of Foreign Substances 25 5 ranks Time of Death 20 0 or 5 ranks Performing an autopsy requires approximately three hours. At the end of this time, you can make two checks (typically cause of death and examining the injury that caused death). Each additional check takes an additional thirty minutes to perform.

• Cause of Death can be useful when you want to know if the crushing damage came after the victim was poisoned. This only provides general information: “She died as a result of decapitation” or “She appears to have died of natural causes.” To obtain more specific details, you must make an additional check to examine the injury or determine the nature of foreign substances.

• Examine Injury allows you to obtain information about a specific wound. If you make the check, you determine the basic cause of the injury (a narrow blade, a small blunt object, teeth). If your check beats the DC by 5 or more, you gain specific details about the weapon that caused the injury (a double-edged dagger with a six-inch blade). If your check beats the DC by 10 or more, you gain information about the manner in which the wound was inflicted (the attacker was left-handed, about six feet tall, and probably grabbed her from behind).

• Presence of Foreign Substances reveals whether the victim had drugs, poison, or high levels of alcohol in his system when he died. As with a cause of death check, this information is not specific; it simply

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determines that something unnatural was present at the time of death.

• Nature of Foreign Substances allows you to determine the specific nature of any substance you have identified. You must discover the presence of foreign substances before you can attempt to determine their nature.

• Time of Death reveals when the victim was killed. This is an imprecise science at best. If the user does not possess the prerequisite levels of Craft (alchemy), time of death can only be determined to within 4d6 hours. With access to alchemy, the time can be pinpointed to within 1d6 hours.

You cannot try again after a failed roll. If you miss the check by 10 or more points you may come to a false conclusion, otherwise you will just be unable to obtain any useful information.

Special: Time is the enemy of the pathologist. Every twelve hours that passes from the point of death adds 2 to the DC of any autopsy check. In a swampy or tropical environment, this penalty is doubled; in an especially dry environment it is halved. The spell gentle repose will preserve a body in its current condition for the duration of the spell.

Certain poisons and drugs may be harder to detect than others. The GM should consider the poisons that exist within the game world; those that are difficult to trace could increase the DC of checks made to determine cause of death, presence of foreign substances, and nature of foreign substances by up to 5 points.

During the course of an autopsy, you may also make a Perception check to notice any unusual details about the corpse. There may not be any; but perhaps you will notice a few threads of cloth caught under the victim’s fingernails, or a small tattoo that will prove to be relevant later. It is up to the GM to determine whether there are any facts to be discovered, and if so, what the DC of the check should be.

Diagnose: When preparing to treat someone, you can examine her wounds or condition and determine several facts about the poison, disease, or condition affecting her. If a detrimental condition or effect had a saving throw you may attempt to diagnose it as a full-round action. At the start of your next turn the GM makes a secret Heal check for you with a DC equal to or exceeding the DC of the spell or effect that caused the detrimental condition. On a successful check, you determine the nature of the problem, the future effects, the amount of potential harm or hindrance it will cause (for example how much ability damage it will do), and its potential duration. Note that rare or exotic conditions or effects mayhave a higher DC, at the GM’s discretion. If your skill check is 10 or higher than the DC, the GM will suggest a potential cure for the condition. If your skill check is 10 or lower than the DC, you misdiagnose the patient’s problems. The GM provides you with incorrect information regarding the nature of the problem, the amount of potential harm/hindrance caused by the effect, and its potential duration. A successful diagnosis grants you a +2 competence bonus to subsequent attempts to aid the victim. A misdiagnosis causes a –10 competence penalty to such skill checks.

Blood-Kissed Threat

Malpractice: You must have at least 2 ranks in Bluff to use Heal in this fashion. Rather than making a Heal check to perform first aid or some other form of treatment on a helpless or willing creature you intentionally bungle the job in order to ensure that the creature perishes or is severely injured. You make the check as a standard action and deal hit point damage to the creature at the beginning of your next turn equal to your Heal check, if the creature is helpless this is considered a coup-de-grace attack. If under the watchful eye of others (including your patient), your Heal check is opposed by another’s Sense Motive or Heal, a failure on your part results in them detecting your malpractice and they may attempt to intervene. If someone successfully performs a first aid check before the beginning of your next turn, the damage is negated.

Intimidate

Blood-Kissed Threat: As you hew through your enemies, you use threats, taunts, and a bloody display of your martial prowess to strike terror into your remaining opponents. If you kill an opponent outright by dropping her from positive hit points to death, you may make an Intimidate check against another foe as a free action. The slain foe must have been able to fight when you cut her down. A paralyzed or otherwise helpless opponent does not qualify for this use of the Intimidate skill. The DC of this check is 10 + the second foe’s Hit Dice + the second foe’s Wisdom modifier. If your check succeeds,

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the foe becomes shaken. Failure results in you provoking an attack of opportunity from your opponent and you cannot try again against the same target for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting effect.

Forced Discount: With a successful Intimidate check (DC 10 + the target’s HD + the target’s Wisdom modifier), you can force a merchant to ‘offer’ a 10% discount on all purchases (requires 1 minute of conversation). The consequences for doing this are more severe than for a normal use of Intimidate, as merchants do not look kindly on coercion, unless they are the ones doing it. After the effects of the intimidation wear off, the merchant is automatically considered hostile to you. A failure results in the merchant automatically becoming hostile as well.

Torture: Torture is a finely honed skill in some creatures’ repertoires, whether used to elicit information or simply for pleasure. However, torture is an unreliable means of gaining accurate information: The victim will say anything to end the pain or frustrate his captors. You can use Intimidate (torture) to force an opponent to act helpfully toward you with a successful check. The GM makes a secret skill check against a DC 20 + the target's HD + the target's Wisdom modifier. The NPC then provides Information based on your success or failure. A failure by 5 or more results in the target providing false information. You can make this check only once per day against a particular target, and its effects last until the next day. You cannot take 20 on this check. Creatures immune to critical hits, pain, or fear effects cannot be intimidated in this way.

Knowledge (any)

Research Assist: If you aid another with a Knowledge check, you can attempt to provide a greater than normal bonus to the other character’s total skill check. This challenge reflects the fact that a highly trained person can render better help than an untrained or fumbling assistant. In return for increasing the aid another skill check Difficulty Class by 5 (to DC 15), you boost the bonus you provide the other character by +1 (for a total of +3). There is no limit to how high you can push the Difficulty Class and the bonus, but remember that a Knowledge check does not allow you to try again, if your check to aid another fails, you provide no bonus. Research Subject: Normally you cannot try again on a Knowledge check as it represents what you know, and thinking about a topic a second time does not let you know something that you never learned in the first place. You can, however, research the subject and gain one retry. You must have access to an extensive library that covers a specific kind of knowledge about which you have ranks in Knowledge in that particular field of study. The time to make a Knowledge check using a library, however, increases to 1d4 hours; if you wish to take 20, the amount of time required to make the check increases to 20 to 60 hours of research (determined by the GM). Particularly complete libraries might even

Research Subject

grant a bonus on Knowledge checks in the fields that they cover. If you fail this check, you cannot make another attempt until you gain a level.

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Assess Damage: You can look over an item as a full-round action and accurately measure how much damage the object has taken and how much more punishment it can take. With a successful check (DC 15 + the object’s hardness), the GM tells you the object’s hardness, how many hit points of damage it has taken, and how many more it can withstand before being ruined. This skill does not work on constructs or undead.

Structural Weakness: If you study an unattended object for at least 3 rounds, you can attempt to discern its weak point to your attacks. With a successful Knowledge (architecture or engineering check) check (DC 15 + the unattended object’s hardness), weapons you wield deal the maximum amount of dice damage possible against that object. This skill does not work on constructs or undead.

Linguistics

Forge Coins: You can make fake coins using a small amount of valuable metal and a lot of lead. Making coins requires the use of the Craft (metalworking) skill. Determine how many coins you wish to make and, before you create them, determine the total value in gold, silver, copper or platinum (as appropriate) you use to produce them. The proportion of these materials in relation to the total value of the coins determines a modifier for your Linguistics check, as listed in the table below. You must use valuable materials worth at least 10% of the coins’ value or the forgery is automatically detected. Make Craft checks as normal to determine your progress. Anyone inspecting the coins makes an Appraise check with a DC equal to the result of your Forgery roll made at the time of the coins’ creation.

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Table: Forge Coins

Valuable Materials as a Percentage of Coins’ Total Value Modifier

Forgery Check 10%– 30% 0 31% - 50% +2 51% - 75% +4 76%+ +8 Intuit Language: When trying to communicate with someone with whom you do not share a common language, you can watch his body language, listen for changes in his tone of voice, and use other subtle clues to determine the gist of what he is trying to say. A successful Linguistics check allows you to pick up the gist of a conversation carried on in a foreign language. You must be able to see and hear the creature you wish to use this skill on. The level of comprehension is determined by the result of the skill check:

Table: Intuit Language

DC Level of Comprehension

15 You can sense the general emotional tone of the creature. Example: This goblin is nervous about something.

20 You have a general sense of what the creature is talking about. Example: This goblin is nervous about the well water.

25 You pick up half the specific details about what a creature wants. Example: This goblin thinks the well water is poisoned.

30 You fully comprehend what a creature is trying to communicate. Example: This goblin is trying to tell us that the orcs poisoned the well.

You may only use Intuit Language once per day per language.

Percep

Perception

tion

Ear for Detail: Not only can you detect noise, but you are also an expert at identifying its source. You hear not only the scrape of a boot against stony floor, but also recognize the pace of the footsteps and the distinctive sound of the footwear (or lack thereof), allowing you to identify someone, or know you have never met them, before they come into sight. If you have met before, you recognize a creature’s stride and know exactly who approaches. If you have never met the creature before, you know you have not met it but you do know why type of creature it is and what type of footwear, if any, it is using (or if it is using some other form of movement). In order to do this you must actively attempt this as a move action and beat the DC of the Perception check by 20 or more (you attain an extraordinary success). Failure to beat the DC of the Perception check by 10 or more means misidentifying the source of the sounds.

Read Lips: To understand what someone is saying by reading lips, you must be within 30 feet of the speaker, be able to see him speak, and understand the speaker’s language. (This use of the skill is language-dependent.)

When you make the attempt, the GM makes the roll in secret (DC 25, but it increases for complex speech or an inarticulate speaker). You must maintain a line of sight to the lips being read. If your Perception check succeeds, you can understand the general content of a minute’s worth of speech, but you usually still miss certain details. If the check fails by 5 points or more, you draw some incorrect conclusion about the speech.

Perform

Influence Crowd: Some performers are able to use their skills to not only earn money and impress an audience, but also to influence that audience’s attitudes (in a similar manner to using the Diplomacy skill to change NPC attitudes). This use of the Perform skill can only influence NPCs whose attitude toward you is indifferent or friendly, and any attempts to influence hostile or unfriendly NPCs in this manner automatically fail. To influence the attitudes of a crowd, make a normal Perform check and treat the result exactly as you would the result of a Diplomacy check to influence the attitudes of indifferent or friendly NPCs in the audience.

Ride

Bestride Opponent: If you are two size categories smaller than your opponent is, you may attempt to quickly mount your foe’s back and impair its actions. You must make a Ride check as a swift action with a DC equal to 10 + your opponent’s CMD to make the initial quick mount without provoking an attack of opportunity for this movement. If you succeed, you gain many of the benefits of improved cover (+8 to AC, +4 to Reflex saves and improved evasion) against the attacks of the creature you bestride, and standard cover (+4 to AC and +2 to Reflex saves) against all other creatures. A bestridden creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and a –2 penalty to Dexterity. A bestridden creature who attempts to cast a spell must make a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) or lose the spell. A failure on your part by 5 or more results in you failing to bestride the creature and your provoking an attack of opportunity.

The bestridden creature may dislodge you by several means:

• Making a successful combat maneuver check against your CMD or an Escape Artist check opposed by your Ride Check as a move-equivalent action.

• Hitting you with one of its attacks.

You must make subsequent Ride checks as a move-equivalent action each round (same DC) to remain mounted on the target.

Dismounting Charge: You must possess at least 2 ranks in Ride before you can attempt this skill use. If you do and your mount has moved at least 10 feet in the current round, with a successful Ride check you can use a standard action to dismount and attack an adjacent opponent as if you had charged that opponent. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + your opponent’s CMD. Failure results in you automatically missing your