EXPANDED SKILLS LIST (continued)

MEDICAL DEVICES
Success Rate: Skill Level +1 Column Shift
Pr: Medical Diagnosis

This skill allows the character to operate the larger and more complex medical devices like a freeze field, body-jump box, body-gene box, CAT and ultrasound scanners, organ bypass machines, electron microscopes, and so forth.

A freeze field is a device that places a body in stasis and preserves it until it can be revived in a place where proper medical care can be administered. It is the last hope of many a dead character. Only a character with this skill can operate it correctly. A freeze field must be activated within two minutes (20 turns) after death, or the body cannot be revived. Activating the field takes five turns. The process can be interrupted, as long as the field is completely activated within the two minute time limit. If the character does not pass his skill check and there is at least one minute left in the time limit, he has two options: he can make a second attempt to activate the field, of he can inject the body with staydose. If the second attempt to activate the field fails, the body can only be revived through a body-jump box.

A body-jump box comes in many forms, from huge cambers in city hospitals to the small portable units that are carried into the field. A body-jump box is wired to various nerve points of the victim's body and head. When activated, beta particles are forced through the body. If the skill check is made, the "resurrects," though it may have been dead for up to 10 hours. If the skill check is missed, the body could not stand the beta ray bombardment and is completely destroyed.

Damaged medical may be repaired by characters with the Machinery: Repair skill.

MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS
Success Rate: Skill Level +2 Column Shift
Pr: Medscanner or Medic-CAS

A character with this skill can attempt to diagnose a patient's ailment by using a medscanner or Medic-CAS combined with his skill. These devices give a brief diagnosis. The diagnosis outlines the patient's general symptoms and classifies the ailment for treatment as either disease, a poison, an infection, an infestation, radiation poisoning, or a wound, the latter of which falls into one of four categories: requiring first aid, minor medical attention, major medical attention, and surgery.

Once there is a general diagnosis, the character can use his skill to gain specifics. If he passes the skill check, the character knows exactly what the ailment is. With this information, the character can use one of the other medical skills to treat it (if he possesses that skill).

Without a specific diagnosis, a character cannot treat a victim completely. However, the medic can use the medscanner or Medic-CAS's general diagnosis as a guide for which drug the patient might need.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: DISEASE
Success Rate: Skill Level
Pr: Medical Diagnosis, medkit

Curing a disease requires proper treatment and a dose of antibody plus. When the injection is given, the skill level of the character who is treating the condition is located on the Resolution Table. It is modified by a +1 Column Shift of every 20 points of Stamina the victim currently has. A roll is then made at this level with three results possible:

Diseases are rated according to how they damage, how long their effects last, and whether the disease is fatal. Diseases damage by being debilitating (causing negative Column Shift modifiers and negative ability adjustments). A "-1" disease would modify the sick character's every skill check by a -1 Column Shift and every ability check by -10. This number is followed by a slash, then a "D" for disease, then the duration of the disease in 10-hour periods. If the duration is followed by an exclamation mark, the disease will kill the victim after that length of time unless the disease is treated at a medical facility. For example, a -1/D10! is an abbreviation for a "-1" disease that will last 100 hours. If not cured within 100 hours, the patient will die.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: INFECTION
Success Rate: Skill Level +1 Column Shift
Pr: Medical Diagnosis, medkit

Controlling infection requires proper treatment and a dose of omnimycin. When the injection is given, the skill level of the character who is treating the condition is located on the Resolution Table. It is modified by a +1 Column Shift for every 20 points of Stamina the victim currently has. A roll is then made at this level with three results possible:

Infections are rated by their strength (S) and duration (D). The infection causes a specific amount of damage every 10 hours. For example, an S6/D8 infection causes six points of damage every 10 hours for 80 hours if it is not controlled.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: INFESTATION
Success Rate: Skill Level
Pr: Medical Diagnosis, medkit

Controlling spore or parasitic infestation requires proper treatment and a dose of sporekill. When the injection is given, the skill level of the character who is treating the condition is located on the Resolution Table. It is modified by a +1 Column Shift for every 20 points of Stamina the victim currently has. A roll is then made at this level with three results possible:

Spore infestations are also rated by their strength (S) and duration (D). The infestation causes a specific amount of damage every 20 hours. For example, an S6/D8 infestation causes six points of damage every 20 hours for 160 hours, if it is not controlled. Spore infestations come from strange plants on nondeveloped worlds and usually last a lot longer than infections.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: MISCELLANEOUS
Success Rate: Automatic
Pr: Medical Diagnosis, medkit

This skill allows the character to properly administer the miscellaneous drugs: stimdose, staydose, and telol.

One dose of stimdose can wake up an unconscious or stunned character, or restore 10 Stamina points to a character who was poisoned, infected, diseased, or exposed to infestation. If more than one dose is given in a 20-hour period, that extra dose has no effect.

One dose of staydose places an individual in a state of arrested animation. A character whose Stamina has been reduced to 0 or below, but not below -30, will maintain minimal vital signs if injected within one minute (10 turns) after death. The staydose slows a character's heartbeat and breathing so he can survive with no Stamina points. If the character's Stamina is brought back above 0 within 20 hours, by medical treatment or natural healing, he will live. If not, the character dies. Once the 20th hour is up the first hour of death starts. If the body can be attached to a body-jump box in time it might possibly be resurrected. Only one does of staydose can be given to a character until his Stamina is raised above 0.

Telol is a truth drug that works only 80% of the time. If successful, the injected character honestly answers up to five simple questions. An injected characters passes out for 1d10 hours, whether the drug works or not.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: POISON
Success Rate: Skill Level
Pr: Medical Diagnosis, medkit

Neutralizing a poison inside a victim's body requires proper treatment and a dose of antitox. When the injection is given, the skill level of the character who is treating the condition is located on the Resolution Table. It is modified by a +1 Column Shift for every 20 points of Stamina the victim currently has. A roll is then made at this level with three results possible:

Poisons are also rated by their strength (S) and turns (T). The damage is inflicted every turn instead of every 10 or 20 hours and the duration of the poison is in turns. An S7/T9 poison will cause 7 points of damage every turn for 9 turns.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: RADIATION
Success Rate: Skill Level
Pr: Medical Diagnosis, medkit

Curing radiation poisoning is very much like curing a disease and requires proper treatment and a dose of neutrad. When the injection is given, the skill level of the character who is treating the condition is located on the Resolution Table. It is modified by a +1 Column Shift for every 20 points of Stamina the victim currently has. A roll is then made at this level with three results possible:

Radiation poisoning damages by being debilitating (causing negative Column Shift modifiers and negative ability adjustments). A "-1" radiation poisoning would modify the sick character's every skill level by a -1 Column Shift and every ability check by a -10. The modifier is followed by a slash, then an "R" for radiation poisoning, then the duration in one-day periods. If the duration is followed by an exclamation mark, the radiation poisoning will kill the victim after that length of time unless he is treated at a hospital. For example, a -1/R10 is an abbreviation for a "-1" radiation that lasts for 10 days. Radiation poisoning is caused by leaks in machinery or generators that use nuclear fuel or from exposure to an area of radiation, such as a nuclear blast site.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: VETERINARY
Success Rate: Level +X
Pr: Medical Diagnosis

This skill is identical to Medical Treatment: Wounds I, but is designed for use with animals, not characters. If the player wishes to advance his character's knowledge of veterinary medicine, he can do so by taking the identical skills for medical treatment of characters (Infections, Wounds II, III, & IV, etc.) and switch them to veterinary treatment. Once a medical skill has been designated veterinary it cannot be used to treat characters. The success rates and prerequisites are identical.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: WOUNDS I
Success Rate: Level +X
Pr: Medkit

Wounds I is the equivalent of knowing first aid and nursing. It is the only medical treatment skill that does not require Medical Diagnosis as a prerequisite and is generally available to the public. Included in the skill is knowledge of how to clean wounds, change bandages, resuscitate a victim, and do some minor healing.

A character with this skill must roll on the Level +X column to see how much healing he can do. A result of 98-00 means he misapplied the injection of one does of biocort and no healing was accomplished. A Yellow result means he applied the injection correctly but only 3 points of wound damage was healed. A Green result heals 6 points of wound damage. A Blue result heals 9 points of wounds damage. A Cobalt result heals 12 points of wound damage.

Note that this heals wound, burn, and shock damage and, along with the biocort, the appropriate items from a medkit must be used (local anesthetics, plastiflesh spray, etc.). Only one shot of biocort can be given in a 20-hour period with this skill; a second short during this time has no effect. If a character suffered more than 12 points of damage from wounds and cannot rest and heal, then he requires minor or major medical attention, possibly even surgery to repair the damage.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: WOUNDS II
Success Rate: Skill Level +2 Column Shift
Pr: Medical Diagnosis, Medical Treatment: Wounds I, medkit

This skill is for those wounds requiring minor medical attention, such as would be treated in an outpatient clinic. It can heal up to 20 points of damage in addition to the 10 points healed by Medical Treatment, Wounds I. The result of the skill check determines how many points can he healed by this skill: White = none, Yellow = 5, Green = 10, Blue = 15, and Cobalt = 20 points. For every 10 points of damage (or fraction of 10 points) that are healed, a full turn of treatment time and an additional dose of biocort are required. In addition, when using Wounds II, a dose of anesthetic is also required. If the skill check fails, the patient recovers no Stamina points and one dose of biocort is used. This skill can only be attempted on a patient once per 20 hours.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: WOUNDS III
Success Rate: Skill Level +1 Column Shift
Pr: Medical Diagnosis, Medical Treatment: Wounds II, medkit or proper medical facilities

This skill can heal any amount of damage to a character. For every 10 points of damage (or fraction of 10 points) healed, a dose of biocort is used. Whenever Medical Treatment: Wounds III is used two doses of anesthetic are also required. The only limit to the amount of damage that can be healed is the patient's original Stamina, the supply of biocort, anesthetic, and time. Using Medical Treatment: Wounds III is akin to performing major medical treatment.

A patient successfully treated by Medical Treatment: Wounds III is laid up for at least 10 hours. The patient has a a -1 Column Shift to all actions for 1d10 days after major injury treatment of 40 or more Stamina points.

If the skill check fails, the patient recovers no Stamina points and one dose of biocort and two doses of anesthetic are used up. If a character is not healed by Wounds III, the physician may try to heal the patient with Wounds II, if he has not already done so.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: WOUNDS IV
Success Rate: Skill Level
Pr: Medical Diagnosis, Medical Treatment: Wounds III, medkit or proper medical facilities

This skill is the equivalent of surgery and is absolutely necessary for the treatment of broken bones, massive lacerations, ruptured organs, tumor removals, amputations, etc. All of this is left to the referee's discretion and these occurrences should be rare, but when they do happen the character must receive surgery or die. Wounds II or III can set a broken limb and minor surgery can be put off for a while, but in many cases, especially those dealing with internal injuries, major surgery is required within a few hours.

Wounds IV brings the character up to a surgeon's level of expertise and is required for some other skills, such as Bionics and Cybernetics.

OPTICS
Success Rate: Skill Level
Pr: Physics, techkit, or proper tools and facilities

This skill enables a character to build and repair optical equipment (scopes, visual aids, etc.). No more than one item per week can be constructed, but the price in materials is 10% less than the normal item cost. When repairing damaged optical devices use the standard repair rule.

PERSUASION
Success Rate: Skill Level

Persuasion lets a character try to convince a non-player character or group to follow a reasonable course of action he suggests. The character must explain his plan to the group or person being persuaded, not just mention it to them. If the character uses some sort of translator, he has a -1 Column Shift modifier.

A character can try to persuade a group or individual only once. If the character misses his roll by 30 points or more, his audience gets mad and might do just the opposite of what the character wanted. See the Dramatics skill for further use of Persuasion.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Success Rate: Skill Level +1 Column Shift

Any character can use photographic and holo-vid equipment, but when a difficult shot is needed this skill is a must. It includes knowledge of most types of photographic equipment: film, lenses, filters, lights, etc., how to care for and clean the equipment, and how to set up remote and timed shots. Difficult photographic shots are not just made by reporters tracking down celebrities, they are also made by private investigators and Star Lawmen who need photographic evidence. Any character who wants to be a reporter needs this skill, as most federation and frontier reporting is in a visual medium.

PHYSICS
Success Rate: Skill Level +2 Column Shift

A character with this skill is schooled in the science dealing with the properties, changes, interactions, etc. of matter in any form (gas, liquid, solid, and plasma) and energy (electricity, heat, optics, mechanics, etc.) and atomic, nuclear, and solid-state physics. This also includes knowledge of momentum, velocity, reflection, refraction, and gravity. Only a physicist can use an Electro-CAS or a Magnetic-CAS. Physics is a prerequisite skill for other fields of knowledge (Acoustics, Optics, etc.). In addition, this skill also allows the character to inspect a damaged character, structure, or ground and determine what kind of physical force cased the damage (heat from flamethrower, laser damage, sonic disruption, etc.).

POLITICS
Success Rate: Level 7

This one-time skill selection gives the character a chance to know the history and due process of federation and planetary politics. This includes knowledge of political bigwigs, their aids, and how honest they all are. It also gives knowledge of the finer arts of political maneuvering, the basics of speech making, and allows the character a skill check on local politics after he has spent at least one day on a planet.

POWER READ
Success Rate: Automatic
Pr: Power read gauge

A character with this skill can check microdiscs, powercylinders, powerclips, and parabatteries for leakage and wear. Using a power read gauge, the character can tell how much energy is left in a power container and translate that information in either minutes of use left if it is powering a device or the number of shots left if it is powering a weapon. The skill also allows a character to use a power recharging device, cutting the cost for recharging by 20%.

PSYCHO-PATHOLOGY
Success Rate: Skill Level

Psycho-pathology lets the character try to help other characters or creatures that are psychologically disturbed. Extreme fright, isolation, or even unusual air or food chemistry can seriously affect a character's mental condition. A psycho-pathologist can help characters recover their confidence or forget their traumatic experiences. This skill also helps to determine what will reassure or frighten a primitive. When a character has this skill and the Exobiologist skill he can even determine what might frighten or reassure an alien (use the lowest skill level of the two for a skill check).

PUMPING FEDERANIUM
Success Rate: Automatic

This skill increases the amount of weight (in kilograms) a character can carry to one and one-half times his Strength score. If the weight a character is carrying is more than his normal Strength Score, he is encumbered. The movement rate of an encumbered character is cut in half in all terrain. A character with this skill can pick up an object that weighs up to triple his Strength in kg, but can carry it only a few meters. A character who has been pumping federanium (the densest element known) is quite developed and may have trouble fitting into suits and equipment normally designed for his race. This skill must be renewed (as a first-level skill) every six months, as if the character kept in training.

RIDE MOUNT
Success Rate: Level +X

This skill allows a character to ride a tamed animal trained to carry a rider. The only time a skill check is needed is when a character first tries to mount a new species, when a difficult maneuver is performed, or when a mount is spooked or feels endangered. A character gets two chances to ride a new species of mount. Once his skill check is successful, the character can ride any mount of that species any time. If a character fails both checks, he must wait at least a year or campaign time before he can try to ride that species again.

If a mount is frightened or is directed in a path that if feels is threatening (jumping a chasm, narrow ledge of a canyon, etc.), the rider may have to make a check to maintain control over it. The result area needed by the check depends on the circumstances and is at the discretion of the referee.

ROBOTICS: ACTIVATE/DEACTIVATE
Success Rate: Automatic

A character with this skill can activate (turn on) or deactivate (turn off) a robot regardless of its level if he can gain access to its activation progit.

Before a character can deactivate the robot, read its function progits, remove its security lock, or alter its mission or function progits, he must gain access to the robot's internal progit circuitry. At a minimum, this requires removing a protective plate, which takes one turn. The plate can be removed in one turn even if the robot is fighting, but not if the robot is moving and the character cannot gain a firm handhold. Once the plate is off, the robot can be deactivated in one turn. Some robots have specially designed secure compartments for their progit circuitry and multiple plates must be removed before access is gained. The heavier, military versions of robots have anti-tamper devices (explosives, electrical shocks, etc.) built into their protective plates.

ROBOTICS: ALTER FUNCTIONS
Success Rate: Skill Level +1 Column Shift (-1 Column Shift per robot level)]
Pr: gain access, Robotics: List Functions, robocomkit

Altering a function progit requires 1d10 minutes. If the new function progit violates the robot's mission or requires function progits the robot does not have, the robot overrides and ignores the new function progit. Only one robot function progit can be altered at a time. A character with this skill must roll separately for each function progit altered. Changing an altered function progit back to its original form also requires a new roll. A failed skill check for Robotics: Alter Functions can result in a malfunction. See the Malfunction section under Robotics Background in the Skills Notes preceding this section.

ROBOTICS: ALTER MISSION
Success Rate: Skill Level +1 Column Shift (-1 Column Shift per robot level)
Pr: gain access, Robotics: List Function, Robotics: Alter Functions, robocomkit

A character with this skill can try to alter the robot's mission progit. This takes 1d10 minutes plus the robot's level in minutes. Altering the mission progit does not alter the function progits, those must be altered separately. Once a mission has been changed, changing it back to the original mission requires another roll. If the new mission requires function progits that the robot does not have, the robot still tries to follow its new mission as best it can. A failed skill check for Robotics: Alter Mission can result in a malfunction. See the malfunction section under Robotics Background in the Skill Notes preceding this section.

ROBOTICS: IDENTIFICATION
Success Rate: Level +X (-1 Column Shift per robot level)

This skill allows a character the chance to determine a robot's type and level simply by looking at it. If the skill check is successful, then the character is allowed another one (at the same rate) for each fact about the robot that the character wants to know. Possibilities include: what external weapons it is equipped with, what internal weapons it might be equipped with (for its size and type), the manufacturing company or race, what kind of sensors are obviously, etc. Once a skill check is missed, no more facts can be gleaned from that particular robot, otherwise the character can keep asking for details and rolling dice until he has exhausted all the facts. Once a robot has been successfully identified, the character can always identify that robot type again (unless its appearance is changed).

ROBOTICS: LIST FUNCTIONS
Success Rate: Level +X (-1 Column Shift per robot level)
Pr: gain access, robocomkit

This skill allows the character to tap into the robot's function progits after he has gained access to the progit circuitry boards. Once accessed, the robot's functions can be listed. A character who successfully lists the robot's functions can always list them again without having to roll. A robot's mission progit cannot be listed with this skill. Only a successful Robotics: Alter Mission skill check reveals the mission. Thus, a character may know all of the robot's functions and have to guess at its mission.

ROBOTICS: MODIFICATIONS
Success Rate: Level +X (-1 CS per robot modification type)
Pr: Robotics Repair, proper tools and facilities

All nonprogit additions or alterations to a robot are called modifications. These include adding new limbs, weapons, etc. Some modifications are more difficult than others. These will be explained more fully in later volumes of Zebulon's Guide to Frontier Space. For now, treat all equipment added as robot modification type 1. This will assure the success rate to be Level +10.

ROBOTICS: REMOVE SECURITY LOCKS
Success Rate: Skill Level +2 CS (-1 CS per robot level)
Pr: robocomkit

After the final protection plate has been removed from a robot's progit circuitry board, there may be a security lock. The lock must be removed before the List Functions, Alter Functions, or Alter Mission skills can be tried. A robot can be deactivated after the protection plates are taken off but before the security lock is removed. Once a security lock has been removed, if cannot be used again. A failed skill check for Robotics: Remove Security Lock can result in a malfunction. See the Malfunction section under Robotics Background in the Skill Notes preceding this section.

ROBOTICS: REPAIR
Success Rate: Skill Level (-1 CS per robot level)
Pr: Robotics: Identification, robocomkit or proper tools and facilities

A character must have this skill to repair robots. Robots are repaired according to the standard repair rules.

ROBOTICS: ROBOPSYCHOLOGIST
Success Rate: Skill Level
Pr: Robotics: Alter Functions and Robotics: Alter Mission, of at least the same level as this skill

This skill allows a character with Robotics: Alter Functions and Robotics: Alter Mission to use those skills verbally when dealing with the higher levels of robots that can speak, listen, and think. The success rate is that of this skill, but it cannot exceed the level of the Alter Functions or Mission skills. For example, a character with Robotics: Alter Functions Level 2, Robotics: Alter Mission Level 1, and Robotics: Robopsychologist Level 3 would have a chance to verbally later a robot's functions as Skill Level 2 or alter its mission as Skill Level 1 because those are the lowest skill levels for those tasks, even though the character is a third-level robopsychologist. Robopsychology allows the character to speak and argue with a robot and try to tap its memory and learn information from it or get it to change its programmed way of thinking. The robot and character must be able to hear each other and the robot must not be attacked during the conversation. This can sometimes be very dangerous for the character, especially if one of the robot's functions is to eliminate organic lifeforms, capture a robotics expert, etc. On the other hand, some of the higher security robots require so much time taking their progit security plates off and removing security locks that the risk may well be warranted.

A robopsychologist can also detect by conversation if a robot's programming has gone awry or been tampered with.

RUNNING
Success Rate: Automatic

This skill increases the endurance of a character, who can now run at top speed for a number of minutes equal to his Strength score divided by 5, rounded up. The character then must rest for five minutes before running again. This skill must be renewed (as a first level skill) every six months, as if the character kept training.

SECURITY SYSTEMS: ACTIVATE & OPERATE
Success Rate: Skill Level +1 Column Shift

This skill allows the character to identify and completely activate internal, perimeter, and vehicular security systems. Activating a security system includes turning it on, directing its operation, and activating any weapon systems it uses. This does not allow the character access to a mainframe computer's security program, just to specialized security devices and systems (the system may have a small computer to coordinate its activities, but this is not considered a computer Security maxiprog). The chance to succeed may be smaller (selected color result areas) due to alien design; this is left to the referee's discretion. Obviously, if the security system is damaged or unpowered it does not activate until it is repaired or repowered.

SECURITY SYSTEMS: DEACTIVATE
Success Rate: Skill Level +1 CS (-1 CS per security level)
Pr: Security Systems: Activate & Operate, Security Systems: Detect, techkit

(See Security Systems: Detect first.) Once a character has successfully detected a security system, he may try to deactivate is. If the character fails, the referee must decide whether the alarm goes off; if the roll was missed by only a small amount, the alarm might not have been triggered.

SECURITY SYSTEMS: DETECT
Success Rate: Skill Level +1 CS (-1 CS per security level)
Pr: Security Systems: Activate & Operate, techkit

This skill gives a character a chance to detect security systems: alarms, scanners, defenses, etc. Every time a character is in a location with one of these security devices in it, he can automatically identify it. Devices that are hidden or disguised must first be detected (Intelligence check) before identification takes place. Once a character has seen enough of these security devices to make a guess as to the security level of the place (referee's discretion) he can roll his skill check. The security level is determined by either the level of the Security maxiprog used to run the security system or, if no computer is used, by either the Lock levels (see Security Systems: Open Locks below) or noncomputer, nonlock security devices. This same formula is used with the Security Systems: Deactivate skill, but not with the Security Systems: Open Locks skill.

SECURITY DEVICE LEVELS

Method                                                Security
                                                              Level
Trip Wire or other crude                                1
    detection methods
Radioactive, Seismic, Beam,                        2
    and Intense Light Scan         
Odor or Normal Video Scan,                         3
    Pressure Sensitive and
    Mechanical detectors
Enhanced Optics, Parabolic,                        4
    UV and Sonar Scan
Motion Scan, Sound detectors                     5
Voice Recognition Scan                             5-6
Radar, Shape and Skin                                6
    Prints Scan
Retinal Scan                                             7-8
Brain Scan                                                 9
Full Body Scan                                          10

SECURITY SYSTEMS: OPEN LOCKS
Success Rate: Skill Level +1 CS (-1 CS per lock level)
Pr: Techkit

A character can try to open locks without the necessary "key." The following table lists the types of locks and their level. Lock levels can be has high as Level +10.

LOCK LEVELS

Lock Type                              Lock Level
Mechanical Locks                         0 - 5
Grey Card Lock                               1
Blue Card Lock                               2
Prog-Locks                                     2
Electrical Locks                            2 - 4
Green Card Lock                             3
White Card Lock                             4
Silver Card Lock                              5
Red Card Lock                                6
Personalized Recognition Lock         6
    (skin prints, retinal, voice
    patterns, brain scan, etc.)
Black Card Lock                              7
Gold Card Lock                               8
Baton Locks                                 5 - 10

SOCIETY
Success Rate: Skill Level

This one-time skill selection gives the character a chance to know the social elite on a federation, planetary, or local scale. This includes knowledge of the rich and famous (including celebrities), what their status in society is, where they are located, what their interests and backgrounds are, social graces and maneuvering, and major social activities. The skill can be invaluable when working undercover or on a specific case. The skill must be taken for every different society, except for the player character's own society, which is Level +X when he first takes the skill. The referee may also decide that it can be a positive column shift modifier when bluffing.

STABLE MOUNTS
Success Rate: Automatic
Pr: Ride Mount

A character with this skill knows the proper case, feeding, and stabling of mounts. In addition, he knows the best way to hobble or protect mounts during times of sudden danger (dust storms, thunderstorms, blizzards, etc.).

STEALTH
Success Rate: Skill Level

Stealth is the ability to move without being seen or heard. This ability is useful for stalking animals, but can also be used to sneak up on guards or follow suspects. The success rate can be modified by glaring lights, wide open spaces, crowds, etc.

The skill check for a character using Stealth to sneak up on someone must be made every 30 meters if the user is moving slowly or 15 meters if the user is moving quickly. The skill check for using Stealth to "tail" a suspect must be made every 30 minutes of stalking.

SURVIVAL
Success Rate: Skill Level +2 Column Shift

This skill gives a character the chance to do several things related to survival in a specific climate. The player must designate the climate when he takes the skill (desert, arctic, jungle, plains, veldtland, etc.). The number of different survival skills a character can take is only limited to what he wants to spend. Survival skills do not cross over from climate type to climate type unless a certain area is indigenous to both. A character possessing this skill can a) find food or water, is any is available, b) find or improvise shelter in the best possible location, and c) set or avoid primitive traps and snares. These traps are for the purpose of food gathering or defense (pits) but if set in a developed area (city, farm, community, etc.) there is a -2 Column Shift.

THEOLOGY
Success Rate: Skill Level +2 Column Shift

This skill gives a character detailed information on one of the thousands of religions and beliefs practiced in the federation and on the frontier. This includes knowledge of gods and pantheons, taboos, clerical organizations, and the type of structures they use for worship, if any. This skill might add a positive modifier to an attempt to bluff.

TRACKING
Success Rate: Skill Level

This skill gives a character the chance to follow a creature, person, or machine by watching for its trail. This skill works only in undeveloped areas (forests, jungles, etc.). Following a character in a developed area requires the Stealth skill. The referee should modify this skill as he sees fit due to weather and terrain modifications (rain washing out tracks, rocky ground, show covering tracks, etc.). This skill can also be used by a character to hide his own tracks.

VEHICLE: AQUATIC
Success Rate: Level +X

A character with this skill can pilot boats, water-ski cycles, and any other aquatic vehicles with complete control.

VEHICLE: ATMOSPHERIC
Success Rate: Level +X

A character with this skill can expertly pilot glijets, jetcopters, aircars, air transports, and other vehicles of all types that fly through a planet's lower atmosphere.

VEHICLE: CARS
Success Rate: Level +X

A character with this skill can expertly drive ground cars, hover cars, and any other car-type vehicles that stay close to the ground.

VEHICLE: CYCLES
Success Rate: Level +X

A character with this skill can expertly drive ground cycles, hovercycles, and any other cycle type vehicles that stay close to the ground.

VEHICLE: MACHINERY
Success Rate: Skill Level +1 Column Shift

A character with this skill can attempt to operate vehicular machinery such as construction equipment, special survey vehicles, etc. Any vehicle that does not fall into any other Vehicle operation skill belongs in this one.

VEHICLE: REPAIR
Success Rate: Skill Level
Pr: Techkit or proper tools and facilities

A character with this skill has a chance to repair any type of vehicle using the standard repair rules. In addition to repairing vehicles that have been damaged inn combat, the referee can include mechanical breakdowns on random encounter tables. This is recommended if the characters are on a long cross-country journey, where a breakdown is likely and the nearest repair shop is several hundred kilometers (or light-years) away. When a vehicle breaks down, roll 2d10 on the following table to determine what has happened:

VEHICLE BREAKDOWNS
Dice Roll
2

3
4-5
6-8
9-10
11
12-15
16-17
18-19
20

Problem
fluid loss (oil, steering fluid,
coolant, etc.)
broken axle or hoverfan *
broken driveshaft or transmission *
minor engine failure
broken steering device
steering loss *
minor drive train failure
broken suspension or mounting
major engine failure, repairable *
blown engine, unrepairable **

* This breakdown takes twice as long to repair as a normal breakdown.
** A blown engine cannot be repaired in the field. In a shop, it takes four times longer to repair than a normal breakdown.

VEHICLE: TRANSPORTS
Success Rate: Level +X

A character with this skill can expertly drive ground transports, hover transports, explorers, and any other transport-like vehicles that stay close to the ground.

WEAPONS: BEAM WEAPONS
Success Rate: Skill Level

This skill allows a character to use a laser, rafflur, electrostunner, sonic, maser, or bolt weapon with better accuracy and damaging potential than an unskilled character.

WEAPONS: DEMOLITIONS
Success Rate: Skill Level +1 Column Shift

This skill instructs the character on the uses of TD-19, TD-20, Plastid, the numerous detonators used for explosives, how to use type I missile warheads as mines, and how to use and throw an explosive damage pack. Only a character with demolitions skill can legally buy or use explosives or detonators. He can recognize and combine all of these items automatically. However, setting and defusing charges or mines requires a skill check. A character with this skill and the Chemistry skill can easily manufacture small explosives one-tenth the strength of TD-19 for around 12 Cr.

Only characters with this skill can set charges. The number of turns needed to set a charge is the character's skill level subtracted from nine. At first level, a character needs eight turns to set a charge, but at eighth level he needs only one turn.

Charges can be detonated by the various detonators described elsewhere in this book. TD-19 or TD-20 charges can also be set off with a laser. If the expert hits the charge, it explodes.

A demolitions expert can try to defuse a charge that was set by another expert. Defusing a charge takes one turn, no matter what level the expert is. The expert's chance to succeed is his success rate plus a further modifying column shift. The modifying column shift is found by comparing the defusing character's skill level to that of the character who set the charges. If the set-up character's skill level is higher, there is a -1 Column Shift to the skill check. If the defusing character's skill level is higher, there is a +1 Column Shift to the skill check. No column shift exists if both characters are the same level in this skill. A character can can defuse one of his own charges automatically.

WEAPONS: GRENADES
Success Rate: Skill Level

This skill allows a character to use grenades with better accuracy and damaging potential than an unskilled character.

WEAPONS: MARTIAL ARTS
Success Rate: Skill Level

This skill makes a character a better fighter in melee than an unskilled character. This skill also increases the damage caused by a successful bare-hands attack, adding one point of damage per skill level.

Martial Arts also teaches the character two important abilities: defensive throws and how to take a fall. When this kill is taken the character automatically learns how to reduce damage from falling by -1 point of damage per skill level. The character also automatically learns how to inflict damage when breaking out of a hold (see Wrestling under Special Actions in the Melee Combat section). When a character with this skill breaks a hold, he automatically knocks his opponent down, causing damage equal to his punching score.

WEAPONS: MELEE WEAPONS
Success Rate: Skill Level

This skill allows a character to use both modern and primitive melee weapons with better accuracy and damaging potential than an unskilled character. This skill also teaches characters how to throw weapons (primarily javelins) and shoot primitive weapons (usually bows). Other throwing weapons are usually alien in origin, but can be learned quickly by a character with this skill. Any instances of a civilization using projectile weapons other than bows and arrows or auto-weapons (see P.G.S. Weapons section) is rare.

WEAPONS: MISSILES
Success Rate: Skill Level

This skill enables a character to use types I through III missiles and missile launchers with better accuracy and damage potential than an unskilled character. It also gives a character full knowledge of missile warheads.

WEAPONS: P.G.S. WEAPONS
(Projectile/Gyrojet/Sprayer Weapons)

Success Rate: Skill Level

This skill allows a character to use an auto-pistol or rifle, grenade rifle or mortar, acid sprayer, flamethrower, micromissile, needler, or gyrojet weapon with better accuracy and damaging potential than an unskilled character.

WEAPONS: POWERED ASSAULT ARMOR
Success Rate: Level +X

A character with this skill can use powered assault armor with complete control. P.A.A. will be explained in greater detail in future editions of Zebulon's Guide to Frontier Space.

WEAPONS: REPAIR
Success Rate: Skill Level
Pr: Must have the weapon skill before being able to repair it, proper tools

This skill allows a character to maintain and repair a weapon that he knows how to use (has a skill level with that weapon). Since many of the new weapons are technological marvels, their repair may require tools, materials, and time that are not readily available. This depends on the amount and type of damage that was done to the weapon and is left to the referee's discretion.

ZOOLOGY
Success Rate: Skill Level +2 Column Shift

A character with this skill is schooled in the science of animals, their lives, structure, growth, classification, etc. Only a character with Zoology can name a new animal life form or use a bioscanner or Fauna-CAS to analyze a zoological sample. A successful bioscanner analysis (skill check) indicates the type of animal and whether it is edible or poisonous. A zoologist making a successful skill check when inquiring about an animal's potential medicinal or poisonous properties can tell which of these properties the animal may have. If the medicinal or poisonous properties lie in a gland or sac within the animal, only a character with Biology Level 2 can safely remove them. Any facet of a campaign that deals with animal life should be handled by a zoologist or biologist.