Archery: is the ability to use a bow or crossbow. It is added to your quickness score with a D10 against the range rating. For more information refer to the combat section.
Cycle: is the ability to ride a motorbike or cybercycle. The conditions and the manoeuvre attempted will determine the difficulty rating.
Drive: this covers driving of normal road-based vehicles from cars to lorries.
Heavy Weapons (A): is the skill of aiming, preparing and firing heavy weapons. It is used as the pistol skill is used. Refer to the combat section.
Melee: is the skill of armed combat but using non-projectile weapons. It is tested against you target's dodging, parrying or unarmed combat abilities. Melee splits into the following categories:
Hand weapons : razor nails, D-Ds, cyberhand weapons.
1 H Blades : short sword, dagger, preds, rapier.
2 H Blades : claymore, bastard sword, greatsword.
1 H Clubs : metal pipe, stun baton, tonfa.
2 H Clubs : baseball bat, staff.
Polearms : vibroaxe, naginata, spear.
Whips/jointed: Whip, cybersnake, nunchacka, flails.
Pilot: this skill is the ability to fly, or pilot, a vehicle. Each vehicle requires a separate skill. Eg: pilot (tug).
Aerodyne (A): allows you to pilot aerodynes. AV's are not the most user friendly of vehicles to master although they are very useful in that they have excellent manoeuvrability and are suited to a number of tasks.
Aircraft: allows you to pilot fixed and tilt wing terrestrial planes. You will be able to fly jets, props or even land spaceplanes (as they behave like planes in the earth's atmosphere).
GEV: Ground effects vehicles are hovercrafts. They use an air cushion forced out under a skirt to provide life. Armoured military or police versions of these are called panzers.
Micro-remotes: micros are small robot insects or squat 4x4 battle scout machines. Vital for those spotter missions.
Parawing: these are a combination of hang-gilder and parachute. This skill allows you to make the most of them either as a sports hobby or for covert operations.
Rotor: allows you to pilot helicopters from small one man autogyros to huge twin prop cargo carriers.
Spaceplane (B): this skill covers the ability to pilot a space craft from small two man planes to the larger shuttle classes. They operate in LEO, launching from orbital platforms and are difficult to fly because of the lack of gravity. Thus a pilot must understand docking procedures, retro rockets and how to conserve fuel (the last being very important).
Ship (A): is the ability to pilot a ship either a small boat or a large sea cruiser.
Tug (A): this skill allows you to pilot a space pod. These are small one, or sometimes two man, work buggies which are used in space. They are used to do repairs or for short journeys.
Pistol: allows you to use a handgun. It covers not only pistols, but firearms fired from one hand providing they are not capable of automatic fire. Tasers, arc guns and hand crossbows are classed as pistol weapons, whereas autopistols or gauss pistols are not. Refer to the equipment and combat section for details.
Rifle: allows you to utilise a rifle, or shotgun, to its full ability. Refer to the combat section for more information.
Sniping: is a specialist skill learned only by profession marksmen. It is of little use in a firefight but is the assassin's choice. Sniping covers sniper rifles only (sometimes specially modified laser or gauss weapons fall under the sniper category). Unlike the normal aiming modifiers, sniping allows you to take much more time setting up a shot, allowing greater accuracy at much longer ranges. Refer to the combat section for more information.
SMG: allows you to make the most of a SMG's abilities. SMGs are weapons capable of full automatic fire but are not big enough to be rifles. Gauss pistols and autopistols require the SMG skill. Refer to the combat and equipment sections for more information.