Rules reference
Skills in Freeform / Custom
Skills overview and how checks typically work. Create and manage your freeform characters with our comprehensive character manager.
Key points
Skills describe trained competence. Use this page to quickly understand what the skill list covers and how to pick priorities.
What’s in this system
Examples
Example: When to roll
Roll when the outcome is uncertain and matters. If it’s routine and no one at the table cares about failure, just succeed and move on.
Example: Make stakes explicit
Before rolling, say what success gives you and what failure costs (time, exposure, resources, harm).
Common mistakes (smallest fix)
- Mistake: Rolling without stakes. Fix: Say what success changes and what failure costs before rolling.
- Mistake: Treating failure as ‘nothing happens’. Fix: Fail forward: you still learn something, but pay a cost (time, exposure, resources, harm).
Build guides for Freeform / Custom
The mentor
Knows the cost of the road because they have already walked it.
The rebel
Cannot leave a wrong thing standing, whatever it costs them.
The trickster
Wins by changing the game rather than playing it.
The guardian
Stands between the people they love and everything else.
The seeker
Chasing an answer that keeps moving.
The wildcard
Nobody, including them, is sure what they will do next.