Rules reference
Skills in Shadowrun 6th Edition
Skills overview and how checks typically work. Shadowrun, Sixth World is the current edition of the classic cyberpunk-fantasy RPG. It is the 2080s: the Awakening brought magic back, metahumanity (elves, dwarfs, orks, trolls) walks the streets, dragons sit on megacorporate boards, and shadowrunners do the deniable dirty work the corps cannot be seen doing. You play a runner: part criminal, part specialist, part survivor, taking jobs from anonymous Mr. Johnsons in a world where the real power holds an extraterritorial charter.
Key points
Skills describe trained competence. Use this page to quickly understand what the skill list covers and how to pick priorities.
- 5 metatypes: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Ork, Troll
- d6 dice pools: Attribute + Skill, hits on 5s and 6s
- Edge economy: earn and spend tactical advantage every combat round
- 19 consolidated skills covering combat, Matrix, magic, and social play
- Five paths: Mundane, Magician, Adept, Aspected Magician, Technomancer
- Glitches: half or more 1s complicates the roll, with no hits it turns critical
| Skill | Linked attribute | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Astral | Intuition | Perceiving and fighting in astral space |
| Athletics | Agility | Running, climbing, swimming, and acrobatics |
| Biotech | Logic | First aid, medicine, and biotechnology |
| Close Combat | Agility | Blades, clubs, and unarmed fighting |
| Con | Charisma | Acting, disguise, impersonation, and fast talk |
| Conjuring | Magic | Summoning, banishing, and binding spirits |
| Cracking | Logic | Hacking hosts, cybercombat, and electronic warfare |
| Electronics | Logic | Computers, hardware, and software |
| Enchanting | Magic | Alchemy, artificing, and disenchanting |
| Engineering | Logic | Aeronautics, automotive, industrial, and nautical mechanics |
| Exotic Weapons | Agility | Unusual weapons that don't fit other skills |
| Firearms | Agility | Pistols, rifles, shotguns, and automatics |
| Influence | Charisma | Etiquette, leadership, negotiation, and intimidation |
| Outdoors | Intuition | Navigation, survival, and tracking |
| Perception | Intuition | Noticing details, dangers, and things out of place |
| Piloting | Reaction | Ground craft, aircraft, and watercraft |
| Sorcery | Magic | Spellcasting, counterspelling, and ritual magic |
| Stealth | Agility | Sneaking, palming, and camouflage |
| Tasking | Resonance | Compiling, decompiling, and registering sprites |
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.
Before rolling, say what success gives you and what failure costs (time, exposure, resources, harm).
- 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).