Skill Categories

This document sorts the hundreds of skills in the GURPS Basic Set into 25 categories associated with common adventuring activities and areas of knowledge. Players can use it to flesh out character concepts without reading the skill list from A to Z. The GM can use it when creating new Talents (p. B89), wildcard skills (p. B175), and character templates (p. B445) – all of which require a clear picture of which skills are more-or-less associated with one another. Each category below opens with a brief explanation of the kinds of skills it covers, and then lists the relevant skills. The following information appears for each skill:

Skill: The name of the skill. Skills marked with a † require specialization.

Attribute: The skill’s controlling attribute or secondary characteristic (see p. B167).

Difficulty: The skill’s difficulty level (see p. B168) – E for Easy, A for Average, H for Hard, or VH for Very Hard. Where different specialties have different difficulties, this is given as Var.

Page: The page in the Basic Set where the skill’s full description appears.

Finally, note that these classifications are suggestions, not rules. If you disagree with a skill’s placement, change it!

These skills let the user interact with animals in some way – or, in the case of Mount, let a beast interact with his rider. To study animals in the lab, learn Natural Sciences skills (p. 4) such as Biology/TL, Paleontology/TL, and Physiology/TL.

This list doesn’t attempt to answer the thorny question of who’s an “artist” and who’s an “entertainer.” It simply gathers together the professional skills of musicians, visual artists, and screen, stage, and street performers – and the directors and technicians who accompany them – and lets the show go on.

The skills below are useful to athletes and action heroes alike, as they deal with surmounting physical obstacles and performing feats of strength, speed, and endurance. See pp. B349-357 for rules for such activities.

Acrobatics DX H 174 Aerobatics DX H 174 Aquabatics DX H 174 Bicycling DX E 180 Body Sense DX H 181 Breath Control HT H 182 Climbing DX A 183 Combat Art† DX Var. 184 Combat Sport† DX Var. 184 Flight HT A 195 Free Fall DX A 197 Hiking HT A 200 Jumping DX E 203 Lifting HT A 205 Mount DX A 210 Parachuting/TL DX E 212 Running HT A 218 Scuba/TL IQ A 219 Skating HT H 220 Skiing HT H 221 Sports† DX A 222 Swimming HT E 224 Throwing DX A 226

Executives, politicians, speculators, and traders aren’t typical “adventurers” . . . but money makes the world go round. A hero who can pull the right strings will find that life is much easier! These skills deal with money and influence. Career businessmen often have Social skills (p. 5) as well.

Accounting IQ H 174 Administration IQ A 174 Current Affairs/TL IQ E 186 (Business) Diplomacy IQ H 187 Economics IQ H 189 Finance IQ H 195 Law† IQ H 204 Market Analysis IQ H 207 Mathematics/TL (Statistics) IQ H 207 Merchant IQ A 209 Politics IQ A 215 Propaganda/TL IQ A 216 Public Speaking IQ A 216 Savoir-Faire (High Society) IQ E 218

Combat is deadly and complex enough that each form of armed and unarmed combat merits its own skill. Most adven- turers will have at least one of these skills. Professional warriors will know several. For weapon statistics, see pp. B268-281. Combat rules are on pp. B362-417. The unusual abilities of cin- ematic martial-arts masters are Esoteric skills (p. 3).

Axe/Mace DX A 208 Boxing DX A 182 Brawling DX E 182 Broadsword DX A 208 Cloak DX A 184 Fast-Draw† DX E 194 Flail DX H 208 Force Sword DX A 208 Force Whip DX A 209 Garrote DX E 197 Jitte/Sai DX A 208 Judo DX H 203 Karate DX H 203 Knife DX E 208 Kusari DX H 209 Lance DX A 204 Main-Gauche DX A 208 Skill Attribute Difficulty Page Monowire Whip DX H 209 Parry Missile Weapons DX H 212 Polearm DX A 208 Rapier DX A 208 Saber DX A 208 Shield† DX E 220 Shortsword DX A 209 Smallsword DX A 208 Spear DX A 208 Staff DX A 208 Sumo Wrestling DX A 223 Tonfa DX A 209 Two-Handed Axe/Mace DX A 208 Two-Handed Flail DX H 208 Two-Handed Sword DX A 209 Whip DX A 209 Wrestling DX A 228

Artillery/TL† IQ A 178 Beam Weapons/TL† DX E 179 Blowpipe DX H 180 Bolas DX A 181 Bow DX A 182 Crossbow DX E 186 Dropping DX A 189 Fast-Draw† DX E 194 Gunner/TL† DX E 198 Guns/TL† DX E 198 Innate Attack† DX E 201 Lasso DX A 204 Liquid Projector/TL† DX E 205 Net DX H 211 Sling DX H 221 Spear Thrower DX A 222 Throwing DX A 226 Thrown Weapon† DX E 226

Craft skills deal specifically with doing the work necessary to turn raw materials – cloth, leather, metal, stone, wood, etc. – into finished goods. Complex machines are the realm of Design/Invention (p. 3) and Repair/Maintenance (p. 5) skills.

Artist (Pottery) IQ H 179 Artist (Sculpting) IQ H 179 Artist (Woodworking) IQ H 179 Carpentry IQ E 183 Jeweler/TL IQ H 203 Leatherworking DX E 205 Masonry IQ E 207 Sewing/TL DX E 219 Smith/TL† IQ A 221

Members of any profession might sell their skills for a dis- honest buck, but a few skills are common among criminals and rarely learned by honest folk. These often overlap Police (p. 5) and Spy (p. 6) skills. In some times and places, being trained in the technological skills on this list may be a Secret (p. B152) for anyone but a government agent.

Carousing HT E 183 Climbing DX A 183 Computer Hacking/TL IQ VH 184 Counterfeiting/TL IQ H 185 Disguise/TL† IQ A 187 Electronics Operation/TL IQ A 189 (Security) Escape DX H 192 Explosives/TL (Demolition) IQ A 194 Fast-Talk IQ A 195 Filch DX A 195 Forced Entry DX E 196 Forgery/TL IQ H 196 Gambling IQ A 197 Holdout IQ A 200 Intimidation Will A 202 Lockpicking/TL IQ A 206 Observation Per A 211 Panhandling IQ E 212 Pickpocket DX H 213 Poisons/TL IQ H 214 Savoir-Faire (Mafia) IQ E 218 Scrounging Per E 218 Shadowing IQ A 219 Sleight of Hand DX H 221 Smuggling IQ A 221 Stealth DX A 222 Streetwise IQ A 223 Traps/TL IQ A 226 Urban Survival Per A 228

These skills deal with conceiving new artifacts and technol- ogy; see pp. B473-479. Use Architecture/TL for buildings, Bioengineering/TL for biotech, Computer Programming/TL for software, Engineer/TL for machines, and Pharmacy/TL for drugs. Maintaining technology calls for Repair/Maintenance skills (p. 5); using it generally requires Combat/Weapon (p. 2), Technical (p. 6), or Vehicle (p. 7) skills.

Architecture/TL IQ A 176 Bioengineering/TL† IQ H 180 Computer IQ H 184 Programming/TL Engineer/TL† IQ H 190 Pharmacy/TL† IQ H 213 Weird Science IQ VH 228

Esoteric skills let the user direct bioenergy, chi, psi, or anoth- er force that originates within his mind or body. They are to skills as exotic and supernatural advantages are to advantages. The GM decides which Esoteric skills exist in his campaign. He may require prerequisite advantages, such as Trained By A Master, even for skills that don’t specifically list such require- ments.

Autohypnosis Will H 179 Blind Fighting Per VH 180 Body Control HT VH 181 Breaking Blow IQ H 182 Dreaming Will H 188 Enthrallment† Will H 191 Esoteric Medicine Per H 192 Flying Leap IQ H 196 Immovable Stance DX H 201 Invisibility Art IQ VH 202 Kiai HT H 203 Light Walk DX H 205 Meditation Will H 207 Mental Strength Will E 209 Mind Block Will A 210 Musical Influence IQ VH 210 Power Blow Will H 215 Pressure Points IQ H 215 Pressure Secrets IQ VH 215 Push DX H 216 Throwing Art DX H 226 Zen Archery IQ VH 228

Most of these skills fall into other categories, too. What they have in common is that in cultures and TLs where they exist at all, almost everyone will know two or three of them – including any hero who didn’t grow up under a rock!

Area Knowledge† IQ E 176 Computer Operation/TL IQ E 184 Cooking IQ A 185 Current Affairs/TL† IQ E 186 First Aid/TL IQ E 195 Housekeeping IQ E 200 Knot-Tying DX E 203 Savoir-Faire (Servant) IQ E 218 Sewing/TL DX E 219 Typing DX E 228 Weather Sense IQ A 209

These skills represent knowledge of an activity, place, group of people, or body of research. They needn’t be obscure; you could find hundreds of people with Area Knowledge (U.S.A.), Games (Card Games), and Professional Skill (Plumber) in downtown New York! Expert Skills are by definition arcane, though, and Hidden Lore might even require an Unusual Background (p. B96).

Area Knowledge† IQ E 176 Connoisseur† IQ A 185 Current Affairs/TL† IQ E 186 Expert Skill† IQ H 193 Games† IQ E 197 Heraldry IQ A 199 Hidden Lore† IQ A 199 Hobby† DX or IQ E 200 Professional Skill† DX or IQ A 215 Savoir-Faire† IQ E 218

Medical skills are for treating injury and affliction; see pp. B423-425. They are the job skills of medical professionals – doc- tors, nurses, psychiatrists, etc. – and first responders such as army medics and paramedics. In some settings, barbers, herbalists, midwives, and even torturers will know some of these skills.

Diagnosis/TL IQ H 187 Electronics Operation/TL IQ A 189 (Medical) Esoteric Medicine Per H 192 Expert Skill IQ H 193 (Epidemiology) First Aid/TL IQ E 195 Hypnotism IQ H 201 Pharmacy/TL† IQ H 213 Physician/TL IQ H 213 Physiology/TL IQ H 213 Poisons/TL IQ H 214 Psychology IQ H 216 Surgery/TL IQ VH 223 Veterinary/TL IQ H 228

Military forces often have members with every skill imagi- nable, but a few skills are rare outside the armed services. The GM may make Military Rank (p. B30) or Security Clearance (p. B82) a prerequisite for certain technological skills on this list. Most military personnel also know Combat/Weapon skills (p. 2) and a few Technical (p. 6) and Vehicle (p. 7) skills. Skill Attribute Difficulty Page Armoury/TL† IQ A 178 Brainwashing/TL IQ H 182 Camouflage IQ E 183 Cryptography/TL IQ H 186 Electronics Operation/TL IQ A 189 (Electronic Warfare) Electronics Repair/TL IQ A 190 (Electronic Warfare) Expert Skill IQ H 193 (Military Science) Explosives/TL† IQ A 194 Forward Observer/TL IQ A 196 Intelligence Analysis/TL IQ H 201 Interrogation IQ A 202 Leadership IQ A 204 NBC Suit/TL DX A 192 Observation Per A 211 Parachuting/TL DX E 212 Propaganda/TL IQ A 216 Savoir-Faire (Military) IQ E 218 Scuba/TL IQ A 219 Soldier/TL IQ A 221 Strategy† IQ H 222 Tactics IQ H 224 Traps/TL IQ A 226

These skills attempt to explain the natural world, from sub- atomic particles to galaxies. Those who study manmade artifacts have Design/Invention skills (p. 3), those who study medicine have Medical skills (above), and those who study the cultures of sapient beings have Social Sciences/Humanities skills (p. 6). Skill Attribute Difficulty Page Alchemy/TL IQ VH 174 Astronomy/TL IQ H 179 Biology/TL† IQ VH 180 Chemistry/TL IQ H 183 Expert Skill IQ H 193 (Epidemiology) Expert Skill (Hydrology) IQ H 193 Expert Skill IQ H 193 (Natural Philosophy) Geology/TL† IQ H 198 Mathematics/TL† IQ H 207 Metallurgy/TL IQ H 209 Meteorology/TL† IQ A 209 Naturalist IQ H 211 Paleontology/TL† IQ H 212 Physics/TL IQ VH 213 Physiology/TL IQ H 213

Occult/Magical skills deal with gods, magic, spirits, and sim- ilar otherworldly forces. They are the professional skills of priests, shamans, and wizards – any of whom might also learn spells or other working magic. Unusual forces that originate within the user are the focus of Esoteric skills (p. 3).

Alchemy/TL IQ VH 174 Exorcism Will H 193 Expert Skill (Psionics) IQ H 193 Herb Lore/TL IQ VH 199 Hidden Lore (Demon Lore) IQ A 199 Hidden Lore (Faerie Lore) IQ A 199 Hidden Lore (Spirit Lore) IQ A 199 Occultism IQ A 212 Religious Ritual† IQ H 217 Ritual Magic† IQ VH 218 Symbol Drawing† IQ H 224 Thaumatology IQ VH 225

Heroes often travel vast distances, living off the land and pushing back the frontiers. The skills below are useful for these purposes and common among explorers, pioneers, prospectors, and rangers. Most outdoorsmen also know Animal (p. 1) or Vehicle (p. 7) skills: Riding for their horse, Boating for their canoe, and so forth.

Camouflage IQ E 183 Cartography IQ A 183 Climbing DX A 183 Fishing Per E 195 Hiking HT A 200 Mimicry (Animal Sounds) IQ H 210 Mimicry (Bird Calls) IQ H 210 Naturalist IQ H 211 Navigation/TL† IQ A 211 Prospecting/TL IQ A 216 Scuba/TL IQ A 219 Skating HT H 220 Skiing HT H 221 Survival† Per A 223 Swimming HT E 224 Tracking Per A 226 Weather Sense IQ A 209

These skills deal with growing things. Unlike Animal skills (p. 1), this category includes both lab study and practical skills. Not every botanist is a farmer, but since plants aren’t free- willed, theory isn’t too far removed from practice.

Biology/TL† IQ VH 180 Farming/TL IQ A 194 Gardening IQ E 197 Herb Lore/TL IQ VH 199 Naturalist IQ H 211 Paleontology/TL IQ H 212 (Paleobotany) Pharmacy/TL (Herbal) IQ H 213

Day-to-day police work mostly involves Social skills (below), but officers also learn skills that are rare outside the under- world (Criminal/Street skills, p. 2), military (Military skills, p. 4), or intelligence agencies (Spy skills, p. 6). The GM may make Legal Enforcement Powers (p. B65) or Police Rank (p. B30) a prerequisite for the technological skills below. See also Combat/Weapon (p. 2) and Vehicle (p. 7) skills.

Body Language Per A 181 Criminology/TL IQ A 186 Detect Lies Per H 187 Diplomacy IQ H 187 Electronics Operation/TL IQ A 189 (Surveillance) Explosives/TL IQ A 194 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Forced Entry DX E 196 Forensics/TL IQ H 196 Intelligence Analysis/TL IQ H 201 Interrogation IQ A 202 Intimidation Will A 202 Skill Attribute Difficulty Page Law† IQ H 204 Lockpicking/TL IQ A 206 Observation Per A 211 Savoir-Faire (Police) IQ E 218 Search Per A 219 Shadowing IQ A 219 Stealth DX A 222 Streetwise IQ A 223 Tactics IQ H 224 Urban Survival Per A 228

These skills cover installing, repairing, and modifying elec- trical or mechanical devices. Inventing such things requires Design/Invention skills (p. 3); using them calls for Technical skills (p. 6). To work with raw materials instead of manufac- tured gadgets, learn Craft skills (p. 2).

Armoury/TL† IQ A 178 Electrician/TL IQ A 189 Electronics Repair/TL† IQ A 190 Machinist/TL IQ A 206 Mechanic/TL† IQ A 207

Skills relevant to reading, writing, research, and lecturing are common among sages, professors, and other learned folk. A scholar might know any or all of the skills below, if they exist in his world. These usually accompany skills from the Design/Invention (p. 3), Natural Sciences (p. 4), Occult/Magical (p. 4), and Social Sciences/Humanities (p. 6) groups.

Computer Operation/TL IQ E 184 Expert Skill† IQ H 193 Literature IQ H 205 Public Speaking IQ A 216 Research/TL IQ A 217 Speed-Reading IQ A 222 Teaching IQ A 224 Typing DX E 228 Writing IQ A 228

Social skills all involve one individual or group trying to relate to another. Some are basically “hands off” (e.g., using Current Affairs (People) or Heraldry to recognize someone famous). Others – notably the Influence skills discussed on p. B359 – actively seek to affect others’ actions or emotions.

Acting IQ A 174 Administration IQ A 174 Body Language Per A 181 Carousing HT E 183 Connoisseur† IQ A 185 Current Affairs/TL† IQ E 186 Detect Lies Per H 187 Diplomacy IQ H 187 Erotic Art DX A 192 Fast-Talk IQ A 195 Fortune-Telling† IQ A 196 Gambling IQ A 197 Gesture IQ E 198 Heraldry IQ A 199 Intimidation Will A 202 Leadership IQ A 204 Merchant IQ A 209 Panhandling IQ E 212 Politics IQ A 215 Propaganda/TL IQ A 216 Public Speaking IQ A 216 Savoir-Faire† IQ E 218 Sex Appeal HT A 219 Streetwise IQ A 223 Teaching IQ A 224

These skills study the “world of the mind”: the behavior, beliefs, civilizations, and social systems of intelligent beings. They might analyze the past, try to understand the present, or attempt to predict future behavior. The systematic study of the natural world is covered by Natural Sciences skills (p. 4).

Anthropology† IQ H 175 Archaeology IQ H 176 Cartography IQ A 183 Criminology/TL IQ A 186 Economics IQ H 189 Expert Skill (Egyptology) IQ H 193 Expert Skill IQ H 193 (Political Science) Expert Skill (Thanatology) IQ H 193 Expert Skill (Xenology) IQ H 193 Geography/TL† IQ H 198 History† IQ H 200 Law† IQ H 204 Linguistics IQ H 205 Literature IQ H 205 Paleontology/TL IQ H 212 (Paleoanthropology) Philosophy† IQ H 213 Psychology IQ H 216 Sociology IQ H 221 Theology† IQ H 226

Spy skills cover the specialized “tradecraft” of intelligence and security officers. They blur into Criminal/Street (p. 2), Military (p. 4), and Police (p. 5) skills – all of which are common among spies with suitable backgrounds. Rank (p. B29) or Security Clearance (p. B82) is often a prerequisite for certain technological skills on this list. Cinematic spies will also know Combat/Weapon skills (p. 2)!

Acting IQ A 174 Body Language Per A 181 Brainwashing/TL IQ H 182 Computer Hacking/TL IQ VH 184 Cryptography/TL IQ H 186 Detect Lies Per H 187 Disguise/TL† IQ A 187 Electronics Operation/TL IQ A 189 (Electronic Warfare) Electronics Operation/TL IQ A 189 (Security) Electronics Operation/TL IQ A 189 (Surveillance) Escape DX H 192 Expert Skill IQ H 193 (Computer Security) Fast-Talk IQ A 195 Filch DX A 195 Forced Entry DX E 196 Forgery/TL IQ H 196 Holdout IQ A 200 Intelligence Analysis/TL IQ H 201 Interrogation IQ A 202 Lip Reading Per A 205 Lockpicking/TL IQ A 206 Observation Per A 211 Photography/TL IQ A 213 Poisons/TL IQ H 214 Propaganda/TL IQ A 216 Research/TL IQ A 217 Search Per A 219 Shadowing IQ A 219 Smuggling IQ A 221 Stealth DX A 222

These skills cover the operation of specialized technology other than vehicles (which use Vehicle skills, p. 7). They are common among those trained in Military (p. 4), Police (p. 5), and Spy (above) skills – which heavily overlap this category – and those with Design/Invention (p. 3), Medical (p. 4), and Natural Sciences (p. 4) skills (and their assistants).

Battlesuit/TL DX A 192 Computer Operation/TL IQ E 184 Diving Suit/TL DX A 192 Electronics Operation/TL† IQ A 189 Explosives/TL† IQ A 194 Freight Handling/TL IQ A 197 Hazardous Materials/TL† IQ A 199 Lockpicking/TL IQ A 206 Mathematics/TL IQ H 207 (Surveying) Navigation/TL† IQ A 211 NBC Suit/TL DX A 192 Parachuting/TL DX E 212 Photography/TL IQ A 213 Scuba/TL IQ A 219 Typing DX E 228 Vacc Suit/TL DX A 192

Vehicle skills cover the training needed to operate anything from a covered wagon to a starship – including steering the thing, basic maintenance, loading cargo, and plotting courses. Specialist crew will possess other skills: Technical skills (p. 6) for radiomen and sensor operators, Repair/Maintenance skills (p. 5) for engineers, Combat/Weapon skills (p. 2) for gunners and marines, and so forth.