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The following is a list of new skills for FFd20 or new uses for old skills.

Table: FFD20 New Skills

Craft (Electronic)Craft (Explosive)Craft (Mechanical)Craft (Structural)Drive
Knowledge (Technology)NavigatePilotRepair

Table: FFD20 Changed Skills

Disable DeviceKnowledge (all)LinguisticsUse Magic Device

FFD20 Specific New Skills

Craft (Electronic) [Int; Trained Only]

Description: This skill allows a character to build and repair electronic equipment from scratch, such as audio and video equipment, timers and listening devices, or radios and communication devices.

Table: Craft (Electronic)

Type of Scratch-Built Electronics (Examples)Craft DCTime
Simple (timer or detonator)151 hr.
Moderate (radio direction finder, electronic lock)2012 hrs.
Complex (cell phone)2524 hrs.
Advanced (computer)3060 hrs.

Special: A character without an electrical tool kit takes a –4 penalty on Craft (electronic) checks. 

Craft (Explosive) [Int; Trained Only]

Description: This skill allows a character to connect, create and set explosives substances and devices. Setting a simple explosive to blow up at a certain spot doesn’t require a check, but connecting and setting a detonator does. Also, placing an explosive for maximum effect against a structure calls for a check, as does disarming an explosive device.

Check: A successful check produces a product of solid material, about the size of a brick. An explosive compound does not include a fuse or detonator.

Table: Craft (Explosive)

ExplosiveCraft DCReflex DCTimeCost
Improvised (1d6/5 feet)*10101 round50 gil
Simple (2d6/5 feet)151210 mins.150 gil
Moderate (4d6/10 feet)20121 hr.250 gil
Complex (6d6/15 feet)25153 hrs.500 gil
Powerful (8d6/20 feet)301512 hrs.750 gil
Devastating (10d6/25 feet)351824 hrs.1,000 gil
*Scratch built explosives deal concussion damage.

Set Detonator: Most explosives require a detonator to go off. Connecting a detonator to an explosive requires a Craft (explosives) check (DC 10). Failure means that the explosive fails to go off as planned. Failure by 10 or more means the explosive goes off as the detonator is being installed. A character can make an explosive difficult to disarm. To do so, the character chooses the disarm DC before making his or her check to set the detonator (it must be higher than 10). The character’s DC to set the detonator is equal to the disarm DC.

Place Explosive Device: Carefully placing an explosive against a fixed structure (a stationary, unattended inanimate object) can maximize the damage dealt by exploiting vulnerabilities in the structure’s construction. The GM makes the check (so that the character doesn’t know exactly how well he or he has done). On a result of 15 or higher, the explosive deals double damage to the structure against which it is placed. On a result of 25 or higher, it deals triple damage to the structure. In all cases, it deals normal damage to all other targets within its burst radius.

Disarm Explosive Device: Disarming an explosive that has been set to go off requires a Craft (explosives) check. The DC is usually 10, unless the person who set the detonator chose a higher disarm DC. If the character fails the check, he does not disarm the explosive. If the character fails by more than 5, the explosive goes off.

Action: Setting a detonator is usually a full-round action. Placing an explosive device takes 1 minute or more, depending on the scope of the job.

Try Again: Building an explosive from scratch is dangerous. If the Craft (explosives) check fails, the raw materials are wasted. If the check fails by 5 or more, the explosive compound detonates as it is being made, dealing half of its intended damage to the builder and anyone else in the burst radius.

Special: A character can take 10 when using the Craft (explosives) skill, but can’t take 20.

Craft (Mechanical) [Int; Trained Only]

Description: This skill allows a character to build and repair mechanical devices from scratch, including engines and engine parts, weapons, armor and other gadgets.

Table: Craft (Mechanical)

Type of Scratch-Built Mechanical (Examples)Craft DCTime
Simple (tripwire trap)151 hr.
Moderate (light tactical armor)2012 hrs.
Complex (medium and heavy tactical armor)2524 hrs.
Advanced (airship engine)3060 hrs.

When building a mechanical device from scratch, the character describes the kind of device he wants to construct; then the Gamemaster decides if the device is simple, moderate, complex, or advanced compared to current technology.

Craft (Structural) [Int; Trained Only]

Description: This skill allows a character to build and repair wooden, concrete, or metal structures from scratch, including bookcases, desks, walls, houses and so forth and includes such handyman skills as plumbing, house painting, drywall, laying cement and building cabinets.

Table: Craft (Structural)

Scratch-Built StructureCraft DCTime
Simple (bookcase)1512 hrs.
Moderate (house deck)2024 hrs.
Complex (bunker)2560 hrs.
Advanced (house)30600 hrs.

When building a structure from scratch, the character describes the kind of structure he or he wants to construct; then the Gamemaster decides if the structure is simple, moderate, complex, or advanced in scope and difficulty. 

Drive (Dex) [Trained Only]

Check: Routine tasks, such as ordinary driving, don’t require a skill check. Make a check only when some unusual circumstance exists (such as inclement weather or an icy surface), or when the character is driving during a dramatic situation (the character is being chased or attacked, for example, or is trying to reach a destination in a limited amount of time). The following tasks do require checks.

  • Accelerate (Move): You attempt a Drive check (DC 15) to get ahead, moving forward one zone immediately on a success. If the vehicle encounters any hazards or similar effects that occur upon entering a zone, they trigger immediately. The vehicle later moves forward one additional zone in the chase progress phase, even on a failed check, unless you failed the check by 5 or more.
  • Break Free (Move): You attempt a Drive check (DC = 5 + the enemy vehicle’s CMD) to disengage from an engagement with other vehicles. If the engagement includes multiple enemy vehicles, the DC equals the highest CMD among the enemy vehicles + 5 per enemy vehicle beyond the first. If all parties are willing to end the engagement, no Drive check is required to break free.
  • Engage Another Vehicle (Move): You attempt a Drive check (DC = the CMD of the enemy vehicle) to engage your vehicle with an enemy vehicle in the same zone. Two allied vehicles can engage freely; this is useful to allow people on one vehicle to board the other. In both cases, your vehicle then automatically becomes engaged with all other vehicles in the engagement. You can make melee attacks against those on another vehicle only if your vehicle is engaged with it; see the Engagement sidebar for more information.
  • Evade (Move): You can attempt a Drive check (DC 20) to grant your vehicle a +2 circumstance bonus to its AC for 1 round. If you evade twice, the bonuses aren’t cumulative.
  • Keep Pace (Move): You attempt a Drive check (DC 15) to stay in the same position in the chase. If you’re successful, your vehicle moves forward during the chase progress phase. If you fail, your vehicle falls back one zone during that phase. Many other driver actions can also result in a vehicle moving forward one zone during the chase progress phase, but they have a higher DC, increasing the chance the driver will fail.
  • Slow Down (Move): Your vehicle doesn’t move during the chase progress phase. This driver action doesn’t require a check.
  • Trick (Move): You can try a risky maneuver, use the terrain, or take an unconventional route to foil pursuers. You attempt a skill check (DC 20); this skill check could be a Drive check if the ploy requires intricate maneuvering, but it might instead be a Bluff, Stealth, or other skill check at the GM’s discretion. If you succeed, the Drive checks of all vehicles behind you take a –2 penalty for 1 round. You can attempt multiple Tricks with the double maneuver action, but the penalties imposed on the vehicles behind you aren’t cumulative. Penalties from multiple different drivers who are ahead and successfully perform Tricks, however, are cumulative.
  • Double Maneuver (Full): You can take two of the aforementioned driver actions, but take a –4 penalty to each Drive check or other skill check. You take the driver actions in succession, but can choose your second action after taking the first one and can take an action more than once. If you don’t want to use your second action, you forfeit it but still take the penalty to your first check. Unlike other driver actions, a double maneuver takes your full action. If your vehicle is significantly faster than the other vehicles in the chase, you have an advantage when performing a double maneuver. If your vehicle’s full speed is at least 50 feet faster than the fastest enemy vehicle, you take only a –2 penalty when performing a double maneuver. Regardless of how many driver actions you take as part of a double maneuver, you move forward at most one zone during the chase progress phase.

Magitek operators use the Drive skill to operate their magitek. In general, magitek operators don’t need to make Drive checks to steer their magitek around the battlefield. However, this skill may come into play in combat under the following circumstances:

  • When trying to move past a foe without provoking an attack of opportunity, a magitek operator can make a Drive check instead of an Acrobatics check.
  • A magitek operator can oppose a trip attempt with a Drive check.

Try Again?: Most driving checks have consequences for failure that make trying again impossible.

Special: A character can take 10 when driving, but can’t take 20.

Time: A Drive check is a move action.

Knowledge (Technology) (Int, Trained Only)

You can make a Knowledge (technology) check to correctly identify airships, vehicles, and Magitek.

Check: The DCs for identifying technological items vary depending on the type of information required.

  • Identifying an airship by its type, identifying a Magitek by its structure, or identifying a vehicle by its frame: DC 15.
  • Determining the function or purpose of a particular mechanical system: DC 20.
  • Recalling the standard, factory-model design specs of a particular type of airship, Magitek, or vehicle: DC 25.

When confronted with an unfamiliar piece of technology, you can make a Knowledge (technology) check to correctly surmise the primary (if not singular) purpose of the device. A successful check result does not enable you to activate the item, nor does it make you proficient with the item. For basic tools or instruments, the DC is 10. For anything else, the DC is 20.

With the usage of Airships and regular ships, you can use the Navigate skill to plot a course between continents, cities, islands, or across oceans.

Check: Make a Navigate check when you’re trying to find your way to a distant location without directions or other specific guidance. The DC depends on the length of the trip. If you succeed, you move via the best reasonable course toward your goal. If you fail, you still reach the goal, but it takes you twice as long (you lose time backtracking and correcting your path). If you fail by more than 5, you travel the expected time, but only get halfway to your destination, at which point you become lost.

You may make a second Navigate check (DC 20) to regain your path. If you succeed, you continue on to your destination; the total time for your trip is twice the normal time. If you fail, you lose half a day before you can try again. You keep trying until you succeed, losing half a day for each failure.

Table: Navigate

Length of TripDC
Short (a few hours)20
Moderate (a day or two)22
Long (up to a week)25
Extreme (more than a week)28

You can use Navigate to determine your position on earth without the use of any high-tech equipment by checking the constellations or other natural landmarks. You must have a clear view of the night sky to make this check. The DC is 15.

Special: You can take 10 when making a Navigate check. You can take 20 only when determining your location, not when traveling.

Time: Plotting a course is a full-round action.

Pilot (Dex) [Trained Only]

You can use the Pilot skill to fly any kind of airship.

Check: Routine tasks, such as ordinary flying, don’t require a skill check. Make a check only when some unusual circumstance exists.

Repair (Int)

You can repair or jury-rig damaged machinery, including ordinary items, Shindroids, vehicles, airships and Magitek.

Check: Repairing damage to items, Shindroids, vehicles, airships, and Magitek takes 1 hour of work, a mechanical tool kit, and a proper facility such as a workshop or hanger bay. (Without the toolkit, you take a -4 penalty on your Repair check.) At the end of the hour, make a Repair check (DC 15). Success repairs 1d6 points of damage and for every 5 you exceed the DC, you repair an additional 1d6 points of damage. If damage remains, you may continue to make repairs for as many hours as it takes to restore the objects to full hit points. Shindroids can be provided long-term first aid like the Heal skill.

Special: Items, vehicles, and airships that are reduced to 0 hp cannot be repaired. It can be salvaged for parts, however (see the Salvage class feature (engineer) description for details).

FFD20 Specific Changed Skills

Disable Device [Dex; AC Penalty; Trained Only]

With the Technologist feat, you can use Disable Device to interact safely with explosive devices and disable technological devices and traps.

Arm Explosive: If you possess a detonator, you can arm an explosive weapon as a trap. Connecting a detonator to an explosive requires a successful DC 10 Disable Device check. Failure means that the attempt fails, but you can attempt to arm the explosive again. Failure by 5 or more means the explosive is triggered as the detonator is installed. You can attempt to make an explosive difficult to disarm. To do so, choose a target disarm DC of 15 or higher, with a DC increment of 5. This becomes your target DC to set the explosive as well as the DC to disarm the explosive.

Disable Electronic Device: Disabling an electronically controlled trap or unlocking an electronically locked door is easier if you use an e-pick. Without an e-pick, you take a -5 penalty on any attempt to use Disable Device on an electronic device.

Disarm Explosive: Disarming an explosive requires the character to succeed at a Disable Device check as if disarming a trap. The DC is usually lo, unless the person who set the explosive successfully did so with a higher disarm DC. A failure to disarm an explosive by 5 or more immediately triggers the explosive.

Special: A character can take 10 when using Disable Device to arm or disarm explosives, but cannot take 20.

Time: Arming an explosive device takes 1 minute or more, depending on the scope of the job. Disarming an explosive is treated as if the explosive were a complex trap, and takes 2d4 rounds to attempt.

Knowledge (all) (Int, Trained Only)

  • Arcana (ancient mysteries, magic traditions, arcane symbols, constructsdragonsmagical beasts); Although robots are constructsKnowledge (arcana) cannot be used to identify robots or their abilities and weaknesses.
  • Dungeoneering (aberrations, caverns, oozes, spelunking)
  • Engineering (buildings, aqueducts, bridges, fortifications)
  • Geography (lands, terrain, climate, people); Used for astronomy.
  • History (wars, colonies, migrations, founding of cities)
  • Local (legends, personalities, inhabitants, laws, customs, traditions, humanoids)
  • Nature (animalsfeymonstrous humanoids, plants, seasons and cycles, weather, vermin)
  • Nobility (lineages, heraldry, personalities, royalty)
  • Planes (the Inner Planes, the Outer Planes, the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Planeoutsiders, planar magic)
  • Religion (gods and goddesses, mythic history, ecclesiastic tradition, holy symbols, undead)
  • Technology (robots, machines, computers)

Check: In general, the DC of such a check equals 10 + the monster’s CR. For common monsters, such as goblins, the DC of this check equals 5 + the monster’s CR. For particularly rare monsters, such as primals, the DC of this check equals 15 + the monster’s CR or more. A successful check allows you to remember a bit of useful information about that monster. For every 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC, you recall another piece of useful information.

Action: Usually none. In most cases, a Knowledge check doesn’t take an action. You cannot make this check untrained if the DC is higher than 10 unless you have access to a library which lengthens this action to 1d4 hours.

Retry? No. The check represents what you know, and thinking about a topic a second time doesn’t let you know something that you never learned in the first place.

Traits to learn (But are not limited to):
How many HD
Type/s and Subtype/s
Lowest Save
Highest Save
All weaknesses
All resistances
All immunities
DR Type
Does it have SR
Main Attack
Main Magic
Secondary Magic
Special Attacks (Trip, grapple etc. One per selection.)
Special Abilities (Supernatural attacks, acid, poison etc. One per selection.)
Modes of Movement (not speed)
Speed
Battle Tactics
Pack or Solo

Linguistics (Int, Trained only)

You are skilled at working with language, in both its spoken and written forms. You can speak multiple languages, and can decipher nearly any tongue given enough time. Your skill in writing allows you to create and detect forgeries as well. This list is to be used in addition to Pathfinder’s languages.

You can decipher writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written in an incomplete or archaic form. The base DC is 20 for the simplest messages, 25 for standard texts, and 30 or higher for intricate, exotic, or very old writing. If the check succeeds, you understand the general content of a piece of writing about one page long (or the equivalent). If the check fails, make a DC 5 Wisdom check to see if you avoid drawing a false conclusion about the text. (Success means that you do not draw a false conclusion; failure means that you do.)

Both the Linguistics check and (if necessary) the Wisdom check are made secretly by the GM, so that you can’t tell whether the conclusion you draw is true or false.

Common Uses

Learn a Language: Whenever you put a rank into this skill, you learn to speak and read a new language. Common languages (and their typical speakers) are listed below in Table: Common Languages

Table: Beast Tribe Languages

LanguageSpoken ByDescription
AnticanAnticasLanguage of the Anticas.
GoblinGoblinsLanguage of the Goblins.
KojinKojinsLanguage of the Kojins.
LoporritLoporritLanguage of the Loporrit.
MatangaMatangaLanguage of the Matanga.
OrcOrcsLanguage of the Orcs.
QiqirnQiqirnsLanguage of the Qiqirns.
QuadavQuadavsLanguage of the Quadavs.
SahaginSahaginsLanguage of the Sahagins.
SylvanSylphsLanguage of the Sylphs.
VanuVanu VanusLanguage of the Vanu Vanus.
YagudoIxals and YagudosLanguage of the Ixals and Yagudos.

Table: Common Languages

LanguageSpoken ByDescription
AegyllanAegylsLanguage of the Aegyls.
AlbhedianAl BhedsLanguage of the Al Bheds.
BanganeseBangaasLanguage of the Bangaas.
BurmecianBurmeciansLanguage of the Burmecians.
DraconicDragons, Auri, and GriasLanguage of the Auri, Dragons, and Grias.
DwarvenDwarvesLanguage of the Dwarves.
ElvaanElvaansLanguage of the Elvaans.
GalkanGalkasLanguage of the Galkas.
GarifGarifLanguage of the Garif.
HypelloHypelloLanguage of the Hypello.
LambkinLambkinLanguage of the Lambkin.
LalafellanTarutarusLanguage of the Tarutarus.
LupinVargsLanguage of the Vargs.
MandragoranMandragorasLanguage of the Mandragoras.
MithranMithrasLanguage of the Mithras.
MoogleMooglesLanguage of the Moogles.
NumishNu MousLanguage of the Nu Mous.
QueranQusLanguage of the Qus.
RoegadynRoegadynsLanguage of the Roegadyns.
RonsaurRonsosLanguage of the Ronsos.
SeeqSeeqLanguage of the Seeq.
TonberryTonkins, and TonberriesLanguage of the Tonkins and Tonberries. Note: This is a telepathically-spoken language.
VieranVierasLanguage of the Vieras.

Table: Common Elemental Languages

LanguageSpoken ByDescription
AquanAquatic and water-based creaturesThe so-called “tongue of the sea” is spoken primarily in the sunken nation of the locathahs— those who trade frequently with the ocean empires often speak this tongue as well.
Auran Flying creatures, air-based creaturesA soft-spoken, breathy language, also known as the “tongue of the heavens.”
AuroranIce-based creatures.A crackly-spoken, breezy language, also known as the "tongue of ice."
EnochianDivine and holy-based creatures.A softly-spoken, gentle language, also known as the "tongue of the light."
Ignan Fire-based creatures.Also called the “tongue of fire.”
RunicArcane and non-elemental based creaturesA language in-between all the other elemental languages also called the “tongue of arcane.”
TerranUnderground and Earth-based creatures.Also called the “tongue of earth.”
ThorianLightning-based creatures.A sharp-spoken, zippy language, also known as the "tongue of the storm."
UmbranUnholy and shadow-based creatures.A deep-spoken language, also known as the "tongue of darkness."

Use Magic Device (Cha; Trained Only)

Use this skill to activate materia to cast spells.

Check: To use the materia, you need to attune yourself to a materia first; this requires a standard action and a Use Magic Device skill check DC 20 (DC 25 in combat). You may only be attuned to one materia at a time. Once attuned, you need not attune again unless you attune to a new materia. In order to cast a spell from materia, you must have a Caster Level equal to double the spell level (1st level spells at 2nd level, 2nd level spells at 4th level, and so on). Your ranks in Use Magic Device are treated as your Caster Level if your class(es) lack casting abilities. If you’ve attuned to the materia, have a high enough caster level, and the materia belongs to the Spell, Support, or Summon types, it may be treated as if it were a wand that has 3 charges that recharge every 24 hours. You may expend a charge to cast a spell from the materia. Once all charges are expended, the materia ceases to provide bonuses until it has recharged.

Action: None. The Use Magic Device check is made as part of the action (if any) required to activate the materia.

Try Again: Yes, but if you ever roll a natural 1 while attempting to activate a materia and you fail, then you lose all charges and must wait for it to recharge.

Special: You cannot take 10 with this skill. You can’t aid another on Use Magic Device checks. Only the user of the item may attempt such a check.

Skills