Healing Arts

This skill, which represents basic medical knowledge, is required to learn any earth spells.

A character with Healing Arts can determine if someone is diseased, sleeping, paralyzed, dead, dying, unconscious, or merely faking injury upon examining them. The exact extent of injuries can be determined as well.

A person with Healing Arts examining a hurt body can tell exactly how many points of healing are necessary for complete recovery. (Asking “How many Body Points are you down?” is an out-of-game question; you should ask it quietly and then in-game you can say “Ah, I see that a Cure Light Wounds is all you need.”)

This skill will not allow you to tell if a creature is under the effects of an alchemical substance or if the creature has any in their system. It will not allow you to determine death by poison, necromancy, or the use of spells or similar unobvious means. It will allow you to determine if the death was caused by an edged or blunt weapon or by claws.

Since this skill represents checking pulse and otherwise examining the body, it cannot be done instantly. In order to use this skill, the person must touch the subject and roleplay an examination. The amount of time it takes to perform the examination is determined by the length of the questions being asked but in no case less than three seconds.

These out-of-game questions can only include the following: How many Body Points are you down? Were you damaged by edged weapons or claws? Were you damaged by blunt weapons? Were you waylaid? Are you diseased? Are you sleeping? Are you paralyzed? Are you regenerating? Are you unconscious (at zero body)? Are you dying (at -1 body)? Are you dead (need a Life spell)? How much time until you <wake up, become conscious, become unparalyzed, die, resurrect>?

You may not ask questions like the following: What is your maximum amount of Body Points? Were you killed by necromancy? Were you killed by celestial spells? Were you poisoned? Was that guy running away the one who killed you?

The conscious recipient knows that the “diagnosis” is being done. You cannot use Healing Arts on a conscious person without their knowledge. A conscious person can prevent Healing Arts from being performed unless bound or similarly restrained.

This skill also allows the user to quickly detect whether a liquid is a magical potion, but not its identity. This process must be roleplayed accordingly and must take at least three seconds. To fully identify a potion requires a complete uninterrupted minute.

In order to roleplay this, the player should spend the minute scrutinizing the bottle, holding it up to the light, shaking the contents, and otherwise investigating the mysterious liquid.

Herbal Lore

This skill is a prerequisite to creating any alchemical substances. It allows the user to detect the presence of an alchemical substance, but not its identity. This process must be roleplayed accordingly and must take at least three seconds. To fully identify an alchemical substance requires a complete uninterrupted minute. In order to roleplay this, the player should spend time scrutinizing the bottle or substance, holding it up to the light, shaking the contents, and otherwise investigating the mysterious liquid.

This skill cannot be used to identify blood types, detect the presence of poison in the bloodstream, identify a type of monster or a race from a blood sample, or otherwise do modern chemical observations.

Master Critical Attack*

This skill allows the character to perform a Critical Attack with any weapon in which the character has the skill. Handedness must still be declared but weapon type is not. When buying this skill, you must upgrade any regular Critical Attacks that you already have.

Master Critical Slay / Master Parry*

This skill allows the character to perform a Critical Slay with any weapon in which the character has the skill. Handedness must still be declared but weapon type is not. When buying this skill, you must upgrade any regular Critical Slay/Parry that you already have.

Master Proficiency*

These more expensive proficiencies can be used with any weapon in which a character has the skill. The character still must declare handedness but need not declare weapon type.

Master Proficiencies are bought in a manner similar to normal Proficiencies. Master Proficiencies may be combined with normal Proficiencies and Backstabs for determining damage.

You may not purchase a separate Master Proficiency if you already have a Proficiency; you must upgrade your Proficiency to a Master by paying the difference in Build Points.

One Handed Weapon Master

This skill allows the character to use all one handed edged and one handed blunt weapons. When buying this skill, you must “sell back” any skills that are included within it.

Pick Locks

This skill allows the character to try to pick locks. It does not guarantee success.

In order for this skill to be useful, a player should have a set of picks or tools (not provided by NERO). See “How to be a Thief”.