The Racial skills are somewhat different than the other skills. Like the other skills, learning one's racial skill costs a skill point. Unlike the other skills, the Racial Skill is not associated with any stat. They are linked to the race's cultural heritage.
A member of a particular race does not automatically start with that race's racial skill; it must be learned. Thus, not all elves know Lifesong, though all are certainly capable of it. Similarly, not all misharr are so perceptive as to notice what others miss.
Racial skills are racial secrets. They are never taught to outsiders--that is, to someone not of their race. If your character has been 'raised by another race', that means that you will not be able to start with your race's racial skill, as there was no one available to teach you. It is conceivable that you could learn it later if you are reunited with your race, however.
By checking the Racial Skill boxes on the character creation form, your character will be choosing his own race's race skill. If your character has not been raised by his own race, then your character application will be returned to you with a request for a correction.
The WELL (Delfae):
The delfae have always had a strong aptitude for magic, and their studies have led them to develop the skill of shaping crystals into forms in tune with specific magical energies. This causes the energy to pool and gather within the crystal, essentially creating a well of magical energy which can be drawn on for later use. The higher the delfae's level of skill, the longer his Well will last (less leakage), and the more energy he may draw from it.
Novice: The delfae can shape a pure crystal to pool enough energy to last about a week if unused. He can draw from it amounts equal to what an initiate-level magic user could summon, which may be added to other magical energy he is able to summon during spell casting.
Proficient: The delfae can shape the crystal to pool enough energy to last about a month if unused. He can draw from it energy equal to what an apprentice-level magic user could summon, which may be added to other magical energy he is able to summon during spell casting. He may work with impure crystals or gems at novice level.
Advanced: The delfae can shape any crystal or gem and infuse it with enough energy to last about a year. He can draw from it energy equal to what a mage could summon. He can create a novice-level well to be used by another mage with whom he is familiar.
Expert: The delfae can make a well out of virtually any substance. His well will hold its energy for years, and avail its maker of adept-level power. He can create proficient-level Wells for any magic user that wants one.
Delfae can make more than one Well, but they usually they destroy an old Well before creating a new one. Only one Well can be used at a time, and because a Well is tuned to its creator's own magical energy signature, a Well that falls into the wrong hands can be used to cause its maker great harm. A "foreign Well"--one created to be used by a mage other than the delfae who created it--requires the participation of the mage whose energy signature is being matched. Otherwise, it may explode.
STONETOUCH (Dwarves):
Dwarves are lovers of stone and earth, with a natural affinity for such substances. They have learned to understand these elements in a particular way through touch.
Novice: The dwarf can tell by touch what type of stone he is dealing with and knows intuitively its geological history. He can sense its faults and strengths and may treat the stone as though it has a personality, an inherent desire or destiny, even a name.
Proficient: The dwarf may use his intimate knowledge of the stone to shape it into its "true" or "destined" form, choosing the right stone for any task. He can shape the stone more swiftly and with less exertion than others using the same tools, and his results will be stronger and better-made. Stone is for him as easy to shape as wood for a carver.
Advanced: The dwarf seems to bend stone to his will, turning a stone from its destined purpose to the purpose he has willed for it. He will shape the natural properties of the stone to make his creations unnaturally lighter, stronger, or denser. He may bring out unexpected colors or luminescence.
Expert: The dwarf treats stone as if it were of no import...he can bring down an ordinary stone wall with a tap. His stone and crystal works are extraordinary. No mineral poison will harm him.
Note that the above affects crystal and stone only, man-shaped or natural. A dwarf may use this skill with metal, but he is treated as if he were one level lower; that is, a dwarf must be third level in this skill to be able to shape metal to its best form, for instance. Glass and obsidian present the same difficulties as metal.
LIFESONG (Elves):
Calling on his bond with other living things, an elf may shape them to his desires through music which they also call Faeterna's Gift. Lifesong may be enhanced through the use of Form, though elves generally abhor magic. With Lifesong, an elf may coax a plant to grow in a certain shape or direction, even making a home out of a tree if he takes enough time or works with a group of other singers.
A plant shaped by Lifesong does not grow any faster unless the elf enhances his song with magic or sings with many other elves; it does, however, grow about as fast as it would during the spring, or as a seedling. The elf can make the plant denser, even as hard as steel in the case of the harder woods, and so much of elven community doesn't even use metal unless the tool or weapon is expected to come into contact with, for instance, fire. An elf can make sheer clothing from petals, wooden weapons as hard as steel, or just shape his or her garden. Harvesting a lifesonged plant will end its life and growth leaving its shape intact, but some elves are able to coax a plant's roots to change so that it can continue growing. Experts with this skill are known to have entire wardrobes which are still alive, fed through sunlight and tiny hair-like roots which catch water and nutrients from the air.
Novice: The elf is able to shape plants and direct their growth.
Proficient: The elf is able to change the density and properties of the plant.
Advanced: The elf is able to heal non-plant life and enhance natural abilities the life-form already has, such as making a viper's poison deadlier.
Expert: The elf may alter life-forms to breed true, with the exception of shape--a flower altered into a shirt will have offspring that look like the original flower, though if the parent was made sheer, or dense, or tough, or elastic, such properties would remain.
Note: Lifesong does not work on living things which are sentient or magical in nature without that being's consent (which can be falsely obtained) because Faeterna's Gift does not allow it.
Humans--Skilled:
As an extraordinarily diverse race, humans have never developed a race skill of their own. Their curiosity leads them outward to study the world and what it has to offer rather than inward toward the racial strengths that others have turned to specialized skills. However, humans have turned the pull of their curiosity into an advantage of its own. The personal energy required for learning a racial skill can be used by humans during their youth to learn an extra skill (or level of skill) of another type.
In game terms this means that putting one skill point into the racial skill slot gives back two skill points that the human may use elsewhere. There are three qualifications to this advantage:
Humans may only spend one skill point on the racial skill, and thus only ever receive two extra skill points.
The extra skill points do not change the character's magical limitations.
The race skill may not be used by humans raised by another race. Humans are social creatures and require the encouragement of their own kind to reach their full potential.
SNEAKING (Ixit):
Living in a world where nearly everything that lives is prepared to kill them, ixit have learned the art of blending in and becoming unnoticeable. An ixit using this skill is capable of using anything at hand to camouflage himself or others. The higher his level of skill, the more perfectly an ixit can hide something, and the larger the thing he can hide.
Novice: An ixit keeping still and using cover such as shadows, a crowd, or a building can avoid notice from anyone who's not actively looking for him unless that person possesses the Perception advantage. A person keeping an eye out for danger, a mage testing the area with his magical senses, or someone with Perception would all see the ixit, but otherwise, the ixit stays hidden as long as he remains motionless.
Proficient: The ixit can 'hide in plain sight'. The Sneaking allows him to be in open areas, yet no one will remark on him or notice his presence as an ixit. His very manner deflects interest and attention--or misdirects it to alter the perception of observers.
Advanced: The Sneaking extends to the other skills the ixit possesses, including magic. He can make his magic undetectable unless the detecting mage possesses the Perception skill or is being affected by the spell. This ability is what made ixit magic so successful against the Dark Enemy.
Expert: No one will notice the ixit unless he is affecting them in some way--talking to them, pulling a knife from their back, etc--even if they possess the Perception skill. It is as though he were truly invisible.
SONICS (Minotauri):
The minotauri have long been famed for their multi-tonal voices, and the range at which they can manipulate sound. After surrendering their weapons at the behest of the Ancestor, the minotauri were left without a ready way to defend themselves. However, as they turned their minds to the study of creative pursuits, their voices became their salvation. They begin to discover that their powerful voices could be used intelligently to manipulate the emotions of others, to calm or frighten, persuade or dissuade. They learned the frequencies that affected these emotions in creatures both sentient and non-sentient, and this skill allowed them in turn to distinguish meaning from the sounds created by sentient and non-sentient creatures alike.
Novice: The minotauros has had enough training to be familiar with the ranges of frequencies that will please or discomfort any intelligent race and those that calm or confuse most common animals.
Proficient: The minotauros can compose a song or speech in a language he knows that will elicit strong emotions in his audience. He can begin to make his emotions and intent understood by those who do not speak his language and to discern the same significance from spoken languages he has never studied. He can voice certain frequencies that will cause extreme discomfort for each of the sentient races and from which animals will flee.
Advanced: The minotauros can understand general meaning of what is said to him in a language he has never studied. His skill at communication is such that he can speak persuasively to anyone, even someone who does not understand his language. He can voice frequencies that will knock any creature, intelligent or non unconscious within a radius of 5 paces.
Expert: The minotauros has grown so sophisticated in the manipulation of his voice, that he can control the range of his vocal defense to target a smaller or larger group, and extend the maximum range to 15 paces. He knows what affect his words and tone will have on his audience's memory, and can tailor them accordingly. Listening intently, he can understand any manner of verbal communication whether he knows the language or not. He may communicate intelligent thought, expressing complex ideas in vocalization and tone without the need of words.
SENSING (Misharr):
As relatively recent descendants of their wild feline predecessors, misharr have relied greatly on their unique animal senses. Practicing the art of careful pan-observation, the misharr are able to hone their five senses to a state of heightened sensitivity. A misharr who learns the skill of Sensing will not need the advantage Perception, for his skill is the art of perceiving what others miss.
Novice: A misharr with The Sensing has trained his senses to recognize or identify minute details of his environment, such as the scent of a kind of metal, or a tiny nick in a wall indicating something unusual. In effect, it matches the normal Perception advantage. This is an active ability; the misharr must be using it (actively looking, for instance) to gain its advantages.
Proficient: The misharr has honed his senses to be twice as acute as normal Perception advantage would allow. He has accumulated knowledge to interpret details--minute body signals that indicate lying or particular scents associated with friend and foe. Perhaps he can distinguish the sound of a distant caravan from a company of soldiers. He begins to view the world through multiple senses, learning to "see" a room through its smells or the feel of air currents on his whiskers.
Advanced: The misharr can readily fall back on any or all other senses if one of their senses becomes inactive...for instance, when blinded they can perform as if they can still see most things, though details may escape them. When deaf, they can learn to read the air currents with their whiskers and understand in general what is being said...and so on.
Expert: The Sensing becomes a passive ability; this skill has been ingrained into the misharr such that they don't have to actively attempt to use it in order for it to affect their perception. Such a misharr is nearly impossible to fool or ambush.
SUNBLADES (Ss'tiss):
The "sunblades" are a pair of long crescent-shaped swords with a single edge. As warriors of the desert, the Ss'tiss have learned to fight with grace and unnatural calm--a spinning, flowing style, which both brings the tail into play and allows him to face multiple opponents more easily. However, the skill is more than a martial art. The practice invokes a meditative state which can shield the ss'tiss from mental attacks.
Novice: Dancing or fighting with the sunblades invokes an unnatural calm. The ss'tiss is able to focus his mind on his action, increasing his concentration, his accuracy and his reaction time. He can hit a medium-sized target more than half the time.
Proficient: The ss'tiss can hit a medium-sized moving target more than half the time. Dancing the sunblades gives the ss'tiss the clarity of insight to see through illusions wrought from mind-magic.
Advanced:The ss'tiss can hit a medium sized, moving target more than 3/4 of the time. His mind remains a sea of calm, fearless from natural or magically-induced fear, as well as other emotions.
Expert: The ss'tiss puts his weapon exactly where he or she wants it, and hits moving targets 9/10ths of the time depending on the target's skill at defending or lack thereof. The ss'tiss' mind is protected from magical command, and the ss'tiss may not be forced to do anything against his will. He may invoke some concentration and calm by visualizing the dance, even if he is unable to perform it physically.
