The Pit (Of Knowledge)

Fate Core-based, with a few tweaks.

The official list of “Skills” from the original Fate Core is:

Athletics, Burglary, Contacts, Crafts, Deceive, Drive, Empathy, Fight, Investigate, Lore, Notice, Physique, Provoke, Rapport, Resources, Shoot, Stealth, Will

In addition to the cosmetic change from “Skills” to “Abilities”, the “ standard” list of abilities has been adjusted to better fit the setting and the GM's sense of balance. Some of these abilities overlap (and may or may not be redundant for many characters). Anything listed as a “natural talent” will have a score of at least zero. Learned or exotic abilities may or may not be possessed by a particular character (such as Sorcery)

Custom abilities that a player can justify which doesn't substantially alter the balance of power or the setting will also be permitted.

Similarly, “Stunts” has been renamed to “Specialties”

Athletics: a natural talent that covers individual exhibitions of bodily speed, strength, and agility. This only applies to the ability to swim if the character has an Aspect or Specialty that suggests they should know how to.

Knowledge: How much the character “knows”, generally speaking. This includes but is not limited to formal education. This is a “natural talent” because *everyone* “learns things” in life. The specifics of what a character knows should generally adhere to their background, Aspects, and other Abilities.

Sneaking: The general natural talent for Not Being Seen (or otherwise noticed) while moving around or hiding.

Sorcery: This is a special ability, only possessed “naturally” by a select few - perhaps 10% of the general population to *any* degree, with only a tiny fraction of the population being extraordinarily “powerful” at it. A character *should* only have this ability if they have an appropriate Aspect, and ideally should have at least one Specialty to go with it. (It *is* actually possible for non-sorcerers to learn sorcery, However, people who are not natural sorcerers do not get “Sorcery” stress-boxes to absorb the stress of handling magic, and furthermore in the Celestial world it is culturally forbidden for non-sorcerers to practice it to varying degrees, depending on where they are.)

Violence: The natural talent for hurting animate things and breaking inanimate ones by the application of bodily force. Includes any natural “weapons” (fists/feet/etc.) and culturally-familiar implements of destruction. Exotic weaponry may require a Specialty in order for this ability to apply.