When you have finished generating your character's stats and choosing a race, you will select skills in which to train. Every time you gain a level of experience, you will be able to improve these skills or choose new ones to learn. Any character can learn any skill, but your profession affects how easily you may do so.
To learn a skill, you must expend training points (TP's). There are two types of training points, physical and mental. Most skills require a mix of both types. Some skills, such as Physical Training, require only physical TP's. Some others, such as spell research, require only mental TP's. The TP costs for each skill vary by profession.
The number of training points you have is determined by your stats. Your physical training point total is the sum of your scores in Constitution, Strength, Dexterity, Reflexes, Discipline and Aura divided by 10. Your mental TP total is the sum of your Logic, Intelligence, Charisma, Wisdom, Discipline and Aura stats divided by 10. The maximum number of TP's a character could have is 60/60.
When you are looking at the skill list in the character manager, you will see that each skill is followed by three numbers, in the form x/y (z). X is the number of physical TP's the skill requires for you to improve it one rank. Y is the number of mental points. Z is the number of ranks you may train in this skill per level of experience.
If you choose to train more than once in a given skill per level, the physical and mental TP costs double for each additional rank. For example, a bard's costs for Combat Maneuvering is 8/3 (2). If a bard chooses to train one rank in this skill, it costs her 8 physical TP's and 3 mental TP's. She is allowed to train in it twice per level, also known as double-training. Her second rank this level would cost her 16/6. The total cost of the two ranks would therefore be 24/9. If she trains only once, at 8/3, and then waits until she has advanced a level of experience to train again, that next rank will only cost 8/3. You only pay the doubled cost if you train more than once in a skill per level of experience.
If you do not spend all of your TP's in training skills, they will carry over to your next level. You do not lose them. Also, you can convert physical TP's to mental TP's, or vice versa, in a two-to-one ratio. There is no specific command to do this. If you try to train in a skill for which you lack sufficient TP's of one sort, the system will prompt you about the possibility of converting points.
Skills are divided up into numerous categories, dealing with optimal use of each faculty or proficiency. Here are the skills available to characters in Gemstone III.
Armor Use -- Armor provides protection from most attacks, especially in melee. There are five basic groups of armor, or AG's. These are skin (no armor), leather, scale, chain and plate. Within each AG, there are Armor Sub Groups, or AsG's, the define exactly how much of the body is protected. In general, heavier armor provides more protection. The heaviest armors will, however, require a great deal of Armor Use skill to wear without penalties. Wearing armor for which you are not properly trained will result in various hindrances in combat and maneuvering.
Armor also inhibits spells, both cast by and at the wearer. Heavy armor will prevent you from casting spells, but make it more difficult to cast some spells at you.
Edged -- Training allowing you skill bonuses when wielding single- and double-edged swords, knives, daggers, axes that are light enough to use with one hand, and similar edged weapons.
Blunt -- Skill in using weapons that crush on impact, rather than slash or puncture. Includes, among others, mace, war hammer, morning star, and whips.
Two-Handed -- Skill training here enhances your ability to use those weapons that are so heavy or awkward, they are required to be grasped with both hands. Naturally, if you can use them skillfully, they inflict large amounts of damage. Included are both crushing and slashing weapons such as battle axes, clubs, cudgels, picks, flails, war mattocks, staves, and two-handed swords.
Ranged -- There are crossbows, composite bows and short and long bows.
Thrown -- Hurled or flung at a target, thrown weapons include, shuriken, darts, boomerangs, and bolas.
Pole Arms -- Long-handled thrown or thrusted arms, skill in their use sharpens your aim and accuracy. Included are javelin, spear, harpoon, trident, lance, pole arm and halberds.
Climbing -- Helpful in ascending and descending cliffs, slopes, rugged terrain. Reduces the likelihood of falling when crossing certain obstacles, scaling slopes or walls of varying heights.
Swimming -- Useful in preventing drowning when traversing bodies of water, intentionally or unintentionally.
Disarm Traps -- Determines your chances of success when neutralizing traps. Some creatures carry chests and other containers, and these are often trapped. In general, the greater your skill in this area, the less likely you are to damage yourself and those in your vicinity when disarming the many varieties of traps you will encounter.
Pick Locks -- As in disarming traps, this helps you to open locks, assuming you have the necessary tools.
Stalk & Hide -- Allows you to hide and to follow another while remaining hidden. Your success is determined by your own skill at stalk and hide and the perception skill of your quarry. This skill is often combined with the ambush skill.
Perception -- This skill affects how much information and how many clues your character can gather from the environment and the other adventurers, creatures and NPCs. Watching or searching an area, room, object or being can reveal important features that you can use to your advantage.
First Aid -- Without a empath nearby, first aid will help you give immediate treatment to light and moderate injuries. This skill also helps you skin certain beasts, whose pelts can then be sold.
Trading -- Skill training in trading gives you an advantage when dealing with merchants.
Pick Pockets -- One way of supplementing your income, if you are prepared to face the consequences. Includes the ability to appropriate the wealth of other players and inhabitants of Elanthia.
Brawling -- Skill in hand-to-hand fighting. Consists of bare-fisted combat, punching, hitting, striking other targets. This skill is useful if you must defend yourself without a weapon.
Scrolls -- Skill in scrolls will allow you to decipher, examine and read scrolls and special spells inscribed on paper, scrolls, parchment, and similar material.
Magic Item Use -- Staves and wands are powerful magical items which take skill to use and practice to master and wave effectively. They are items that have inherent spells that can be used regardless of the caster's level, and the built-in ability to cast those spells when used properly and skillfully. More powerful wands require more skill to use effectively.
Mana Share -- This skill enables you to transfer your mana, or magical power, to another. The recipient may then use the mana points to cast spells. The number of mana points transferred depends upon the skill of both parties in Mana Share. If they have sufficient skill, anybody may share mana with any other person.
Spell Aim -- Aimed spells are the magical equivalent of weapons. They create and focus natural force, hurling it at a one or more targets. Skill training in spell aim applies only to elemental spells, such as fireballs. This is the primary skill for most wizard spells.
Spell Research -- This skill allows you to learn spells. Spells come in circles, which are lists of spell effects. You learn these circles one spell at a time, in consecutive order. For example, if you wish to learn the 10th spell in the Minor Elemental Circle, Elemental Wave, you must first learn spells one through nine in that circle.
To learn a spell, you must invest the required number of mental TP's. That number varies by profession. Once you have invested the points, you will be prompted to choose what spell circle you wish to study. You will then learn the spell.
Two Weapons -- This skill allows you to attack with weapons in both hands. Your skill with the off-hand weapon is the lesser of your skills in Two-Weapon or whatever skill type is required for that weapon, such as Edged or Blunt.
Combat Maneuvering -- This skill helps you operate effectively in melee, whether you wish to engage an opponent, flee from battle, or guard a companion. Combat Maneuvering will also provide bonuses to your attack and defense strength, even beyond your skill with weapons.
Shield Use -- This skill is not necessary to benefit from a shield. It will, however, increase the defensive bonus imparted by a shield, especially if you obtain a particularly well-made or magic shield.
Multi-Opponent Combat -- When facing three or more opponents, you risk being overwhelmed. Your ability to defend yourself is decreased when you are outnumbered. This skill reduces the negative effects of fighting several foes at once.
Ambush -- This is the ability to make a precise attack with the element of surprise. To use your ambush skill, you must approach your target undetected and be able to strike before the quarry can react to defend, parry or strike back. You first hide, and then, while hidden, make your attack. Enhanced skill rank in Ambush then modifies your attack by increasing the amount of critical damage once you have succeeded in hitting the target. Ambush skill will also let you attempt to aim your blows to hit a specific part of your foe's body. Of course, an eye is a much more difficult target than a leg.
Physical Training -- Skill in physical training determines how many hits or health points your character can withstand before succumbing to unconsciousness, shock or death. Every time you attain a skill rank in this, you achieve bonuses or increases in the amount of base hit points you have. You can increase your hit point total by an amount determined by your race and class, generally 4-8, each time you train in this skill.
Your rank in a skill is the number of times you have trained in it. The Character Manager does not display your rank. It displays your bonus, your total ability with that skill. Each rank increases this skill bonus. As your skill increases, however, the bonus granted by each additional rank is subject to the law of diminishing returns. The amount of bonus per rank is higher at lower skill rank levels, starting at +5 per rank. It gradually reduces to +4 per rank, then +3, +2, and finally reaches +1 per rank once you have trained 40 times for a total bonus of 140%.
For reference, here is the amount of skill bonus (%) you would have with various skill ranks: 10 ranks (50%), 20 ranks (90%), 30 ranks (120%), 40 ranks (140%), 50 ranks (150%), 60 ranks (160%), 70 ranks (170%), etc.
Go back to the Race Selection Table.
Continue on to Character Attributes.
Return to the Character Generation Index
If you have problems, comments, questions, or complaints about the GemStone III pages you can send mail to Nora Melton (ntm@tamcon.com) aka Wanton Destruction.
Last modified 28 April 1996.