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Starting Skills

There are a fixed number of skills in the game, representing the breadth of all possible learned ability. If you have a skill, it gives you a +2 on its related attribute check. You start with a number of skills equal to 1/2 your Smart +1, rounded up.

Specialty Skills

Some skills are specialty skills, which means you must declare the specialty within the skill that you know. You decide what the specialty is with the GM's approval. In this case, write down Domain Knowledge (Archaeology) and your +2 applies to action involving archaeology as a domain of knowledge. You can take a specialty skill multiple times in a different specialty each time. For example, you can take Domain Knowledge (Archaeology) and Domain Knowledge (Ancient History) as separate specialty skills.

Arcana Specialties

In OSR+ Core Fantasy, there are three skills known as Arcana skills. Technically, these skills are Arcana (Psionics), Arcana (Sorcery), and Arcana (Thaumaturgy), but for simplicity's sake they are represented as individual skills rather than specialty skills. When you take one of these skills, it means you have an academic understanding of how that type of magic works, not that you can cast spells or read arcane scripts. Only spellcasters can cast spells, and only characters with an arcane language can read magic scripts.

In addition, characters with these skills are able to decipher how magic items work and receive a +2 on spell checks for the type of magic they know. You can learn multiple Arcana skills.

Types of Magic
  • Psionics is magic “ab intra," meaning, magic “from within.” Psychics produce supernatural effects by projecting subjective energy from their minds onto their victims. Victims subjected to a psychic's powers have their reality altered because the psychic's subjectivity overpowers their perception of reality.
  • Sorcery is magic used by mages and is generally understood to be magic “ex mundo,” meaning, magic "from the world." Mages produce magical effects by casting spells, which are encoded in complex, mystical formulae that can be learned through academic study.
  • Thaumaturgy is the magic of clerics, generally understood to be magic "a Deo,” or magic "from god." Clerics produce magical effects by performing miracles, which are direct interventions on earth by supernatural beings called patrons.

Weapon Skills

When you take a weapon skill, you gain a +2 to hit on attacks and have access to the tactics that weapon class provides. Refer to Combat & Tactics and Weapon Tactics for these rules.

Starting Languages

You start with a number of languages equal to 1/2 your Smart attribute, rounded down. If in the setting there is a common language, you start with this language. Almost all languages grant you the ability to speak, read, and write in the language (refer to the language's description to see if it says otherwise). If your setting uses origins, you also start knowing a language related to your origin.

Some kits will confer a bonus language in addition to what you start with.

The number of languages you can learn increases automatically as your Smart improves.


Core Fantasy: Skills
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