Skills (Aptitudes)
Skills (Aptitudes)
"Knowledge Is Survival"
What Are Aptitudes?
In Deadlands, skills are called Aptitudes—the talents, trades, and expertise your character has learned during their life. While Traits represent raw natural ability, Aptitudes show what you've actually done with those gifts.
Can you shoot? Pick a lock? Ride a horse? Perform surgery? Read ancient texts? Cast hexes? Track prey through the desert? All of these are Aptitudes. They're what make your character functional in the dangerous world of the Weird West.
Each Aptitude is associated with a specific Trait. When you use a skill, you roll dice equal to the Trait die type, and the number of dice equals your Trait Level plus your Aptitude level.
Example: You have 3d8 Deftness and Shootin': pistol 4. When shooting, you roll 7d8 (3 dice from Trait Level + 4 from skill level).
Aptitude Points
During character creation, you get points to spend on Aptitudes. The number of points equals the sum of your Knowledge + Smarts + Cognition die types.
Example: You have d8 Knowledge, d6 Smarts, and d12 Cognition. That's 8+6+12 = 26 Aptitude points to spend.
Each level of an Aptitude costs 1 point during character creation. A level 1 skill costs 1 point. A level 4 skill costs 4 points. You cannot start with any Aptitude higher than level 5, though you can raise them beyond that through play.
Free Starting Aptitudes
Every character gets a few basic skills for free:
- Climbin' 1 - Everyone can climb a bit
- Search 1 - Basic ability to find things
- Sneak 1 - Everyone can try to be quiet
- Area Knowledge: Home County 2 - You know where you grew up
If you want to raise any of these skills higher, you pay the difference. Raising Search from 1 to 3 costs 2 points (for levels 2 and 3).
Aptitude Levels
| Level | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Beginner - You've dabbled |
| 2 | Amateur - You've practiced |
| 3 | Apprentice - You're competent |
| 4 | Professional - You make a living at this |
| 5 | Expert - You're among the best |
Concentrations
Many Aptitudes require you to choose a concentration—a specific application of that skill. You can't just have "Shootin'"—you need to specify what you shoot: pistols? Rifles? Shotguns?
Concentrations are shown in italics in the skill list below. When you see them, you must choose one.
Example: Shootin' has concentrations for Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Automatics, and Flamethrower. If you take Shootin': Pistol 3, you're good with pistols but useless with rifles.
Buying Additional Concentrations
Once you have one concentration of a skill, you can buy additional concentrations for a flat 3 Bounty Points (experience points), regardless of the skill's level.
Example: You have Shootin': Pistol 5. You can buy Shootin': Rifle 5 for just 3 Bounty Points. Both concentrations immediately become level 5.
This applies both during character creation (if you have 3 points to spare) and after play begins.
The Aptitude List
Below is a comprehensive list of Aptitudes organized by their associated Trait. Concentrations are shown in italics.
Deftness Aptitudes
Bow: Using bows and crossbows. Different from Shootin'.
Filchin': Picking pockets, palming small objects, and light-fingered theft.
Lockpickin': Opening locks without the key. Essential for thieves and curious troubleshooters.
Shootin' (Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Automatics, Flamethrower, or specific weird weapon): Firing guns accurately in combat. The backbone of most gunfighters. Automatics covers Gatling guns.
Sleight of Hand: Performing card tricks, hiding small objects, and cheating at cards without getting caught. Can also quick-draw tiny weapons like Derringers.
Speed-Load (Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun): Reloading firearms quickly in combat. A successful check lets you load multiple rounds in one action instead of just one.
Throwin' (Knife, Axe, Bolo, or other): Hurling weapons accurately. Dynamite also uses this skill.
Nimbleness Aptitudes
Climbin': Scaling walls, cliffs, ropes, and other vertical surfaces. Everyone starts at level 1.
Dodge: Getting out of the way of attacks and hazards. Crucial for survival.
Fightin' (Brawlin', Knife, Sword, Axe, Whip, or other melee weapon): Hand-to-hand combat skill. Brawlin' covers unarmed fighting and improvised weapons.
Horse Ridin': Riding horses and other mounts competently, especially in dangerous situations.
Sneak: Moving quietly and staying hidden. Everyone starts at level 1.
Swimmin': Not drowning. Surprisingly rare in the Old West. Your swimming Pace equals your skill level (maximum 5).
Teamster: Driving wagons, stagecoaches, and other multi-animal conveyances.
Quickness Aptitudes
Quick Draw: Drawing a weapon faster than your opponent. Often the difference between living and dying.
Strength Aptitudes
Strength typically doesn't have dedicated Aptitudes—it's used raw or occasionally mixed with other skills (like Fightin'/Strength for grappling).
Vigor Aptitudes
Like Strength, Vigor is usually tested directly rather than through specific Aptitudes. It might be combined with other skills (Climbin'/Vigor for exhausting climbs).
Cognition Aptitudes
Artillery (Cannons, Gatling Guns, Rockets): Aiming and operating heavy weapons. Actually firing a Gatling gun uses Shootin': Automatics.
Arts (Painting, Sculpture, Photography, etc.): Creating visual art.
Scrutinize: Reading people, detecting lies, penetrating disguises, and judging character. Essential for gamblers and investigators.
Search: Finding hidden objects, clues, and evidence. Also used to detect hidden enemies (opposed by their Sneak). Everyone starts at level 1.
Trackin': Following trails, reading signs, and hunting prey. Different from Search—this is about following someone over distance.
Knowledge Aptitudes
Academia (Philosophy, History, Occult, Military History, etc.): Book-learning in specific subjects. Rarely related to each other.
Area Knowledge (Town, County, State, Region): Detailed knowledge of a specific place—shortcuts, local politics, where to find things. Everyone starts with Area Knowledge: Home County 2.
Demolition: Using explosives safely and effectively. Includes knowing where to place charges for maximum effect.
Disguise: Creating convincing false appearances.
Language (English, Spanish, French, German, Latin, Native languages, etc.): Speaking and reading languages. Your native tongue doesn't cost points.
Mad Science: Creating impossible contraptions powered by ghost rock. Only available with the Arcane Background: Mad Scientist Edge.
Medicine: Treating wounds, diseases, and poisons. Can save lives—or end them quietly.
Professional (Law, Banking, Engineering, Journalism, etc.): Expertise in a specific profession requiring training.
Science (Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Physics, etc.): Scientific knowledge. Usually requires formal education. Concentrations rarely relate to each other.
Mien Aptitudes
Animal Wranglin' (Bronco Bustin', Dog Training, etc.): Training animals to obey commands. Teaching a horse a new trick takes 4-5 days.
Leadership: Inspiring and commanding others. Essential for officers and anyone leading a group.
Overawe: Intimidation through force of presence. Making people back down without violence.
Performin' (Singing, Acting, Instrument, etc.): Entertaining audiences with artistic performance.
Persuasion: Convincing others through reason, charm, or manipulation.
Tale-Tellin': Spinning yarns, lying convincingly, and captivating audiences with stories.
Smarts Aptitudes
Bluff: Deception and lying. Different from Tale-Tellin'—this is shorter-term, tactical deception.
Gamblin': Playing cards, dice, and other games of chance—and knowing when someone's cheating.
Ridicule: Cutting people down with words. Useful for provoking enemies or deflating egos.
Scroungin': Finding common items quickly, even in unlikely places. The difficulty depends on what you need and how fast.
Streetwise: Working the streets, gathering information from shady sources, and finding illegal goods.
Survival (Desert, Mountain, Plains, Forest, etc.): Finding food, water, and shelter in hostile environments. One successful roll feeds one person per day.
Tinkerin': Repairing and maintaining mechanical devices. Mad scientists love this skill.
Spirit Aptitudes
Faith: Channeling divine power to perform miracles. Only available with Arcane Background: Blessed.
Guts: Resistance to fear and horror. Add your Grit to this when making fear checks. You'll use this a lot in the Weird West.
Ritual: Performing shamanic ceremonies to call upon spirits. Only available to characters with Arcane Background: Shaman.
Special Aptitudes
Some Aptitudes are only available if you have certain Edges:
- Hexslingin': Requires Arcane Background: Huckster. Used to cast hexes.
- Mad Science: Requires Arcane Background: Mad Scientist. Used to build impossible devices.
- Faith: Requires Arcane Background: Blessed. Used to perform miracles.
- Ritual: Requires Arcane Background: Shaman. Used to perform ceremonies.
Creating New Aptitudes
The list above isn't exhaustive. If you need a skill that doesn't exist, work with the Marshal to create it. New concentrations are especially easy—if there's a weapon or specialty not listed, just add it as a new concentration.
Example: You want to be good with a chain as a weapon. Create Fightin': Chain as a new concentration.
Strategic Skill Selection
You can't be good at everything, so prioritize based on your character concept:
Combat Characters: Invest heavily in your primary weapon skill (Shootin' or Fightin'), Quick Draw, and Dodge. Don't neglect Guts—you'll face scary things.
Scouts/Trackers: Prioritize Trackin', Search, Survival, and Sneak. You find things and avoid being found.
Arcane Characters: Max out your magic skill (Hexslingin', Faith, Mad Science, or Ritual) immediately. It's your defining trait.
Versatile Characters: Spread points thin across many skills at level 1-2. You're a jack-of-all-trades.
Everyone should have at least one combat skill, even if it's just Shootin': Pistol 1 or Fightin': Brawlin' 1. The Weird West is dangerous, and completely helpless characters don't last long. Also consider raising Guts—fear is a real threat.
Skills keep you alive. Choose wisely.
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