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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Blue" data-source="post: 9498238" data-attributes="member: 20564">In RPGs that have magic, often that magic gives the characters that wield it more options for out-of-combat utility than other characters.  This isn't saying that there aren't out-of-combat features, your woodsman might have several tricks they can do in the proper terrain.  But in general those type of features are more focused on where they are applicable, while magic gives a wider range of places the character can take the spotlight.In many games, all characters get skills, including those that can wield magic.  So I wouldn't want to link this solely to having skills, since the idea is that these are things that those who don't have magic get to give them the utility to match magic and giving it to everyone doesn't address the imbalance.  Note that doesn't mean skills can't be a prerequisite for some/all to help shape those options to match the vision and direction of a character.So, what type of utility is more generally applicable.  Doesn't need to be (actually, shouldn't) be always applicable, but can come up in over half the sessions in a campaign if the character wants to pay whatever resource cost there is (to match magic's resource attrition).For example, "Contacts" might come up a lot if it can include traveling merchants, hermits, possible other adventurers.  Just like a caster might be able to authorially add a temporary bridge across a chasm , a character with Contacts can authorially add a friendly encounter with a patrol of the Duke's men (assuming that's within their abilities) whom to turn over those bandit prisoners.  (And not in a "every good deed gets twisted that they will automatically escape, killing the patrol -- even if that's good story, you wouldn't make the magic bridge start to fall across halfway through).What are your thoughts on mundane utilities that have a high frequency of coming up, of similar reality-changing power as magic?</blockquote>

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