You may spend a skill point to:
*Train in a skill, granting a +5 bonus on checks and allowing you to make checks with trained-only skills. You may only train in a skill which is on your class's skill list.
*Focus in a skill you're already trained in, granting an additional +5 bonus on checks. You may only focus on a skill which your class has rated as moderate or high.
*Specialize in a skill you're already focused in. You don't actually specialize in the entire skill, but rather you choose a specialty. For example, you might choose to specialize in Daggers for melee, or you might specialize in Fireball for Evocation. Whenever you make a skill check that falls under the purview of your specialization, you may re-roll it once, but you must take the second result even if its worse. You may specialize in a skill multiple times, but the effects don't stack; rather, you get to choose additional specialties. You may only specialize in a skill your class rates as high.
For example, Regdar, a soldier, decides he wants to play a dual-wielding character. He takes his 4 weapon skill points at first level and dumps them all in melee, gaining training, focus, and specializing in shortswords and longswords.
Characters will gain additional skill points as they level up, which must be spent on class skills for the class which gained the skill point.
Defender Takes 10
One of the core rules of the system is Defender Takes 10. Essentially, everything that happens is an opposed skill check, and the defender always takes 10. For the purposes of this rule, the defender is the one reacting to something that's happened. This is not always clear cut, and it's up the judgement of the DM sometimes. This rule is optional, and you're welcome to just have both characters roll instead.
For example: Regdar swings his sword at Hennet. Regdar rolls Melee, but instead of Hennet rolling Dodge, he simply adds 10 to his dodge score.
Weapon skills
Melee (str) (specialize in a particular weapon)
Unarmed (str) (specialize in a particular natural weapon, such as tail or fists)
Ranged (dex) (specialize in a particular weapon)
Thrown (str) (specialize in a particular weapon)
Weapon skills checks are used as attack rolls.
Defense skills (no specialization)
Dodge (dex) (Replaces AC and reflex saves)
Will (cha)
Toughness (con) (replaces AC and fortitude saves)
When you are attacked with a weapon, you use either your Dodge or Toughness skill, whichever is better. If you are flat-footed, you must use your toughness save. A touch attack always uses your dodge save.
Personal (no specialization)
Craft (int) (pick one)
Perform (cha) (pick one)
Profession (wis) (pick one)
Every class gains 2 points to spend on personal skills, representing things the character learned before becoming an adventurer.
General
Athletics (dex) (specialize in balance, climb, jump, ride)
Concentration (con) (no specialization)
Heal (wis) (specialize in first aid, long term care, poisons, diseases)
Mechanics (wis) (specialize in disable device, open lock, use rope, use magic device)
Mobility (dex) (replaces tumble) (no specialization)
Notice (wis) (specialize in sight, hearing, scent)
Social (cha) (specialize in bluff, intimidate, diplomacy, sense motive)
Stealth (dex) (specialize in hide, move silently)
Survival (wis) (specialize in orienteering, tracking, foraging)
General skill are the main thing one usually thinks of when one thinks of skills. They've been heavily pared down from the skill list in D&D.
Magic (all are trained only) (specialize any in particular spell)
Enchantment (int)
Evocation (int)
Illusion (int)
Summoning (int)
Divination (wis)
Enhancement (wis)
Energy Channeling (wis) (must choose positive or negative)
Transformation (wis)
Spells will be usable per encounter, and every spell will be tied to one of these skills, requiring a skill check. Better skill checks will usually lead to more impressive results, such as more damage or summoning a more powerful creature. Often, your check may be used against a target's defense skill, such as an enchantment check vs. a will check for a dominate person spell.
Knowledge (all are trained only) (no specialization)
Arcana (int)
Dungeoneering (int)
Geography (int)
History (int)
Local (cha)
Nature (wis)
Nobility & Royalty (int)
Religion (wis)
The Planes (int)
Not much to say here. One nice side effect of seperating knowledge skills into different actual skills is that you can have different modifiers!
Ability scores
Ability scores in TSS are the same as ability score modifiers in D&D. 0 is average, a negative is below average, and a positive number is above average.
Effort Points
Effort Points (EP) are kind of like Action Points in other systems, except you get a set number of them a day. Many abilities, such as Rage and Smite, require EP in order to be used. Your most powerful spells also require EP.
You get a number of EP equal to 3 + 1/4 your character level. For example, a level 2 character gets 3 EP, and a level 4 character gets 4 EP.
You can replenish your EP back to maximum by resting for 8 hours.
