WOIN Why do some skills in the bestiary have an asterisk(*)?

[ucffool]

For example, the PIXIE has an asterisk for the charm and illusion skills. Why,what does it signify? I don't see a mention of it on the Skills page (rules reference).

 

[M3woods]

My guess is they're generic skills, undefined other than the effect. In the Designing Foes section of N.O.W. and N.E.W. you'll see other such skills listed with asterisks (combat skill*, movement skill*, social skills*,etc.) Basic skill sets that a GM may need during play can be generalized as such. In my mind it allows the GM a bit of freedom to define what the skill looks like in the narrative.

 

[ucffool]

I think that is called Skill Notation

Sometimes entire categories of skills are referred to instead of single skills. When this happens, the category is noted in square brackets in order to avoid confusion. For example, an entry which says [outdoor] refers to the entire list of survival, animal handling, tracking, farming, mining, and any others.

So still not sure what the * is.

 

[M3woods]

Skill Notation as you just said has [brackets] around it. I didn't mention anything about brackets. From N.E.W.:

In particular, the following skills should be calculated:
combat skill* - the monster equivalent of unarmed combat is simply called combat.
perception - this may be named after the creature’s special senses, such as scent, hearing, etc., or it may juts be called perception.
movement skill* - this may be running or some similar skill.
tactics or reactions - the monster should have one of these two skills.
social skill(s)* - this optional skill, especially for tricksters and supporters, might include bluffing, intimidation, persuasion, and so on.