("Dead" Skills)
(New/Modified Skills & Cascades)
Armed Martial Arts: This skill has the new cascade Other to cover all melee weapons that do not fall into the other four cascades, including such things as a barbarian warrior’s shield and a certain archeologist’s bullwhip. This cascade can never be the primary cascade for this skill.
Deduction/Analysis (INT) - Perception: This skill covers the ability of some people to weave separate threads of evidence into a perceivable tapestry of truth. It covers pure deductive reasoning (Sherlock Holmes) as well as analysis of data at hand (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan). This skill is intended primarily as an impartial means of simulating the deductive reasoning of NPCs. Player characters using this skill to fish for clues should suffer a difficulty level of at least Difficult, and all such attempts should likewise be Uncertain.
Ground Vehicle: This skill has the new cascade Legged Vehicle to cover combat walkers and other ground vehicles whose locomotion is by means of "legs" instead of by a tracked or wheeled suspension.
Heavy Guns/Artillery (STR) - Artillery, Heavy Weaponry: This functions identically to the descriptions of both the Heavy Artillery skill and the Heavy Guns skill from TNE.
Heavy Weapons (STR/AGL) - Heavy Weaponry: This skill includes the cascades Autogun, Grenade Launcher, and Tac Missile, each of which functions identically to its description in TNE.
Hostile Environment (CON) - Explore, Spacehand: This skill includes the cascades High-G Environment and Zero-G Environment, both of which function identically to their descriptions in TNE. It also includes the new cascade Spin Environment, which covers the ability to handle the Coriolis effects of being in a spin habitat.
Language: The Linguistics cascade has been modified. Whenever a character earns a level in a language, he also earns one XP specifically for Linguistics. The character may always substitute his Linguistics asset in place of a particular Language asset. Also, he uses his Linguistics asset, instead of just his Charisma attribute, for unskilled Language attempts.
Liaison: This skill is now a cascade skill, using (alien) races and cultures as the cascades (Solomani, Vilani, Vargr, Aslan, Hiver, Droyne, etc.). A character’s own race/culture is always the default cascade; thus, the character can never have a level in Liaison for some alien race or culture higher than his skill level in Liaison for his own race/culture. Liaison is used as an enabling skill when using interpersonal skills on an alien race or culture.
Luck (INT) - Determination: Whenever in an adventure session a character fails a check against some other skill roll, the player may ask the referee for a Luck check. The difficulty level of the Luck check is the same as that of the failed skill roll. If the Luck roll is successful, the player may reroll the original skill check.
It is possible to check Luck repeatedly, hoping to gain a second roll on the original skill. However, as the character pushes his Luck, it deteriorates. Each time a character checks his Luck, he suffers a cumulative DM -1 to all future Luck checks in the current adventure session. (Exceptions: An Outstanding Success on the Luck check gives no DM. A Catastrophic Failure gives a DM -4.) Once the character has accumulated enough negative DMs to reduce his Luck asset (not skill level) below "1", he may not ask for any more Luck checks in the current adventure session (of course, these DMs are gone at the beginning of the next adventure session).
For example, Erica "Offline" Holden is trying to cold-start her ship’s power plant (she needs to leave in a hurry). Unfortunately, the player fails the Formidable test of Ship’s Engineering (the player rolled a "1"). The player asks for a Luck check (she really needs to leave in a hurry). This will be a Formidable test of Luck, because the original skill check was Formidable.
This skill is TNE’s version of the old skill Jack-Of-All-Trades (from other editions of Traveller).
Marketing: This skill no longer gives an automatic DM of (½ × Level). Instead, the merchant rolls a test of this skill (the Difficulty Level determined by the GM). The level of success (or failure) of this test determines the DM used, as follows).
Mathematics (INT) - Engineer, Physical Science: This skill covers all forms of mathematical theory and practice. Whenever a character gains a level in Astrogation, Computer, or Physics, he also gains one XP specifically for this skill. Mathematics skill is critical for high-tech cryptography, among other things.
Naval Tactics (INT) - Tactics: This skill includes the cascades Fleet Tactics and Ship Tactics, both of which function identically to their descriptions in TNE.
Persuasion: This skill has the cascades Bargain and Fast Talk. The Bargain cascade functions identically to the description of the Bargain skill in TNE (with one exception: use the Marketing skill to appraise goods and services). The Fast Talk cascade functions identically to the description of the old skill Persuasion in TNE.
Philosophy/Theology (EDU) - Social Science: What is the purpose of this skill? Does this skill need a purpose? How does one know what the purpose of this skill really is? (You can stop laughing at the humor-impaired players, now...)
This skill confers knowledge of various systems of belief. However, it does not necessarily mean that the character follows any of those beliefs.
Pilot: (See below for new/modified cascades.)
Planetary Tactics (INT) - Tactics: This skill includes the cascade Ground Tactics, which functions identically to its description in TNE. This skill also includes the new cascades Air Tactics (for aerial combat) and Sea Tactics (for oceanic combat).
Systems (INT/EDU) - Space Vessel, Technician: This skill includes the cascades Communications (based on EDU) and Sensors (based on INT), both of which function identically to their descriptions in TNE.
Unarmed Martial Arts: This skill is now a cascade skill with the following cascades: Block (for blocks and evades), Strike (for punches and kicks), and Throw (for grapples and throws).
Watercraft (CON) - Vessel: This skill includes the cascades Large Watercraft and Small Watercraft, both of which function identically to their descriptions in TNE.
Writing (CHR) - Fine Arts, Social Science: This skill confers the ability to write works of quality. The style of writing that the character is most successful at depends on the other skills the character uses with Writing skill.
Here are some examples: