At Character Generation you have 12 points to spend on Skills and Traits with an extra 8 available from taking negative Traits (though these can only be spent on other traits). Skills go to Rank 5, with Rank 3 being the maximum available at Character Generation for Favoured Caste skills, and Rank 2 for other skills. Rank -1 and Rank 6 in skills are only achieved through taking certain Traits or in-game events. Character progression is an important part of Djemity - more details of this can be found on the page detailing advancement.

The Cost below represents the total cost of raising a skill to that level.

All Heroes, except those who have bought the Out of your Depth trait, have at least some competence in all the Skills except magic. While this means that they are able to live outside settlements, defeat bandit attacks and look after minor wounds, most actions they seek to take will pose a greater challenge to some of their Skills (for example, survival in the Ice Waste would be a serious test of a Hero's Ranger skill). In a significant test like this, it is obviously preferable to have relevant Skills at as high a rank as possible.

Magic works separately. Its effects are always additional to the mundane Skills a Hero uses to confront a challenge. As explained elsewhere, magic normally aids a particular skill to an unpredictable degree.

Dividing effort between Heroes is always worthwhile: a single Hero with Strategist and Organiser who wished to mobilise an army would not be as effective two Heroes, one of whom has Strategist and the other with Organiser.

You are a master at crafting items of quality, you can work with all manner of materials: wood, iron, bone and glass all bend to your designs. This skill grants knowledge of the construction of everything from tiny trinkets to vast structures. You can also appraise items, determining their strengths, weaknesses and value.

This Skill is favoured by The Home Fleet (Aquienos), Infirm (Kirlsa) and Artists (Sylphim).

This skill is the ability both for bringing others around to your way of thinking and also getting the best out of deals. This can help you win friends and influence, or spin convincing lies and fast-talk out of trouble.

Note that the Diplomat skill is only effective against NPCs. If you want to persuade another Player Character of something you must do so in session or by email.

This Skill is favoured by the Emissary (Becquerel), Artists (Sylphim) and Polités (Teklo).

You are well versed in the talents necessary to survive and prosper while exploring a dungeon. This skill includes the ability to detect traps, spot hidden treasures and identify the weaknesses of the bizarre monster that is trying to eat your face.

This Skill is favoured by The Explorer Fleet (Aquienos), Heightman (Becquerel) and Courtiers (Sylphim).

A skilled Healer is able to save lives on the battlefield, treat old wounds and diagnose a frightening array of diseases and poisons. With the right ingredients they can cure almost any sickness, neutralise deadly toxins or manufacture their own baleful draughts.

This Skill is favoured by The War Fleet (Aquienos), Infirm (Kirlsa) and Chithana (Sylphim).

You are a master of going unnoticed, mixing into the crowd or fading into the shadows. For the cat burglar, the assassin and the eavesdropper this is the skill which will let you move unseen. It also encompasses lock-picking and legerdemain.

Note that disguising yourself as a member of another Race is likely to be very difficult indeed.

This Skill is favoured by the Heightman (Becquerel), Chithana (Sylphim) and Scholars (Teklo).

This is the ability for effective management of people and resources, a skill essential for those who would lead their people in great endeavours. This skill covers both the making of shrewd decisions, be it well reasoned domestic policy or good business investments, as well as motivating people and getting the best out of others.

This Skill is favoured by The Home Fleet (Aquienos), Warleaders (Kirlsa) and Polités (Teklo).

Being a ranger means having the ability to survive in almost any environment or navigate difficult terrain. It is the ability to track almost any beast and to find assassins hiding in ambush. Combining a knowledge of outdoorsmanship, geography and navigation, a master ranger can lead an army through a desert, steer a fleet through polar waters while tracking down pirates or guide a band of adventurers through the Fire swamp in search of the legendary beast of Arrggghhhhhhhhh…

Ranger opposes an opponent's Mastery of Shadows and can stop them getting the drop on you.

This Skill is favoured by The Explorer Fleet (Aquienos), Hunter (Becquerel) and Warriors (Kirlsa).

You know just where to look to find out information; you are also capable of piecing information together, making connections others cannot. This is the skill for gathering knowledge and putting it to use, whether it's cracking a cipher, hunting a spy or piecing together the whole story from a dozen fragmented texts.

This Skill is favoured by the Emissary (Becquerel), Courtiers (Sylphim) and Scholars (Teklo).

The art of a Strategist is mastery of the kind of combat that has very little to do with how you wield a weapon. It is the skill for knowing when to attack and when to retreat. The correct use of manoeuvres in a battle and the like. A great fighter may leave a ring of bodies half a mile wide around him, but meanwhile the master Strategist has taken the fortress, killed the King and abducted the princess and all from the safety of his command tent.

This Skill is favoured by The War Fleet (Aquienos), Warleaders (Kirlsa) and Wardens (Teklo).

This is the ability to fight either alone or in small groups; it is the skill you require to take down formidable opponents in duels, fight guardians of ancient tombs and repulse assassins who jump on you in dark alleys. It is focused on the immediate goal of making sure that you survive and the other guy doesn't.

This Skill is favoured by the Hunter (Becquerel), Warriors (Kirlsa) and Wardens (Teklo).

This skill governs how adept you are with your racial magic. Each racial magic has 4 branches that are bought independently, however you must be of the mage caste of your race to have more than one branch.

Note that everyone (with the exception of those taking the Chimera trait) begins with one free point towards a single magic skill (the choice of which one may be limited by Caste choice). For those not from a Mage Caste, this is the only form of magic they may use (their effective level in the other branches is -1).

Those of a Mage Caste can use all of their Race's magics (they begin at level 0 in each). Mage Castes can take any one of their magics as a favoured skill and may buy it at Rank 3.

The Mage castes are the Navigators (Aquienos), Druid (Becquerel), Guardians (Kirlsa), Order Priests (Sylphim) and Wordshapers (Teklo).