Expertise

Expertise represents your character’s training and skill sets. Your character has spent years honing their primary skill set, and has become quite competent in a secondary set. These two areas of Expertise are where the Cohort depends upon them to take the lead.

Do they know the ins-and-outs of finding artifacts and repairing equipment while thriving in the dangerous environments of Anasta (Scav)? Are they an expert in combat, an inevitability in their line of work (Venger)? Do they know how to effectively hide people and objects with feats of physical deception (Phantom)? Do they focus on getting people and supplies from one place to another quickly and safely, making them a skilled driver and triage (Stallion)? Does your character know how to negotiate and navigate relationships, including working another’s emotions towards peace, goodwill, anger, or fear (Sparrow)?

Choose one Expertise at Rank 3 and one Expertise at Rank 2. Consider the composition of the Cohort and the challenges they would like to face. Some Cohorts are more well-rounded, while others focus on a specific type of job.

After one Rank 3 and one Rank 2 Expertise, assign two of the remaining Expertise at Rank 1. The character doesn’t have enough training or experience to effectively lead the Cohort in these types of challenges, but can still provide a bit of support. The final Expertise receives no Add Dice modifiers for either leading or assisting.

How Expertise Fits into Game Mechanics

Expertise is the main trait that gives Add Dice modifiers and is the base for building Cohort dice pools. While at least one character with Expertise is almost always necessary to face the associated type of Challenge, as an Add Dice modifier it does not guarantee success. That is, dice are necessary in any pool for any chance to roll successes, but also open up the possibility for botches. Consider it the ticket to entry where Auto Result and Simple modifiers from other traits can then have a chance to apply. That is, Expertise is important to nearly every Cohort action as it forms the base of most dice pools, but activating other traits along with Expertise is what pushes the team toward success.

Beyond Rank 3

Rank 3 is the level of professional Expertise and many characters will stay here for the duration of their careers. There exist two Ranks above this, but they represent focus and specialization rather than proficiency. A character may be considered among the best in their field without a Rank 4 or 5 Expertise. In order to rise from Rank 3 to 4 requires giving up a Support Expertise as well as a Growth Test. The same requirements exist for moving from Rank 4 to Rank 5.

Expertise Rank and Modifiers

Rank	Can Lead?	Lead Add Dice	Assist Add Dice	Requirements
Rank 5	Yes	+5d6	+4d6	-1 Rank 1 Expertise + Growth Test
Rank 4	Yes	+4d6	+3d6	-1 Rank 1 Expertise + Growth Test
Rank 3	Yes	+3d6	+2d6	None
Rank 2	Yes	+2d6	+1d6	None
Rank 1 *	No	None	+1d6	None
No Rank	No	None	None	None

Scav (Exploration and Crafting)

Skills used to physically operate while scavenging in ancient sites as well as building and repairing equipment. Scav is used for things like climbing, clearing blocked passages, and safely extracting Moon Relics while searching for lost artifacts. It also broadly includes acts of engineering, vehicle repair, and technological savvy.

Venger (Combat)

Experience with armed and unarmed combat, tactics, and weapons. Venger is used for all forms of melee and ranged combat, physically restraining characters, and battle tactics.

Phantom (Stealth)

Training in stealth, infiltration, and evasion. Phantom is used for things like sneaking past guards, disguising people and objects, and other feats of physical deception such as pickpocketing and sleight of hand.

Stallion (Travel)

Proficiency in driving, tracking, navigation, and basic medicine. Stallion is used for moving people and cargo from one place to another, and for providing medical attention in the field. It also broadly covers environmental awareness such as finding safe routes, direction sense, and tracking while on foot or in a vehicle.

Sparrow (Communication)

Competence in negotiation, soothing/inciting emotions, and cultural knowledge. Sparrow is used for things like convincing someone to do something, calming an angry person down, or learning about a contemporary or ancient society. It broadly includes socially-oriented studies such as history and philosophy.