In [i]The Necromancer’s Tale[/i] the player character has 9 skills, grouped into 3 groups: physical, mental, and social. This categorization is mirrored in other aspects of the game, including the career path of the player character. [b]Group 1: Physical Skills[/b] The 3 physical skills are important in combat, as well as being used in skillchecks when attempting other physical tasks. [list] [*] [i]Strength[/i] refers to physical power, and tasks such as arm wrestling or breaking things. [*] [i]Agility[/i] refers to speed, agility and dexterity, and affects how fast you move in combat as well as how well you can complete physically awkward tasks. [*] [i]Constitution [/i]refers to general health, stamina, and the ability to withstand poison or alcohol. [/list] [b]Group 2: Mental Skills[/b] The 3 mental skills are used in skillchecks in order to provide clue-gathering or puzzle-solving options to the player. [list] [*] [i]Acuity[/i] refers to logical thinking, and the ability to piece together clues to form a conclusion. [*] [i]Knowledge [/i]refers to knowing important information such as local history, military or medical facts. [*] [i]Investigate [/i]is the ability to notice important details or out-of-place elements. [/list] [b]Group 3: Social Skills[/b] The 3 social skills are used in skillchecks related to understanding, convincing, coercing, blackmailing or seducing NPCs. [list] [*] [i]Analyse[/i] is the ability to read other people's truthfulness and intentions. [*] [i]Impress [/i]refers to your charm: getting people to like and trust you. [*] [i]Convince[/i] is the ability to tell lies and talk people into doing your bidding. [/list] [b]Career Choice[/b] The initial skills, portrait and backstory of the player character are defined through an interactive fiction which forms the game’s prologue. One of the key choices here is the PC’s career: Military, Academic, or Diplomat. As an 18th Century person of noble birth, the player is lucky enough to have these paths open to them. Broadly speaking, the [i]military career[/i] aligns with the physical skills; the [i]academic career[/i] aligns with the mental skills; and the [i]diplomat career[/i] aligns with the social skills. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38407613/fac48ff7f43c0973bb0a2cfebeaee30fc622593d.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38407613/a7f77967a130ab7bb3e1b0a168aba1707aff666b.png[/img] [b]Job Choice[/b] The main game starts with the player arriving back to their home city and deciding that they need to stay for a while and take on a short-term job (their father having just died and left the family finances in turmoil). There are 3 jobs available: [list] [*] [i]Dock-worker [/i]aligns broadly with the physical skills and will tend to give the player opportunities to mix with distasteful (but useful) people such as fences and smugglers. [*] [i]School teacher [/i]aligns broadly with the mental skills and gives the player access to a group of orphans who have their ear to the ground and are more than capable of spying or thieving on the player’s behalf. [*] [i]Tavernier [/i]aligns broadly with the social skills and gives opportunities to mix with and spy on a broad array of denizens who frequent the busiest tavern in the city. [/list] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38407613/d30c9f4115ea599d95eb5439935830ff189ce00f.png[/img]