Ability needed.

[lightningcat]

I want to expand my current Ability list for my Transformers game, but in order to do so I need one more Ability. It needs to be broad enough to be worth spending points on. I am sure what I am looking for is already listed as a specialty or series of specialties, but I need awider perspective.
So I bring it to the Playground, what am I missing? What should be expanded? Maybe I should get rid of some instead?

ACADEMICS
Academics is a wide-ranging Ability that represents the sum of a person’s higher education in the Arts and Humanities – everything from history to linguistics, literature, theater and the study of law. Characters don’t necessarily have to be college graduates in order to possess this Ability. An inner-city kid with access to a library and a voracious appetite for knowledge could have a high rating in Academics. A college graduate who spent more time partying than studying could have a very low rating. Conversely, a self-taught individual who read voraciously and studied intensively could have high dots without ever earning a diploma.
Trait Effects: A character with Academics 1 has a basic, working knowledge of the liberal arts. She’s familiar with the basic disciplines (English, history, art, etc.), and can find her way around a library with difficulty. A character with Academics 3 is a well-read and knowledgeable individual, and she can learn what she doesn’t know in a few hours of focused research. A character with Academics 5 is highly educated or extremely well read. She’s a veritable font of information, able to speak knowledgeably on a widevariety of subjects.
Specialties: Phylogeny, Psychodynamics, Sociobiology, Anthropology, Economics, History, Law, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Theology, Anthropology, Art, English, Research, Specific Time Period,

AMELIORATION
While Transformers are machines, they are infinitely more complicated than a car or radio. Amelioration is the Transformer equivalent to Medicine, and governs the skills necessary to repair and upgrade Transformers. Treating cyborgs requires equal knowledge of both Amelioration and Medicine.
Trait Effects: A character with Amelioration 1 has a basic understanding of Transformer physiology and Components. A character with Amelioration 3 is fully capable of building and installing entirely new Components or repairing even the worst damage without a C/R chamber. A character with Amelioration 5 is capable of creating a new Transformer with only the tools available on Earth, though the resources to do so may be beyond him.
Specialties: Component Installation, Emergency Care, General Repair, Cybernetics,

ANIMAL KEN
Anticipating and understanding human emotions is one thing, but being able to interpret and recognize the behavior of animals is something else entirely. Your character intuitively grasps or has been trained to read animals to know how they react to situations. The Ability also involves innately understanding how the animal mind operates, and what may appease or enrage beasts. The knack often coincides with a respect for animals, but it could derive from the analytical observation of a lab scientist or from years of abuse inflicted by a callous animal handler. Characters use Animal Ken when attempting to handle or train a wild or domesticated animal. This Ability is also used when a character is trying to befriend or calm a hostile animal such as a stray dog or a wild horse, or to treat an injured or sick animal. Animal Ken could be applied to grasp the thoughts or intentions of paranatural animals, if the Storyteller allows. Sometimes these beings have human or greater intelligence and cannot be read by this Ability alone. While a fairly common Ability for Humans, Transformers only rarely deal with creatures that would be covered by this Ability.
Trait Effects: A character with Animal Ken 1 has a basic understanding of animal health and behavior. She can avoid getting bitten by strange dogs and can teach pets basic tricks. A character with Animal Ken 3 is an experienced animal handler and can work safely with even wild animals, from horses to tigers. A character with Animal Ken 5 has an almost supernatural connection with animals, able to win the trust and acceptance of even the most skittish or hostile creatures.
Specialties: Animal Needs, Imminent Attack, Specific Kind of Animal, Training, Beasts of Burden, Riding, Specific Environment, Dominance,

ATHLETICS
Athletics allows a character to move with grace and ease. It’s one thing to say that someone is strong or agile but another thing entirely to say that he is athletic. This Ability describes a character’s physical fitness, coordination and endurance, as well as his skill in applying himself to physical activity. Characters use Athletics to climb walls, to leap from rooftop to rooftop and to swim across swift-moving rivers. It covers Feats of Strength, balance, coordination and reflexes.
Trait Effects: Someone with Athletics 1 can probably keep his balance while fighting on an iced-over river. Someone with Athletics 3 can climb a stone building without any additional tools. Someone with Athletics 5 can use a busy freeway as a parkor route without being in any real danger.
Specialties: Acrobatics, Climbing, Kayaking, Leaping, Lifting Heavy Objects, Distance Trials, Sprinting, Sure-Footed, Swimming, Dancing, Specific Sport, Team Play, Brachiation, Falling,

ART
Producing works of art demands both imagination and skill. It requires both the spark of creativity and hard-won technique to carve a sculpture, write a song or deliver a moving soliloquy. This Ability represents the physical skill required to create or perform works of art and entertainment. By the same token, this Ability can also be used to gauge the merit of a work of art and critique it objectively. The Art Ability covers non-performance art, be it written, visual, or sculptural. Art does not cover the creation of useful
objects, instead it covers those that are appealing or interesting.. If the character is attempting to make an item that is both useful and artistic, he uses the lower of the two abilities for all rolls. While there are many schools for artists, it is more common for them to begin developing their skills as a hobby. Later going to school for advanced training, or jumping straight into artistic endeavors. Characters use Art when creating pieces of art, or in the case of restoring it.
Trait Effects: A character with Art 1 is a dedicated amateur, they may do it for the pure enjoyment or it might be a secondary job. A character with Art 3 is a professional that can live off of their artwork alone. A character with Art 5 is well known in the art world, and will be talked about long after they are gone.
Specialties: 3-D, Calligraphy, Drawings, Paintings, Novels, Short Stories, Sculpting, Portraits, Landscapes, Infotainment, Restoration Projects, Murals, Animation, Manga, Comics, Writing a Particular Genre, Photography, Forgeries,

AWARENESS
This trait is important in combat. Most people are reasonably alert and aware of their surroundings, but those with the Awareness Ability have honed their powers of observation to an exceptional degree. Constant alertness might be a part of their profession, as it is with a police detective or a bodyguard, or it might be a matter of survival, as it is with a soldier or a gang leader. Characters use Awareness when they are searching a room or observing a person and looking for telltale clues about his intentions. It’s also used to detect hidden enemies or to foil sneak attacks.
Trait Effects: A character with Awareness 1 is fairly alert at all times. She can notice simple clues and uncover poorly hidden objects most of the time. A character with Awareness 3 is sharply observant. She has an eye for telling details and is constantly aware of potential dangers in her environment. A character with Awareness 5 is almost supernaturally alert. Her senses are sharpened to such a keen edge that almost nothing escapes her notice.
Specialties: Seeing in Poor Light, Tracking, Listening, Ambushes, Paranoia, Traps, Senses, Keeping Watch, Hidden Objects, Surreptitious Observation,

BRAWL
This trait is important in combat. Brawl defines your character’s prowess at unarmed combat, whether he’s a black belt in karate, a hard-bitten street tough or a college student who’s taken a few self-defense courses. Maybe he learned some techniques in the military. Characters with this Ability know how to hit an opponent, where to hit for maximum effect and how to defend themselves from attack. It can mean using fists, but also elbows, knees, shoulders, head butts wrestling, joint locks and choke holds. Characters with a several dots could be familiar with multiple techniques of unarmed combat. Expertise in such techniques is reflected in the various Fighting Style Merits, or Martial Art Techniques.
Trait Effects: A character with Brawl 1 knows how to fight. He’s skilled enough to hold his own on a Friday night at the local roadhouse or perform the basic moves flawlessly in an exhibition. A character with Brawl 3 is a skilled and dangerous fighter. He’s knocked out her share of tough guys and has the scarred knuckles to prove it. A character with Brawl 5 can fight a dozen thugs while simultaneously showing off all of her moves in a precise and beautiful manner. He is a master martial artist or champion Ultimate Fighter. Most of his opponents never know what hit them.
Specialties: Boxing, Dirty Tricks, Fighting in Armor, Grappling, Multiple Opponents, Specific Martial Art Style, Specific Fighting Style, Throws, Wrestling, Clinches, Organized Matches, Demonstrations, Showing Off,

BUREAUCRACY
Bureaucracy covers dealing with commerce, laws and official regulations. It includes everything from a thorough knowledge of paperwork to an expertise with bargaining and making sales pitches. Characters possessing this Ability are not only familiar with the way the political process works, they’re experienced with bureaucracies and know exactly who to call in a given situation to get something done. Your character keeps track of who’s in power and how she got there, along with her potential rivals. This Ability is essential for anyone who wishes to make his living as a merchant or a government official. However, other Abilities are necessary if the merchant or bureaucrat wishes to evaluate goods or negotiate the social complexities of political life. He has a grasp of the issues of the moment and how they affect the political process, and knows whose palms to grease. It’s possible that your character acquired this Ability by running for political office at some point, or by working on a campaign or as a public servant. Or he could simply be someone who follows the news and understands the money trail. A few uses include: access official records; guess what the local government is covering up, and why; secure permission to enter government installations and use their resources; find whistle-blowers inside the system who will tell you the truth; power-search through masses of reports and useless data to find the secret nugget of useful info concealed within; get information an organization finds embarrassing, by convincing them that you’ll respect their secrets.
Trait Effects: Someone with Bureaucracy 1 can probably bribe a slightly corrupt official or sell aging horses at the same price as a young ones. Someone with Bureaucracy 3 can turn a small sum into a large fortune in a season of careful trading or swiftly negotiate her way through a complex and ill-managed bureaucracy. Someone with Bureaucracy 5 could out-compete the mob boss in a local market or reform the US federal bureaucracy.
Specialties: Local Beat, Federal Agencies, International Agencies, Courts, Crimes, Customs, Jurisdiction, Bending Rules, Stock Markets, International Trade, Buyouts, Takeovers, Futures, Investments, Bonds, Litigation, Laws, Secrets, Currency, Bribery, Commerce, Elections, Illegal Business, Local, Scandals, State, INTERPOL, United Nations,

COMPUTER
Characters possessing this Ability have the necessary training or experience to operate a computer. Though the Transformers makes great use of computers, Earth’s highly information-based society relies on them a great deal as well. Those characters with low scores in Computer may know how to manipulate their way through simple software, whereas those with high scores can program, build their own and hack. People with high levels in this Ability are familiar with a variety of programming languages and operating systems. Note that dots in Computer do not apply to manually fixing or building machines, only to operating them. Construction and repair of computers is the province of the Crafts Ability.
Trait Effects: A character with Computer 1 can install or work through most software. A character with Computer 3 is able to get the most out of computer programs and is able to craft new one when needed. A character with Computer 5 is able to create his own computer languages and operating systems.
Specialties: Artificial Intelligence, Cryptography, Data Retrieval, Database Manipulation, Graphics, File Manipulation, Hacking, Internet, Network Defense, Programming, Viruses, Web Design, Computer Languages, Telecommunications,

CRAFT
Craft is the Ability to make and repair useful objects, from chairs to clothing to car engines. Characters possessing this Ability typically have the knowledge, but not necessarily the tools or facilities to make use of their capabilities. A character might be an exceptional mechanic, for example, but still needs to sweet-talk his boss into opening up the garage after-hours to work on his friend’s car. Crafting an object is almost always an extended roll, with the length of time and number of successes required determined by the complexity of the piece. The Storyteller has final say on the time required and the number of successes needed for a particular item. Most people learn these skills in a kind of apprenticeship, starting at a job doing small tasks and working their way up as their aptitude increases. Some people learn their trade as part of a family business. Others begin with a hobby that becomes a full-time pursuit. Most of these trades require an extensive set of tools and a workshop in which to operate, but some craftspeople get by with just a box of tools and whatever flat surface is handy. Characters use Craft when building or repairing objects or equipment.
Trait Effects: A character with Craft 1 is good with her hands and has a basic understanding of her trade. With the right tools and enough time, she can turn out well-made, useful items. A character with Craft 3 is a highly skilled, experienced craftsperson, capable of making high-quality objects quickly or improvising repairs with whatever resources are available. A character with Craft 5 can do wonders with her hands and a simple set of tools. She can build objects from improvised materials and whip a total wreck into
working order with a paper clip and a roll of duct tape.
Specialties: Automobiles, Aircraft, Forging, Firearms, Electrical Devices, Jury-Rigging, Metalwork, Mechanic Devices, Sculpting, Structures, Sewing, TransTech, Woodworking, Carving Bone, Field Expediencies, Taking Extra Time, Working in Haste, In a Well Equipped Workshop, Without Tools, Circuitry,

DEMOLITIONS
The character has a knowledge of explosives and demolitions that allows him to build and set off all types of bombs. He know how to handle nearly anything: dynamite, plastic explosives, nitroglycerin, black powder, blasting cord, nitro cellulose, even napalm. Additionally, he knows techniques for disarming explosives or causing non-explosives to catastrophically fail. When used to create explosives, this Ability follows the same rules as the Craft Ability.
Trait Effects: Someone with Demolitions 1 is able to set most types of explosives, and make some of the simpler ones without killing himself. Someone with Demolitions 3 is competent with making most kinds of explosives from scratch and is able to disarm other people's devices with little change of blowing himself up. Someone with Demolitions 5 is only a threat to anyone who annoys him.
Specialties: Bomb Defusion, Car Bombs, Dynamite, Explosives Detection, IEDs, Plastic Explosives, Sabotage,

DODGE
This trait is important in combat. Dodge allows a character to deftly move out of the way of harm. In addition to dodging the blades of his enemies and the claws of monstrous alien beasts, characters can also use Dodge to escape harm from rockslides, avalanches, traps and other inanimate sources of harm. Finally, Dodge can be used to maneuver around enemies, such as diving under their legs to get behind them or slipping past someone guarding an entryway. While not as important to most people, this Ability also covers acrobatic stunts and contortions.
Trait Effects: Someone with Dodge 1 can usually avoid a thug’s knife or a boulder rolling downhill. Someone with Dodge 3 can avoid the blows of a highly trained warrior. Someone with Dodge 5 can escape harm when fighting an inhumanly skilled individuals such as Starscream or Sideswipe.
Specialties: Animal Attacks, Explosions, Firearm Attacks, Guided Attacks, Multiple Opponents, On Slippery or Unstable Terrain, When Unarmed, Acrobatics, Contortions,

ENGINEERING
Engineering is the Ability to make and repair large objects and structures, it is also used when leading construction projects consisting of multiple people. In many ways, Engineering is the same as the Craft Ability, but on a larger, and less personal, scale. Engineering covers applied sciences, such as aerospace engineering, bioengineering, metallurgy, environmental engineering, and so on. Characters use Craft when in charge of building projectsor large-scale repair operations.
Trait Effects: A character with Engineering 1 can design and create a hiking trail. A character with Engineering 3 is the lead on housing developments. A character with Engineering 5 is called in when someone wants a moonbase built.
Specialties: Aerospace, Automobiles, Aircraft, Civil, Infrastructure, Military, Reconstruction, Starships, Structures, TransTech, Watercraft,

HANDLING
The Handling Ability allows your character to operate a vehicle under difficult or dangerous conditions. Characters don’t need this Ability simply to drive a car. It’s safe to assume in a modern society that most individuals are familiar with automobiles and the rules of the road. Rather, this trait covers the training or experience necessary to operate at high speeds, to tackle hazardous road conditions and to push a vehicle to the limits of its performance. Handling is the difference between a typical suburban parent with a minivan and a police officer, car thief or racecar driver. The Ability also applies to piloting and controlling boats; your character’s Handling dots are applied equally to handling boats. In order for your character to be able to pilot a plane, he needs an appropriate aircraft Specialty in the Ability. With that, efforts to control a plane call for a Handling-based roll, plus one die for your character’s Specialty. A character with the Handling Ability who does not possess an appropriate Specialty cannot effectively operate a plane, suffering an additional -2 untrained penalty to his Handling roll, this penalty is only negated by the Dabbler Merit if the character has dots in the Handling Ability. The same restriction applies to spacecraft and submarines. Transformers with Alt-Modes of vehicles that require specialties to operate properly do not suffer this additional untrained penalty for rolls made in their Alt-Mode. Note that dots in Handling do not apply to fixing or building vehicles, only to operating them. Construction and repair of vehicles is the province of the Crafts Ability.
Specialties: Boats, Capital Spacecraft, Chases, Compact Cars, Daredevil Maneuvers, Heavy Traffic, High-Performance Cars, Intermediate Spacecraft, In Combat, Motorcycles, Muscle Cars, Off-Road, Performance/Fighter Aircraft, Personal Aircraft, Personal Submarines, Rotary Wing Aircraft, Service/Bomber Aircraft, Shaking Tails, Small Spacecraft, Stunts, Submersible Vehicles, Tailing,
Trucks, Jumps, Racing,

[lightningcat]

Second page because I was 62 characters overthe limit.

INTEGRITY
This trait is important in social conflict. Integrity allows the character to resist all forms of paranatural mental control as well as helping the character resist believing sale pitches or breaking under torture. This Ability governs an individual’s capability to resist the mental and physical manipulations of others and not be swayed by tricks, temptations or peril – be it as mundane as a slick car salesman’s pitch or as dire as a Decepticon's torture. Integrity keeps a character from selling out herself or her friends to her enemies. Characters use Integrity to resist deception, persuasion or manipulation or to keep from breaking under interrogation or torture.
Trait Effects: A character with Integrity 1 has courage and strong convictions, and is able to recognize and resist most attempts at manipulating her. A character with Integrity 3 has an unshakable faith and a willingness to suffer for her beliefs. A character with Integrity 5 has the stuff of martyrs in her. He would rather die than compromise her principles.
Specialties: Fulfilling Motivation, Ignoring Pleas, Keeping Secrets, Protecting Intimacies, Persuasion, Resisting Deception, Torture, Upholding Virtues

INTRUSION
The Intrusion Ability lets the character set up, disable or circumvent security, ranging from basic locks to integrated multi-level alarm systems. The more advanced or complex the set-up is, the higher the difficulty becomes. Most modern systems employ specialized technology; working on them also requires other Abilities , such as Computers. Intrusion is often a counterpart to Larceny, in that it deals with the physical security of people or places.
Trait Effects: A character with Intrusion 1 is rarely stopped by mechanical locks. A character with Intrusion 3 was trained by both side of the law. A character with Intrusion 5 is kept in solitary confinement whenever they are caught, with regular check ins, just to be sure.
Specialties: Lockpicking, Safecracking, Security Systems,

INVESTIGATION
This trait is important in social conflict. Investigation is the art and science of solving mysteries, examining seemingly disparate evidence to find a connection, answering riddles and overcoming paradoxes. It not only allows your character to get into the head of a killer to grasp his motives or plans, it allows her to look beyond the mundane world to guess at answers to mysterious problems, or to have a “eureka” moment that offers insight into baffling circumstances. It is equal parts observation, research,
interrogation and surveillance, gathering facts like puzzle pieces until the mystery is solved. Your character might realize that all murder victims have the same digits jumbled in their phone numbers, she might interpret a dream that has striking similarities to events in the real world, or she could recognize why an intruder took the time to paint a room red. Certain individuals such as law-enforcement officers, forensic specialists, scientists and investigators are trained in the art of examination, while others simply develop the knack through years of practice. Investigation-based rolls are typically made when a character actively studies a situation. Dots in Investigation don’t give a character sudden insight or capability in the realms of other Abilities, however. She can’t miraculously identify changing brushstrokes in a painting, for example. That would be the realm of Art, Academics, or Crafts. But she might identify how the placement of paintings throughout a house creates a pattern and imparts a message.
Trait Effects: A character with Investigation 1 is a rookie detective or an amateur sleuth. She knows basically what sort of clues to look for, and her theories are usually sound. A character with Investigation 3 is highly skilled at zeroing in on the relevant clues to solve a mystery or hunt down a fugitive based on the trail he left behind. A character with Investigation 5 is a master detective. There is no puzzle she can’t solve, no person she can’t find, no subterfuge she can’t penetrate given enough time and effort.
Specialties: Artifacts, Autopsy Diagnoses, Body Language, Crime Scenes, Conducting Interviews, Cryptography, Dreams, Finding Concealed Objects, Library Research, Puzzles, Reconstructing Events, Riddles, Scientific Experiments, Logic Puzzles, Ballistics, Fingerprints, Ancient Mysteries, Thinking Outside the Box, Recognizing Lies,

LARCENY
Larceny is a broad-based Ability covering a wide range of illegal activities, from basic slight of hand and theft, to forgery and fencing stolen goods. These are skills learned on the street, picked up in prison meters or taught at police academies all over the World. Characters also use Larceny when they want to perform basic magic tricks, or to improve their odds when gambling (both by cheating and other methods such as counting cards). Most characters obtain this Ability the hard way, by committing crimes and often
paying the price for their mistakes. Some individuals such as government agents and members of the military receive formal training in bypassing security systems and stealing valuable assets.
Trait Effects: A character with Larceny 1 is a competent street criminal with decent connections and a rap sheet to go with them. A character with Larceny 3 is a longtime criminal, possibly with prison time under her belt, and is very experienced at what she does. A character with Larceny 5 is a career criminal, well-connected and influential – and well-known to crooks and cops alike.
Specialties: Concealing Stolen Goods, Gambling, Organized Crime, Pickpocketing, Scoring Drugs, Slight of Hand, Escapology, Showmanship, Pilfering,

LINGUISTICS
All characters are assumed to be able to speak, read, and write their own native tongue. Any other languages known are represented by this Ability. Additional dots in Linguistics give a character a broader range of languages. You determine, with your Storyteller’s approval, what languages you want your character to speak. These languages can come from any country, either modern or ancient, including conlangs and sign languages, and they generally include written forms as well. You may also learn the languages of other races, assuming that you have had contact with them. A high level of this Knowledge often indicates a broad, general knowledge of language theory, and your character may take “Linguistic study” in place of a language, thereby studying the underpinnings of language itself. Transformers typically have at least on dot in Linguistics, so that they may speak a human language as well as Neocybex (aka Cybertronian) – English, Spanish, and Mandarin (Chinese) being the most common Earth languages. Other major human languages include Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Dutch, Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Swedish, Tamil, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese, and Wu. There are also several other Cybertronian languages that the character might know: Cybertronix (modern); Modern Malignus (modern), Primal Vernacular (old); Cyberglyphics (oldest known); Cybex (old); Destron (2nd Cybertronian War); Old Malignus (2nd Cybertronian War), and others.
Trait Effects: A character with Linguistics 1 knows one extra language. A character with Linguistics 2 knows three extra languages. A character with Linguistics 3 knows seven extra languages. A character with Linguistics 4 knows fifteen extra languages. A character with Linguistics 5 knows thirty-one extra languages.
Specialties: Mathematical Encryption, Computers, Weird Logic, Mystical Codes, Ancient Styles, Obscure Character Shifts, Slang Business Terms, Idioms, Artificial Languages, Alphabets,
Note: In addition to normal specialties, characters may also purchase dialects. Dialects cost the same amount of XP as a specialty, but apply only to a specific language. Characters may purchase an unlimited number of dialects for each language they know, and they allows the character to sound like a native speaker of that dialect. Character's without a dialect in a language will always have an accent reminiscent of their native language and origins. Dialects: Cuban Spanish, Porto Rico Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Quebec French, Cajan French, Ebonics English, Jersey Shore English, Cockney English, Brazilian Portuguese, Seeker Destron Cant, Wrecker Cybertronix, False Accents, Polyhex Cybertronix Drawl, High Iacon Neocybex, Upper Praxus Neocybex, Kaon Cybertronix, High Kaon Cybex

MARKSMANSHIP
This trait is important in combat. Marksmanship allows your character to identify, operate and maintain most types of guns, from pistols to rifles to military weapons such as submachine guns, assault rifles and machine guns. Marksmanship can be learned in a variety of ways, whether as a hobby, part of a profession or a matter of day-to-day survival. This Ability can represent the kind of formal training provided to police and the military, or the basic, hands-on experience common to hunters, criminals and gun enthusiasts. Marksmanship also applies to using bows. Your character can use guns and bows equally. Note that dots in Marksmanship do not apply to manually fixing or building guns or bows, only to wielding them. Construction and repair of weapons is the province of the Crafts Ability.
Trait Effects: A character with Marksmanship 1 has a basic familiarity with her weapons and knows how to operate and maintain them. She is fairly accurate under most conditions. A character with Marksmanship 3 is an expert shot and is familiar with a wide assortment of weapons and their characteristics. A character with Marksmanship 5 wields her weapons with near supernatural skill. Hitting a nickel-sized target from hundreds of meters away in high winds is as easy and natural as breathing.
Specialties: Bows, Energy Weapons, Pistols, Rifles, Shotguns, Sniping, Strafing, Trick Shots, Target Rich Environments, While Driving, Ambushes, From Horseback, Showing Off,

MEDICINE
Medicine governs the myriad skills necessary to diagnose and treat biological illness and injury. Some people come by this Ability by absorbing folk knowledge and remedies passed down through generations of healers and midwives. Others spend years in medical school and emerge with a white coat and many years of loans to repay. Characters use Medicine to diagnose illnesses and injury and to treat them. It can also be used to determine the cause of a person’s death or to identify the properties of medicines and
pharmaceuticals.
Trait Effects: A character with Medicine 1 has a basic understanding of first aid. She likely knows CPR and can treat minor injuries. A character with Medicine 3 is a skilled practitioner, possibly a general practitioner or a resident at a local hospital who is familiar with treating serious illnesses and major injuries. A character with Medicine 5 is a world-renowned doctor or surgeon, capable of performing the most difficult and demanding medical procedures.
Specialties: Street Drugs, Herbal Medicines, Psychoactives, Emergency Care, Pathology, Pediatrics, Pharmaceuticals, Physical Therapy, Poisons, Research, Surgery, Veterinary Medicine, Culinary, Psychology, Alleviating Suffering, Broken Bones, Cancer, Field Medicine, Diseases, Self-Treatment,
Note: When used on biological creatures from a different world than the practitioner, the character suffers a -2 external penalty to all Medicine rolls, unless they have the specific Alien Medicine Merit for that planet's creatures.

NAVIGATION
Navigation cover everything from airplanes or boats courses to ground vehicles traveling across a city or making an interstate trip, or even plotting a course for an space ship to travel between planets or even between systems.
Trait Effects: Someone with Navigation 1 can plan a trip across a city during rush hour. Someone with Navigation 3 can travel seas and solar systems with equal ease. Someone with Navigation 5 can easily find their w ay out of a desert without compass or map, or discover new hyperspace routes.
Specialties: Asteroid Belts, Interstellar Space, Flight Paths, Open Ocean, Particular Planet, Roadways, Hyperspace

PERFORMANCE
This trait is important in social conflict. Performance covers all forms of artistic expression, from storytelling and acting to dancing and singing. It also includes the theatrics of making rousing public speeches. Characters with this Ability also know how to perform a wide variety of songs, plays, dances, jokes and stories.
Trait Effects: Someone with Performance 1 can sing popular tavern songs in a pleasing voice and dance well enough to get invited to the next ball. Someone with Performance 3 can move an audience to tears with a speech or tell stories so engrossing that guards ignore their duties to listen more closely. Someone with Performance 5 can start a riot with a short speech or play a song so beautiful that it will touch the heart of Starscream.
Specialties: Spin Control, Advertising, Local News, International, Multi-Media, Internet, TV, Newspapers, Conspiracy, Entertainment, Movies, Leverage, Politics, Improvisation, Playing a Specific Instrument, Singing, Storytelling, Solo Performances, Dance, In a Particular Nation, To Members of a Particular Social Class, Commanding Troops, Demagoguery, Rabble Rousing,

PRESENCE
This trait is important in social conflict. Presence covers the character’s skill at leadership and long-term persuasion. A character can lead by being feared, respected or loved, but regardless of how he leads, this Ability represents how well he does so. He can be an inspiring figure of courage and determination, spurring those around her to greater efforts, or he can instill fear and loathing in her enemies, driving them before her. People often cultivate this Ability as performers, orators or entertainers, but some use it to inspire the faithful or keep their minions under their thumb. Combined with social savvy and the ability to say “No” when they need to do so, this lets the character bring other folks around to their point of view, helps them strike bargains, and puzzle out the potential agendas that drive others to – and away from – the bargaining table. Characters use Presence when they want to motivate their allies, give hope and courage to the downtrodden, convert their enemies, or negotiate deals.
Trait Effects: A character with Presence 1 is capable of turning heads and capturing people’s attention with her force of personality and physical magnetism. A character with Presence 3 is a magnetic figure. His demeanor speaks volumes to the people around her. A character with Presence 5 is a spellbinding orator and a towering physical presence. When he speaks, the whole world seems to stop and take notice.
Specialties: Persuasion, Intimidation, Interrogation, Religious Conversion, Brainwashing, Defying Social Order, Sweet and Cheerful, Good Old Boy, Politics, Schmoozing, High Finance, Underworld, Blackmail, Making Friends, International Relations, Industry, Diplomacy, Haggling, Underlings, Business Deals, Bullying, Domestic Disputes, Fake-Outs, Hidden Agendas, Peace Treaties, Con Games, Fleecing the Sheep,

RESISTANCE
This trait is important in combat. Where the Stamina Attribute reflects a person’s innate endurance, Resistance represents training and experience in deliberately hardening the body to resist physical punishment. Different people have different reasons for hardening their bodies to suffering, whether they are marathon runners, professional athletes, soldiers or monks. Some simply learn Resistance the hard way, having been brought up in hostile environments such as the desert or the Arctic Circle. Resistance allows characters to combat the effects of disease, poison, fatigue, sleep deprivation, pain, extreme temperatures and other harsh or potentially damaging conditions. Characters with this Ability can march carrying heavy loads and swim in ice-cold water. Transformers have an additional use for Resistance, it enhances their natural armor, improving the soak and Hardness.
Trait Effects: A character with Resistance 1 is reasonably tough. She can drink all night, go to work the next morning and function reasonably well with a pounding hangover. A character with Resistance 3 is hard as nails. She can go for days without sleep or shrug off debilitating illness or painful injuries that would send lesser mortals to the hospital. A character with Resistance 5 is a machine. She can keep going on nothing but willpower and spite long after everyone else around her is dead.
Specialties: Enduring Pain, Extreme Temperatures, Going Without Sleep, Holding Breath, In Combat, Moving While Encumbered, Resisting Poison, Resisting Disease, Soak, Hardness, Marches, Fasting, Drinking, Resisting Interrogation,

SAVOIR-FAIRE
This trait is important in social conflict. Savoir-Faire represents how well a character is able to handle a variety of social situations and make the best of it. It reflects your character’s ability to interact with others in a variety of situations, from talking people up at bars to comporting himself with dignity at state dinners. Characters affected by a social attack made by a being of lower Savoir-Faire add a modifier to their MDV or RDV equal to (their Savoir-Faire - the Savoir-Faire of the attacker). Characters socially attacked by beings of greater Savoir-Faire suffer a DV penalty of (the aggressor’s Savoir-Faire - their own Savoir-Faire). This modifier cannot exceed +5 or -5. Savoir-Faire has no effect on GVD, either positive or negative. Socialize and Savoir-Faire have much in common, but Socialize is active while Savoir-Faire is reactive.
Trait Effects: Someone with Savoir-Faire 1 rarely makes a fool of themselves. Characters with Savoir-Faire 3 handles themselves with the dignity and aplomb appropriate to any social situation. Someone with Savoir-Faire 5 seems collected and composed in any situation, and is capable of making small talk even in the midst of a firefight.
Specialties: Autobots, Decepticons, Gangs, Suburbia, Upper Class, Salesmen, Big Business, Wining & Dining, Teaching, Conning People, Religions, Tact

SCIENCE
This broad-based Ability covers the natural and physical sciences: biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, physics. Most people with this Ability acquired it through study in school, but a keen mind and high school science classes could be enough for a person to continue her studies without ever getting a college degree. Characters use Science when they are identifying chemical compounds, plating metals or creating an electric field. This ability can be used in place of the Craft Ability when making some items.
Trait Effects: A character with Science 1 knows the fundamental scientific laws. Basically, she knows just enough to be dangerous. A character with Science 3 is a skilled scientist or technician, with a solid foundation of knowledge and experience in her field. A character with Science 5 is a visionary theorist with unparalleled knowledge.
Specialties: Biopsychology, Forensic Pathology, Genetics, Metallurgy, Astronomy, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Experiments, Theory, Pratical Application,

SOCIALIZE
This trait is important in social conflict. Socialize is the capacity both to understand the feelings and motives of others and to negotiate the complex network of customs, manners and etiquette found in every culture. This Ability represents equal parts gregariousness, sensitivity, etiquette and custom. Knowing how to make friends is no less important than understanding how to treat guests in formal situations. Characters with low dots might be naturally entertaining or approachable, but unschooled in the finer arts of social interaction. Or they could be punctilious with their manners but difficult to approach. Conversely, characters with high dots could have the social graces of a practiced diplomat or raconteur, knowing just what to say and when to say it in any given situation. While Socialize is used to blackmail someone or to start rumor campaigns, other Abilities, such as Larceny, are necessary to actually acquire blackmail information or to uncover facts that can be used to support such rumors. Socialize is also used to find access to limited services or illegal items. Socialize and Savoir-Faire have much in common, but Socialize is active while Savoir-Faire is reactive.
Trait Effects: Someone with Socialize 1 can probably flatter a vain courtier or arrange an assignation with someone of a lower social class. Someone with Socialize 3 can obtain powerful political favors merely by asking the correct people in the right way or successfully blackmail a politician without evidence. Someone with Socialize 5 can topple a popular ruler by starting rumors of her misdeeds or completely understand the motivations of someone she has just met.
Specialties: Bar Hopping, Discern Motivation, Dress Balls, Formal Events, Frat Parties, Interacting with the Upper Class, Lying, Particular Culture, State Dinners, Gathering Rumors, Discrete Interrogation, Fencing Stolen Goods, Black Markets, Noblesse Oblige, Sell, Confuse, Get Off the Hook, Haggling, Carousing, Personal Relationships, Witty Conversation, Innuendo, Bad Advice,

STEALTH
Stealth governs a person’s skill and experience at avoiding detection. This Ability is about more than just walking softly. It’s possible to remain unseen in broad daylight or in a crowded room simply by knowing how to blend in with one’s surroundings and not attract notice. When attempting to sneak silently through an area or to use the local terrain as concealment, roll (Dexterity + Stealth). When trying to remain unseen in a crowd, (Wits + Stealth) is appropriate. The Storyteller may make Stealth rolls secretly on your behalf, since your character usually has no way of knowing he’s been noticed until it’s too late.
Trait Effects: A character with Stealth 1 is careful and quiet, and can generally avoid notice unless someone is actively looking for her. A character with Stealth 3 knows how to blend in so well with her surroundings that guards can pass within arm’s reach and not notice her. A character with Stealth 5 is like a ghost. She can practically vanish in front of a person’s eyes.
Specialties: Ambush, Camouflage, Crowds, In Cities, In Wilderness Areas, Moving Silently, Hiding From Pursuers, Search Parties, Shadowing, Taking Point, Confusion, Ruins, Strange Terrain, Close Proximity, Social Inconspicuousness,

SUBTERFUGE
This trait is important in social conflict. Subterfuge is the art of deception. Characters skilled in this Ability know how to conceal their true feelings and act in a completely different manner. Subterfuge is used when telling a convincing lie, or hiding one's true feelings. It is most often used to manipulate other people, but characters also learn it to avoid being manipulated. This Ability also covers any other form of short-term persuasion, be it true or false, from fast talking your way past a guard or seducing a beautiful woman, to intimidating an opponent.
Trait Effects: A character with Subterfuge 1 can get away with the occasional lie. A character with Subterfuge 3 can keep track of complex lies and hides his feelings as a matter of course. A character with Subterfuge 5 is incredibly easy to trust, even by those that know better.
Specialties: Con Games, Disguise, Gambling, Hiding Emotions, Lying, Misdirection, Seduction, Fast-Talking, Persuasion, Intimidation, Interrogation,

SURVIVAL
Survival represents your character’s experience or training in “living off the land.” He knows where to find food and shelter, and how to endure harsh environmental conditions. The more capable your character is, the fewer resources he needs in order to prevail. A master survivalist can walk into a forest, desert or mountainous region with little more than a pocketknife and the clothes on his back and survive for weeks if necessary. Some characters gain this Ability via specialized training, whether through the military or as members of a wildlife service or zoological organization. Others become adept at Survival by virtue of growing up in a wilderness environment or spending years hiking and exploring in such regions. Characters use Survival to live off the land in wilderness surroundings, to track people and animals in the wild or to stay alive when stranded in hostile terrain.
Note that Survival is not synonymous with Animal Ken. The former helps your character stay alive in the wilderness, living off the land with whatever supplies he has brought with him. The latter involves understanding animal behavior and interacting directly with animals. Your character could be knowledgeable in creating shelter and gathering plants to eat (Survival), but might know nothing about anticipating the actions of a bear in his camp (Animal Ken).
Trait Effects: A character with Survival 1 has enough experience to survive in the wild for a couple of days with minimal equipment. A character with Survival 3 can spend as much as a month in the wilderness with little more than a compass and a sturdy knife on which to rely. A character with Survival 5 is a wilderness expert, more at home in the wild than in civilization. She can walk into the wilderness empty-handed and survive for as long as she needs to.
Specialties: Aquatic, Arctic, Desert, Finding Shelter, Forest, Jungle, Night, Non-atmospheric, Swamp, Tracking, Urban, Trapping, Scavenging, Large Game, Small Game, Alone, In Groups,

THROWN
This trait is important in combat. This Ability represents a person’s skill at hitting a target using a thrown object, whether it’s a rock, a baseball or a knife. Most people who possess this Ability pick it up casually, having learned the basic hand-eye techniques as children, though specialized weapons such as throwing knives and hatchets require dedicated practice to use well. Thrown allows the character to hurl specially designed weapons at targets. Thrown weapons include throwing knives, chakrams, javelins and boomerangs as well as rocks and other improvised weapons.
Trait Effects: A character with Thrown 1 can hit what she aims at most of the time. A character with Thrown 3 has a keen eye and a powerful throwing arm. She can kill people with a well-aimed stone, much less a knife. A character with Thrown 5 is as deadly with a rock or a shuriken as most people are with a pistol.
Specialties: Javelins, Throwing Knives, While Running, At Long Range, Attacking from Cover

WARFARE
This trait is important in combat. Warfare gives a clear understanding of combat and military maneuvers. It covers both immediate tactics and long-range strategies and allows the character to assess the strength of enemy forces and to clearly direct troop movements. Dispite its name, Warfare is not purely a military Ability, it also covers concepts such as logistics, operation planning, and game theory, as well as playing many games, making some level of it common to businessmen as well. This Ability is central to all mass combat – when fighting as part of a unit, characters use the lower of the character’s combat Abilities or her Warfare.
Trait Effects: Someone with Warfare 1 can tell when her squad is outnumbered and outflanked. Someone with Warfare 3 can plan a strategy to lead her squad to victory despite being outnumbered and outflanked. Someone with Warfare 5 can plan a strategy to lead her squad to victory despite being outnumbered and outflanked by an army.
Specialties: Tactics, Strategy, Small Units, Large Armies, Naval Battles, Military Scouting, Chess,

WEAPONRY
This trait is important in combat. As the name implies, the Weaponry Ability represents your character’s experience or training in fighting with everything from beer bottles to pipes, knives to swords. While for humans, formal instruction in Weaponry is uncommon (restricted to military and law-enforcement training and a few martial arts), any character who has grown up on the street or spent a lot of time in seedy bars has had ample opportunity to learn this Ability. When it comes right down to it, handling a baseball bat isn’t all that different from swinging a broadsword or an axe. Characters use Weaponry when they want to hit someone with a close-combat weapon, such as an iron bar, a two-by-four or a blade. Transformers have a much easier time learning this Ability, as close-combat weapons never require ammunition, which is often an advantage in a millennium long war. Note that dots in Weaponry do not apply to manually fixing or creating weapons, only to wielding them. Construction and repair of weapons is the province of the Crafts Ability.
Trait Effects: A character with Weaponry 1 knows how to fight with a weapon in his hands. He’s skilled enough to be more dangerous to his opponents than to himself. A character with Weaponry 3 is deadly with a knife or an axe handle; he can hold his own against multiple opponents if need be. A character with Weaponry 5 would have been considered a master swordsman or knife fighter in another age. The most mundane items — pool cues, table legs, tow chains, etc. — become deadly weapons in his capable hands.
Specialties: Improvised Weapons, In Formation, Fighting With Two Weapons, Hammers, Knives, Maces, Single Combat, Spears, Specific Fighting Style, Specific Martial Art Style, Swords, Gladiatorial Combat, Mounted Combat, Duels, Mass Combat, Demonstrations, Showing Off,

[John Out West]

Its already a lot. I have a lot of questions and am curious about the system, but that's off topic.

One thing you're missing, I feel, is a Conspiracy skill. This is similar to Academics, except it focuses on the investigation and knowledge of secrets, mysteries, cover-ups, and unreliable stories too weird not to be true.

Essentially, its Academics for people who would rather be Skeptics than Nerds. You could use it to get information on where a nearby government base could be, or identifying that a government agent has been around lately that has been all over the internet forums following missing persons reports, or to learn about someone who went missing under mysterious circumstances.

I only watched a few of the Transformers movies, but based on them, Conspiracy should be a skill.

Hope this helps.

[lightningcat]

I understand that there are a lot of abilities. The current version has 30 abilities. But I was running into weird situations where splitting a couple of the abilities made sense. This whole thing might be a darling I have to sacrifice later, but I was easily able to figure out 4 of the 5 new abilities.

As for Conspiracy, it does fit into an intersection between Buraucracy and Acedemics. I am going to have to look into this one.

[lightningcat]

Bump for additional help