Skills

Masked uses a stripped down and simplified skill system, fitting with its cinematic Unisystem roots. Skills are rated from 1 to a theoretically unlimited maximum, though in play, the odds that anything would ever exceed a 10 would be slim. Kate Moss on cocaine slim. Ratings from 1-4 are most common, and almost always enough to handle normal people; higher ratings have a higher cost at CharGen (Character Generation) and are 3 skill points per level over level 5, but are very rare to see.

Below is a look at what contemporary pop-fiction characters would probably have if they were ranked.

A normal human would have six to eight skills trained, probably with a one or two in most of those and maybe two or four with a higher score like a three or four. A one or two in a skill shows you know what you are doing but are new to the subject or just not very interested - you could do it as a hobby, but probably not professionally. A three or four is something you would do professionally. A five is something you've spent a few years developing considerably. A six or seven is something you've been doing for a long, long time or are very, very adept at.

Most people do not have any skills this high (the best of the best have perhaps a five in their most useful skill), but it is certainly possible. An eight or above indicates a masterful ability, and training most of your life to reach that level. A nine or ten? Damn near impossible, unless you've spent an extensive lifetime (or several lifetimes) working it - not to mention XP. Don't expect to have something that high at CharGen.

Avoid stacking certain stats while having a zero Knowledge or something. It's not only stupid and makes us hate you, it has resounding in-game effects for your character. Remember - if it involves someone else, it involves a skill - and a roll.

Acrobatics

Not just for little Mongolian girls, Russian punks, or parkouristes. Now you too can do flashy things in the air and along the ground! You could use it to be sneaky, but it's usually found with Dexterity when you're trying to do that awesome wall flip or impress that super cute guy with your gym-nasty skills.

2: You've had some training - may be able to dodge a wrench and/or a ball (Jimmy Olsen)
3: Spry, springy, supple and sexy; great at stepping it up (Cyclops)
5: You could've kicked ass in Beijing in '08 (Daredevil)
8: Shouldn't you be in the Matrix (People in… The Matrix?)
10+: Dude, fuck you (Spider-Man)

Art

A catch-all for Fine Arts, this just means pleasing the senses or making a great story. Do you cook? Write? Ride elephants artfully? Paint? Sculpt? Interpretive miming? Sing? That's art! Pick a specialty and tell us what it is during character application. You, too, can be on the set of The Producers.

1: Can draw more than just stick figures (The Joker)
3: Skilled amateur/Decent professional (Those fools on The Voice - Levine's team)
5: Highly skilled professional (Isaac Mendez)
8: Practically transcendent, nearly unmatched - literally angelic or God-like (Jay Guthrie)

Computer

Hacking is cool. Actually, no - it's not - but at least it's useful. This is what you'd combine with an attribute if, obviously, it involved computers or microchips. Keep in mind that if you're using this to hack someone's system, there's a negative penalty applied based on the complexity of the system. An office desktop might be -1, while a top secret SIGINT system might be -10.

0: You can surf the internets, E-mail, Use the MyFace (Aunt May)
2: Ubuntu is your bitch (Ben Riley)
4: You're an old hand with multiple OS's and you can program with gusto (Beast)
8: You can hack anything (Blackbox)

Crime

Crime is your general lock-picking, sneaking around in the dark, ambush-bugging, and thievery skill, though you can't really pull a con or hack with this one. You'd use Influence and Computers for those. And no, while you can jack a car this doesn't mean you drive it well.

1: You can hide (The Thing)
3: Breaking & entering isn't hard (Spider-Man)
4: You could be a career criminal (Batman)
5: You're an accomplished felon (Green Goblin)
8: Military covert ops, world-class art thief (Kingpin)

Doctor

Covering everything from basic first aid up to full-on surgery, this is the skill that gets used for putting people back together again, healing, and diagnosing illness. The roll is Intelligence + Doctor, and each success restores 1 Life Point of damage per Intelligence point per success level (though just once for a set of injuries). More importantly, though, this is really the only way to stabilize a dying person short of healing abilities.

2: Advanced first aid training (Mary-Jane Watson)
3: Highly advanced paramedic training, nursing abilites (Flash Thompson)
4: Master's nursing or medical degree, you're a decent doctor (Beast)
6: Skilled doctor (Night Nurse)
8: World renowned surgeon, master healer (Doctor Strange)

Driving

Most people don't care about driving, but for those car guys and car girls, there is this Paul Walker-esque skill.

0: You passed the test, and can drive from one point to another without a problem
1: You're a decent driver under pressure (Nightcrawler)
3: You're a great driver, and could even pull some cool tricks (James Bond)
4: You could be an experienced patrol cop or wheel-man, catch the other guy in a chase (Wolverine)
6: You can Tokyo Drift well; probably beat that d-bag Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Nightwing)

Getting Medieval

Sometimes you just gotta throw a knife or kill them with a crossbow. When that urge hits Getting Medieval is the way to go. This is the skill that covers weapons like swords, knives, spears and anything that isn't your body and doesn't use powder explosives. In other words, this is the weaponry skill. Staffs, ladders, bows; anything bladed, medieval, or dangerous. Also includes improvised weapons, which the PGM/Staff will determine damage and minuses for.

1: You can use a weapon effectively (Prisoner with a shank, Monkeys knife fighting)
3: Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my Father. Prepare to die! (A Junior Olympics fencer)
4: Expert with a huge variety of weapons (Robin)
7: You're a master with improvised and traditional weapons, nearly unmatched (Jackie Chan characters)
8+: Anime-levels (Ra's Al-Ghul)

Gun Fu

Hardboiled fans, this is the skill for you. The mastery of hurtling high-velocity lead aided by projectile devices. In other words, shooting a gun. Just don't try to curve the bullet. You can take more time and aim when using a gun, as well.

1: You could use a gun properly (Spider-Man)
2: You'd be able to hit a slow-moving live target (Pretty much anyone from Alaska or Texas)
3: Marksman (Iron Fist)
4: Military snipers/Ridiculously good shots (Deadpool)
6: You could hit a quarter with a trickshot behind your back (Deadshot)
8+: You don't even need to look to hit (Wesley Gibson)

Influence

Oh my god! You're a people person. Not just that, though, you've got a pretty good chance of being downright charming when you try. Assuming you've got the Influence to do it. Just remember - some people can never be pleased.

1: You can handle normal conversation quite well (J. Jonah Jameson)
3: Exceedingly Charming (Sue Storm)
4: You're a regular at Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway (Tony Stark)
6+: You don't need Hypnosis (Don Draper - every episode of Mad Men except "The Suitcase")

Knowledge

You may not be Layla Miller, but you do know things. Knowledge is the general accumulation of facts and intelligence combined to make you a smart cookie.

1: You didn't sleep through all of high school (Image)
3: Graduated college/higher education (Captain America)
4: You could have a masters or doctorate in a field (Peter Parker)
5: You probably have a plethora of awards and published books (Beast)
7+: Walking encyclopedia (Reed Richards)

Kung Fu

"Basically, Kenny, you are Keanu Reeves." Only you won't be playing PSP, you'll be kicking ass with the only two registered weapons you ever need. Hands and feet. Fingers and knees. Head and Shoulders (like the shampoo!). If it involves hand-to-hand (no weapons) fighting, it's this.

2: You can handle yourself well (Iceman)
4: Experienced brawler/Master of one style (Cyclops)
5: Black-belt in multiple disciplines and a highly useful fighter (Psylocke)
6: Teacher/Master, numerous styles (Wolverine)
7: You could be in a ridiculous Hong Kong Wu-Xia action flick and survive - probably beat 300 men in kumite (Batman)
10+: Jet Li would be jealous (Shang-Chi)

Languages

Exactly as it sounds. You speak a language other than your given native language. Essentially: each one is a language you speak fluently outside of the given one (which is, for this game, English).

1: You speak a second language (Colossus)
3: You speak several languages (Wolverine)
5: Well-traveled or a real academic (Starfire)
9: Is there anything you don't speak (Vandal Savage)

Mr. Fix-It

Repair skill. Any kind of repairing skills or shoddy builds will be covered with this. Even mechanical stuff. Taking things apart or putting them back together means Mr. Fix-It. Except computers, which are covered by Computers.

1: You paid attention to your dad (Nightcrawler)
3: You could be that dad (Colossus)
4: Skilled handyman/incredibly versed Engineer (Wolverine)
6: An outstanding inventor/build-man (Toyman)
10+: Your knowledge of craft is unmatched (Forge)

Notice

Get a clue! Notice is paired with Perception, mainly, and just means you can see things others may overlook. If successful, you noticed that skinny dude pocketing a bag of cheetoes and will be notified by the PGM; if you didn't, you suck.

2: You see things (Human Torch)
3: Stuff others don't see - you nearly always do (Green Goblin)
5: Notice just about anything (Robin)
7: Don't even bother hiding (Batman)

Science

You've seen so much Bill Nye you've finally just become a good scientist. Science is the skill for scientific or technological advancement. Intelligence and Science usually go hand in hand, so that's what you'll need to be truly effective with this skill. It's usually also used as part of research for making that new gadget for your utility belt or just another doomsday device.

1: You remember to wear gloves and goggles (Invincible)
3: Graduate science training (Peter Parker)
4: You could be in the world's foremost R&D departments (Beast)
5: The impossible is possible (Valeria Richards, Bruce Banner)
7: You know truths that others cannot comprehend. (Reed Richards)

Sports

So you want to be like Kobe (only not a sexual offender)? This is the skill you'd use. It governs most sports, except those that are covered by other skills…like gymnastics, which is under Acrobatics. Or pugilism, which goes under Kung Fu.

1: You're usually at pick-up games (Franklin Richards)
3: You could've easily made the high school team. (Cyclops)
4: You could've gotten a full scholarship, and gone pro (Flash Thompson)
7: LeBron! (Yeah, LeBron's my boy)

Survival

This is a game about superheroes, but as with every other game a main goal is still survival. In a world where the main powers and players have superhuman abilities, though, survival is as much about wit and meta-conscious intertextuality as it is living off the land. Survival is the measure of how well you can stay alive in a super-heroic world. When you want to know secret identities, uncover superhuman agencies, or draw up past digressions committed by metahumans or superheros, you use Survival. It's all quite Kafkaesque.

Since the last few decades have put the masks in the limelight and the general public have finally realized that superheroes (and villains) are out there, this skill basically covers anything that has to do with factual superhero knowledge - you know, the who's who and what's what. Not just their secret identities, but their public personas, abilities, and in some cases personal life. At higher levels, this also includes the history of superhumans, and possibly real identities. Sadly this skill does not double as actual Survivalist skills. Try Wild Card - Outdoorsmanship.

1: You know the names, vaguely, of the biggest heroes and villains (The Inhumans)
2: You can name the popular regional supes and their abilities, maybe their haunts and enemies (Hulk)
3: You know some things that don't get published, some very interesting secrets (Wolverine)
4: You could probably write your own articles, and know a whole mess of secrets you shouldn't - probably find out secret identities (Ben Urich)
6+: Do you work for the government? (Nick Fury)

Wild Card

Okay, so your character has a skill that isn't covered here. Basically, if there's any skill you have that's better than average, you use this. Pretty much anyone has one, so a lot of characters who are truthful to life will have at least one WC. Monkey-baiting, creative uses for hazelnut chocolate spreads, botany, Middle-Earth trivia, or opening pickle jars better than Vertigo. You're welcome to have as many as you want - in fact, we encourage it. For now, your Wild Card skill will stack with whatever the most relevant other skill would be. Think of it as a specialized bonus.

1: Pretty impressive amateur (Mary-Jane Watson — Cinema)
3: Accomplished and well-versed (Wolverine — Tobacco Products)
5: You could have a graduate degree in this - know just about everything (Vampires — Blade)
7+: You know everything and then some (The Guardians of the Universe — Universal… Guarding?)

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