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Knowledge skills generally reflect how much a character knows about a given subjectm, whether it's aliens, languages, or laws. Alien species involves knowledge of any species outside of the character's. For human characters, it covers all non-humans; for Wookiees, the skill covers all non-Wookiees. This skill reflects a character's familiarity with bureaucracies and their procedures. Bureaucracy can be used in two ways: The character has a working knowledge of businesses and business procedures. A character skilled in business might want to run his/her own company, or knows how to convince a warehouse manager to give him/her a tour of a facility or to allow him/her to "borrow" a few things inan emergency. This skill reflects knowledge of particular cultures and common cultural forms (primitive tribal civilizations tend to be somewhat similar, for example). Cultures allows a character to determine how he/she is expected to behave in a particular situation among a certain group of individuals. The more obscure the information or culture, the higher the difficulty. Cultural knowledge includes information about a certain group's art, history, politicsm customs, rites or passage, and veiws on outsiders. This skill can be used for cultures of one's own species or for those of other species. Intimidation is a character's ability to scare or frighten other to force them to obey commands, reveal information they wish to keep hidden, or otherwise do the bidding of the intimidating character. The common language of the Known Galaxy is Basic. Most people speak it - if not as their main language, they are at least fluent in it - and virtually everyone can understand it. However, some areas of the galaxy are so isolated that Basic is rarely spoken. Some aliens can't or refuse to speak Basic. For example, Wookiees can understand Basic, but, because of the structure of their mouths, usually cannot speak it. Ewoks do not normally understand Basic, but can learn it fairly easily. The character is familiar with the law enforcement techniques and procedures. He/she knows how to deal with the authorities - for example, he/she may be able to persuade a customs official not to impound their ship or not arrest him/her for a minor offense. This skill reflects a character's general knowledge of geography, weather, life-forms, trade products, settlements, technology, government and other general information about different systems and planets. Much of this information is gained from personal experience, computer records and hearsay from others who've visited various systems. This skill reflects formal academic training or dedicated research in a particular field. Scholar also reflects a character's ability to find information through research. Characters often choose a specialization to reflect a specific area which they have studied. Specializations are subjects often taught at the great universities throughout the galaxy, including archaeology, botony, chemistry, geology, history, hyperspace theories, and physics. Specializations can also be topics a character can research on their own. Streetwise reflects a character's familiarity with underworld organizations and their operation. He/she can use streetwise to make a contact in the criminal underworld, purchase illegal goods or services, or find someone to do something illegal. This skill represents how much a character knows about surviving in hostile environments, including deserts, jungles, ocean, forests, asteroid belts, volcanoes, poisonous atmosphere worlds, mountains and other dangerous terrain. Tactics repesents character's skill in deploying military forces and maneuvering them to his/her best advantage. It may be rolled to gain general knowledge of how best to stage certain military operations: blockading a planet with a fleet, invading an enemy installation, assaulting a fixed turbolaser bunker. This skill reflects a character's ability to gauge the fair market value of goods based on the local economy, the availability of merchandise, quality and other market factors. The character can also gauge specific capabilities of and modifications made to goods with regard to performance. Willpower is a character's strength of will and determination. It is used to resist intimidationi and persuasion. The character has a good working knowledge of crops and animal herds, and can suggest appropriate crops for a type of soil, or explain why crop fields have been affected. The character has a good working knowledge of the interdependent nature of ecospheres, and can determine how proposed changes will affect the sphere. This skill can be used in one minute to determine the probable role of a life form within its biosphere: predator, prey or some other quick description of its ecological niche. This skill covers the basic knowledge of genetics, genetic theory and evolution.
Knowledge is a measure of your character's "common sense" and academic knowledge. Characters with a high Knowledge have a good memory for details, and have learned a lot about different aliens and planets. They often have a flair for languages, and they know how to get things done in bureaucracies.
Knowledge is used whenever a player wants to find out how much his/her character knows about a certain field. The difficulty depends upon how obscure the information is and how much the character knows about the general subject.
Alien Species
Time Taken: One round or longer.
Specialization: Knowledge of particular alien species - Wookiees, Gamorreans, Ewoks, Sullustans.
Alien species represents knowledge of customs, societies, physical appearance, attitudes, philosophy, history, art, politics, special abilities, and other areas of reasonable knowledge.
Bureaucracy
Time Taken: One round to several days.
Specializations: Specific planetary or administrative government, or
branch within it - Tatooine, Celanon, Bureau of Commerce, Bureau of Ships and Services.
First, the character can use this skill to determine whether or not he/she knows what to expect from a bureaucracy. For example, if a character needs to get a permit for his/her blaster, a successful bureaucracy skill check means he/she knows what forms abd identification he/she needs, who he/she would have to talk to, how long the process might take, and some short cuts he/she might be able to use.
Second, bureaucracy can also be used to find out what information a bureaucracy has on file.
Business
Time Taken: One round to one day or longer.
Specializations: Field or organization (company, conglomerate, trade guild) - starships, weapons, droids, Sienar Fleet Systems, Corporate Sector Authority, Golan Arms.
Characters with a high business skill know how much it costs companies to produce goods and will be able to negotiate for good prices direct from a company or distributor. The character probably has several contacts in the business world and can get special favors done for him/her if he/she is somewhere where the company has a lot of power.
Cultures
Time Taken: One round to one day or longer.
Specializations: Planet or social group - Corellians, Alderaan royal family, Brentaal, Prexian pirates.
Intimidation
Time Taken: One round to several hours or longer.
Specializations: Interrogation, bullying.
Intimidation is normally dependent upon a character's physical presence, body language or force of will to be successful. Some characters use the threat of torture, pain, or other unpleasantries to intimidate others.
Characters resist intimidation with the willpower skill.
Languages
Time Taken: One round.
Specializations: Specific language known - Wookiee, Huttese, Bocce,
Ewok.
The languages skill is used to determine whether or not a character understands something in another language.
Law Enforcement
Time Taken: One round.
Specialization: Particular planet's or organization's laws and procedures - Alderaan, Tatooine, the Empire, Rebel Alliance.
Characters are also knowledgeable about laws. By making a successful law enforcement skill check, the character will know whether or not bribery, resistance or cooperation is advisable under particular circumstances. This skill covers major laws - New Republic or Imperial - and their underlying principles. Some planets have very unusual legal systems and customs: law enforcement difficulties on these worlds should be much higher.
Planetary Systems
Time Taken: One round.
Specializations: Specific system or planet - Tatooine, Endor, Hoth,
Kessel.
Characters specializing in particular planets have a deeper knowledge of more subtle details - more than the average general database would contain. Although someone with an impproved planetary systems skill would know that Tatooine's deserts are home to Jawas and Tusken Raiders, those with planetary systems: Tatooine would know the role the role the Jawa scavengers play in supplying the moisture farners with spare parts and droids.
Scholar
Time Taken: One round to several days.
Specializations: Particular field of study - archaeology, Jedi lore, history, geology, physics.
Scholar represents "book-learning," not information learned from practical experience. A character can know the various hyperspace theories inside and out, but this doesn't qualify him/her to fly starships through hyperspace (that's covered by the astrogation skill). He/she might know the physical principles which make a blaster fire, but that doesn't make him/her a better shot.
Streetwise
Time Taken: One round to one day or longer.
Specializations: Specific planet or criminal organization - Celanon, Corellia, Jabba the Hutt's organization, Black Sun, Tallon Karrde's organization.
Illegal activities may include the usual vices: gambling, fencing stolen goods, racketeering, blackmail, contract killing, and fraud. Because Imperial laws are repressive, some actions deemed "criminal" may be perfectly moral; freeing slaves, delivering medicine and food to refugees from Imperial aggression, and smuggling wanted criminals (such as Alliance personnel) through Imperial blockades. This skill also reflects knowledge of specific criminal bosses, such as Jabba the Hutt or Talon Karrade, and their organizations and activities.
Survival
Time Taken: One round when used for knowledge or reacting to danger; one hour or more when looking for necessities.
Specializations: Type of environment - volcano, jungle, desert,
poisonous atmosphere.
Survival can be rolled to gain general information - revealing what the character knows about this environment - and it can give clues as to how best to deal with native dangers.
If the character is in a dangerous situation, the player may roll the survival skill to see if the character knows how to handle the situation.
Tactics
Time Taken: On round to several minutes.
Specializations: Type of military unit - squads, fleets, capital ships, ground assault.
This skill may also be used to determine the best response to an opponent's move in battle: what to do if the enemy entraps your ships in a pincer movement, how to proceed in the assault shouold reinforcements arrive, what to do if a unit becomes trapped behind enemy lines.
Although tactics rolls might reveal how best to handle military situations, the final outcome of how well the character's side does in a battle hinges on other skill rolls - command for the leader, and the combat rolls of both forces.
Value
Time Taken: One round.
Specializations: Type of goods or specific planet's markets - starships,
droids, Kessel, Coruscant.
Using value often anwsers the question, "How much is it really worth?" Results often depend on the source of information about the item, and how much the character already knows about the kind of merchandise. A starship dealer rattling on about a particular used-freightor might be exaggerating - although characters can make some estimations based on the starship model. If the item can be examined in person, its value is much easier to determine.
Willpower
Time Taken: One round.
Specializations: Kind of coercion to be resisted - persuasion,
intimidation.
Also, when a character fails a stamina check, if the character can make a willpower check at one higher level of difficulty, he/she can drive himself/herself on through sheer willpower. A character doing this has to make a willpower check as often as he/she would normally have had to make a stamina check, with all checks at one difficulty level higher. Once the character fails a check or stops pushing himself/herself, he/she is completely exhausted and must rest double the normal length of time. If, as a result of failing a stamina check, the character would have suffered any damage, the character suffers one worse wound level as a result of pushing his/her body far beyond its limitations.
Agriculture
Time Taken: Five minutes to know how; and at least one standard week to carry out.
Ecology
Time Taken: At least one standard month
Genetics
Time Taken: One day to one month