Skills

Skills are specialized actions, such as healing allies or attacking enemies and are used by Characters to interact with the world of Horizon. Each Skill performs only a single function, however Characters can gain access to many Skills at a time. The selection and progression of a Character's Skills are completely controlled by the Player, making the Skill build a pivotal element in every Character's playstyle. The depth of a Character's experience with a given action is represented by the rank of the associated Skill. For each rank, the Character gains +1AP, or Action Point, when making a test on that Skill. The difficulty of a test is measured in the AP required to succeed, making the +1AP bonus per Skill rank highly important. If the Character is forced to use a rank 0 Skill, a -10AP penalty is applied to the attempt. Ranks can be added to any available Skill at a cost of 1 Skill Point per rank. For more information, see the Earning Skill Points section.

There are two main types of Skill: Root Skills and Branch Skills, which are grouped into families called Skill Trees. Root Skills form the foundation of Skill Trees, being the first part of the Tree unlocked and granting a +1AP bonus to every Branch Skill in the same Tree. Without having first unlocked the Root Skill, no Branch Skill may gain ranks, meaning that the only way to access a given tree is by gaining the Root Skill first. Each time a Character gains a level, they unlock one new Branch Skill of the Player's choice in an available Skill Tree. For information about unlocking new Root Skills, see the Perks section.

At Character creation, the Player chooses any 3 Root Skills to define their Character's capabilities. Once chosen, the Player may spend Skill Points to add ranks in the selected Root Skills. As these points are spent, the Character begins to gain levels. Each time a level is gained, the Player chooses one new Branch Skill in an available Skill Tree to unlock, allowing further Skill Points to be spent in that Skill. After Character creation, the only way to gain new Root Skills is through the use of Perks, so choose wisely!

Perks are special bonuses which cost no Skill Points and offer a wide variety of unique effects. Every third Character level, a new Perk is gained in addition to the Branch Skill unlock for that level. A given Perk can be selected multiple times if desired, increasing its potency each time, but only a single instance of a single Perk may be gained every third level, so choose wisely! Notably, Perks offer the only method of gaining new Root Skills after Character creation. For more information on specific Perks and their effects, see the Perks List.

Character levels represent the Character's growth as they endeavor through the mystery and adventure of Horizon. Every Character begins at level 1 and can advance an infinite number of times, as Skill Points are spent in their Skills. Character level dictates the maximum rank for all of a Character's Skills, depending on the type of Skill in question. The rank limit for Branch Skills is 1x Character level and and 2x Character level for Root Skills. Additionally, a Character unlocks one new Branch Skill per level and one Perk every three levels. The selection of Branch Skills and Perks available depends on which Skill Trees, and therefore which Root Skills, the Character has.

Character levels advance automatically, gaining a level every time a certain number of Skill Points have been spent in the Character's Skills. Each advance has a higher threshold than the last. The number of points spent to reach a new level is always equal to (the current Character level) + 2. This means at level 1, a Character needs to spend 1 + 2 = 3 Skill Points before reaching level 2. Once at level 2, the same Character would need to spend 2 + 2 = 4 Skill Points to reach level 3.

Spending Skill Points is crucial to a Character's development. Alongside the direct benefits of adding ranks to Root Skills, unlocking new Branch Skills and Perks requires the Character's level to be advanced, which only occurs every time a certain number of Skill Points have been spent. A large number of Skill points are granted when a Character is first created, but after this point the only method of gaining more is attending game sessions with your Character. The number of Skill Points achieved for a session can also vary greatly depending on your performance as a Player. The exact number will always fall to the Director's discretion, but as a general starting point, Skill Points should usually be awarded as follows:

• 1 automatic point each session for every participating Player
• 1 additional point for every Player when the group successfully completes a Side Objective
• 1 additional point for every Player when the group successfully completes a Main Objective
• 1 special point awarded to Players for an especially strong performance; this can take the form of an impressive feat of bravery or cleverness, good leadership, effective teamwork or a strong delivery of roleplaying. If someone is contributing a lot to the group, the gameplay, or especially both, consider giving them a little extra reward!