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***  GEARHEAD  CHARACTER  MANUAL  ***
*************************************

This file describes the stats and skills which are available to
GearHead characters. There's a lot of information here, so if this
is your first time playing you may be better off just reading the
introduction.txt file and coming back to this one after you have
a bit more experience.


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***  CHARACTER  STATS  ***
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01. Reflexes

	If an action has to do with fine motor control, chances
	are that it will be based on Reflexes.

02. Body

	Feats of strength, endurance, and physical conditioning are
	governed by Body. This also determines your health points and
	how much equipment you can carry.

03. Speed

	If an action involves either movement or reaction time, chances
	are that it will be based on Speed.

04. Perception

	Noticing things and feats of spatial perception are covered
	by Perception.

05. Craft

	Creating items, repairing things, and using tools are all actions
	which are based on Craft.

06. Ego

	Actions involving force of will are based on Ego.

07. Knowledge

	Knowledge determines how many skills your character can learn
	without receiving an experience penalty.

08. Charm

	The ability to get along well with other people without holding
	a gun to their head is determined by Charm.


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***  THE  SKILLS  ***
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01. Mecha Gunnery (Reflexes)

	This skill is used when attacking with projectile or beam
	weapons which do Class 10 Damage or less.

02. Mecha Artillery (Perception)

	This skill is used when attacking with missiles or ranged
	weapons which do Class 11 Damage or greater.

03. Mecha Weapons (Reflexes)

	This skill is used when attacking with mecha-mounted close
	combat weapons. It is also used to parry with a weapon or
	shield.

04. Mecha Fighting (Speed)

	This skill is used when attacking with a mecha's arms, legs,
	and other limbs.

05. Mecha Piloting (Reflexes)

	The ability to control a mecha and, quite importantly, to
	evade enemy fire.

06. Small Arms (Reflexes)

	This skill covers rifles and pistols with a Damage Class or 10
	or lower.

07. Heavy Weapons (Perception)

	This skill covers personal missile launchers, miniguns, and
	other large human scale weapons. It also covers the use of
	most grenades.

08. Armed Combat (Reflexes)

	This skill covers swords, knives, axes, spears, and other
	close combat weapons. It is also used to parry with a
	weapon or shield.

09. Martial Arts (Body)

	The use of one's own body parts as weapons.

10. Dodge (Speed)

	The ability to get out of the way in a hurry.

11. Awareness (Perception)

	The ability to notice things at a distance. In game terms, the
	ability to spot enemy units while they are behind cover.

12. Initiative (Speed)

	This skill helps to determine how quickly a character can
	attack in combat.

13. Vitality (Body)

	An experienced character's learned resistance to pain and
	injury. This skill increases a character's health points.

14. Survival (Craft)

	The ability to survive if lost in the woods.

15. Mecha Repair (Craft)

	The ability to fix mecha.

16. Medicine (Knowledge)

	A doctor's ability to treat long term illness and injury. If a
	limb is reduced to 0 HP, medical skill may be used to treat
	it.

17. Electronic Warfare (Craft)

	The ability to use ECM and other EW systems.

18. Spot Weakness (Craft)

	This skill improves the chance of scoring a critical hit in combat.
	It doesn't work when making burst fire attacks.

19. Conversation (Charm)

	This skill determines interaction rolls while chatting politely.
	Also, if you have a high conversation skill NPCs are more likely
	to provide useful information while chatting.

20. First Aid (Craft)

	Knowledge of emergency medicine, and the ability to treat
	injuries while in the field.


21. Shopping (Charm)

	A combination of bargain hunting and haggling. A character with
	this skill will ensure the lowest possible price for any purchase.

22. Bio Technology (Knowledge)

	This skill covers the repair and maintenance of advanced
	biological constructs.

23. General Repair (Craft)

	This skill allows a character to fix most kinds of human scale
	equipment.

24. Cybertech (Ego)

	Sort of a cross between medicine and mecha tech, Cybernetics
	is the science of augmenting human bodies with mechanical
	components. This skill is needed to prevent the side effects
	associated with excessive cybernetics use.

25. Stealth (Speed)

	This skill allows a character to hide more effectively. It is
	automatically used if the character is in some terrain which
	provides cover, and if the character is traveling at cruise
	speed or slower.

26. Athletics (Body)

	This skill allows a character to perform physically tiring actions
	for a longer time than normally possible. It increases the number
	of stamina points available.

27. Flirtation (Charm)

	A character with this skill can get a better reaction from NPCs
	of the opposite gender.

28. Intimidation (Ego)

	The ability to make threats which will be believed. This 
	skill is often used when dealing with unfriendly NPCs. It
	may also be used when your PC is trying to sound like a
	tough guy (or gal).

29. Science (Knowledge)

	This skill covers knowledge of physics, chemistry, and biology.
	It might not be a particularly useful skill for a mecha pilot, but
	everyone needs a hobby. This skill is sometimes used when talking
	with NPCs about scientific matters.

30. Concentration (Ego)

	A character with this skill is better able to work at mentally
	challenging tasks. It increases the number of mental points
	available.

31. Mecha Engineering (Knowledge)

	Used when altering a mecha.

32. Code Breaking (Craft)

	Ability to circumvent locks, passwords, and other security
	measures.

33. Weight Lifting (Body)

	Increases the amount of equipment your character may carry.

34. Mysticism (Ego)

	Knowledge about religion and spiritual matters.

35. Performance (Charm)

	Ability to play musical instruments and otherwise entertain
	people. Using this skill costs both SP and MP.

36. Resistance (Ego)

	Improves your chance to avoid negative status effects
	such as poisoning, burns, and so on. Also helps to keep your
	character in good spirits when the going gets rough.

37. Investigation (Perception)

	Ability to spot hidden doors and locate clues.

38. Robotics (Knowledge)

	Ability to construct robot pets from spare parts.
	Using this skill costs mental points and, of course, the parts.

39. Leadership (Charm)

	This skill increases the number of lancemates who may accompany
	you at one time.

40. Dominate Animal (Ego)

	You can tame wild animals.

41. Pick Pockets (Craft)

	You can steal money and items from NPCs. Using this skill is
	a chaotic act, and is likely to make you somewhat unpopular.

