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As we’ve mentioned before, skill degrees are calculated from the number of dice spent on a particular skill. We’ve also mentioned that sometimes a higher degree can have a different effect. These aren't always standard, especially when it comes to Special Abilities, but all Attack Skills, Defense Skills, and Attributes (as well as Special Abilities, where appropriate), follow the following standards:

The skill-user must use the skill on themselves or someone they touch or are touching them. The mana required per round of duration only requires additional mana if it's a skill that continues to do additional damage or something that reasonably might require it. Someone healed from this affect, for example, would stay healed but would not continue to heal additionally each round thereafter without additional mana.

At second degree, as user's skill can be extended to a distance. This could be created at a distance or fired from the caster in the direction of something at a distance. It can also imbue the skill upon a weapon for the duration of one attack (though its duration will require additional mana to maintain if the weapon is not used immediately). Skills created at a distance must be visible to the skill-user (though this could be augmented by other skills such as clairvoyance or x-ray vision) and remain so for the duration of the skill. This includes creating something INSIDE of another creature. If a skill-user is naturally blind, the GM should make special allowances, perhaps within hearing range or some range of sixth-sense. Creating objects within other creatures should still generally be discouraged.

For more on what these “points” can be, see Area of Effect below.

A second degree skill-user can also create 2 degrees worth of effects as one action. In the case of a second degree skill-user, this is limited to two first degree effects, e.g. affecting themselves and one party member touched, touching two party members, touching two enemies, etc. Later skill-users can use 3, 4, 5, or more degrees of effects as a single action.

Third degree skill users can now extend their skills in two dimensions, e.g. a wall or plane. The plane or wall may be of any shape, not necessarily rectangular. Star-shapes, circular planes, triangular planes, etc, may be created. For more on what these “planes” can be, see Area of Effect below. Like second degree skill-users, these objects must be created within view of the skill-user and maintain visibility for the duration of the skill. For the purpose of this skill, weapons like dancing hammers or swords are considered two-dimensional.

They can also use point to point attacks using two-dimensions. This is generally a fan, pushing out from the skill-user to a triangular shape no wider or longer than the dimensions allowed. The player is allowed to be inventive as to the formation of the “fan”, as long as it remains within the confines of the fan shape, e.g. a fan of fiery throwing stars. Unlike second level point to point attacks, this can be maintained but requires mana to do so.

They can also place their skill in touched locations, drawing them on walls, floors, or even the air. These are often used as traps, but they could take the form of a sound or illusion as well. These are triggered when something physical comes in contact with them.

Fourth degree skill users can now extend their skills in three dimensions, including storms, clouds, cubes, spheres, or prisms of any shape. Many dodging effects by opponents are nullified if they are within the area of effect. Like second degree skill-users, these objects must be created within view of the skill-user and the skill-user must maintain visibility for the duration of the skill.

Like third degree skill-users, they can also do point-to-point attacks in more than one dimension, but now they can create their skill in three dimensions, fanning out from the skill-user in the shape of a cone. Like third-degree skill-users, the player can be inventive on the formation of the “cone”.

Fifth Degree is where a skill-user is considered a master. They are no longer as limited as they have been in the past and their skills can sometimes even last without lasting mana drain.

Any weapon can now be imbued with the skill for as long as the skill-user can maintain the skill, based on level. It does not become dispelled at its first use and they no longer require mana to maintain it.

In addition, point to point attacks are now counted as a first degree skill when calculating how many can be performed in a single action, e.g. a fifth degree magician could shoot five fireballs, five sparks of lightning, five rays of cold, heal five characters at a distance, etc.

They can create symbols, runes, glyphs, or sigils that will last until expended without the use of mana.

The master can continue to perform 6, 7, 8, etc degrees of the skill in one action, but gains no further advantages.

In these next sections, we are referring not do the degree of the skill but to the level of the character, non-player character, or monster, which we will collectively refer to as the skill-user. See Experience Levels to refresh your memory if you don't remember what we are talking about.

The distance away something can be affected, thrown, or shot (as applicable) are measured at 1 meter per level of the skill-user.

Example: A magician with first degree fire defense magic can make himself or the character touched immune to fire. A second degree magician can make a person at a distance equal to one meter per level of the magician immune to fire. A fourth degree magician could surround a group up to one meter per level away with a sphere or other three dimensional object to protect them.

One dimensional objects aren’t really one dimensional in the actual sense, but they are generally considered as something which is only large enough to affect one opponent at the end of it. A character with the second degree fire attack skill could conceivably hurl a grenade, shoot an arrow, or even throw a spear-sized object at an opponent as long as they weren’t trying to use it in a way as to affect more than one opponent.

Two-dimensional objects are 1 sq meter per level of the caster. Two dimensional objects are generally walls or floors, but they could be circles, squares, hexagons, or whatever other shape a character wants them to be as long as they are of a level sufficiently high to make them as large as they need to be. For the purpose of area of effect, weapons like dancing hammers or swords are considered two-dimensional.

Three dimensional objects are 1 cubic meter per level of the caster. Three dimensional objects can be cubes, spheres, half spheres, elaborately shaped prisms, or any other three dimensional objects that make sense.

Example: A magician with first degree fire attack magic can cause things to start on fire by touch, including candle wicks, swords, arrows, or clothing. A second degree can hurl the fire in the form of fireballs or light things like campfires or candles from a distance or weapons. A third degree could use it to create walls of fire or two fireballs. A fourth degree could use it to create firestorms.

Does that mean a fourth-degree skilled character could make a key of a substance they are skilled in? Yes, theoretically, provided they know exactly how that key should be shaped. They couldn’t just say that a key is shaped right to fit the door lock they are looking at. They’d have to have some knowledge of how the inside mechanism of that lock functioned. And the substance they used would have to be something that could affect a lock without destroying it.

The length of time a skill can last is one round per level of the caster (but it drains an equal amount of mana each round as it did when it was initially cast).