Skills represent knowledge that Olympian characters may know. Shipbuilding, thievery, kidnaping, training soldiers, castle building, mixing potions, and forging magical artifacts are just a few of the possible actions which skills allow a character to perform.
Skills are divided into category skills and sub-skills within those categories. The skill categories are:
num name time to learn --- ---- ------------- 600 Shipcraft three weeks 610 Combat three weeks 630 Stealth four weeks 650 Beastmastery four weeks, 1 NP req'd 670 Persuasion four weeks 680 Construction three weeks 690 Alchemy four weeks 700 Forestry three weeks 720 Mining three weeks 730 Trade three weeks
There are also six schools of magic. For more details on learning and casting magical spells, see the Magical Arts section.
The category skill must be learned before any of the sub-skills within the category may be known.
With each skill learned, the player will receive a lore sheet describing
background information about the skill and how it may be used. Most
skills are invoked with the `use skilluse and and requirements or limitations for using the skill.
The lore sheets for the skill categories list some of the skills available for study within the category.
For instance, a noble wishing to undertake the study of Shipcraft would
first learn the category skill with the study command:
study 600
The Shipcraft lore sheet lists some of the sub-skills available for building and sailing ships. One of these is Sailing [601], the skill required to control a ship on the ocean. The aspiring captain could then order:
study 601
Once Sailing [601] is known, the lore sheet describing its usage will appear in the player's turn report.
To begin study of a skill requires the following:
The source of instruction may be one of the following:
Some sub-skills within a category may not be listed in the category lore sheet. These are not directly studyable, even once the parent skill is known. They must either be learned from a scroll, a rare book, or through research.
Many cities offer instruction in skills. Shipcraft [600], for example, is commonly taught in port cities.
The turn report lists skills taught by the location:
Skills taught here: Alchemy [690]
research, and is listed as
`Partially known' in the turn report.
Partially known skills: Improve ship rigging [9999], 0/7
Inventory:
qty name
--- ----
1 Old book [6001]
Old book [6001] permits study of the following skills:
Alchemy [690]
A fee of 100 gold is charged when
Some advanced skills require Noble Points to begin study. Each player
begins the game with a number of NPs, and receives an additional one
each year on the anniversary of their entry into the game. Noble Points
may be spent to acquire new nobles, or to learn advanced skills.
Most skills do not require Noble Points to learn. NPs are required for
some heroic combat skills and for advanced magical spells.
For example, the order
Experience is counted for each turn that a skill use is successfully
completed. If a skill is used more than once per turn, only the first
success will count towards experience.
Projects which take multiple turns to complete, such as shipbuilding or
castle construction, only count towards experience when the project is
finished.
Experience will speed work with some skills. For example, a master
shipbuilder will be able to construct a galley somewhat faster than an
apprentice. Some skill uses benefit more from experience than others.
A few skills are not rated for experience. These may be skills which
are not directly used, or ones for which experience has no meaning. If
a skill is not rated for experience, the skill level will not be shown
in the skill listing.
For instance:
Since experience is not applicable to Strength bonus [9999], its level
is not shown.
Direct character-to-character teaching is not possible in Olympia.
However, it is said that some magicians and alchemists possess the
ability to record knowledge on scrolls, which other characters may study
from.
This is a rough, heavily edited example of how some study commands might
look in a turn report. All of the other details that a real turn report
would have were omitted to focus on the study orders.
Turn one:
Further skills may be found through research.
Turn two:
(It doesn't matter where 601 is studied, since 600 offers it directly.)
Turn three:
(Need to find a location or book that offers instruction in Alchemy)
Turn four:
(Alchemy requires 14 days of study to learn, seven of which we have
completed.)
Turn five:
study is first issued for a
skill. The payment is used to acquire various materials needed for the
study and eventual practice of the skill.
Advanced skills
Study limit
Characters may STUDY up to 14 days per turn.
Fast study
All new players are given 100 "fast study" points. Each fast study
point may be applied to a skill being studied in lieu of actually
spending a day studying.
study 600 7 would apply 7
fast study days to learning Shipcraft. This study order would
take 0 days to execute.
Skill Experience
use level
----- -----
0-4 apprentice
5-11 journeyman
12-20 adept
21-34 master
35+ grand master
Skills not rated for experience
Skills known:
601 Sailing, apprentice
9999 Strength bonus
Teaching
Summary of studying
study is
issued:
study up to 14 days per month.
research, so it may now be studied.
study of that skill has no effect.
A rough example
Skills taught here:
Shipcraft [600]
1: > study 600
1: Paid 100 gold to begin study.
1: Will study Shipcraft for seven days.
7: Learned Shipcraft [600].
Lore for Shipcraft [600]
------------------------
All skills concerning ocean travel fall under this category.
Shipcraft encompasses the building and repair of ships,
training of sailors, and navigation at sea.
The following skills may be studied directly once Shipcraft
is known:
num skill time to learn
--- ----- -------------
601 Sailing one week
...
1: > study 601
1: Paid 100 gold to begin study.
1: Will study Sailing for seven days.
7: Learned Sailing [601].
1: > study 690
1: Instruction in [690] is not available here.
1: enter xxxx
1: Arrival at City of Alchemists [xxxx]
Skills taught here:
Alchemy [690]
1: > study 690
1: Paid 100 gold to begin study.
1: Will study Alchemy for seven days.
Partially known skills:
690 Alchemy, 7/14
1: > study 690
1: Continue studying Alchemy.
7: Learned Alchemy [690].
Skills known:
600 Shipcraft
601 Sailing, apprentice
690 Alchemy