Expertise
From D20advanced
| EXPERTISE | WIS, Specialization |
|---|
You have some familiarity with things that other people might call “impossible” or “supernatural”, knowledge you most certainly didn’t gain in a traditional school.
Contents |
Use
Expertise is used to identify and analyze FX of a certain relatively broad descriptor. It is a catch-all term for general experience and familiarity of a field which really doesn’t exist in a world without such FX. Some examples include:
- Extra-Terrestrial: Alien technology, species, abilities. You are familiar with visitors from other planets and their capabilities.
- Magic: Necromancy, enchantment, fae. You are able to differentiate between types of magic and identify spells, as well as different magical creatures.
- Martial Arts: Sword-fighting, kung-fu, karate, fencing. You can identify different moves and styles.
- Occult: Incantations, otherworldly monsters, forbidden lore. You know the supernatural, and can recognize creatures not of his world and eldritch secrets man was not meant to know.
- Psionics: Telekinesis, telepathy, clairsentience. You are familiar with different psychic disciplines and the powers they wield.
Identify FX
On your next turn after another creature utilizes an FX with one of the above descriptors, you may use Expertise to identify the FX. You must have been able to perceive the FX in some way (so FX which have the subtle FX feat require a Perception check to identify, and FX with two ranks of subtle might require a specialized sense to be able to perceive. The DC to identify an FX is equal to 10 + the FX’s rank. If you succeed on the check, you can glean some useful information.
Succeed
If your result exceeds the DC, you can identify the type of FX (including all FX components Linked in the FX), including extra descriptors (if not already obvious). This does not tell you about how powerful the FX is in terms of how many ranks it has.
Succeed By 5 or More
If your result exceeds the DC by 5 or more, you can identify how many ranks the FX has.
Succeed By 10 or More
If your result exceeds the DC by 10 or more, you know the full capabilities of the FX, including other Extras, Flaws, Drawbacks, or FX feats it might have.
Informed Combatant
If you have the Informed Combatant feat, you can grant yourself and your allies bonuses against FX which you have identified.
Concentration
Make an Expertise check to concentrate whenever you might be distracted (by taking damage, by harsh weather, and so on) while engaged in some action requiring your full attention, maintaining an FX with a Concentration or Sustained duration. If the check succeeds, you may continue with the action. If the check fails, the action fails. The DC depends on the nature of the distraction. You may only use Expertise from one specialty to apply to checks involving that specialty. So a martial artist can use Expertise to maintain concentration during intense melee combat, or a wizard with Expertise (spellcraft) can do so to maintain magical FX, but the martial artist couldn't use Expertise (Martial Arts) to maintain a magical spell (though he could use the skill for such a purpose non-proficiently).
| TABLE 3.9: CONCENTRATION | |
| Distraction | DC |
| Damaged during the action | damage |
| Taking continuous damage during the action | continuous damage last dealt |
| Maintain a Concentration FX as one action | 10 + FX rank |
| Maintain a Sustained FX as a reaction | 10 + FX rank |
| Vigorous motion (bouncy vehicle ride, small boat in rough water, below decks in a storm-tossed ship, riding a horse) | 10 |
| Violent motion (very rough vehicle ride, small boat in rapids, on deck of storm-tossed ship, galloping horse) | 15 |
| Extraordinarily violent motion (earthquake) | 20 |
| Entangled (such as by a snare) | 15 |
| Bound, grappling, or pinned | 20 |
| Weather is a high wind carrying blinding rain or sleet | 5 |
| Weather is wind-driven hail, dust, or debris | 10 |
Knowledge
Make an Expertise check to answer a question about a descriptor you’ve specialized in. The DC is 10 for easy questions, 15 for basic questions, and 20 to 30 for difficult questions. The GM may make an Expertise roll for you, so you don’t know whether or not your information is accurate.
Try Again
You cannot retry an Expertise check. The check represents what a character knows, and thinking about a topic a second time doesn’t let you know something you didn’t know before. The GM may allow another Expertise check if a character gets access to a better source of information, or for Identifying and FX, seeing that FX used again. For example, a character who doesn’t know what a particular magic spell is off-hand might get another check after seeing it cast a few more times, or after being able to study some more arcane lore.
You may retry your check to Concentrate, although a success doesn’t cancel the effects of a previous failure, such as the disruption of an action you were concentrating on.
Action
Identifying an FX takes one action, and can only be used on the round after an FX was used. Knowledge can be a reaction, but otherwise requires two actions. Making a check to Concentrate doesn’t require an action; it is either a reaction (when attempted in response to a distraction) or a free action (when attempted actively).
Special
You can take 10 when making an Expertise check for Knowledge, but not to Identify an FX.
