💡 Talents
Talents are natural aptitudes that give +1 per level to a group of related skills, plus a bonus to reaction rolls from those who appreciate that talent. Each Talent has a fixed cost per level reflecting how broad and powerful its skill group is. Most Talents max at 4 levels.
Psi Talents follow the same rules but are capped at 2 levels for starting characters in Shattered Earth.
★ = Custom Talent defined for Shattered Earth. Custom Talents use the same mechanics as standard Talents: +1 per level to listed skills and a reaction bonus from those who appreciate that aptitude.
| Talent | Cost/Level | Skills Covered |
|---|---|---|
| General Talents | ||
| Animal Friend | 5 | Animal Handling, Falconry, Naturalist, Riding, Teamster, Veterinary |
| Artistic Talent | 10 | Artist, Jeweler, Musical Instrument, Photography, Sculpting, Sewing, Singing, Weaving |
| Born Biker ★ | 5 | Bicycling, Driving (Motorcycle), Mechanic (Motorcycle) |
| Born Sailor | 5 | Boating, Knot-Tying, Navigation (Sea), Seamanship, Swimming |
| Business Acumen | 10 | Accounting, Administration, Finance, Market Analysis, Merchant |
| Cat Burglar | 10 | Acrobatics, Climbing, Escape, Holdout, Lockpicking, Shadowing, Sleight of Hand, Stealth |
| Citywise ★ | 10 | Criminology, Current Affairs (any urban specialty), Scrounging, Streetwise, Urban Survival |
| Combat Sense | 10 | Fast-Draw, Gunner, Guns (all), Tactics, Throwing |
| Craftiness | 10 | Camouflage, Disguise, Holdout, Shadowing, Sleight of Hand, Smuggling, Stealth |
| Dealmaker ★ | 10 | Administration, Finance, Merchant, Negotiation, Savoir-Faire (any business or social specialty) |
| Engineer Talent | 10 | Electronics (all), Engineer (all), Machinist, Mechanic (all), Metallurgy |
| Expert Pilot | 10 | Aerobatics, Navigation (Air/Space), Piloting (all), Spacer |
| Gifted Artist | 5 | Artist, Musical Composition, Musical Instrument, Photography, Sculpting, Singing |
| Green Thumb | 5 | Farming, Herb Lore, Naturalist, Pharmacy (Herbal), Veterinary |
| Hard Boiled | 10 | Criminology, Detect Lies, Interrogation, Law, Shadowing, Streetwise |
| Healer | 10 | Diagnosis, First Aid, Pharmacy, Physician, Psychology, Surgery, Veterinary |
| Inventor! | 10 | Electrician, Electronics Repair, Engineer (all), Mechanic (all), Scrounging |
| Jack of All Trades | 10 | Reduces default penalty by 1 per level for any non-combat skill used without training |
| Language Talent | 10 | All Language skills |
| Law Enforcer | 5 | Criminology, Detect Lies, Fast-Draw, Guns (Pistol), Interrogation, Law, Savoir-Faire (Police) |
| Learned | 10 | Accounting, Current Affairs (all), Geography, History, Law, Politics, Research, Writing |
| Mathematical Ability | 10 | Accounting, Astronomy, Cartography, Computer Operation, Cryptography, Engineer, Mathematics, Navigation, Physics |
| Medical Talent | 10 | Diagnosis, First Aid, Pharmacy, Physician, Psychology, Surgery |
| Mimicry Talent | 5 | Acting, Mimicry, Performance, Ventriloquism |
| Motivator ★ | 5 | Leadership, Public Speaking, Savoir-Faire (any), Teaching |
| Musical Ability | 5 | Musical Composition, Musical Instrument, Singing |
| Natural Athlete | 10 | Acrobatics, Bicycling, Boating, Climbing, Jumping, Running, Skiing, Sports, Swimming, Throwing |
| Night Owl | 5 | Carousing, Current Affairs (Nightlife), Gambling, Savoir-Faire (Street), Streetwise |
| Outdoorsman | 10 | Fishing, Hunting, Mimicry, Naturalist, Navigation (Land), Survival (all), Tracking, Weather Sense |
| People Reader ★ | 5 | Detect Lies, Diplomacy, Interrogation, Psychology, Savoir-Faire (any) |
| Pickpocket | 5 | Filch, Palming, Pickpocket, Sleight of Hand |
| Political Acumen | 10 | Administration, Diplomacy, Law, Politics, Public Speaking, Savoir-Faire (Political) |
| Scholar | 10 | Current Affairs (all), History, Law, Library Use, Research, Writing |
| Smooth Operator | 15 | Acting, Carousing, Detect Lies, Diplomacy, Fast-Talk, Leadership, Panhandling, Public Speaking, Savoir-Faire (all), Sex Appeal, Streetwise |
| Soldier | 10 | Camouflage, Demolitions, First Aid, Guns (all), Melee Weapons (all), Savoir-Faire (Military), Tactics |
| Spy | 10 | Acting, Cryptography, Disguise, Electronics Operation, Escape, Forgery, Photography, Shadowing, Stealth |
| Stunt Pilot | 5 | Aerobatics, Parachuting, Piloting (all) |
| Survivor | 10 | Camouflage, Climbing, First Aid, Fishing, Navigation, Scrounging, Stealth, Survival (all), Tracking |
| Thief-Acrobat | 5 | Acrobatics, Climbing, Escape, Jumping, Stealth |
| Tinker | 10 | Electrician, Electronics Repair, Gunsmithing, Lockpicking, Machinist, Mechanic (all) |
| Tracker | 5 | Camouflage, Naturalist, Observation, Survival, Tracking |
| Trade Master | 10 | Finance, Merchant, Savoir-Faire (Merchant), Smuggling, Streetwise |
| Vehicle Talent | 10 | Driving (all), Mechanic (all), Navigation (all), Piloting (all) |
| Weapon Master | 5 | One specific weapon skill group chosen at character creation |
| Psi Talents — Max 2 Levels for Starting Characters | ||
| Bio-PK Talent | 5 | Psychometabolic and body-affecting psionic powers |
| Ergokinesis Talent | 5 | Energy and electricity-affecting psionic powers |
| ESP Talent | 5 | Clairvoyance, Precognition, Psychometry, and ESP-branch psionic powers |
| Psychokinesis Talent | 5 | Telekinesis, PK-Crush, PK-Bolt, and TK-Grab psionic powers |
| Telepathy Talent | 5 | Mind-reading, Empathy (psi), Telereceive, and Telesend psionic powers |