Skills

The main mechanic in Sil is the skill check. This involves rolling 1d10 and adding the appropriate skill score and comparing this to 1d10 plus the difficulty level. The first total needs to be higher than the second in order to succeed. Skill checks are used in and out of combat, though if any of the first three skills (melee, archery, evasion), then d20s are used instead of d10s. The difficulty for a skill check is often based on an adversary’s skill. For example, when you try to hit an opponent in melee, your melee skill is opposed to their evasion skill, and when you try to sneak past a monster, your stealth skill is opposed to their perception.

Melee

  • Helps you hit an opponent in hand-to-hand combat.

    • difficulty = opponent’s evasion

    • You can also get critical hits (if you succeed by enough).

    • See Combat section for full details.

  • Helps you hit an opponent with thrown weapons.

  • Helps you prise a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown. - difficulty = 0 (but you need to do a lot of damage!)

Archery

  • Helps you hit an opponent in ranged combat.

    • difficulty = half opponent’s evasion

  • You can also get critical hits (if you succeed by enough).

  • See Combat section for full details.

Evasion

  • Helps you avoid being hit in combat.

    • difficulty = opponent’s melee or archery

    • You can also suffer critical hits (if you fail by enough).

    • See Combat section for full details.

  • Helps you climb out of pits

    • difficulty = (15 for normal pits, 20 for spiked pits)

  • Helps you avoid falling debris

    • difficulty = 20

  • Helps you avoid getting hit by dart traps.

    • difficulty = 15

Stealth

  • Helps you avoid being noticed by opponents.

    • difficulty = opponent’s perception + numerous modifiers

    • See Stealth section for full details

  • Provides a bonus to melee against unwary or sleeping opponents if you have the ‘assassination’ ability.

  • There is a penalty of –1 to Stealth for each 10 lb of armour worn

  • Stealth mode (command: ‘S’) gives +5 to Stealth, but –1 to speed.

Perception

  • Helps you notice traps and secret doors.

    • difficulty = base of half the dungeon level

      • +10 for floor traps and secret doors

      • +15 for chest traps

      • +5 if you cannot see properly

      • +5 if confused

      • +5 for each square of distance from you (beyond the first)

      • –5 if you used the ‘search’ command (adjacent squares only)

  • Helps you disarm traps and pick locks.

    • difficulty = base from 1 to 7 depending on the trap or lock

      • +5 if it is a lock

      • +5 if you cannot see properly

      • +5 if confused

    • You trigger a trap if you fail to disarm it by 3 or more

  • Helps you detect ‘invisible’ opponents.

    • difficulty = opponent’s will + 2 per square of distance between you

  • Helps you avoid stepping on a caltrop trap.

    • difficulty = 10

  • Provides various benefits when using perception-based abilities (see the individual ability listings)

Will

  • Helps you resist many special effects: confusion, stunning, fear, blindness, entrancement, slowing, hallucination, hunger, stat draining, and forgetting.

    • difficulty = opponent’s will (if an opponent caused the threat)

    • difficulty = 10 (if there is no opponent)

  • Helps you successfully use staves and horns.

    • difficulty = half the object level (+5 if confused)

    • Increases the effectiveness of many staves and horns.

  • Provides various benefits when using will-based abilities (see the individual ability listings)

Smithing

  • Lets you make more powerful items at forges.

    • See Abilities section and the tutorial for more details.

  • The only skill that doesn’t use opposed rolls (or any roll at all).

Song

  • Increases the power of various songs that you can sing.

    • See the Abilities section for full details.