You are what you choose to be…
assuming you make the right choices.
Skills are the cornerstone of your character’s identity and progression in The Land. They define who you are more than any other statistic, shaping not only how others perceive you but also how you compare to your peers. Your skills determine when you are ready to specialize and the path your character will follow. They measure your mastery of both passive abilities, such as moving with ease in Heavy Armor, and active abilities, like casting a spell. Whether passive or active, every skill shares the same traits and ranking system, making them the ultimate measure of your growth and potential.
Skill Rank and Title: A skill’s rank represents your proficiency in that skill, independent of bonuses or penalties that may influence performance. Each rank is accompanied by a title, and your title in a skill often becomes the defining feature of your character. As you advance, many of these skills unlock special and secondary abilities. Consult this list to identify your current title and rank within a skill.
Your Title by Rank in any skill:
- Novice (Ranks 1-9)
- Initiate (Ranks 10-19)
- Apprentice (Ranks 20-34)
- Journeyman (Ranks 35-59)
- Adept (Ranks 60-79)
- Master (Ranks 80-99)
- Grandmaster (Ranks 100 and up)
Gaining Skill Ranks: Characters in The Land RPG gain ranks in skills through their actions and the challenges they face. After any notable challenge—whether it involves roleplaying, skill checks, or combat—the Gamemaster will award skill points to the party. These points can then be allocated to any learnable skill, giving players the freedom to shape their character’s development. A learnable skill is defined as a Common Skill, a skill the character already has at least one rank in, or a skill for which they have at least 25% Affinity.
It’s important to note that skill points are not awarded simply for completing a quest or leveling up unless explicitly stated as a reward for a specific quest. This ensures that skill progression is tied directly to meaningful gameplay and the choices made during the adventure.
Skill Rank Limits: Skills are limited by the balance between effort and aptitude, and there are limits to both. Rank limits are tied directly to a character’s level, ensuring balanced growth while still rewarding specialization. By default, a character’s maximum rank in any skill is equal to their character level plus two. For example, a 1st-level character can reach up to 3 ranks in any skill. However, this limit can be increased by a character’s natural understanding of how the skill works. This is called a skill’s Affinity, which represents a character’s natural talent or predisposition toward mastering that skill. Affinity is measured in increments of 25%, up to a maximum of 100%. For every 25% affinity a character has in a skill, their rank cap increases by 1. A character with 100% affinity in a skill can achieve an additional 4 ranks beyond the base limit, meaning a 1st-level character could have as many as 7 ranks in that skill.
A secondary limit exists for the Subskills of a class. which are specializations of a skill.
Gaining Skill Affinities: Your character likely began its journey with several skills already at 100% Affinity, reflecting their natural aptitudes and initial proficiencies. As your experience grows, their affinity in other skills increases, providing opportunities for specialization and development. Every time a character gains a level, they earn 25% Affinity in any learnable skill, as previously defined—this allows players to focus on skills they want to master. Additionally, completing quests or gaining new experiences often rewards Affinity in skills tied to the task or event. For instance, a quest centered on crafting rare armor might increase affinity in Blacksmithing or a related subskill. Many Common Skills further enhance character growth by awarding affinity in a specific subskill whenever the character achieves a new title. This system ensures that skill affinity evolves organically, reflecting a character’s choices and the challenges they’ve overcome throughout their journey.
If you are awarded an Affinity bonus in a skill that you already have 100% in, you may use it on any learnable skill not at 100% already (so if your Axes is at 100%, and you have an opportunity to learn Axes from an Axe Master, you may apply it to Cooking, as you learn to cook while your allies train).
Skill Rank Expiration: Any awarded skill ranks or non-specific affinities must be allocated by players before the start of the next game session. This rule encourages thoughtful character progression and keeps the game flowing smoothly. If a player has not spent their skill ranks or affinities by the deadline, the Gamemaster has the discretion to assign them randomly, ensuring that no rewards are left unused. To help players track their progress, the Roll20 character sheet includes a tracker that displays the total number of skill points and affinities spent. This tool provides an easy way to monitor character growth and ensures that no opportunities for advancement are overlooked.
Skill Rarity: Skills in The Land RPG are categorized by rarity, reflecting how accessible or specialized they are for characters to learn and master. Common Skills are those that most characters can acquire and advance with relative ease, such as basic weapon proficiencies, crafting, or general survival skills. These skills form the foundation of a character’s abilities and are often essential for progression. Uncommon Skills are more specialized, requiring specific training, quest rewards, or significant in-game effort to unlock. Examples might include advanced spellcasting techniques, exotic combat styles, or niche crafting disciplines. Rare Skills represent the pinnacle of specialization, often tied to unique storylines, legendary quests, or hidden knowledge. These skills are difficult to obtain and may require completing exceptional challenges or earning the favor of powerful Master. The rarity system ensures a sense of progression and reward, with characters starting from accessible skills and striving toward mastering uncommon and rare abilities that define their individuality and impact on the world. There may be higher level skills, but these are not for players to learn… yet.
In addition to rarities, there are a few classifications of of skills- specifically Metamagic Skills, which are skills that modify spells, and Martial Skills, which modify weapon attacks and defense.
Subskills and Advanced Skills
As an adventurer with various experiences, you have learned many skills as you have traveled the land – and have found that you are better at some than others. Using the Subskill system, you can use your downtime to refine certain aspects of your adventuring career by giving bonuses to specific activities.
What is a Subskill? A “Subskill” is a specific variation of a standard skill. For example, Tracking a creature is usually a Survival check, but you can take the Subskill “Tracking” and gain a bonus to Survival checks when following tracks. This bonus only applies to tracking – not other uses of Survival, such as finding food in the wild or avoiding a swarm of mosquitoes.
Acquiring Subskills: Acquiring subskills in The Land follows a process similar to gaining skills but with a key distinction: there are no “Common” subskills. Every subskill must be deliberately learned, either by advancing a related common skill or through special training obtained during an adventure. This makes subskills rarer and often tied to unique experiences or character progression milestones. Typically, before a subskill can be learned, the character must first gain affinity in it, representing their initial exposure or aptitude for the subskill. For example, a character advancing their Swords skill might gain affinity in a subskill like Jagged Slash before they can formally train in or use it. This system encourages players to explore and engage deeply with the world, seeking out opportunities to develop specialized abilities that define their character’s unique strengths.
Subskill Rank Limits: Subskills adhere to the same rank limits as their parent skills, with one critical restriction: a subskill’s rank can never exceed the rank of its parent skill. This means that your mastery of a subskill is always grounded in your overall proficiency with its base skill. For example, if a character’s Athletics skill is at Rank 5, no associated subskill—such as Grappling or Swimming —can surpass Rank 5. Most subskills provide cumulative bonuses that enhance the effectiveness of the base skill while also offering specialized perks. These unique benefits often allow characters to excel in niche situations or adapt their abilities to specific challenges. However, the restriction ensures balance and realism: a character cannot be more skilled in a specialized maneuver than they are in the broader skill it derives from.