Base Skills v.1

Brains

Knowledge – Always taken with a specialization. Indicates the character's store of learned information about a particular subject. Good specializations are hobbies like philately and bird-watching, studies like history, geography, anthropology, or specific cities, cultures, or organizations.

Medicine – The ability to care for wounds or heal sickness over a long period of time. Can be used once a day on a character, and each success restores one health. Not useable in combat.

First Aid – The ability to see to a character's wounds in the midst of battle. One use per attack sustained in the current combat by the character being treated is allowed. Every two successes restores one health.

Linguistics – Knowledge of languages. Each point placed here earns the character one understood language. Is used to decipher unfamiliar writings and speech.

Survival – The ability to track, forage, and otherwise maintain livability when in the wild.

Investigation – The ability to know who to talk to or where to go when looking into a mystery of some sort. Also useful to glean information from crime scenes and locations of interest.

Brawn

Athletics – The classic running, jumping, and climbing skill. Used for tests of strength.

Attack – Pretty self-explanatory. Used in combat situations to try to make the other guy dead. Can be used for any weapon or martial art.

Defense – Also self-explanatory. Used in combat situations to keep from becoming dead. Represents the character's ability to dodge, block, or otherwise avoid incoming hurt.

Stealth – Used for sneaking about. Use common sense when deciding when it's applicable. In a wide-open, brightly-lit room, stealth is damn near impossible. In a shadowy alleyway, however...

Acrobatics – Skill in balance and bodily dexterity. Walking a narrow stone path over a gorge or swinging on a rope? You probably want this skill.

Endurance – The ability to maintain strenuous action for a lengthy period of time.

Moxie

Persuade – Used to win someone over to your views. Generally applicable when you're telling the truth about the matter and are trying to enlighten them.

Perform – Always taken with a specialization. Covers anything from oratory to sleight-of-hand. If you can do it on a stage, it probably falls under this skill.

Thievery – The fine art of separating an individual from their stuff without them knowing. Lock picking and the ability to escape bonds fall under the purview of this skill.

Bluff – Used for when you're lying to someone and you want them to believe it's the truth.

Gambling – Represents aptitude for games of chance. If your character is fond of such things and doesn't want to lose their shirt, it's probably worthwhile to take this skill.

Intimidate – For when you absolutely must convince that asshole that you mean business.

Perception – Alertness of a character's surroundings. Successfully used, it can keep a character from being ambushed or can allow them to zero in on unusual facets of their environment.