New Skills

Existing Skills

A few existing Call of Cthulhu skills require modification or elucidation for White Leviathan, while some—like Drive Auto and Electronics—are obviously not applicable to the nineteenth century. Additionally, the Keeper should remember that certain base scores are only appropriate for Western characters. Pacific Islanders may possess a different set of base skills, which are taken into account on their character profiles.

Artillery: (Base 01%) Artillery also represents “gunnery”—the skill of maintaining, operating, and firing a ship’s gun, from cannon to carronade. Guns are generally operated by a trained crew, with four men required to load and fire the weapon, and at least twice that many to haul it back from the recoil for another round. Although the skill may be used as an attack roll, it also reflects general knowledge of gunnery, such as assessing the best angle and time for firing, understanding the different types of shot, and cleaning the gun.

Climb: (Base: 20%) A high Climb skill is necessary on a sailing ship, and measures the character’s ability to “go aloft” in the rigging. While proper knowledge of the things one has to do while aloft may call for a Seamanship roll, any unusual situation that might impact physical performance (bad weather, combat, sickness, etc.) calls for a Climb roll.

Mechanical Repair: (Base 10%) For the purpose of White Leviathan, Mechanical Repair encompasses most shipboard repairs, and covers a wide range of subjects including sail mending, tarring ropes, picking oakum, caulking, emergency carpentry, etc. The Keeper may call for Mechanical Repair in any number of situations, from patching a leaking boat to cutting the mast from a capsizing ship.

Navigate: (Base 10%) This important skill allows the character to navigate at sea, and involves an understanding of maps and charts; the competent use of compass, chronometer and sextant; and the use of methods such as dead reckoning and calculating lunars to measure longitude.

Pilot (Boat): (Base 1%) This skill includes operating a small sailboat, heading a whaleboat, and helming a large ship. Success is automatic except during adverse conditions: storms, heavy fog, combat, or negotiating dangerous waters. Many precarious ports are staffed with expert pilots who temporarily board ships to take command during arrivals and departures; in such cases, their Pilot (Boat) roll is modified by a +D10 “port bonus” die.

Ride: (Base 20%) This skill is exactly as described in the standard rules; but the base score has been raised from 5% to 20% to reflect the nineteenth-century setting. However, because many sailors spend long stretches of time away from land, a sailor’s Ride skill may atrophy over time, falling as low as 5%.

Survival: (Base 10%) This score measures the ability for a character to survive in adversarial conditions, and is very important for a sailor, who may find himself adrift at sea or cast away on an island. The skill helps characters understand and survive dehydration and starvation, recognize poisonous plants and dangerous animals, build effective shelters, and predict and defend against bad weather. The Survival skill may be used to start fires, build traps, and improvise methods of fishing. A high Survival skill also helps a character cope with the psychological challenges of isolation and deprivation. However, no matter how high the Survival skill, if a character is forced into cannibalism, a Sanity roll is required.

Swim: (Base 20%) It’s a well-known fact that many nineteenth-century sailors did not know how to swim! While the Swim skill functions as described in the standard rules, the base score of 20% demands some explanation. A score of 20% represents a non-swimmer, and requires desperate measures to stay afloat—thrashing about madly, trying to emulate the “doggy paddle,” etc. A character with a Swim roll of 20% or lower must make a Swim roll every time they hit the water, no matter the conditions. Characters with a Swim skill higher that 20% know how to swim, and only roll for unusual circumstances such as rough seas or strong currents. Failing a Swim roll may lead to “drowning.” The Swim skill also involves the ability to hold one’s breath. (See “Swimming Underwater” and “Drowning” in “New Systems and Mechanics.”)

Nautical Arts and Crafts

Sailors often entertain themselves by singing, dancing, playing music, and composing doggerel. Common crafts include cooking, sewing, gambling, tattooing, and whittling. However, a few talents are particularly important onboard a ship, and may be less familiar to lubbers.

Art/Craft (Blacksmith): (Base 0%) The ship’s blacksmith is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the ship’s metalwork. This is particularly important on a whaler, which features iron harpoons, lances, spades, gaff hooks, and other specialized tools for slaying, flaying, and rendering whales.

Art/Craft (Carpentry): (Base 5%) Whaling ships are made from wood, a substance that becomes quite fragile at sea. Whether caulking leaks, repairing decking, or cutting new spars, the carpenter performs one of the most vital roles on the ship. He also helps maintain the ship’s tools, and is frequently consulted to repair or beautify sea-chests. And sometimes, the carpenter makes coffins.

Art/Craft (Cooperage): (Base 0%) A whaleship’s cooper is a crucial member of the crew, responsible for making and repairing casks, barrels, and buckets. Indeed, most whaleships have one or two seamen who are effectively apprenticed to the cooper. After all, most of the ship’s supplies are kept in casks, and as these supplies are consumed, the empty casks are filled with whale oil. A cooper has a host of specialized equipment, including the so-called cooper’s devil, a portable anvil without a horn; and the cooper’s vice, a corkscrew used to open the tops of casks.

Art/Craft (Knotwork): (Base 0%) A common talent among sailors, knotwork is the ability to create artistic designs using rope. At the lowest level, the skill involves making twine and mastering basic knots. At higher levels, it fashions intricate artistic expressions used to decorate sea chests, utility ropes, and knife sheaths.

Art/Craft (Scrimshaw): (Base 0%) Scrimshaw is the art of carving and sculpting the teeth, bone, and baleen of whales. A common pastime among whalemen, scrimshaw creations range from simple designs etched on a sperm whale tooth to elaborate devices made from baleen and bone. Etchings are done with jack-knives or special dentist-like tools and are set with ink. Common scrimshaw artifacts include cane handles, knife handles, flatware, salt cellars, bodkins, corset busks, figurines, chessmen, and various items of ornamentation. More complex creations included the jagging-wheel, a tool used to crimp pie crusts; and the swift, a complicated device with numerous moving parts used to wind yarn. Scrimshaw is also called “skrimshander,” as are the craftsmen who practice this art. 

New Skills

The following skills are unique to White Leviathan.

Kingsport Cult: (Base 0%) A specialization of the Lore skill, Kingsport Cult reflects a character’s knowledge of the Bons pêcheurs de la flamme viridienne, more commonly called the Covenant of the Green Flame. It is generally learned through the study of Kingsport history, the reading of specific tomes, and increasing degrees of initiation into the Covenant itself. (See “Kingsport Cult Degrees” for details.) Like Cthulhu Mythos, this skill is awarded by the Keeper, and may not be increased during a Development Phase.

Leadership: (Base: 1%) Leadership may be hard to define, but everyone recognize the officer who possesses it. On the most fundamental level, it includes knowledge of nautical protocol and the understanding of rank. On a deeper level, it’s the power to command men, make them respect and obey orders, and inspire them to embrace adversity and challenge.

Renown: (Base 0%) Renown reflects the character’s status within the maritime community. Renown is earned irrespective of morality—a fierce pirate, an infamous traitor, or a bold naval captain may all possess high Renown. Indeed, if a seaman’s Renown rises above 75%, it’s likely even lubbers are aware of his exploits. (For instance, Admiral Nelson’s Renown is 95%.) At the beginning of White Leviathan, only a few player characters begin with an assigned Renown skill. Like Credit Rating, Renown is awarded by the Keeper, and may not be increased during a Development Phase.

Sea Lore: (Base 0%) From cheerfully describing the “one that got away” to spinning yarns about the mermaid in the hold; from narrating the Battle of Trafalgar to whispering stories about the Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones’ Locker, Sea Lore reflects a character’s knowledge of the history, legends, and mythology of the sea.

Seamanship: (Base 0%) This skill measures a character’s ability to operate a sailing vessel. It includes knowledge of appropriate terminology, as well a physical actions such as reefing sails, picking oakum, tarring ropes, mending sails, swabbing the deck, etc. A rating of 0-5% is considered a lubber, from 5-10% a greenhorn, from 10-20% entitles one to the epithet of “boy,” from 21-50% an ordinary seaman, and at 51% or higher, the character may sign the articles as an able seaman.

Whalecraft: (Base 0%) Whalecraft covers the unique set of skills required to successfully hunt, slaughter, and render a whale into oil. It begins with the ability to recognize a whale from its spout, extends to mastery of the whaleboat and its arcane gear, and concludes with the flensing of the whale itself, from cutting-in to trying-out, from chopping blubber to bailing the case. Whalecraft does not cover knowledge of whales in general, nor the physical acts of throwing a harpoon or using a lance. (See “Hunting Whales” for details.)

Witchcraft: (Base 0%) A player skilled in Witchcraft understands the history and traditions of European witchcraft. A specialization of the Lore skill, Witchcraft is not used to cast spells, which usually requires Power; but the skill may be required to copy, learn, and prepare spells. (See “New Spells: Witchcraft” for details.)

White Leviathan, Auxiliary Materials
[White Leviathan TOC | Forward to New Occupations]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 25 August 2023
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]