Factions, the Nine, the Collapse, history, heraldry, legend.
Lore covers recall of common and obscure history, faction and corporate
knowledge, identification of heraldry and relics, connecting hidden threads
between events, and recovering lost or suppressed knowledge. Every spacer
knows the broad strokes -- the Collapse happened, the Fold is dangerous,
the corps lie. Lore is knowing the details, the contradictions, and the
things that were written down once and then burned. Bureaucracy knows the
institution; Lore knows what the institution did before it had a name.
Who the Nine were before they were gods, what the Collapse actually broke,
which faction cipher means kill-on-sight and which means negotiate, the
name of the dead colony scrubbed from the charts.
Rules Reference
Field
Value
Armor Check Penalty
false
Key Ability
INT
Trained Only
false
Untrained Use
Common history at DC 10 only; faction details, obscure facts, and archival research require training.
Key Ability
INT
Notes
Special: Deep lore (DC 22+) often requires primary sources or archives; GM may
raise DC by 5 or rule impossible without them. Does not cover languages
or institutional procedure.
Special: Deep lore checks (DC 22+) often require access to primary sources,
archives, or informants. Without them, the GM may rule the check
impossible or raise the DC by 5. Lore does not cover languages
(Linguistics) or institutional procedure (Bureaucracy) -- it covers
what people did and why they did it.
Untrained: Anyone with an education can recall common history at DC 10 -- the big
wars, the famous betrayals, the dates everyone knows. Faction details,
obscure facts, and anything requiring archival research all require
training. A jackleg spacer knows the Collapse happened; a Lore scholar
knows what was lost.
Descriptors
dc: 10
Field
Value
dc
10
task
Recall common history or well-known facts
dc: 15
Field
Value
dc
15
task
Recall faction, corporate, or guild detail
dc: 18
Field
Value
dc
18
task
Identify heraldry, a relic, or a historical artifact
dc: 22
Field
Value
dc
22
task
Recall an obscure or suppressed historical fact
dc: 25
Field
Value
dc
25
task
Connect a hidden thread between events or factions
dc: 30
Field
Value
dc
30
task
Recover lost or deliberately suppressed knowledge
Synergy
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
from
Bureaucracy
threshold
5
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
from
Linguistics
threshold
5
Synergies
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Bureaucracy
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Linguistics
Uses
application: Recall common history or well-known facts
Field
Value
application
Recall common history or well-known facts
dc
10
failure
You mix up two events or cite a popular myth as fact.
success
You know the story -- broad strokes, key dates, famous names.
application: Recall faction, corporate, or guild detail
Field
Value
application
Recall faction, corporate, or guild detail
dc
15
failure
You confuse them with a similar group or cite outdated intel.
success
You know their structure, rivals, and public reputation.
application: Identify heraldry, a relic, or a historical artifact
Field
Value
application
Identify heraldry, a relic, or a historical artifact
dc
18
failure
You misattribute it; wrong lineage or wrong era.
success
You name the house, order, or era; the artifact's provenance is clear.
application: Recall an obscure or suppressed historical fact
Field
Value
application
Recall an obscure or suppressed historical fact
dc
22
failure
You recall a fragment but get the context wrong.
success
You know the thing they tried to erase.
application: Connect a hidden thread between events or factions
Field
Value
application
Connect a hidden thread between events or factions
dc
25
failure
You draw a false connection; coincidence mistaken for conspiracy.
success
The pattern emerges; you see the link no one wanted found.
application: Recover lost or deliberately suppressed knowledge
Field
Value
application
Recover lost or deliberately suppressed knowledge
dc
30
failure
The trail is cold or the records were thorough; you find nothing.
success
The buried truth surfaces; you hold something dangerous.