HOW TO: SKILL SPECIALIZATION

A DEEP DIVE INTO HOW TO BEST USE THE SKILL SPECIALIZATION SETTING RULE
BY DONAVON BAILEY — ART BY DEAN SPENCER

Running the game otherwise as wri�en for a few

The Skill Specialization Se�ing Rule tends to get a bad
rap in the Savage Worlds community. It’s a rule that acts
as something of a trap for new players, especially when
coming from other games. But, in my opinion, Skill
Specialization is one of the most underexplored
mechanics in Savage Worlds, even within some Pinnacle-
official material that could take advantage of it.
This may be a... controversial take. Let’s take a deep
dive into this issue to understand what I mean.
months, it became clear to me that having all of my
players have to invest skill points and Advances into
allowing them to use their skills really ate into
progression. Since I wanted them to grow into
respectable heroes, I ended up scrapping the rule and
sort of writing it off.
I imagine that a lot of Savages experienced a similar
tale early on as they tried to get a feel for how the system
really works and how to match the system with the game
they wanted to run. People look at Specializations and

THE PROBLEM
Skill Specialization is a bit maligned by experienced
players for a couple of reasons, and to help illustrate why
I’d like to start with a quick story.
Shortly after I first started Savage Worlds (my first
exposure to tabletop role-playing) and began running
games, I stumbled across the Skill Specialization rule in
Savage Worlds Deluxe. It struck me as very interesting
and, wanting to run a bit more of a “grounded” medieval
fantasy game at the time, I wanted to try to implement
the Specialization rules to emphasize that my axe-
wielders stayed in their lane and my dagger users
couldn’t easily shift to spears.
see it as adding detail and depth to a fairly simple and
streamlined game, and they tend to believe that adding
that perceived depth will make their world feel more
alive and characters feel more distinct. When they realize
that level of detail is unnecessary and can take away from
the game, they drop it for a few reasons:
1. The level of granularity that Specializations introduces
can take away from the simple and streamlined nature of the
game.
2. The desire for niche protection (making sure that two
characters don’t narratively or mechanically step on each
other’s toes) is generally unfounded: if two characters have
the same Fighting skill, they can be quite distinct between
Edges, tactics, and styles of play without needing to restrict
their weapon choices—in my experience, once players figure
out what kind of weapon they want to use, they stick to it
with or without the Skill Specialization rules.
3. Character progression and general badassery is
stagnated pre�y hard by this rule. Since characters have to
invest skill points and Advances into broadening their skill
usage, these points and Advances aren’t being spent on
Trait increases or Edges. If you want a high-powered, high-
octane game, the Specialization rules are like kryptonite.
These are perfectly reasonable criticisms which
highlight that this Se�ing Rule, just like any other, is not
designed to slot into any game, genre, or se�ing. It exists
to augment and emphasize a particular tone or feeling,
and in the case of Specializations that tone is pre�y
narrow.

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Artwork © 2015 Dean Spencer, used with permission. All rights reserved.
 HOW TO: SKILL SPECIALIZATION
In most games, this is enough to achieve the effect most
WHEN (AND WHEN NOT) GMs want Specialization to fulfill—making sure the
chemist isn’t pulling out astrophysics knowledge, or that
Skill Specialization has a few particular strengths that
the airliner pilot isn’t pulling crazy stunts in a helicopter.
tend to be overlooked, but it’s important to remember
The major distinctions between the two are that
that this rule, just like Gri�y Damage or Hard Choices,
Specializations (a) are determined before the game by the
exists specifically to de-power characters within your
character build, not GM fiat, and (b) overcoming the
se�ing. Because of this, the rule works best when your
penalty isn’t a narrative concession, but a mechanical
player characters are widely just normal people.
one. To elaborate, Familiarization can be overcome by
To be clear, Specializations can technically work if the
saying they train/study for a certain amount of time,
players are supposed to be Big Damn Heroes or
while Specialization requires skill points or an Advance
otherwise assumed to be very competent badasses. Most
to bypass the penalties.
Savage se�ings make this assumption by default, and in
If your goal in the se�ing is to make characters feel like
those se�ings this rule introduces fairly small changes
flawed, realistic mortals, the mechanical backing means
that completely alter the tone of the game.
that, for example, a mechanic with Repair can’t learn
Specializations really shine when you want to emphasize
how to handle demolitions in a couple hours, but might
fear and horror in your game. In my experience, it fits
be able to with a couple sessions and an Advance spent
very well in gri�y war games or “civilians discover true
expanding his knowledge into that field.
horror” games (more Lovecraft than Supernatural).
It doesn’t work with all horror games, though: in an
interview with The GM Table, Ed We�erman and SPECIALIZATION VS EDGES
Prestone Dubose (the authors of Pinnacle’s East Texas
Mechanically, Edges exist to emphasize what characters
University se�ing) muse that they see ETU as a “heroic
are great at: making a�acks lightning fast, spending
horror” se�ing, rather than a “hopeless horror” game in
money willy nilly, or only failing Survival rolls on a
the vein of Call of Cthulhu. While Specializations can be
Critical Failure (because of that +2 bonus).
used in part to great effect in such games—specifically to
Specializations, on the other hand, are not about what
specify a student’s major more clearly than “Science”—it
characters are great at—rather, they showcase what a
can also undermine the Buffy-esque tone intended for
character is just proficient in and what a character isn’t
the se�ing. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is
good at. The name “Specialization” doesn’t refer to being
different and important to keep in mind.
especially great at one particular field, it refers to only
As devil’s advocate for those that vehemently oppose
being good at particular, specialized applications of their
the use of the Specialization rule, one criticism tends to
skillset.
be “why use Specialization when Edges and the
Again, remember that the point of the Specialization
Familiarization rules can achieve the same effect?”
rule is to make characters feel less heroic, just like Hard
Choices and Gri�y Damage. If you just want your
SPECIALIZATION VS FAMILIARIZATION characters to feel great in their special niche, use Edges.

Towards the end of the skills section in Savage Worlds,

there’s a half-page sidebar explaining the Familiarization
rules. In short, if a character is out of his element with a
skill that he has, impose a penalty between –2 and –4 to
his skill roll.” This effectively functions as a tool for GMs
to dramatically enforce the Specialization penalty on-
the-fly using common sense.

22
 HOW TO: SKILL SPECIALIZATION
CAMPAIGNS AND ONE-SHOTS MANAGING STACKING PENALTIES
I’ve seen a number of groups try to run one-shots for
One interaction that can cause some confusion is how to
games like Interface Zero 2.0 and Weird War II (which I
manage penalty stacking, especially between
recommend using Specializations for later in this very
Specialization, Familiarization, and unskilled penalties.
product), but I generally advise against using
Does an unskilled character also suffer for being un-
Specializations in one-shots or mini-campaigns because
Specialized for a d4–4? Does being unfamiliar in a
they’re too short.
situation stack with not being Specialized?
In theory, a well-executed one-shot should be 3–6
Well, “imposing a penalty if a character is out of their
hours long and very focused in order to provide a good
element” should sound familiar since the se�ing rule is
story. In this time, players will only be able to make so
simply a codified (and slightly harsher) application of
many rolls, and often only a couple of rolls for each of
the Familiarization rules, rather than an additional rule.
their skills (if that). Because of this, characters will end up
Realizing this makes it incredibly easy to manage their
only having the opportunity to use their skills for their
interaction—if a character is unspecialized, it’s because
Specializations (defeating the point of the rule), or will
he’s unfamiliar, and the two don’t stack. Generally
feel punished for choosing a “wrong” Specialization
speaking, if a character has an appropriate Specialization
when their Repair is for fixing vehicles rather than
for the circumstance, he should never be subject to a
demolitions.
Familiarization penalty.
So why is this not an issue in longer games or
However, Familiarization penalties can go all the way
campaigns? For the most part, it’s a question of
up to –4; without the Specialization rules, that level of
opportunity. In a 10-session campaign, you’ll run the full
penalty only really applies if a character is looking to
gamut of the Specializations rule: sometimes you’re the
apply his skill in a way that is either opposed to, or
best man for the job, sometimes you’re the only one
completely unrelated to, his character’s background (the
around who’s even worth giving something a shot, and
example being a chemist suffering a –4 to his Science roll
sometimes you’ll just be out of your depth. It makes it
for “Paleozoic geology”). This is still compatible with
feel that your Specialization choice ma�ers.
Specializations: if a roll concerns a subject or
In short: with one-shots, just use Familiarization. In a
circumstance that is wildly removed from a character’s
full-campaign, Specializations are back on the table.
Specializations, increase the usual penalty from –2 to –4
(almost a “super unspecialized” penalty).
Unskilled rolls have a similar interaction with
FUN FACT: D4 & D6 Specialization: an unskilled roll is effectively a character
A d4 at –2 and a d6 at –2 are almost mathematically using a d4 and no Specializations, granting the –2. The
identical: about a 31% chance of success with either. two penalties do not stack, as they stem from an
This means that when working outside of a unfamiliarity with the subject at hand. A character
character’s Specializations, having a d6 in a skill is a�empting an unskilled roll for a subject or circumstance
effectively still unskilled. In fact, even a d12 at –2 is he is particularly unfamiliar with can increase the
just barely be�er than a d4 by a couple percentage unskilled penalty to –4. For example, a mechanic who is
points. unskilled in Academics may just not be well-read, but if
he grew up in the middle of rural Kansas and dropped
out of high school, an a�empt to recall the details of
Shakespeare may suffer a –4 rather than the usual –2.

33
 HOW TO: SKILL SPECIALIZATION
Just as wri�en, the GM may deem that characters who
are unskilled or unspecialized in certain skills cannot
a�empt particularly complex tasks, and characters who
opt to voluntarily “fail” a roll because they believe their
character wouldn’t be able to manage the task given their
background might even earn a benny.
The rule-of-thumb I’d recommend to make life easy
here is the combined penalty between Familiarization,
Specialization, and the unskilled penalty should never
exceed –4.

JACK-OF-ALL-SPECIALIZATIONS
The Jack-of-all-Trades Edge is a li�le tricky to manage
with the Specialization rules. As wri�en, the Edge gives
you a skill at d4 with a Smarts roll, or a d6 with a raise.
When playing with Specializations, however, a
successful Smarts roll grants a d4 in the relevant skill and
the relevant Specialization. If the character wishes, she
could use this with a skill she already knows with at least
a d4 to gain a temporary new Specialization with a
success, as well as increase the skill to d6 with a raise. CIVILIAN GAMES
Whether you’re professors, investigators, students,
SPECIALIZATIONS actors, lawyers, doctors, diplomats, journalists, burglars,
or gangsters, the following skills may benefit from
Perhaps the most important part of skill Specializations Specializations in your game.
is tailoring the available options for your specific tone Specialized Skills: Academics, Athletics, Electronics
and se�ing. This is a portion of the core Se�ing Rule that (sci-fi games), Healing, Notice (investigative),
likely contributed to the bad rap it gets—not every skill Performance, Persuasion (social-heavy), Research
needs a list of Specializations in every game. (modern only), Repair, Riding, Science, Survival, Taunt,
So, here are some example assortments of Thievery.
Specializations, both for “civilian” (and adventurer)
games and military campaigns. Keep in mind that you
can mix and match Specializations between the two—if
MILITARY GAMES
someone in a military game takes Science, you can use The World Wars, the Cold War, the War on Terror, and
Specializations from civilian games to flesh it out. even the future War to Save Humanity could use
More importantly, remember that you should only Specializations in these skills:
include Specializations that will be used in your games. If Specialized Skills: Athletics, Ba�le, Common
you’re playing pulpy, Indiana Jones-style treasure Knowledge, Driving, Electronics, Healing, Piloting,
hunting, you probably don’t need Specializations for Repair, Shooting, Survival.
Notice—in the unlikely event that the distinction
becomes important, simply use Familiarization. On the
other hand, those Specializations can be very useful in a
detective or political game.

44
 HOW TO: SKILL SPECIALIZATION
THE SKILLS LIST
ACADEMICS (SMARTS)
Specializations: Anthropology, Archaeology, History,
Journalism, Law, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy,
Political Science.
As one of the primary “Knowledge” skills, there are a
lot of potential Specializations. Generally speaking, this
covers an understanding of the humanities—history,
religion, literature, and other subjects that would qualify
for an Arts degree. The listed Specializations are just a
recommendation for the breadth of the skill; the specific
Specializations available should vary based on se�ing.
In the real world, many of these fields tend to intersect
quite heavily, and in some cases it can be difficult to
determine if a roll falls under a given Specialization. For
knowledge that can be considered “adjacent” to a
character’s Specialization (such as archaeology and
history), consider decreasing the penalty to –1. Similarly,
increase the penalty if the character is way out of their
depth (archaeology and law, for example).
ARCANE SKILLS
Whether or not the various arcane skills should have
Specializations depends on the se�ing in question.
Oftentimes, they should not, but in some cases (such as a
fantasy se�ing with distinct “schools” of magic) you can
use Specializations to emphasize different uses of magic
without requiring new skills or Arcane Backgrounds.
ATHLETICS (AGILITY)
Specializations: Climbing, Sports (choose one: polo,
soccer, skiing, etc.), Swimming, Throwing (precision).
Athletics is a unique skill in that characters do not get
to choose a Specialization for free. Rather, characters
begin as proficient in “general” athletics and don’t suffer
the Specialization penalty for uses such as jumping,
grappling, catching, acrobatics, interrupting from Hold,
and so forth.
The Throwing Specialization covers axes, knives,
rocks, and so forth; a grenade isn’t about precision
throwing and doesn’t require this Specialization. If
someone wants to specialize in “acrobatics,” they should
take the Acrobat Edge instead.
55
BATTLE (SMARTS)
Specializations: Aerial (dogfighting), Land, Naval
(including space cruisers).
While the generalities of ba�le tend to hold true across
the board—flanking maneuvers, supply lines—specific
tactics and execution tend not to translate as well.
BOATING (AGILITY)
How many times have you ever used Boating? Really,
how often? In most se�ings, if you use the skill at all, it’s
for a scene or two every few sessions and often with
rowboats or speedboats.
In se�ings where Boating really is important,
characters very rarely “jump ship” to new vessels, or if
they do, they handle very similarly. If you ever need it,
Familiarization fits be�er.
COMMON KNOWLEDGE (SMARTS)
Specializations: Navigation.
Similar to Athletics, characters do not choose a
Specialization for free; characters do not suffer
Specialization penalties for most uses of the skill.
However, Navigation is a Specialization as it does
require some training. This isn’t following a road or
using a GPS, but determining your position, plo�ing a
course, trekking without landmarks, or maneuvering
over the open ocean. Failure when navigating means the
party is lost, off course, or otherwise takes longer than
expected to reach a destination (dangerous during a time
crunch, or if fuel or supplies are low).
DRIVING (AGILITY)
Specializations: Hover, Four-Wheeled, Tracked, Two-
Wheeled (i.e. motorcycles).
Vehicles like tanks aren’t difficult to drive, but they’re
different enough that they warrant Specializations.
Remember that Driving rolls aren’t needed to simply
make a vehicle go from A to B, but to navigate in precise
fashion or perform more complicated maneuvers.
If dealing with a world that has both manual and
automatic transmission, characters that never “learned
stick” should suffer a Familiarization penalty, rather
than needing to purchase a Specialization.
 HOW TO: SKILL SPECIALIZATION
ELECTRONICS (SMARTS)
Specializations: Astrogation, Communications, Drones,
Electric Engineering, Sensors/Scanners, Targeting
Systems, Vehicle Systems (lock-on, anti-missiles, etc.).
Most common in military games, you’re trained to
operate a particular type of equipment, so
Specializations focus on the common varieties of military
tools. This can also be common in sci-fi games, where
even your average spice runner needs to be able to
operate scanners, FTL navigators, and so on.
FIGHTING (AGILITY)
Fighting is super broad: not just in the game but in real
life as well—fighting with a sword, an axe, or a spear all
follow exactly the same principles, and if you know how
to fight you can pre�y easily learn how to how to
competently use a spear or a sword with just a couple of
days of practice and a halfway decent teacher. To that
end, Familiarization is more appropriate for Fighting in
almost all Se�ings than having Specializations in
different types of weapons.
66
GAMBLING (SMARTS)
Gambling as a skill isn’t just luck—it’s not going to help
you at the roule�e table or the slot machines. It’s
counting cards in poker or blackjack, knowing the
players in a sports team or horse race, and understanding
the rules of the game.
In the context of Savage Worlds games, however,
Gambling often either comes up too rarely or, at best, the
possible games you can Specialize in entirely depends on
the se�ing. Generally speaking, run with Familiarization
penalties rather than digging into every possible game.
HACKING (SMARTS)
Hacking covers programming, but in Savage Worlds
nobody is ever going to need to make a roll to program a
user interface in C# or assemble an SQL database. It’s for
cracking firewalls, bypassing security protocols, and
hacking the mainframe (and making all your computer
science players cringe when you use that terminology).
If for some reason your hackers encounter a problem
other than the usual cinematic fare that’s outside of their
skillset, just use Familiarization.
HEALING (SMARTS)
Specializations: First Aid, Forensics, Medication
(including antitoxins), Surgery.
In the relevant professions, First Aid is almost always
the first skill taught, and is the Specialization used for
patching up Wounds and stabilizing a Bleeding Out ally.
INTIMIDATION (SPIRIT)
This is one of the only skills that I can’t think of a single
Specializaton worth giving regardless of se�ing or
context, as it’s just too narrow to have many different
facets of operation. Intimidation is really just about being
scary—whether that’s by appearance, aura, skill, or
delivery, the end result (and consequences thereof) is
exactly the same, so the differences as to which you
employ are entirely trappings-level. (Compare this to
Taunt, which can prompt very different responses
whether you irritate someone into taking action or plant
an idea in the back of their mind.)
 HOW TO: SKILL SPECIALIZATION
Intimidation works best on a case-by-case basis,
employing penalties (or bonuses) depending on what
exactly the player a�empts and how susceptible their
target might be to their particular actions.
NOTICE (SMARTS)
Specializations: Observation, Kinesics, Inspection.
Notice should only have Specializations in more
detective- or diplomacy-oriented games. Observation
can be likened to “passive perception” from other games,
spo�ing details or hidden foes they may not be on the
lookout for. Kinesics is the art of reading people (figuring
out someone’s emotional state, whether they’re lying or
not, and so forth). Inspection is for searching an area for
a particular target or investigating a specific object for
certain details or clues.
OCCULT (SMARTS)
Whether or not Occult should have Specializations
depends on whether or not the se�ing supports different
Occult Specializations. Some games might have different
Specializations for monsters, schools of magic, and
understanding which legends are true and which are
total hogwash. Others may be Specializing in monsters
from different regions (while magic isn’t a factor at all),
and others still may simply be an awareness of occult
mythos, and Specializations just aren’t something to
consider. This will take some consideration on a se�ing-
to-se�ing basis.
PERFORMANCE (SPIRIT)
Specializations: Acting, Dancing, Dramatic Reading,
Instrumentation (choose one), Modeling, Singing.
PERSUASION (SPIRIT)
Specializations: Charm, Fast Talk, Leadership,
Seduction.
Ultimately, Persuasion gets other characters to like you
and believe in you—there’s a number of ways to do this.
77
Charm is what many Persuasion a�empts default to:
being likable, funny, and so on. Fast Talk is less about
ge�ing someone to like you for your personality and
more ge�ing someone to agree with you through more
deceptive means, leading the target through half-truths
or moving quickly enough to catch them off-guard.
Leadership is the quality of ge�ing others to buy into
your convictions and believing that they should listen
because you have control of the situation. Seduction is
the art of ge�ing folks (often of the opposite sex) to listen
to you because they’re thinking with their heart (or
another body part) instead of their head.
In most games, the difference between these methods
is best handled through Familizarization and taking
context into account, but in more social- or diplomacy-
oriented se�ings, which method your character excels in
(and more significantly, which methods you’re weak in)
can be very important.
Note that bribery is not a Specialization. When used,
bribery should add a bonus to Persuasion rolls, but most
bribery a�empts will probably fall under Charm—if
you’re unlikable enough, people won’t even take money
from you to cooperate.
PILOTING (AGILITY)
Specializations: Fixed Wing, Helicopter, Jetpacks,
Orbital/Spacecraft.
REPAIR (SMARTS)
Specializations: Demolitions, Electronics, Fighter Craft,
Land Vehicles, Metallurgy, Ships, Weapons.
This is split into the broadest categories of repairable
equipment available in the se�ing. In some games, it may
be appropriate to combine fighter craft, land vehicles,
and ships into a single Vehicle Specialization.
RESEARCH (SMARTS)
Specialization: Digital, Physical.
Back in the old days, all research was physical—
newspapers, old books, record archives, and so forth. In
modern times, this ubiquity has diversified, and the art
of finding information in a library is being lost. In sci-fi
games, physical research may be phased out entirely.
 HOW TO: SKILL SPECIALIZATION
RIDING (AGILITY)
Specializations: Carriage, Flying Mount, Land Mount.
SCIENCE (SMARTS)
Specializations: Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry,
Engineering, Geology, Physics, Psychology.
The other big “Knowledge” skill along with
Academics, Science covers almost every advanced field
of study from mathematics to epidemiology to nuclear
biomechanics. As with Academics, I tried to keep these
Specializations broad enough to be used in play, but the
specific Specializations should be determined by the
se�ing, and “adjacent” Specializations should be given
consideration for a lower penalty (astronomy and
physics are closely related, for example).
SHOOTING (AGILITY)
Specializations: Artillery & Anti-Tank Guns*,
Bombardiering*, Bows, Cannons, Gunnery* (naval
cannons), Mortars*, Personal Guns (pistols, rifles,
machine guns, etc.), Rocket Artillery*, Torpedoes*.
*Some se�ings may introduce an Ordnance (Smarts) skill
for enormous or indirect fire guns; in those se�ings, marked
Specializations should be Ordnance Specializations instead.
This skill should be especially broad, particularly for
infantry. Rather than subdividing pistols, rifles, and
shotguns—most characters who know how to use one of
those likely knows how to use the others or can pick it up
in a couple of minutes, and one or two combats with an
unfamiliar weapon (such as an assault rifle or rocket
launcher) should be enough to get a handle on things—
this is used to distinguish broad categories of weapons.
For most weapons, such as pistols, rifles, machine guns,
etc., take the Personal Guns Specialization.
STEALTH (AGILITY)
Like Intimidation, Stealth is just too narrow to have
different facets that can be Specialized in. Stealth is just
about hiding and not being noticed—there aren’t exactly
a lot of ways to go about this, and the differences that
exist ultimately come down to the same outcome.
SURVIVAL (SMARTS)
Specializations: Arctic, Desert, Mountain, Temperate,
Jungle, Swamp, Urban.
TAUNT (SMARTS)
Specializations: Annoyance, Derision, Reverse
Psychology.
In the core Savage Worlds rules, the Taunt skill is
extremely narrow in its scope. Something I find to work
quite well is broadening Taunt to cover “social
manipulation.” In contrast to Persuasion (which is
making others want to help you), Taunt is egging a target
into doing something you want without them realizing
that you want them to do it.
Annoyance is throwing out puns, quips, or otherwise
irritating someone into taking some kind of action
(generally quite angrily). Derision includes ridicule,
cruelty, or otherwise working to undermine a target’s
self-esteem to get them to cooperate. Reverse Psychology
is the delicate act of feeding your target information they
feel compelled to act on. For example, saying within
earshot of a captured thug “if he leaves, he’ll tell his boss
everything he knows about us,” prompting him to
unwi�ingly lead you to their secret lair.
This distinction can be much more important in social
se�ings than more action-oriented games. Note that this
isn’t lying—that still falls under Persuasion.
THIEVERY (AGILITY)
Specializations: Forgery, Lockpicking, Pickpocketing,
Safecracking, Sleight of Hand, Trap Disarmament.