History Main / SkillScoresAndPerks

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} is a classic example. Character traits fall fundamentally into four distinct groups: attributes (the four base stats), skills (based on said attributes and then improved individually), advantages (perks) and disadvantages (essentially 'anti-perks', handicaps to saddle one's character with for more character depth and bonus points...[[BluntYes okay, primarily the bonus points]]).

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' was late to this particular party for once. The now-familiar skills-and-feats scheme was introduced only with the game's third edition; before then, support for skills for non-thief characters was noticeably delegated to optional rules or even altogether absent, and "perks" existed almost solely in the form of racial and class abilities that might get unlocked with advancing level but generally didn't involve much choice. Moreover, both pre- and post-third edition, these skills were and are handled more like perks themselves, with characters able to choose to have a given skill or not but little in the way of means to improve it ''further'' after that.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' is likely the TropeCodifier, if not the outright TropeMaker. The specifics vary a little by edition, but ''D&D'' uses both skill scores, purchased points that act as a modifier on skill rolls, and "feats," purchased perks that may do everything from modifying rolls further to allowing the character to perform special actions or be immune to certain things (and that's just the tip of the iceberg, especially with the vast expanses of 3.X Edition). ''D&D''-based video games usually use some or all of these mechanics.

* ''DiabloII'' features a hybrid skill score/perk system, wherein each class has three unique skill trees consisting of several tiers of perks. Individual tiers are unlocked one by one at certain character levels, after which any number of skill points (gained at each level and from some quests) can be invested into any unlocked perk, increasing its efficiency and often giving bonuses to more advanced perks derived from it. On a side note, ''Diablo II'' has one of the earliest implementations of the aura-type perks (with its Paladin class).

In RealLife, human brain acquires new knowledge and puts it to use via a spectacular cascade of electrochemical reactions taking place across a heavily networked biological cell grid. Learning and improving one's skills is a continuous, life-long process, while expertise in one field often proves unexpectedly useful in others, seemingly unrelated domains. But complex neuroscience has no place in video games, because a) it violates the RuleOfFun, and b) it runs a high risk of spawning [[AIIsACrapshoot a murderous AI on your computer]].

* The ''[[VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga Jedi Knight]]'' series features a number of upgradeable Force Powers. In the first game and ''Jedi Academy'', you gain skill points after every mission (first game gives bonus points for finding secret locations, while ''JA'' has optional missions to gain extra points) and can spend them on any power you want. In ''Jedi Outcast'', on the other hand, force powers are upgraded automatically according to a fixed progression after every mission (you can still distribute points freely in the multiplayer mode, though). The powers are further subdivided into Neutral, Light, and Dark and in ''Academy'', you mentors will have comments if you prefer one Side over the other.

* The ''[[VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga Jedi Knight]]'' series features a number of upgradeable Force Powers. In the first game and ''Jedi Academy'', you gain skill points after every mission (first game gives bonus points for finding secret locations, while ''JA'' has optional missions to gain extra points) and can spend them on any power you want. In ''Jedi Outcast'', on the other hand, force powers are upgraded automatically according to a fixed progression after every mission. The powers are further subdivided into Neutral, Light, and Dark and in ''Academy'', you mentors will have comments if you prefer one Side over the other.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' is famous for the Sphere Grid and its potential flexibility, with nodes that either increased certain stats or provided a new active ability. Each node requires the appropriate sphere to activate it and certain areas of the grid are separated by locked nodes of various levels. The original version have a somewhat linear progression path for each character(with the exception of Kimahri, who starts in the center with access to almost every other character-specific grid area) giving them a more pre-determined role early on, but could access other parts once they completed their paths or unlocked the lock nodes separating each area. The [[UpdatedRerelease International version]] adds a second grid layout, Expert, in which every character starts at the center of the grid and are able to go anywhere they wish from there, though [[LimitBreak overdrives]] and weapons remains exclusive to each character.

|| Skill levels have index numbers or generic labels (novice, trained, master) || Each perk or upgrade has a [[NominalImportance unique identifying name]] ||

Skill scores and perks often coexist side-by-side, mixed-and-matched in a myriad of ways, and many games (especially contemporary [=RPGs=]) even blur the line between the two.

Instead, {{tabletop|Games}} and video games--particularly {{Role Playing Game}}s and games with RPGElements--narrow down the areas of human knowledge to a handful of quantifiable "skills" that are relevant to the plot and whose advancement and effects can be defined in terms of gameplay mechanics. At the start of the game, the players are handed a list of these skills and a few "skill points" to [[CharacterCustomization assign to their characters]], with more skills rewarded later on for completing [[VideoGameObjectives the game's objectives]].

See also TheSixStats, SkillPointReset.

|| Improved by [[PointBuildSystem spending skill points]], by [[StatGrinding repeated use]], or automatically with [[LevelUp each level]]. Sometimes by [[NonstandardSkillLearning special ways]] || Usually acquired by spending skill points, sometimes by [[NonstandardSkillLearning special ways]] ||

|| Improved by [[PointBuildSystem spending skill points]], by [[StatGrinding repeated use]], or automatically with [[LevelUp each level]] || Usually acquired by spending skill points ||

|| Improved by [[PointBuildSystem spending skill points]], by [[StatGrinding repeated use]], or automatically with [[LevelUp each level]] || Usually learned by spending skill points ||
|| Higher skill levels may cost more than the lower ones || More advanced perks may cost more than the basic ones ||

* ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever 2'' includes a skill score system that represented various aspects of being a super-spy (stealth, marksmanship, gadgets, etc.). Each skill score can be upgraded four times, giving various passive bonuses to the respective basic action (hiding, shooting, breaking codes, etc.). Each level costs progressively more skill points, which are obtained from completing missions and finding manuals scattered throughout the game.

* The original ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' features both skill scores and perks (dubbed "augmentations"). Skill scores are upgraded using [[PointBuildSystem skill points acquired from completing missions]], had four levels (Untrained, Trained, Advanced, Master), and improve your performance with different types of weapons, or non-combat actions (lock-picking, electronics, medicine, etc.). Augmentations are picked up as items on missions and implanted into Denton's body slots, giving him new abilities. They can likewise be upgraded. ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' does away with skill scores and instead translates experience points into Praxis Points, which in turn can be invested into any augmentation unlocked in the perk tree (justified by that all augs are already built into Jensen and only need to be activated).

* ''DiabloII'' featured a hybrid skill score/perk system, wherein each class had three unique skill trees consisting of several tiers of perks. Individual tiers were unlocked one by one at certain character levels, after which any number of skill points (gained at each level and from some quests) could be invested into any unlocked perk, increasing its efficiency and often giving bonuses to more advanced perks derived from it. On a side note, ''Diablo II'' had one of the first popular implementations of the aura-type perks (with its Paladin class).
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' had a hybrid skill score/perk system wherein "talents" encompassed both passive (armor, weapon) and active (biotic attacks) skills. Talents could be leveled up multiple times, increasing their efficiency and unlocking additional perks and even further upgradeable talents at certain levels (forming an implicit skill tree). ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' replaced them with "powers"--active combat skills, which were essentially perks with up to five (mutually exclusive at level 4+) upgrade perks available for each of them. Which talents and powers were available depended on the character's class and although most were so from the start, some were only unlocked after certain story events.
* The original ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' featured both skill scores and perks (dubbed "augmentations"). Skill scores were upgraded using [[PointBuildSystem skill points acquired by completing missions]], had four levels (Untrained, Trained, Advanced, Master), and improved your performance with different types of weapons, or non-combat actions (lock-picking, electronics, medicine, etc.). Augmentations were picked up as items on missions and implanted into Denton's body slots, giving him new abilities. They also could be upgraded. ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' did away with skill scores and instead translates experience points into Praxis Points, which in turn can be invested into any augmentation unlocked in the perk tree (justified by that all augs are already built into Jensen and only need to be activated).

* The Crystarium system ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' consisted of class-and-character-specific (mostly linear with minor sideways branching) perk trees, whose nodes had increasing "crystogen point" costs. Most nodes provided bonuses to either Strength, Magic, or Health, but some unlocked class/role-specific moves. In ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy XIII-2}}'', each character has only one linear "perk tree", but its nodes are technically empty slots where the player can place perks (bonuses or abilities) of any of the six available classes ([[{{Cap}} up to 99 per class]]) by investing crystogen points.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 1}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' had a skill system based around seven static attributes (ranging from 1 to 10), skill scores (measured in percent and upgraded at every level), traits (essentially perks with both advantages and disadvantages that you picked at the beginning of the game), and learnable perks (which you could take every three levels).
* The underlying game system of ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series is based mainly around skill scores, which are [[StatGrinding increased by using them]] (which also indirectly increases their governing character stats), but ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' added a number perks, which were unlocked by reaching certain levels in skills: e.g. a Power Attack at Blade 25, no shield wear-out at Shield 50, jumping off water surface at Acrobatics 100, etc. ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' expanded the available perks to an entire tree (one per skill score); perks now have prerequisite perks and corresponding skill score levels and can be bought and upgraded with perk points (gained with every level up) once unlocked.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' skill scores ("skills") and perks ("talents" and spells) existed in parallel, although the latter were much more prevalent. Eight (11 in ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening Awakening]]'') skills could be leveled up four times, providing passive bonuses to anything from persuasiveness, through pickpocketing, to combat efficiency. Talents, meanwhile, were distinct moves, auras, passives, and upgrades grouped into "trees" of three (four in ''Awakening'') linear four item-long branches (mages got spells instead of talents but they worked the same way). There were also class- and [[PrestigeClass specialization]]-specific perk trees. In addition to being part of a skill tree, new perks had stat and (in case of weapon talents) skill level requirements. Talent points were gained at every level, and skill points, every three (two for rogues) levels. ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' did away with the skills but expanded the talent trees to branch out more.

* ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever 2'' included a skill score system that represented various aspects of being a super-spy (stealth, marksmanship, gadgets, etc.). Each skill score could be upgraded four times, giving various passive bonuses to the respective basic action (hiding, shooting, breaking codes, etc.). Each level cost progressively more skill points, which were obtained from completing missions and finding manuals scattered throughout the game.

* Being based on the TabletopGame/D20System, the ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' games feature both skill scores ("skills") and perks ("feats" and "powers"). Skill scores range from hacking, through persuasion, to first aid and are upgradeable multiple times per level (skill points gained depend on INT stat). General feats usually come with one or two upgrades and can be taken every other level (depending on the class). Powers can only be learned by the Jedi at a rate of one per level (more for some classes). Powers associated with the Light or Dark Side of the Force additionally gain bonuses from your KarmaMeter standing.

* Being based on the D20System, the ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' games feature both skill scores ("skills") and perks ("feats" and "powers"). Skill scores range from hacking, through persuasion, to first aid and are upgradeable multiple times per level (skill points gained depend on INT stat). General feats usually come with one or two upgrades and can be taken every other level (depending on the class). Powers can only be learned by the Jedi at a rate of one per level (more for some classes). Powers associated with the Light or Dark Side of the Force additionally gain bonuses from your KarmaMeter standing.

* Being based on the D20System, the ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' games feature both skill scores ("skills") and perks ("feats" and "powers"). Skill scores range from hacking, through persuasion, to first aid and are upgradeable multiple times per level (skill points gained depend on INT stat). General feats usually come with one or two upgrades and can be taken every other level (depending on the class). Powers can only be learned by the Jedi at a rate of one per level (more for some classes).

|| Improved by [[PointBuildSystem spending skill points]], by repeated use, or automatically with each level || Usually learned by spending skill points ||

* The underlying game system of ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series is based mainly around skill scores, which are increased by using them (which also indirectly increases their governing character stats), but ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' added a number perks, which were unlocked by reaching certain levels in skills: e.g. a Power Attack at Blade 25, no shield wear-out at Shield 50, jumping off water surface at Acrobatics 100, etc. ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' expanded the available perks to an entire tree (one per skill score); perks now have prerequisite perks and corresponding skill score levels and can be bought and upgraded with perk points (gained with every level up) once unlocked.

* The ''TabletopGame/Serenity'' RPG has a nontraditional version of this. Skills and perks are purchased from a shared point pool at character creation and changeable at GM discretion (the RPG does not use a ClassAndLevelSystem). There's a set of core skills that can be used with dice up to d6, then specialized into sub-skills that can use from d8 to d12+d2. Perks, called traits, are broken down into assets and complications and provide various bonuses and penalties.

* ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'' uses a system similar to ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' in that your skill points both improve your proficiency directly and, at predefined points along the tree, grant access to special actions such as BulletTime or HUD indicators as to enemies' location, disposition, and facing.