Rifts - Skills & Language

Academics: This is a useful skill to have any time a character in the post-apocalyptic era needs to know something of value or importance from years gone by, including potentially lost modern-day ideas. It also applies to understanding the inner workings of factions, including the Coalition States and the True Federation, which can be extremely helpful in strategy, planning, and dealing with governments.
Common Knowledge: This skill covers the non-critical, non-emergency operation of common electronics, computers, vehicles, and other gear. It also allows characters to identify the general type of supernatural forces encountered—such as elemental, faerie, demon, undead, etc.
Electronics: This skill deals with using advanced communications equipment, sensors, and almost all non-weapon systems found on Environmental Body Armor and vehicles. It is especially critical in the operation of power armor and robot vehicles.
Hacking: Despite the lack of a global Internet, computers are a huge part of society, found in every major population center and in most machines and vehicles. Most cities have a decently robust intranet system. Using computers is a Common Knowledge task; this skill is for programming, building, and hacking into them.
Occult: This skill includes understanding the principles of all supernatural or arcane powers, items, and creatures. It also covers knowledge on dealing with ley lines and Rifts. Game Masters should apply penalties for rare creatures, items, or phenomena and bonuses for especially common ones.
Piloting: Power armor, robot vehicles, jet packs, hovercycles and advanced hovercraft are all operated using Piloting, whether maneuvering in the air, on the ground, etc.
Repair: The mechanical aspects of machines, as well as the nature and elements of physical structures, fall under this skill.
Science: Represents a broad-based knowledge of physics, chemistry, and biology, which is especially important when dealing with advanced biotechnology and alien forms of life or technology.

LANGUAGES AND LITERACY

There are a few major languages most commonly spoken and used around the globe, which are listed below. Characters are assumed to speak American by default; if more languages are desired, either spend points on the Language skill for whatever other languages are desired— Language (Dragonese), for example—or take the Linguist Edge.
American: English a site volved i n t he United States and Canada is the most common language in North America and a surprisingly common global trade tongue. Regional dialects have evolved in Dinosaur Swamp, England, and the Australian Outback.
Chinese: The standardized Mandarin form created from the Beijing dialect is the common language throughout China and much of Asia; even those who speak regional dialects can read and write using the same characters (if they are literate).
Demongogian: Though they often have their own dialects, Demongogian is the common language of demons and supernatural creatures including Brodkil, Daemonix, the demons of Dyval, the demons of Hades, and Gargoyles.
Dragonese/Elven: Considered an offensive (and outlawed) language by the Coalition, this is the common tongue of magic wielders and mystical beings. It’s the official language of the True Federation of Magic (though American is more commonly used in the Magic Zone).
Euro: Spoken by almost all humans east of Britain and west of China, this amalgamation of Russian, German, and Polish dominates post-Rifts Europe. Faerie Speak: A mystical language common to faerie folk and related beings, it is closely related enough to Dragonese/Elven and Gobblely to facilitate very basic communication between those who speak one and those who speak the other.
Gobblely: The common tongue spoken by many “barbaric” races like goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, ogres, trolls, and others who threaten civilization globally. There is no written component, save a few coarse symbols that have mostly clan or ritual meaning.
Japanese: The main language of the Japanese islands.
Spanish: Ubiquitous throughout the New West and Texas, Spanish replaces American as the defacto language of Mexico and South America.
Techno-Can: Strictly functioning as a written/coding language, this combination of American and specialized high-tech jargon is used as a universal “tech-language” for technical journals, computer coding, and related systems.