RIFTFINDER

// Core Rules

Expanded Skills

Overview

The Expanded Skills system adds a Rifts-flavored layer on top of the baseline SF2e skills: Specializations that grant narrow but mechanically deep expertise in specific subject areas. Rifts canon has 50+ skills covering specific knowledge and capabilities; SF2e has roughly 16 broad skills. This subsystem bridges the gap.

SF2e skills are deliberately broad — Medicine covers everything from first aid to triage to surgery; Crafting covers everything from blacksmithing to electronics repair. That's fine for most classes, but it breaks down for Rifts-canon specialist classes whose identity is “I'm the only one who can do this”:

  • A Chopper doesn't just have Medicine — they have the specific expertise to install cyberware. Other Medicine-trained characters cannot.
  • A Trauma Medic doesn't just patch wounds — they're the wasteland trauma specialist.
  • A Wilderness Scout doesn't just have Survival — they can track creatures across difficult terrain in ways a generalist cannot.
  • A Field Researcher doesn't just have a high Crafting score — they can identify, replicate, and modify pre-Rifts technology that no one else understands.

This provides a unified mechanism for that specialization while staying SF2e-native. It does not invent new skill proficiency tracks. Instead, it defines Specializations that grant a status bonus and gate access to specific tasks the parent skill cannot accomplish without them.

Core mechanics

Specializations

A Specialization is a class-granted or feat-granted feature that represents narrow, focused expertise in a sub-area of a parent SF2e skill. Specializations:

  • Are tied to a parent skill (one of the 16 baseline skills). The parent skill must be at Trained proficiency or higher for the Specialization to function.
  • Use the parent skill's proficiency rank. A character with Master Medicine and the Surgery Specialization performs Surgery tasks at Master-tier proficiency. There is no separate Specialization proficiency tier — it's slaved to the parent skill.
  • Grant a +2 status bonus to parent-skill checks made for tasks within the Specialization's scope. A Surgery-specialized character has +2 status to Medicine checks when performing surgery tasks (Major Surgery, Field Operation) but no bonus when using Medicine for general tasks (first aid, identifying a poison, treating a disease) that aren't within Surgery's scope. The +2 reflects the edge a narrow specialist has over their generalist counterparts.
  • Unlock Specialized Tasks — specific class actions or skill uses that require the Specialization. Without the Specialization, the task cannot be attempted regardless of skill rank.
  • Are NOT skill feats. Specializations and skill feats are separate mechanics; both can apply to the same parent skill.

A character can hold multiple Specializations. Some Specializations have prerequisites (for example, Cybernetic Surgery requires Surgery first).

Stacking rule. Per the status bonus rules, the +2 status from a Specialization does NOT stack with itself. If a character has multiple Specializations whose scopes overlap on the same task (for example, both Surgery and Cybernetic Surgery, when performing a cyberware install which is both a surgery and a cyberware procedure), only the highest applicable +2 applies — typically the more specific Specialization (Cybernetic Surgery, in that example). The depth of specialization is in task access (more Specializations unlock more Specialized Tasks), not in stacked numeric bonuses.

Scope determination. Each Specialization's scope is defined by its specific Specialized Tasks and the related skill applications. The Cybernetic Surgery Specialization covers cyberware installation, modification, removal, and cybernetic anatomy identification — but does not cover general first aid, biological surgery on a non-cybered patient, or pharmaceutical synthesis (those are covered by Surgery, Pharmaceuticals, or general Medicine). The GM adjudicates edge cases.

The +2 status bonus

Each Specialization grants a flat +2 status bonus, applied to parent-skill checks within the Specialization's scope. The bonus does not scale with class level, proficiency tier, or character level.

Specialized Tasks

Each Specialization unlocks one or more Specialized Tasks — class-action-style abilities that use the parent skill. Tasks specify:

  • Action cost (1-action, 2-action, 3-action, downtime, ritual, and so on).
  • Parent skill check (the skill rolled, using the parent skill's proficiency).
  • DC (determined per task — many are dynamic, based on the target's level).
  • Outcome (critical success, success, failure, critical failure).

Tasks may have additional prerequisites: specific tools, equipment, a location (a lab or surgical bay, say), or a downtime cost in gold or credits.

Access

Class-granted Specializations. Each of the expanded-skill classes (Chopper, Operator, and so on) grants 2–4 starting Specializations at L1, with additional Specializations unlocked at higher class levels. The L1 grant defines the class's mechanical identity.

Skill Specialist general feat. A character not in an expanded-skill class can gain one Specialization via the Skill Specialist general feat (L1+). This grants Trained proficiency in the parent skill (if not already trained) and access to the Specialization's tasks. Higher-tier proficiency requires standard skill progression.

Multi-class. A character multi-classing into an expanded-skill class gains the L1 starting Specializations of that class via dedication archetype rules.

Specialization catalog

Organized by parent skill. Each entry lists the Specialization name, parent skill, prerequisites (if any), and a brief description. Specialized Tasks are detailed in the individual class files where the Specialization is granted, or in the task appendix below.

Medicine Specializations

  • Surgery (parent: Medicine, prereq: Trained Medicine). Major surgical procedures — wound repair beyond standard first aid, organ replacement, complex trauma treatment.
  • Field Triage (parent: Medicine, prereq: Trained Medicine). Emergency combat-time medical aid — keep the dying alive when there's no time for a clean operation.
  • Pharmaceuticals (parent: Medicine + Crafting, prereq: Trained Medicine and Crafting). Drug synthesis, prescription, identification of unknown compounds.
  • Cybernetic Surgery (parent: Medicine + Crafting, prereq: Surgery + Expert Crafting). Install, modify, and remove cyberware items. Granted by Chopper.
  • Bio-Augmentation (parent: Medicine + Crafting, prereq: Pharmaceuticals + Expert Medicine). Install bio-augmentation rigs (Redliner-style) and Overclock implants (Manic-style). Most choppers do not have this — it's separate from Cybernetic Surgery.

Crafting Specializations

  • Electronics Repair (parent: Crafting, prereq: Trained Crafting). Repair and identify pre-Rifts and modern electronics.
  • Vehicle Mechanics (parent: Crafting, prereq: Trained Crafting). Maintain, repair, and modify vehicles. Granted by Operator.
  • Power Armor Tech (parent: Crafting, prereq: Vehicle Mechanics + Expert Crafting). Install, modify, and repair power armor systems. The “civilian Chromeboy mechanic” specialty.
  • Weapon Mods (parent: Crafting, prereq: Trained Crafting). Customize, modify, and repair weapons. Add or remove weapon properties via tinkering.
  • Computer Operations (parent: Crafting + Society, prereq: Trained Crafting and Society). Hacking, programming, electronic systems infiltration.
  • Salvage (parent: Crafting + Survival, prereq: Trained Crafting and Survival). Extract working components from broken or scrap technology. A common Vagabond and Wilderness Scout specialty.
  • Improvisation (parent: Crafting, prereq: Expert Crafting). Build functional but crude versions of complex items from available scrap (a working radio from spare parts, a single-shot pistol from a pipe and gunpowder, and the like).

Stealth Specializations

  • Tradecraft (parent: Stealth, prereq: Trained Stealth). Infiltration, hidden movement in urban or built environments. Pickpocket, lockpick by stealth, observe without being observed.
  • Disguise (parent: Stealth + Society, prereq: Trained Stealth). Visual and behavioral appearance modification. Pass as another person or social class.
  • Wilderness Stealth (parent: Stealth + Survival, prereq: Trained Stealth and Survival). Hidden movement in natural terrain. Granted by Wilderness Scout.

Society Specializations

  • Federation Intelligence (parent: Society, prereq: Trained Society). Knowledge of Federation States military, political, and intelligence operations. Granted by Federation Grunt + Federation Officer (background); useful for any Rifts campaign that involves the Federation.
  • Streetwise (parent: Society, prereq: Trained Society). Navigate the urban underworld — find fences, gangs, illicit markets, criminal contacts. Granted by Street Rat.
  • Magical Networks (parent: Society + Occultism, prereq: Trained Society). Knowledge of magic-practitioner communities, magical guilds, and magical contacts.
  • Ancient Lore (parent: Society + Occultism, prereq: Trained Society). Pre-Rifts history, archaeology, dead languages, lost technology identification. Granted by Archivist.
  • Tech Lore (parent: Society, prereq: Trained Society). Identify, classify, and assess high-tech items by reputation, manufacturer, market value, and likely origin. Granted by Field Researcher.

Survival Specializations

  • Tracking (parent: Survival, prereq: Trained Survival). Track creatures across difficult terrain. Granted by Wilderness Scout.
  • Navigation (parent: Survival, prereq: Trained Survival). Find your way in unmapped wilderness. Identify location by terrain features.
  • Urban Survival (parent: Survival, prereq: Trained Survival). Find food, shelter, and information in damaged urban environments.
  • Foraging (parent: Survival, prereq: Trained Survival). Identify edible plants, hunt small game, locate clean water in the wasteland.

Occultism Specializations

  • Anomalous Phenomena (parent: Occultism, prereq: Trained Occultism). Identify and understand dimensional rifts, magical anomalies, and supernatural phenomena. Granted by Archivist (sub-spec).
  • Magical Practice History (parent: Occultism, prereq: Trained Occultism). Knowledge of pre-Rifts magical history, lost traditions, and named practitioners.

Performance Specializations

  • Oratory (parent: Performance, prereq: Trained Performance). Public speaking, rallying crowds, formal declamation.
  • Music (parent: Performance, prereq: Trained Performance). Instrumental and vocal musical performance.
  • Storytelling (parent: Performance, prereq: Trained Performance). Narrative entertainment — preserving and sharing oral histories, news, and gossip. A common Vagabond specialty.

Diplomacy Specializations

  • Persuasion (parent: Diplomacy, prereq: Trained Diplomacy). Change minds through argument and reasoning.
  • Interrogation (parent: Diplomacy or Intimidation, prereq: Trained in parent skill). Extract information from a creature, with appropriate ethics or lack thereof.

Nature Specializations

  • Beast Handling (parent: Nature, prereq: Trained Nature). Calm, train, and direct natural creatures.
  • Mutation Recognition (parent: Nature, prereq: Trained Nature). Identify mutated wildlife, dimensional creatures, and crossbred animals — common in the post-Rifts wasteland.

Specialized Task appendix

Detailed task definitions for selected Specializations. The complete task catalog lives in the individual class files — each class file details the tasks for its granted Specializations.

Surgery — Specialized Tasks

  • Major Surgery (downtime, 1+ days). Repair severe wounds (regrow limbs, restore organ function), perform organ transplants, repair brain damage. DC scales by task complexity. Granted by Trauma Medic at L1 and Chopper at L1.
  • Field Operation (10-minute activity, in or out of combat). Perform a single substantial medical task in non-laboratory conditions. Restore lost HP equal to (3 × proficiency × character level), and heal up to one severe condition. Higher critical-failure risk than a clean operation. Granted by Trauma Medic.

Field Triage — Specialized Tasks

  • Stabilize Critical . On a downed ally within reach (HP < 0 or dying), attempt to stabilize them. On a success, the target is brought to HP 1 + Triage proficiency modifier and the dying condition is removed. On a failure, no effect, but the ally remains in a critical state. Granted by Trauma Medic and Chopper.
  • Combat Heal (once per round). Touch a willing ally. Restore 1d8 + Wisdom modifier + proficiency-level HP. Specialty-only — generalist Medicine can't do this in combat.

Cybernetic Surgery — Specialized Tasks

  • Install Cyberware (downtime, multi-day). Per the Cyberware installation rules, but with class-specific advantages: reduce the install DC by 5, critical failures don't damage the patient, and install time is reduced by 25%.
  • Modify Cyberware (downtime, multi-day). Reconfigure an installed cyberware item to a different parameter. Useful for re-aligning a cyber-eye for telescopic versus wide-angle vision, changing a cyber-arm's weapon mount type, and so on.
  • Field Install (10-minute activity). Perform a basic cyberware installation in non-laboratory conditions. Increased difficulty and a higher critical-failure risk; for emergency situations only.

Vehicle Mechanics — Specialized Tasks

  • Major Vehicle Repair (downtime, multi-day). Restore a vehicle from non-functional to operational. DC scales by vehicle level.
  • Field Repair (1-hour activity). Patch a vehicle to limp it to a proper repair shop. The vehicle operates at reduced capacity for roughly 24 hours.
  • Vehicle Modification (downtime, multi-day). Add a new feature to an existing vehicle (extra armor, a hidden compartment, modified weapons).
  • Hot-Wire . Bypass standard vehicle security or ignition. Requires the vehicle to be unattended and within reach.

Tracking — Specialized Tasks

  • Identify Trail (10-minute activity). Examine an area for evidence of recent passage. On a success, identify how recently and roughly what passed (the size, number, and type of creature).
  • Follow Trail (sustained activity). Track creatures across terrain. Difficulty scales by terrain type and the target's countermeasures.
  • Predict Movement . Given a creature's trail and recent behavior, predict their next destination or general direction of travel.

Computer Operations — Specialized Tasks

  • System Hack (10-minute to 1-hour activity). Bypass a computer system's security. DC scales by system level. Common Rifts technology has a DC of about level + 15.
  • Data Recovery (1-hour activity). Retrieve specific data from a damaged or partial computer system. DC depends on the damage and the target data.
  • System Modification (downtime, multi-day). Permanently alter a computer system's behavior — add a hidden command, install a backdoor, and so on.

Many more tasks exist across all Specializations; the full catalog lives in the individual class files.

Multi-class and cross-class access

A character can gain Specializations beyond their starting class via:

  1. Skill Specialist general feat (L1+, repeatable). Choose one Specialization from the catalog. You gain Trained proficiency in its parent skill (if not already) and access to its Specialized Tasks. You can take Skill Specialist multiple times.
  2. Multi-class archetype dedication. Taking the dedication feat for an expanded-skill class grants a subset of that class's L1 features — specifically the first Specialization granted by the class (the most signature one). Additional Specializations require additional archetype feats.
  3. Class feats within expanded-skill classes. Each expanded-skill class has class feats that grant additional Specializations, expand existing ones, or unlock new Specialized Tasks.

Limitations

  • A Specialization without its parent skill at Trained is non-functional. You must meet the parent skill prerequisite to use a Specialization at all.
  • Specialized Tasks are gated by Specialization access. Even a Master-Medicine character without Cybernetic Surgery cannot install cyberware — the task requires the Specialization, not just the skill.
  • Skill feats and Specializations are distinct. Many Specializations unlock new uses of a skill that skill feats enhance. A Chopper with the Surgery + Cybernetic Surgery Specializations and the Skilled Surgeon skill feat is doubly competent.

Cross-references to other subsystems

  • Cyberware — the Cybernetic Surgery and Bio-Augmentation Specializations gate access to the install / modify / remove rules. A non-Chopper cannot install cyberware (the install procedure requires a Chopper or comparable specialist).
  • Megadamage & Hardness — the Power Armor Tech Specialization gates the ability to modify power armor Hardness, install Penetrating-trait modifications, and the like.
  • Magic & Psionics — the Ancient Lore and Magical Practice History Specializations gate access to information about specific magical traditions, historical practitioners, and lost magic.

How it fits the game

This subsystem is foundational to the expanded-skill classes: Chopper, Operator, Trauma Medic, Archivist, Field Researcher, Wilderness Scout, Street Rat, and Vagabond. Each of those classes grants specific Specializations as part of its class identity.

The “skill-specialty class” identity is a deliberate alternative to the “combat-or-magic class” identity that dominates SF2e. Rifts had this distinction too — Adventurers and Scholars were a third category alongside Men of Arms and Practitioners of Magic — and this subsystem makes that category viable in SF2e terms.