Skills & Knowledge

Practical ability and specific learned knowledge are separate, mortal survivor systems.

Skills are not levels. The public competency ladder is Untrained → Familiar → Practised → Skilled → Expert. Raw practice points are an internal progression mechanism; survivor HP remains capped at 100.

Practical skills

Practical skills describe experience doing a broad type of work. Repetition can improve competency, but repeated identical actions have diminishing educational value.

Scavenging

Searching built environments efficiently and recognising useful supplies and materials.

scavenging

First Aid

Controlling bleeding, treating basic wounds and applying practical emergency care.

first_aid

Crafting

Improvising, repairing and assembling useful items from available materials and tools.

crafting

Foraging

Finding useful natural resources and food in appropriate habitats.

foraging

Firecraft

Selecting tinder and fuel, lighting fires and maintaining them in difficult conditions.

firecraft

Sheltercraft

Building temporary field shelters and improving protection from wind, rain and cold.

sheltercraft

Cooking

Preparing food safely and making effective use of heat, cookware and limited ingredients.

cooking

Trapping

Constructing, placing and checking simple traps and snares responsibly and effectively.

trapping

Archery

Using bows accurately and safely, including handling physical arrows and improvised equipment.

archery

Farming

Planting, tending and harvesting crops while understanding basic growing conditions.

farming

Mechanics

Understanding and repairing vehicles, generators and other mechanical systems.

mechanics

Electrical

Working with batteries, wiring, small electrical systems and later renewable power equipment.

electrical

Construction

Building and repairing substantial structures, barricades and later safe-house improvements.

construction

Hunting

Tracking, stalking and processing game using appropriate knowledge and equipment.

hunting

Knowledge catalogue

Knowledge records what this particular survivor actually knows: techniques, principles, regional identification, recipes and specialist construction knowledge. Knowledge dies with the survivor.

Knowledge	Discipline	Type	Scope	What it means
Useful Material Recognition scavenging_useful_materials	Scavenging	Technique	global	You have a basic eye for common salvage that can be repurposed instead of discarded.
Basic Bleeding Control first_aid_bleeding_control	First Aid	Medical	global	You understand the basic purpose of direct pressure, dressings and simple bleeding control.
Basic Wound Cleaning first_aid_wound_cleaning	First Aid	Medical	global	You understand that dirty wounds should be cleaned and protected rather than ignored.
Basic Improvised Joinery crafting_basic_joinery	Crafting	Technique	global	You know simple ways to bind, fasten and reinforce scavenged materials.
Basic Textile Repair crafting_textile_repair	Crafting	Technique	global	You understand simple hand-sewn patches and repairs using needle, thread and cloth.
Foraging Field Awareness foraging_field_awareness	Foraging	Principle	global	You know that useful natural resources depend on habitat, season and careful identification.
Blackberry Identification foraging_blackberry_identification	Foraging	Identification	temperate_europe	Species-specific field knowledge intended for later region-aware foraging content.
Common Nettle Identification foraging_nettle_identification	Foraging	Identification	temperate_europe	Species-specific field knowledge intended for later region-aware foraging content.
Plantain Identification foraging_plantain_identification	Foraging	Identification	temperate_europe	Species-specific field knowledge intended for later region-aware foraging content.
Yarrow Identification foraging_yarrow_identification	Foraging	Identification	temperate_europe	Species-specific field knowledge intended for later region-aware foraging content.
Death Cap Identification foraging_death_cap_identification	Foraging	Identification	temperate_europe	Specific mushroom-identification knowledge represented for gameplay. The game should never be treated as a real-world field guide.
Fungi Identification Caution foraging_fungi_caution	Foraging	Principle	global	You understand that uncertain mushroom identification is dangerous and should not be treated as edible knowledge.
Plant Identification Caution foraging_plant_safety_awareness	Foraging	Principle	global	You understand that an uncertain wild-plant identification is not enough reason to treat a specimen as safe food or medicine.
Natural Material Awareness foraging_natural_material_awareness	Foraging	Principle	global	You know that useful tinder, fibre and other natural materials vary with habitat, moisture, season and local conditions.
Basic Fire Lay firecraft_basic_fire_lay	Firecraft	Technique	global	You know the basic relationship between tinder, kindling and progressively larger fuel.
Tinder Selection firecraft_tinder_selection	Firecraft	Technique	global	You recognise that ignition reliability depends heavily on suitable, sufficiently dry tinder.
Basic Lean-to sheltercraft_basic_lean_to	Sheltercraft	Construction	global	You understand the basic form of a temporary lean-to shelter where the environment permits it.
Tarp Shelter sheltercraft_tarp_shelter	Sheltercraft	Construction	global	You understand how a tarp can form a much more rain-resistant temporary shelter when anchored correctly.
Basic Food Safety cooking_basic_food_safety	Cooking	Principle	global	You understand simple hygiene, heating and contamination risks when preparing food.
Boiling Water cooking_boiling_water	Cooking	Technique	global	You understand the basic equipment and heat relationship required to boil water.
Basic Snare Principles trapping_basic_snare	Trapping	Technique	global	You understand the basic concept of a simple snare, though successful field use still requires practice and suitable conditions.
Basic Bow Handling archery_basic_handling	Archery	Technique	global	You understand elementary bow and arrow handling and safety.
Basic Sowing farming_basic_sowing	Farming	Technique	global	You understand basic sowing depth, spacing and the need for suitable soil, water and season.
Basic Vehicle Maintenance mechanics_basic_vehicle_maintenance	Mechanics	Technique	global	You recognise common routine vehicle checks and simple mechanical maintenance tasks.
Basic Battery Safety electrical_basic_battery_safety	Electrical	Principle	global	You understand elementary precautions around batteries, terminals and low-voltage wiring.
Basic Barricading construction_basic_barricading	Construction	Construction	global	You understand the basic goal of reinforcing an opening without confusing it with permanent structural engineering.
Tracking Basics hunting_tracking_basics	Hunting	Technique	global	You understand that tracks, sign, habitat and animal behaviour can indicate recent activity.
Nettle Soup cooking_nettle_soup	Cooking	Recipe	recipe:nettle_soup	Knows how to turn identified common nettles and measured water into a simple cooked nettle soup.
Small Solar & Battery Systems electrical_solar_systems	Electrical	Construction	global	You understand the principles and safe component relationships needed to assemble and modify a small photovoltaic array, charge controller, battery bank, inverter and household backup supply.

Starting backgrounds

Each new survivor receives one small deterministic pre-apocalypse background. It grants modest familiarity plus one matching Knowledge entry; it does not change maximum HP or provide hidden combat power.

Background	Skill head start	Starting knowledge	Description
Resourceful	Scavenging	Useful Material Recognition	You were already used to spotting useful things other people overlooked.
First-aid Trained	First Aid	Basic Bleeding Control	You had some basic first-aid exposure before the collapse.
DIY Tinkerer	Crafting	Basic Improvised Joinery	Small household repairs and improvised fixes were familiar territory.
Weekend Walker	Foraging	Foraging Field Awareness	You spent enough time outdoors to pay attention to terrain, weather and natural resources.
Camper	Firecraft	Basic Fire Lay	You had some practical experience making camp and managing a basic fire.
Home Cook	Cooking	Basic Food Safety	Preparing ordinary meals gave you a useful head start with food handling.
Gardener	Farming	Basic Sowing	You had practical experience keeping ordinary plants alive and productive.
Mechanically Minded	Mechanics	Basic Vehicle Maintenance	You were comfortable with basic tools and routine mechanical maintenance.

Learning

Successful gameplay can practise relevant skills, such as Scavenging, Crafting, First Aid and Firecraft.
Books can teach specific Knowledge without directly increasing practical skill.
The Pocket Guide to Common British Wild Plants teaches regional plant identification and Nettle Soup knowledge.
The Basic Foraging Handbook teaches broad global foraging principles.
Practical Off-Grid Solar Power teaches the Small Solar & Battery Systems knowledge required for Safe House independent-power construction and modification.

Source: docs/SKILLS-KNOWLEDGE.md and current 0.6.0.2 skill/knowledge seeders.