JACKS-OF-ALL-TRADES
SILENT STRIDERS JACKS-OF-ALL-TRADES
"Me get a college degree? I wouldn't waste my time or money when I can easily pick up skills on the fly. Do you know what BS, MBS, and Ph.D stand for? Bullshit, More Bullshit, and Piled High & Deeper."
A Jack-Of-All-Trades (aka Jacks) is a master of none, but oftentimes their diverse skillset is better than being a master of one. Because of the nomadic ways of their Silent Striders tribe and their silken thread tying them to Gaia, these Apex Kinfolk are naturally skilled generalists, referred to as Jacks-of-all-Trades, or simply Jacks.
Jacks can learn any of the first, second or third levels of all other Apex Kinfolk skills of their choosing. A Jack’s affinity for the Occult allows them an almost savant-like talent to skip the usual pre-training of other Apex Kinfolk tribes and take on their lower-level skills without all that boring groundwork or preparation.
Relying on pure talent, intuition, and ingenuity, they have no problems whatsoever in learning what they want to know of the basics. And while this makes them extremely handy and versatile, their lack of a thorough understanding of these abilities prevents them from acquiring more than third level skills. However, they are free to learn any of the lower level Apex skills from any Apex Kinfolk Tribe.
About the Silent Striders Garou
Restless and haunted, the Silent Striders roam from caern to caern, always searching, always listening. They are messengers and advance scouts for the Garou Nation, rooting out things hidden to the other tribes and bringing word to the locals. Even in the modern days of electronic communication, the Striders prove themselves vital by bringing swift word of threats better spoken of face-to-face. They have a reputation for being taciturn and aloof, which lends extra weight to their words. When a Silent Strider has something to say, it’s often dangerous news.
Roleplaying a Jack
Fortunately, Jacks are not afflicted with the compulsory wander lust of their Garou cousins. While many do have a desire to travel, they are not driven by the Garou's curse and tend to stay as part of a community for longer periods before moving on.
Playing a Jack provides players with the most customized character type in the game. You will need to have a solid knowledge of all the Apex Kinfolk skills in order to know which you want to learn…and in which order. First-time players new to online roleplay may be better suited to playing one of the other Apex Kinfolk characters first, but this is just a recommendation. If you're looking to play a character that's not limited to a specific ability tree, Jacks are the Character Type for you.
Jacks' Appearance and Lifestyle
Jacks are traditionally of Egyptian or Middle eastern descent, but in modern times that has not held strictly true. It is not uncommon to find Jacks of nearly any race due to the Silent Striders' need to keep moving on from town to town and country to country.
Jacks favor a more casual appearance and tend to live lives that are unencumbered by material possessions, allowing them to simply pick up and leave whenever the desire hits them. What they do own they can easily carry with them in a backpack or duffle bag. Their clothing is also more utilitarian, though certainly not cheap or inexpensive. Whatever they own, they try to make sure that it's of the highest quality so it will last.
NOTE: When choosing your levels, keep in mind that some Apex Kinfolk skills require either a previous skill to be learned first, or points purchased in other specific skillsets to achieve the desired Modifiers, such as Occult, Athletics, Computers, Craft, etc.
While these Modifier Skills are used throughout a single discipline to increase the chances of success, it may require a Jack to expend points in a skillset that is unique to that discipline. Be careful not to pick up a skill that requires prerequisite skills or special equipment you may have a challenge acquiring.
JACKS SKILLS
◉◎◎◎◎◎◎◎: Level 1
Learn Any Apex Kinfolk’s First Level Ability
◉◉◎◎◎◎◎◎: Level 2
Learn Any Apex Kinfolk’s First Level Ability
◉◉◉◎◎◎◎◎: Level 3
Learn Any Apex Kinfolk’s First Level Ability
◉◉◉◉◎◎◎◎: Level 4
Learn Any Apex Kinfolk’s First Level OR Any Second Level in which you’ve already learned the First Level.
◉◉◉◉◉◎◎◎: Level 5
Learn Any Apex Kinfolk’s First Level OR Any Second Level in which you’ve already learned the First Level.
◉◉◉◉◉◉◎◎: Level 6
Learn Any Apex Kinfolk’s Second Level OR Third Level in which you've already earned the First/Second Level.
◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◎: Level 7
Learn Any Apex Kinfolk’s Second Level OR Third Level in which you've already earned the First/Second Level.
◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉: Level 8
Gain a Permanent +10 Mod in any Skill You Choose.
PROGRESSION EXAMPLE
Progression of levels is based on the Jacks’ personal choices and how he/she/they wishes to craft their characters as they earn experience points and increase in level. This can create a challenge having so many different abilities to choose from. One suggestion is to work backwards, identifying any third level skills you would like to have, and then choosing the appropriate first and second levels to ensure you get the third level skill you really want.
Shown below is just one possible example of what a Jacks’ skill progression might look like:
Level 1: Any Apex Kinfolk's First Level Ability
- Rapha, Level Level 1: Herbology I
Level 2: Any Apex Kinfolk's First Level Ability
- Ranger, Level 1 — Survivalist
Level 3: Any Apex Kinfolk's First Level Ability
- Unseen, First Level - Blend In
Level 4: Any Apex Kinfolk's First Level Ability, or Second Level Ability you've already earned the First Level.
- Unseen, Second Level, Imposter - Blue Collar
Level 5: Any Apex Kinfolk's First Level Ability, or Second Level Ability you've already earned the First Level.
- Ranger, Second Level, Flora & Fauna
Level 6: Any Apex Kinfolk’s Second Level OR Third Level you’ve already earned the First/Second Level.
- Ranger, Third Level, Magical Resistance
Level 7: Any Apex Kinfolk’s Second Level OR Third Level you’ve already earned the Second Level.
- Unseen, Third Level, Imposter - White Collar
Level 8: +10 Mod in any Chosen Skill Set
- +10 Mod in Willpower
CHOOSE YOUR OWN DESTINY
The above path selection is simply an illustration of the possibilities. Studying and analyzing each Apex Kinfolk's first, second and third levels will help you take the best of the best skills and leave anything that doesn't interest you behind. While this can be a more complex character to create, Jacks have the capability of being both extremely versatile, fun to play, and potentially more powerful than any of the other Apex Kinfolk.