What are skills – how does the skill system work? *
In Vanguard, a skill is defined as a rating within an area of expertise. In other words, a skill is a measure of how well a character may perform an action or type of action.
A skill rating may be increased via use of Abilities that are associated with the skill.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
Will there be caps on skills? *
Yes, typically limited by the level you are.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
What do you mean by abilities? *
In Vanguard, an ability is a special action or feat that a character may activate or use. Some will be usable throughout combat, some will have to be readied and are usable only a finite number of times per combat, etc.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
What type of abilities will there be? *
Abilities may be broken into one of several subtypes including but not limited to: Spells, Feats, and Disciplines.
A sorcerer’s Freezing Wind spell and a ranger’s Kick feat are both examples of abilities.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
Can players improve the effectiveness of abilities? *
Yes, by using an ability the skill or set of skills associated with the ability will increase. Abilities may become more effective with higher skill ratings.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
Will skills be limited by race and/or class? *
There will be class specific abilities that only members of a specific class have access to and more general abilities that a number of classes may have access to.
There will also be a subset of abilities that are granted by a characters race.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
Will classes have different but equivalent abilities? *
Yes and no. Some will be equivalent but with a different flavor, and others will be unique to the class and even the environment or the situation.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
Will there be both individual and group abilities? *
Yes, there will standard abilities that may be executed by an individual and abilities that groups of characters may execute.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
Will there be spells? How does the spell system work? *
Yes, the spell system will be very elaborate. It uses the skills & ability system. Some spells will be castable repeatedly, while others will be more limited, and still others may require reagents and the like. More on this later.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
Will there be both individual and group spells? *
Yes.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
How will you improve your spellcasting? *
By casting spells and practicing.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).
Will there be pets in the game? *
Yes. More on this later.
From the Official Vanguard FAQ (original entry).