This reference covers twelve named skills described in the supplied ATOM RPG community guide: combat skills, dialogue and trading skills, survival and medical skills, stealth, and technology. The guide describes some as weapon options and others through their effects on healing, encounters, checks, or access to content. Its advice includes author assessments and build-specific thresholds, so those are presented as claims from that guide rather than universal rankings. The supplied passages do not establish exact skill-point costs, comprehensive formulas, or current balance. Read the records as descriptions of what this source says each skill does and where the guide identifies constraints or progression thresholds.
If you are comparing weapon paths, start with the combat skill records; the guide describes distinct ranges, shield interactions, and specialization notes.
Martial Arts Melee Weapons Pistols and SMG Rifles and Shotguns Automatic Firearms Throwing WeaponsIf dialogue checks or trading matter to your reading, consult Speechcraft and Barter for the guide’s stated thresholds and qualified effects.
Speechcraft BarterIf you are tracking noncombat progression, check how the guide connects Survival, First Aid, Stealth, and Technology to healing, checks, and content.
Survival First Aid Stealth TechnologyChoose a topic to see how it works, where it helps and what to consider.
The guide identifies Martial Arts as a melee skill and describes it as its preferred alternative to Melee Weapons for melee-focused characters.
Understand this choiceMelee Weapons is a named weapon skill that the guide compares unfavorably with Martial Arts, while separately noting some permanent skill increases.
Understand this choiceThis combined weapon skill covers pistols and submachine guns; the guide notes low armor penetration and shield compatibility as defining features.
Understand this choiceRifles and Shotguns is a weapon skill associated by the guide with damage and versatility, with a recommendation to keep a pistol available as a swap weapon.
Understand this choiceAutomatic Firearms is presented as a weapon skill with tools for varied situations; the guide says it has limited synergy with pistols and shields.
Understand this choiceThrowing Weapons covers thrown attacks and crossbows in the guide’s description, which also identifies grenades as a possible limited investment for other characters.
Understand this choiceSpeechcraft is described as a frequently used skill, with the guide advising around 115 points before equipment and consumable bonuses.
Understand this choiceBarter is a trade skill the guide calls useful but nonmandatory, advising a minimum of 50 and describing money as becoming less pressing later.
Understand this choiceSurvival is linked by the guide to improved healing from food and access to some encounters, with caravan frequency described only tentatively.
Understand this choiceFirst Aid is described as useful for occasional skill checks and as lowering addiction chance, though the guide does not identify crucial content gated by it.
Understand this choiceStealth is described as a key skill for solo play; the guide says companions need matching Stealth for it to be useful when traveling together.
Understand this choiceTechnology is associated with vending-machine experience and content access; the guide names 80 plus a toolbox as a threshold before a tunnel section.
Understand this choiceThe guide uses opinions such as calling Melee Weapons useless compared with Martial Arts, but the supplied passage provides no comparative damage data or formula.
The guide gives suggested values such as around 115 Speechcraft and 160+ Stealth for solo play; it does not establish these as universal guarantees for every check or situation.
The guide qualifies Barter’s caravan effect as reported and likewise describes Survival’s caravan-frequency effect tentatively; neither passage supplies a formula or detailed conditions.
A source-bounded reference to named skills and their described functions, constraints, and progression notes in the supplied community guide. It does not assess current balance or verify the guide against a particular patch.
Explanations prepared with GPT-6 Luna and checked against the linked references. These are source-reviewed guides. They do not establish independently tested optimal builds or exact upgrade budgets. How coverage works.
