If you look at the origin path, you choose a start point, either at the top or bottom. From there you move to the next line, and can pick either the option right aboe / below or the ones to either side. If you're near one side or other of the path though, you have less options.<br/><br/>Yes, you can buy skills. The way the core rules work is that if you don't have a skill you test against the linked stat at half the normal % chance. I'm running with roughly one dice instead of a 10% stat level. What this means is if you have the skill, you roll the full number of dice. If you don't have the skill, you roll half the stats dice pool.