N18 Spending 15xp to gain a skill from ANY skill set

[GucciGonk]

I'm fairly sure this is the case but want to double check with you all in case I've missed a rule stating otherwise.

On the advancements table, is you spend 15xp is reads: The fighter gains a random skill from ANY Skill Set.

Since it does say ANY, and they've emboldened it to make it obvious, this does mean ANY Skill Set right? So if I spend 15xp on an Orlock I can gain a random Obfuscation, Finesse, or Muscle Skill for example? I've checked the Escher Finesse Skills blurb and it doesn't say only House Escher gangs may take the skills (like it specifies with Hangers on and Brutes, e.g. Khimerix may only be hired by House Escher gangs). It just says in (what I assume to be the flavour text) "Finesse skills are unique to House Escher and represent the specialist training that many of its greatest fighters receive".

 

[Torahn]

Any skillset that they'd nomally have access to surely, so that'd be the generic ones in the core rulebook, but not the ones that're House specific. As tangentially Venators explicitly only get to pick from the core skills at gang creation - so I don't see why they'd suddenly get to choose from House Skills at a level up. Presumably the advancement table you're referring to was written before there were House specific skills and hasn't been updated in the subsequent editions.

But play it how you want if that's what your group agrees to. I'd just imagine that being able to mix House Skills and generic ones as you please could lead to broken combinations if you roll well, so any opportunity to not break the rules is what I err for. Rolling for random skills isn't something you'd normally do regardless, but I guess the chance to get a House skill might be worth it to some players.