Erin 1478: Non-Professional Skills Descriptions

Player Character Non-professional Secondary Skills

Page 12 of the Dungeon Masters Guide provides an optional rules for secondary skills wherein characters have approximately a 4 in 6 chance of knowing a potentially useful secondary skill and a 1 in 6 chance of knowing two of these skills. The book provides a list of 21 skills with direction for the referee to determine the specifics of what capabilities these skills convey to the character. The following elaborates the details of this rule, increases the list to 47 possible skills, integrates it with the character’s family background, and adds a few character class skills.

When creating a character, roll 1d6 to determine how many secondary skills the character knows: on 1 – 4, the player selects 1 skill from those available from the character’s family or racial background and character class, on 5, the player selects 2 such skills, and on 6, the character does not know a secondary skill.

Characters start with 10 skill points in each of their skills. On each level increase the player may add 2d6 - 2 points to one skill that the character has spent some time studying or practicing.

Family Background	Skills Choices
Administrator	Law or Mercantile
Apothecarist	Mercantile or Science
Architect/Engineer	Engineering/building
Armorer	Armoring
Artist	Painting or Pottery or Sculpture
Baker	Cooking
Barrister	Law or Mercantile or Science
Beggar	Acting or Gambling
Blacksmith	Tool-making or Mining
Bookbinder	Bookbinding
Brewer/Vinter	Brewing or Mercantile
Bureaucrat	Law or Mercantile
Carpenter	Carpentry/joinery
Clerk	Mercantile
Farmer	Agriculture or Candle/soap-making
Fisherman	Fishing or Seamanship
Gem-cutter/Jeweler	Jewelry or Mercantile
Glazier	Glazing
Grocer	Agriculture or Mercantile
Hostler/Publican	Cooking or Mercantile
Idler	Gambling or Musicianship
Indentured	Agriculture or Cooking or Tailoring
Joiner	Carpentry/joinery
Laborer	Lumbering/milling or Stonework
Landlord	Agriculture or Hunting/Trapping or Mercantile
Mason	Stonework or Mining
Military Officer	Horsemanship or Law
Miller	Lumbering/milling or Mercantile
Moneylender	Mercantile
Musician/Actor	Acting or Musicianship
Painter	Painting
Ruler	Gambling or Law or Mercantile
Sage	Antiquity or Science
Sailor	Seamanship
Sea Captain	Science or Seamanship
Servant	Cooking or Tailoring
Shipwright	Carpentry/joinery or Mercantile or Seamanship
Shopkeeper	Cordwaining or Candle/soap-making or Mercantile or Pottery
Slave	Agriculture or Cooking
Soldier/Guardsman	Gambling or Musicianship
Surgeon/Physician	Medicine or Mercantile or Science
Tailor	Mercantile or Tailoring or Weaving
Trader	Mercantile or Seamanship
Weaponsmith	Tool-making or Weaponsmithing
Woodsman	Lumbering/milling or Hunting/Trapping
* Dwarf / Gnome	Armoring or Brewing or Jewelry or Mining or Tool-making or Weaponsmithing
* Elf	Acting or Hunting or Musicianship or Painting or Pottery or Sculpture
* Halfling	Agriculture or Brewing or Cooking or Tailoring

Character Class	Skills Choices
Cleric	Law or Logistics or Medicine or Motivation or Recruiting
Druid	Antiquity or Medicine or Science or Survival
Fighter	Dog-Training or Falconry or Horsemanship or Instruction or Logistics or Motivation or Recruiting
Paladin	Falconry or Horsemanship or Motivation or Recruiting
Ranger	Falconry or Medicine or Science or Spycraft or Survival
Magic-user	Alchemy or Antiquity or Science
Illusionist	Fabrication or Science
Thief	Burglary or Duplicity or Forgery or Jack-of-all-Trades
Assassin	Duplicity or Jack-of-all-Trades or Spycraft
Monk	Antiquity or Bookbinding or Brewing or Cooking

List of Skills (Incomplete skills are italicized, undeveloped skills are struck out.)

Acting

Agriculture

Alchemy

Antiquity

Armoring

Bookbinding

Brewing

Burglary

Candle/soap-making

Carpentry/joinery

Cooking

Cordwaining

Dog-training

Duplicity

Engineering/building

Fabrication

Falconry

Fishing

Forgery

Gambling

~~Glazing~~

Horsemanship

Hunting/trapping

Instruction

Jack-of-all-Trades

~~Jewelry~~

Law

Logistics

Lumbering/milling

Medicine

Mercantile

Mining

Motivation

Musicianship

Painting

Pottery

Recruiting

Science

Sculpture

Seamanship

Spycraft

~~Stonework~~

Survival

~~Tailoring~~

~~Tool-making~~

~~Weaponsmithing~~

~~Weaving~~

Skill Descriptions

Acting: The character has skill in dramatic, comedic, and vocal performance.

Competent (10 – 29)

Play role: the character can act competently in plays or performances of some type. The character has already performed in a number of plays and able to learn lines and blocking quickly.
Sing: the character can use his or her voice to produce music either accompanied by an instrument or a cappella.

Expert (30 – 59)

Inspiring performance: the character may give a performance such that the pleasure received from listening to this song gives the audience a feeling of well-being, confidence, and clarity of mind. This translates into a +5% bonus on experience points earned for twenty-four hours. If two or more experts perform together, the bonus is +8%. Such performances may be benefited from no more often than once per 30 days from a given performer.
Convincing liar: the character’s acting skill conveys the Hoodwinkery ability as described by the Competent level of Duplicity skill.

Master (60+)

Master performer: the character’s skill is such that he or she gains renown even beyond those places where he or she has performed and can expect audiences and students to seek the character out.
Attract follower: the character attracts a loyal follower that is a competent actor. If desired, the player creates a new, first level character and coordinates with the referee to integrate the character into the on-going campaign. This henchman gains XP as an NPC although he or she is under the control of the player. If the player retires the character who attracted the henchman, the henchman may be converted to a PC, earning full XP thereafter.

Agriculture: The character is versed the practice of cultivating plants and raising livestock.

Competent (10 – 29)

Animal husbandry: the character can breed, raise, tend, shear, milk, slaughter, and process the products of domesticated animals that survive in the regions with which the character has experience for their meat, fibers, milk, eggs, furs, or other products.
Sow, tend, and reap: the character can plant a variety of food-bearing plants which survive in the regions with which the character has experience, including knowing what terrain works best for each variety and how best to rotate varieties within a plot. The character can properly weed, prune, and train these plants to maximize their yield, and knows when and how to harvest their production in order to maximize the quality and durability of their output.

Expert (30 – 59)

Expert farm management: the character’s skill is such that he or she can make the best use of the land, water, naturally occurring and cultivated plants, and wild and domesticated species on the farm to raise overall production by 20% above the merely competent farmer.
Expert food preservation: the character has expertise in making the harvest last as long as possible, knowing which techniques (salting, drying, pickling, potting, etc.) work best for various agricultural products, often knowing several techniques for each product and their relative merits.

Master (60+)

Master farm management: the character’s skill is such that the products of his or her farm fetch 25% higher prices than that of less skilled farmers.
Prize-winning production: the character’s ability to grow production just so, allows him or her to raise exceptionally fine or large produce and livestock. A master farmer will have two specific products that he or she can raise to this exceptional level, such as giant pumpkins and especially well-marbled beef. These products fetch triple the normal price.

Alchemy: The study of alchemy covers knowledge of natural materials, plants, and elements and involves the creation and refinement of substances such as poisons, salves, ointments, tonics, potions and so on. Most of the alchemical creations this skill allows the production of are through difficult, often tedious labor, rather than any magical means. Some things may require considerable expenditure of time or wealth to produce and some would be subject to danger rolls, potentially resulting in damage or death. The practice of alchemy requires a laboratory which must be in a space at least 15’ by 10’ and must include a brazier stand with hood and flue vented to the outside, a sturdy, metal-clad table at least 7’ by 4’, and be equipped with an hourglass, an alembic, a magnifying lens, a prism, crystal stirring rods, at least a dozen bowls of wood, metal, and glass in varying sizes, a dozen large jars, and a few dozen smaller vials and bottles with sealing caps and stoppers. There are also a couple of well-known books, copies of which must be available for reference.

Competent (10 – 29)

Distill: the character is able to distill fermented liquids into potent spirits and purify or concentrate into essences various non-magical liquids.
Identify substance: the character is able to determine the identity of naturally occurring minerals, liquids, or other substances. The process often consumes some of the substance being analyzed.
Produce ingestion poisons: the character is able to a few varieties of poisons which must be ingested to affect their target. It takes several days to produce a batch of a poison, the detailed ingredient list, specific production time, and effects of each poison will be made known to the skilled character by the referee.
Read & write: the character is able to read and write languages he or she understands. If the character was not already literate, he or she must become so in order to reference the vast amount of knowledge required to practice alchemy.

Expert (30 – 59)

Apothecary: the character is familiar with the tonics, salves, and remedies which can be made from the local, or easily imported, botanical products. With the proper time, facilities, and ingredients, she or he can make these for use or sale.
Prepare toxin or antidote: the character able to process natural venoms into insinuative poisons or antidotes for that type of venom or poison. This typically takes one full day of processing.
Produce compounds: the character is able to concoct several common and novel chemical compounds some of which are needed for certain magical rituals or other alchemical processes.
Purify element: the character is able to isolate pure elements of a variety of types useful to certain magical rituals or other alchemical processes.

Master (60+)

Create poison: the character has sufficient understanding of poisons to tweak natural toxins or ingestion poisons into a wider variety of effects in ingestion, insinuative, or gaseous format. If the character is also at least competent in Medicine, he or she can create novel poisons with specifically tailored effects.
Create potion: the character is able to create magical potions from scratch.

Antiquity: The character has acquired significant, though often vague and uncertain, knowledge about personalities, events, and objects from the distant past. Time erodes truth while also embellishing and warping it so that much of this knowledge is incorrect and certainly incomplete.

Competent (10 – 29)

Ancient artifacts: the character has studied the specifics of 1 artifact per 4 points above 9 in this skill, plus 1 more per 3 points above 19. Thus a character with 15 points in antiquity would have useful knowledge about one artifact, while one with 25 points would know about 5 artifacts. This knowledge consists of item's probable present location, the item's supposed present user, the building or city where the item is kept, and the organization that keeps it secret. If the item is lost, the time and place when the item was last used or lost will also be known. The character will also know the general history of the item, it's place of origin, method of manufacture and myths associated with its appearance. Finally, the character will have a basic working knowledge of the item's primary power.
Given an object that might be an artifact, but is not one known the the character, given leisure to examine the object carefully and possibly consult reference works, the character can identify whether the object is an artifact, but no additional facts about it.
Ancient history: the character is familiar with all the well-known legends of the distant past, that being 1,000 years or more, as well as a handful of lesser-known legends and fragments. The character also has some sense of the veracity of each and specific knowledge about locations, personalities, and objects the legends describe.
Heroic action: the character’s romantic attachment to legend and perception of heroism is such that he or she can experience sufficient detachment from self to rush an enemy with a -4 penalty to armor class to provide a specifically designated ally with a +6 bonus to hit.
Legendary beasts: the character can identify creatures that have unnatural animal forms that are often magical in nature. This identification includes the name of the beast, the visually-evident threats it poses, and its general behavior and motives.

Expert (30 – 59)

Beast origins: the character possesses full knowledge of the moral and symbolic qualities that beasts possess, stories of their origins, their place and reason for being, the manner in which they fit into the religious milieu and construction of the universe and ultimately how they "think." The knowledge also clearly defines what a beast is capable of, and what creatures that may be met by the character are most definitely not beasts. The knowledge also includes information about the valuable substances that may exist within the bodies of beasts and how to extract it. The character has some knowledge of what use these things serve, but it does not empower the character to make use of the thing.
Bestow gift: the character, by giving a magical item which he or she has previously recovered and used, may regain the experience point benefit of the item.
Enter cult: the character has sufficient knowledge of various cults and religious organizations that he or she can be recognized as a member of these cults even when not truly.
Expert artifact identification: the character in possession of an unknown artifact is able to discern enough about the artifact’s origins from hints gleaned from its appearance to research the facts about it such as one competent with ancient artifacts would have studied. This artifact does not count against the number of “studied artifacts” as described by the competent level of the skill.

Master (60+)

Become prophet: the character has access to unearthly knowledge which is intended to be offered to others.
Rectify artifact: through research of an artifact the character has studied or possesses, he or she can determine how to remove its malevolent effects.

Armoring: The character can make and repair shields, helmets, and armors of cloth, leather, wood, metal, or other materials commonly used for the purpose in the region.

Competent (10 – 29)

Fabricate armor: the character can make normal armors provided sufficient time, materials, and tools. Materials typically cost 10% of the price of the armor. Fabrication times with ideal facilities vary from a day for a small, wooden shield, to a few months for a full suit of field plate.
Repair armor: the character can repair normal armors provided sufficient time, materials, and tools. The time required depends on the extent of the damage. A single point of defensive loss can be restored in half a day. For armor that has lost ½ or more of its defensive value, fully half of its normal fabrication time is required to repair it. Time to repair varies linearly interpolation between those points. For example, consider a suit of armor that normally provides 8 defensive points and 4 weeks to fabricate. If it is damaged to 7 defensive points, the character can repair it in 4 hours. If it is damaged to 4 or fewer defensive points, the character requires 100 hours (two weeks of normal work) in order to repair it. Damaged to 6 defensive points, it requires 37 hours to repair, and to 5 points, 72 hours. It pays to maintain one’s equipment in a timely fashion!

Expert (30 – 59)

Expert armorer: the character is capable of potentially producing exceptional pieces of armor. By spending twice the normal time making a suit of armor the character may make a quality check. On a result of less than zero, the armor is merely of normal quality, on a result of zero, the piece is of his or her normally fine workmanship. On a result of 1 or higher however, a masterwork piece has been fabricated (see Master Armoring description).
Fine workmanship: The character normally produces armor of such fine workmanship that it is 50% more resistant to losing efficacy.

Master (60+)

Master armorer: If the armorer chooses to make a true masterwork, he or she starts fabrication with that intention and spends 125% of the normal construction time. The player then makes a quality check and if it is 0 or greater, the character has produced a masterwork piece. If the check is negative, the character may choose to stop and merely produce something of his or her normally fine workmanship, or may spend another 25% of the normal fabrication time in another attempt to achieve a masterwork. If the second attempt is also negative, the piece is doomed to be merely fine rather than a masterwork. Masterwork armor provides one more defensive point than normal for its type and is 75% resistant to damage.

Bookbinding: The character has skill in binding, covering, and restoring books.

Competent (10 – 29)

Bookbinding: the character is skilled in assembling, sewing, gluing, covering, and ornamenting books in the several conventional methods. The character can also construct all the specialized tools required from basic materials and tools.
Read & write: the character is able to read and write languages he or she understands. If the character hadn’t any other reason to become literate, spending so much time in the company of books would prove an irresistible enticement.
Repairing and Restoring: the character is able to repair, wash, rebind, and otherwise bring damaged books back to stable and useful condition. The binder is somewhat limited by the condition of the leaves, however, and while he or she can avoid further damage some pages may remain delicate or illegible.

Expert (30 – 59)

Arcane techniques: the binder is able to prepare books suitable for arcane uses and restore such books. If the character is a spellcaster, this skill provides an advantage in magical research.
Expert binder: the character is capable of producing books of the highest quality provided he or she access to suitable materials and tools. The character is also able to effectively with unusual materials which may make sewing, covering, or other steps more difficult.

Master (60+)

Master binder: the character’s skill is such that he or she gains renown among the highest echelon of collectors and spellcasters. The binder’s work commands double normal prices.
Attract patron: the character attracts a powerful patron in the form of a wealthy collector, renowned library, or powerful spellcaster. The character may expect regular, lucrative business from the patron as well as special favors to keep the character in the business.

Brewing: is the art of fermenting grain, fruit, or honey to make beer, wine, or mead, respectively, and this skill also includes distilling spirits from the fermented product.

Competent (10 – 29)

Brew: the character is knowledgeable of fermenting beverages, but skilled with one type in particular (beer, wine, or mead). The player should note that characters do not understand the brewing process as it is understood today, but rather follow tradition and ritual to be successful. Experimentation with change most often leads to failure, and almost never to improvement.
Distill: the character is able to distill fermented liquids into potent spirits.
Produce beverage: the character is able to produce one category of fermented or distilled beverage of marketable quality.

Expert (30 – 59)

Expert brewer: the character has inherited, or independently refined, a ritual which produces a superior product. This specific product has a local reputation and commands half and again the usual price of such products.

Master (60+)

Master brewer: the character’s skill is such that his or her products have a reputation well past the local market and is sought out by aficionados and connoisseurs from great distances.
Attract follower: the character attracts a loyal follower that is a competent brewer. If desired, the player creates a new, first level character and coordinates with the referee to integrate the character into the on-going campaign. This henchman gains XP as an NPC although he or she is under the control of the player. If the player retires the character who attracted the henchman, the henchman may be converted to a PC, earning full XP thereafter.

Burglary: The art of planning, executing and resolving a burglary is a three-step process that requires skills relating to discovery, observance, breaking and entering, appraisal and the purchase and sale of stolen property.

Competent (10 – 29)

Appraisal: enables the character to correctly identify the approximate value of items according to their workmanship and innate value. The skill assigns a precise monetary cost for each item according to its local value. The ability does not discern whether or not the item is magical.
Break & enter: the character has some acumen regarding the destruction of doors and windows so that they might be passed through without creating excessive noise or attention. Glass may be cut, bolts in doors removed, stones and bits of plaster excavated, frames separated from the building itself and even boards and rivets removed from the doors themselves.

The difficulty is not success, but the time it will take. A window may be damaged and cleared out in 5 to 8 rounds, if it's on the ground floor and large enough to squeeze through. Windows on the ground were often only 8” square for this reason. Any window larger than 4 sq.ft., even one with struts, on the other hand, requires a dexterity check to succeed in removing silently, as the pressure on the window will often result in the window spontaneously cracking and falling out once the integrity of the window is challenged. Tools include a small hammer, a diamond “saw,” and a square foot of fabric.

Doors take longer. The bolts of a standard door can be dragged out in about 5-20 rounds, the die determining how “stuck” they are. A strong reinforced door may take anywhere from 60 to 90 rounds, to remove the rivets and bands of iron so that its bolts can then be dragged out. A stout door, six inches thick and with bolts that are effectively cemented in place, without using a sledge hammer, will take three times as long (180 – 270 rounds) to loosen the rivets so that one of the wooden boards making the door can be wedged out so that the door may then be taken apart piece by piece. Tools include two sizes of chisel, three wedges, a small hammer and a pair of iron tongs.

Removing frames, plaster or stone from around doors or windows depends upon the age and upkeep of the building. The building must be at least ten years old and with an owner who has no military, engineering, mining, or architecture experience. When frames, etc., can be done, it will usually take about half as long as the time to remove a reinforced door. It is always easiest to draw out the bolt on an ordinary door. The tools are the same as those for doors, though the tongs are used much more often.

To determine how silently the operation can be done, roll against stealth, with a base of 2d4 (full dark), -2 for an exterior urban environment, discounting appearance adjustments, and adding character/observer adjustments. If anyone on either side of the door moves within that area, they will hear the character at work.
Case Building: the character has an eye for the design and layout of buildings as well as town and city blocks. The probable location of kitchen, workshop, bedroom and internal stairwells will be obvious, and after a week of observation every detail of the building’s daily schedule, who lives there, who visits, who delivers, the usual time of departure and arrival, even what room persons are likely to be in at a given time of the day will be provided by the referee. Also, the street itself, who is present, the lines of sight, hiding places, how shadows are cast at different times of day, and routes in and out of the neighborhood will be well known to the character. After spending a week, it should be noted that the character with this skill ought to be able to spend 3-12 rounds inside the building without effort or the need to roll die, provided they do not actually attempt any theft or murder. They must be free of armor, however, and will only be able to move up to 15’ per round as they listen for and avoid anyone moving about.

Additionally, the character will have enough knowledge to create a plausible, momentary persona that has a chance of encouraging one of the residents (the player’s choice of person and moment in time) to actually show the character the house. The player would have a possible persona provided for them by the referee, based on who has been seen visiting or delivering to the residence. The player should then make a charisma check, with a +1 bonus per level. For example, a 5^th level thief with a 12 charisma would effectively roll against a 17 charisma with regards to the check. If successful, the character should be shown the entire house to which the resident would normally have access.

The information thus gathered tells the player where locks are located, the placement of furniture, what furniture is locked, who sleeps where, what time they sleep, even how well they sleep.
Detect concealed doors: when actively attempting to, the character is able to notice the telltale signs of a concealed door, then pinpoint its precise location.

Expert (30 – 59)

Insertion: gives means for the character to peel or slice his or her way into a building, cutting a makeshift excavation between the floors and walls to create a nest of tunnels from which household objects can be disappeared.
Detect secret door: when actively attempting to, the character is able to find the location of a mechanism or seal that permits locating and opening a secret door.
Locate fence: provides understanding of the secret signs and phrases that indicate the presence of a reliable fence, whose aid can be obtained in getting rid of stolen goods. Similar signs help burglars find locations where loot can be hidden until a better time comes for "moving" it.
Obtain records: the character has cultivated relationships with individuals who are able to retrieve the architectural plans of official buildings that are kept as records in guild and town halls.
Tradecraft: granting one trade skill to the burglar, gained from time spent studying buildings and their construction. The character gains 10 skill points in either Carpentry/joinery, Glazing or Stonework.

Master (60+)

Masterful appraisal: describes details of an object's liquid value, the price it's likely to obtain through different methods of sale, its method of construction and the materials used. With some artisanal articles, the character may be able to detect it's place of origin or even it's maker; this may allow the character to detect the object's “halo” effect.
Lurk: having snaked his or her way into a building, the character has the capability of dwelling there for weeks at a time without drawing attention or being discovered.
Sketch from memory: enables the character to reproduce from memory any drawing, plan or design, either from paper or from personal experience, of a three-dimensional structure, so that others may use that information to burgle themselves.
Squeeze: allows movement through a hole no larger than a diameter of 5” + 1” for each 20 lbs. the character weighs, or the diameter of the character’s skull, whichever is larger.

Candle/soap-making: The character is familiar with the materials and techniques for making a variety of candles and soaps, most commonly from animal-based tallow, but also higher quality fats. Often it is the availability of materials that limits the quality of the chandler/soap-maker’s products most.

Competent (10 – 29)

Chandler: Chandlers typically go from house to house making candles from the kitchen fats saved for that purpose, or make and sell their own candles from small candle shops. Candles are particularly favored in regions where olive oil is harder to come by. Beeswax, compared to tallow, burns cleanly, without smoky flame, but is very expensive.
Make Soap: like inexpensive candles, inexpensive soaps are made from animal fats and have an unpleasant smell. Where and when olive oil is available, the character may also produce a higher quality hard toilet soap, perhaps even perfumed.

Expert (30 – 59)

Expert chandler/soap-maker: the character has inherited, or independently refined, techniques which produce a superior product, such as a cleaner, slower-burning, yet brighter candle, or harder, more sweetly scented toilet soap. This specific product has a local reputation and commands half and again the usual price of such products.

Master (60+)

Master chandler/soap-maker: the character’s skill is such that his or her products have a reputation well past the local market and is sought out by aficionados and connoisseurs from great distances.
Attract follower: the character attracts a loyal follower that is a competent chandler/soap-maker. If desired, the player creates a new, first level character and coordinates with the referee to integrate the character into the on-going campaign. This henchman gains XP as an NPC although he or she is under the control of the player. If the player retires the character who attracted the henchman, the henchman may be converted to a PC, earning full XP thereafter.

Carpentry/joinery: The character is familiar with the tools and techniques employed in making complex wooden products such as furniture, cabinetry, houses, and so on.

Competent (10 – 29)

Carpenter: the character has all the skills necessary to act as a competent carpenter and may build any commonly available wooden products with sufficient time and materials available.

Expert (30 – 59)

Expert carpenter: the character is capable of constructing wooden products of the highest quality provided he or she access to suitable materials and tools. The carpenter may opt to spend twice the normal time in order to build furnishings, cabinetry, and the like with the intent of producing an exceptional result. In this case, the carpenter makes a quality check after finishing the product. If the quality check is 0 or lower he or she has produced a fine piece worth 125% the normal price, a result of 1 or greater means the piece is worth 100% times the modifier and the normal price of the piece over the normal price.

Master (60+)

Attract patron: the character attracts a powerful patron in the form of a wealthy collector or powerful spellcaster. The character may expect regular, lucrative business from the patron as well as special favors to keep the character in the business.
Master carpenter: the character’s pieces are routinely of museum quality, suitable even for specialized enchantment by spellcasters desiring to create special magic items.

Cooking: The character has skill in the preparation and preservation of food. Food is love, and characters that are getting it fare better than those who are not. See the section on food for additional information about the application of this fundamental skill.

Competent (10 – 29)

Cook: the character is skilled in turning ingredients into nourishing meals. With at least an open fire, the character may improve the resulting meals from the poorest ingredients.
Preserve: the character is able to turn delicate ingredients into durable and/or portable rations while maintaining much of their nutritional value and some palatability.

Expert (30 – 59)

Expert cook: the character is capable of producing meals of the highest quality provided he or she access to suitable ingredients and facilities. When working at the lower end of ingredients and facilities, the expert cook’s meals will never leave diners weak, infirm, or diseased. If such results are indicated, the referee will revise them to merely languid (see nutrition/starvation section).

Master (60+)

Master cook: the character’s skill is such that he or she gains renown even beyond those who have sampled his or her cooking.
Attract follower: the character attracts a loyal follower that is a competent cook. If desired, the player creates a new, first level character and coordinates with the referee to integrate the character into the on-going campaign. This henchman gains XP as an NPC although he or she is under the control of the player. If the player retires the character who attracted the henchman, the henchman may be converted to a PC, earning full XP thereafter.

Cordwaining: The character is familiar with the tools and techniques required in the repair and making of shoes, boots, clogs, sandals, etc.

Interested (1 – 9)

Cobbler: the character has all the skills necessary to repair normal footwear of any type. Interested characters, those with 1 to 9 points in cordwaining, are also able to repair shoes. Cobbler is, in fact, a pejorative term for someone who does not know their craft, whatever that craft may be, having first been applied to a shoe-maker who is only skilled enough to repair shoes, not to make them.

Competent (10 – 29)

Cordwainer: the character is able to make footwear of any normal sort and is able to create a complete pair of complex footwear in about a day provided the tools and materials needed are on hand. Simpler types such as moccasins, opanaks, sandals, and clogs might be made in an hour.

Expert (30 – 59)

Expert cordwainer: the character is accomplished at producing very high-quality complex footwear such as nobles would be inclined to wear. Footwear of this quality commands 3 times the normal price.

Master (60+)

Attract follower: the character attracts a loyal follower that is a competent cordwainer. If desired, the player creates a new, first level character and coordinates with the referee to integrate the character into the on-going campaign. This henchman gains XP as an NPC although he or she is under the control of the player. If the player retires the character who attracted the henchman, the henchman may be converted to a PC, earning full XP thereafter.
Master cordwainer: the character is capable of producing exceptionally high quality footwear which may command as much as 10 times the normal price, be sought by foreign customers, and is suitable for enchantment.

Dog-training: The character has skill training dogs for work, sport, and war. If taken at first level, it is presumed that a trained and familiar dog is already in the character's possession, and that the two have developed a companionship of at least one year. For giant dogs, or small characters, they are trained as mounts and the character may also apply the corresponding horsemanship abilities to dogs.

Competent (10 – 29)

Companionship: after having the dog for at least a year the character gains personal satisfaction that results in the recovery of 1 wellness point for each 24 hour period spent with the animal.
Herding: the character can use the dog to control domesticated herd animals such as sheep or cattle.
Hunting: the character can use the dog to hunt for food game either as a hound that sniffs out or sights large game for the character to kill, a pointer that alerts the character to nearby small game, a retriever that collects small game that has been shot, often waiting until several have been brought down and remembering where they each fell, a terrier that goes into dens after game, or a catch dog that bites and holds down larger game such as a wild pig for the hunter to kill. A particular dog will be trained and suited for only one, or possibly two, hunting methods.
Trainer: the character is capable of training domesticated dogs for herding, hunting, or pulling (such as a dogsled). A single dog may not be trained for both hunting and herding as in order to be an effective herder, the dog’s natural hunting instincts must be modified so as not to consider the herded animals as prey. Similarly, pulling dogs are trained to ignore possible prey and other distractions. The character recognizes not only to what kinds of training a dog’s breed is best suited, but also the individual dog’s instincts and potential.

Expert (30 – 59)

Fighting: the character can command the dog to attack an enemy. The dog will continue to attack until it is wounded to 50% or fewer of its hit points remaining or is recalled.
Breed dog: the character can breed dogs selectively to produce specific physical and instinctual characteristics.
Domesticate: the character is able to domesticate wild caninae such as wolves, jackals, coyotes, and foxes. The first generation domesticated is barely, if at all, trainable, and all of the character’s work with the animal goes toward maintaining trust. Offspring, however are nearly domesticated and may be trained as normal.

Master (60+)

Canine affinity: The character has a natural way with canines of all sorts including unnatural examples such as wargs, gaining their friendship.
Whisperer: the character has an affinity with dogs which transcends normal communication and control of the animal. The character can control it with the slightest sounds or gestures, seemingly telepathically.

Duplicity: describes ability in face-to-face trickery, and sleight of communication.

Competent (10 – 29)

Hoodwinkery: the character possesses deceptive social skills which ensure the character will be liked and treated with respect by potential employers, organizational leaders, and others in minor positions of authority. This requires a certain amount of pretense and outright lying, and therefore any break in the dissimulation would ultimately expose the character as a fraud.
For example, after spending an evening hoodwinking an innkeeper, the character is usually able to obtain two or three free drinks, the best rooms, the best seats, and be welcomed as a friend on subsequent visits. It is not unusual for thieves and assassins to use false names and use an innkeeper as an alibi or character reference, such is the strength of the deception.
Similarly, the character would be able to fake membership in sufficiently large and non-exclusive organizations, gaining a minimal level of trust among the members and walk among them observing their operations. The character would be able to approach leaders and administrators within the organization and gain information from them. This requires role-playing situations and the questions to be asked must be sufficiently indirect not to raise suspicion or break the character’s cover. The player can expect up to three simple, indirect questions to be answered.
Pass guard: the character has the ability to move past a single person that is "on guard," even in broad daylight, so long as expedience is not a condition. Essentially, the character watches, and waits for the right moment, having observed the habits of the person that is bypassed. Then, moving at normal speed, the character simply walks past, without being noticed.
This may require waiting for a second guard to take a break; or waiting for a changing of the guard. If multiple guards are engaged in a discussion, and one or fewer are actively on guard, the moment of passing remains possible. The character's distance from the single guard is not relevant; it is a matter of timing. This may take a hour or more to accomplish — but the ability promises that it will be accomplished, and without a die roll. If any action is taken beyond moving past, this will draw immediate attention. The ability does not allow the character to smuggle other persons past. If more than one character with the ability wishes to move past, the act will have to take place at different moments. The timing typically requires a d6 die roll time 10 minutes between opportunities to successfully move past a guard.
For example, a character could enter a town gate or pass a toll without paying. Repeated attempts in a single day will increase the amount of time waiting for the next opportunity by 30 minutes, cumulatively. Thus, once entering a guarded location, the character with the ability would have to wait d6 X 10 + 30 minutes to slip out again; and then d6 X 10 + 60 minutes to enter a second time that day.
Read lips: the character is able to understand 25% to 75% of the words spoken by someone whom the character cannot hear, but can clearly observe who is no more than 30’ distant, provided, of course, the language being spoken is known to the character.

Expert (30 – 59)

Bribery: the character is able to judge whether or not an official, guard, or other minor authority may be “bought” to take a specific action and at what price.
Disguise: the character has the ability to convincingly take on the appearance of another person, whether specific or general, provided that the character possesses adequate costume, makeup, wigs, and so on for the purpose. The character must have observed the person or type of person to imitate for at least an hour, some portion of which must have been in the same circumstance the character wishes to act in order to be successful. If such observation is not accomplished, the character may still execute the disguise, but the player should be aware that the ruse may not be successful.

Master (60+)

Break/create codes
Incite mob: the character has sufficient understanding of psychology and human behavior that he or she can whip an already assembled group of protesters or similarly alienated group into a violent frenzy.
Plant memory

Engineering/building: The character practical knowledge of invention, design, building, maintenance, and improvement of machines, tools, and structures. The study enables the character to oversee the construction of various machines, including ships and other vehicles, siege engines, cranes, winches, pumps, water-driven equipment, foundries, and so on, given a sufficient amount of time and available labor.

Competent (10 – 29)

Architecture: the character is able to design civilian structures and has extensive knowledge in the use of materials to cope with stresses and strains on structures. This understanding allows the architect to give strength and aesthetics to an architectural design, while minimizing the amount of material needed.
Fortifications: the character has an understanding of basic military defensive structures and can how to place abatises, chevaux de frise, caltrops, lilies, palisades, ditches, dikes, berms, crude stone walls, sanitary channels, barracks, canteens, and watchtowers, and how to make correct estimations for the skilled and unskilled labor required for these tasks. The ability does not include any skill in the actual making of these structures, or how to lead labor crews; only the design of these fortifications. However, it does allow for making plans that can be followed accurately and easily by skilled workers.

The materials employed are limited to earth, sand, gravel, logs, planks, bricks, and broken stone. The total mass of material depends upon how much area is to be fortified and to what degree. Cubic feet of solid structure should be determined (ignoring empty space), and then calculated by total pounds of weight. Total time to create the structure, then, is 0.117 man hours per pound and no more than eight workers may be employed per 1,000 cubic foot volume being constructed.

The character can site defenses to make the most effective use of natural defenses, such as large hills, cliffs, rivers, lakes, or even caves.
Siege weaponry: the character has knowledge of devices designed to break or circumvent castle doors and walls, or enable attacking soldiers to scale walls and attack the defenders; and likewise, to enable defenders to prevent sieges. The character may direct unskilled persons in the fabrication of these, so that with the necessary materials it is possible to build trebuchets, catapults, mangonels, ballistae, siege towers, battering rams, portable shields, oil smelters, and siege ladders and hooks. These may be made to rest upon castle walls or mounted on wheels, pushed by soldiers or dragged by animals.
Skill synergies: the character is considered to have half of the points he or she has in engineering in each of the skills artillery, carpentry/joinery, lumbering/milling, shipbuilding, and stonework, up to a maximum competency of 2 levels greater than that which he or she actually posses, where at least 1 point is considered “Interested (1 – 9)” allowing a maximum of expert, and no points allowing a maximum of “competent” in the synergistic skill.

Expert (30 – 59)

Castle-building: expanding upon the basics of Fortifications, the character is able to design, plan, and estimate entire castles and fortresses.
Sapping: the character is knowledgeable of the techniques for undermining enemy fortifications to cause their collapse and may direct such activities.

Master (60+)

Ability: the character

Fabrication: Involves the making and enchantment of magical items and instruments, machines, tools, parts and other objects designed for a particular purpose. Some gear that is created has a maintenance requirement, which restricts the number of physical gadgets that are considered workable. It is presumed that the character must constantly adjust, balance, re-jigger, and otherwise tweak the various devices on hand, to assure that they remain in good working order. The limits of their ability to do so are described below. In order to fabricate such items, the character In order to produce the items listed, the character must have a workshop no less than 18’ by 9’ to build anything that can fit on a 5’ x 3’ foot table. For anything made of metal, the character must have a forge, which must be located in a second room that is at least 15’ square. Objects that will not fit in these spaces must be assembled outdoors or in an interior space at least 25% larger in height, length and width of the object being built. Unless otherwise noted, each piece of gear requires one week to fabricate.

Competent (10 – 29)

Create armored mesh (3 mp): the character fabricates fashionable armored bodices, jerkins, breeches, gowns, etc. providing +1 armor class to any character class, when worn without armor.
Create dark vision goggles (1 mp): the character fabricates flip-up ocular devices that allow vision to 60’ as if lantern-lit even in near-total darkness.
Create pistol (5 mp): the character creates a projectile weapon that can be loaded with 4 pellets at a cost of 8 action points. The weapon has the range and damage characteristics of a sling throwing bullets. Aiming requires 2 action points and discharging another 2. The use of the weapon benefits from Archery and Senses if the user has these skills.
Create timepiece (1 mp): the character fabricates an accurate wind-up mechanical pocket-sized time-keeping device.
Maintain gear: the character is able to maintain his or her fabricated gear up as many maintenance point as he or she has skill points in Fabrication, and to a maximum of two pieces per character level. This takes about 2 minutes per maintenance point.
Mechanical repair: enables the repair of ordinary machinery.

Expert (30 – 59)

Create underwater breathing apparatus (12 mp): the character fabricates a mask and backpack device that allows breathing under water for 2 hours.
Enchant wand: the character prepares a wand into which up to a dozen “charges” of a spell may be cast. The wand is designed specifically for the particular spell that is to be stored, and the “charges” must be cast into it.
Expert maintenance: the character knows just what most pieces of gear need at any given moment and is able to maintain his or her gear for just 1 minute of effort per maintenance point each day, and is not otherwise limited in the number of devices kept in working order.
Inventor: the character may design any sort of device. The player must propose a design idea to the referee who will work with the player to modify the design as necessary. If a workable design is developed that the player would like the character to build it may be done.

Master (60+)

Create mechanical servant (10 mp): the character fabricates a 3’ tall, bipedal mechanical servant that can autonomously perform odd jobs.
Enchant permanent item: the character is able to create an infinite variety of magic items provided that the correct spells are known and the correct materials acquired. This is a time-consuming and expensive endeavor. The player should propose the magic item to be created to the referee who will determine the specific time and materials required.

Falconry: The character has skill training predatory birds for sport and war. The falcon (or hawk, eagle, or owl) exists in a state of semi-captivity, a wildness that is tempered by training. The bird retains its capacity to act alone, and with ferociousness in attacking its prey, it is not truly "tame." If taken at first level, it is presumed that a trained and familiar bird is already in the character's possession, and that the two have developed a companionship of at least one year.

Competent (10 – 29)

Companionship: after having the bird for at least a year the character gains personal satisfaction that results in the recovery of 1 health point for each 24 hour period spent with the animal.
Hunt: the character can send the bird to hunt for game food. The success and yield will depend on the conditions where the bird is sent to hunt. In a biologically rich area such as forest or mixed grasslands, game sufficient to feed the bird and master for the day can be expected in an hour plus a flux roll times 10 minutes (10 minutes to almost 2 hours). The bird will be unwilling to hunt more than twice in a day.
Trainer: the character is capable of training falcons or other species of predatory birds with which the character has experience.

Expert (30 – 59)

Bird strike: the character can command the bird to strike an enemy. The bird will continue to attack until it is wounded or recalled.
Breed birds: the character can breed predatory birds selectively to produce young for subsequent training.
Find, catch, and rear: the character knows how and when to find nesting birds in order to catch young birds to rear and train.
Send home: the character may send the bird to a specific place to which it has been trained to return. It requires a week of working with the bird to train it to return to a place, or to retrain it to return to a different place.

Master (60+)

Bird affinity: The character has a natural way with birds of all sorts including unnatural birds such as giant eagles and hippogriffs, gaining their friendship.
Whisperer: the character has an affinity with birds of prey which transcends normal communication and control of the animal. The character can control it with the slightest sounds or gestures, seemingly telepathically.

Fishing: The character is familiar with techniques for harvesting fish and knows when and where to best catch the types of fish with which he or she is familiar.

Competent (10 – 29)

Catch fish: spending a day fishing with hook and line or hand-cast net he or she can collect enough fish in a day to feed 5 people that day.
Dig shellfish: spending a day collecting shellfish from shallow waters or digging in the seabed, he or she can collect enough fish in a day to feed 5 people that day.
Fisherman: provided the character has the proper vessel, equipment, and crew, he or she may competently fish on a commercial scale, earning a living and harvesting about 3,000 pounds per week of which about 600 pounds is edible flesh.
Prepare fish: the character is able to prepare whole fish for a skilled cook to prepare or to prepare basic meals from fresh fish.

Expert (30 – 59)

Expert fisherman: the character is even more skilled at locating the best places and times to catch or collect fish and in half a day harvest enough fish and/or shellfish to feed 5 people. Given an entire day, he or she may harvest enough for 15 people. On a commercial scale, the expert fisherman will average a harvest of 25% more fish than a merely competent fisherman.
Preserve fish: the character is skilled at pickling, salting, and smoking fresh fish in order to preserve them while minimally degrading their quality.

Master (60+)

Master fisherman: near a sizable body of water, the master fisherman may catch enough fish to feed a party of 5 in the time it takes the others to set up camp and build a fire. Fishing on a commercial scale, the character can harvest 30% more fish than the merely competent fisherman and is able to find rare and exceptional specimens.

Forgery: The character is skilled in falsifying documents, records, currency, and even artwork. The effective employment of this skill for some tasks requires a complimentary skill such as Mercantile or Law. The forgery skill does not convey literacy, and as such, the illiterate character has some limitations.

Competent (10 – 29)

Debase coins: the character knows the tricks to clipping and sweating coins to recover small quantities of metal from minted coins without betraying the loss to inexpert examination. Sweating recovers 0.001% of the weight of coins so treated for a day. The coin dust is then extracted from the sack. This method has the advantage of looking like normal wear. Shaving or clipping, can typically recover 0.5% of coins so treated and may be accomplished with the proper tools at a rate of 20 coins per hour. Plugging coins by punching material from inside the perimeter and hammering the coin back into shape allows similar metal recovering to shaving, but at twice the speed. Some minting techniques such as reeding or engraving on the edges limits or defeats clipping and/or plugging. Conversely, crudely minted and very old coins may be debased less noticeably, however it should be noted coins such as those not in regular circulation are likely to be valued by weight rather than a face value. Coin debasement of this sort is easily detected by non-forgers simply by weighing coins.
Forge document: create common documents such as letters, writs, and warrants. The forgery skill indicates the character has an understanding of techniques and practice with the physical side of forgery. To follow the correct forms and conventions convincingly to persons familiar with such documents, the character may need Law or Mercantile or an accomplice with such knowledge.
Spot forgery: the character can detect minor flaws in a forgery that would go unnoticed by those without the skill. A forgery created by someone of greater skill than the character, however, may not be detected.

Expert (30 – 59)

Detect forged artwork: the character knows how to spot forged artwork, however, unless the character has examined the original as well, the difference between a high-quality forgery and a repaired original cannot be known.
Forge handwriting: given a sample of a person’s handwriting, the character can mimic the handwriting convincingly to any reader familiar with the hand including the mimicked. Note, that if the character is not literate, written forgeries must be exact copies of the target’s writing. The character lacks the understanding to write original words, or even copy someone else’s words into the forged hand.
Forge seal/signet: the character can create convincing forgeries of a seal that the character has in his possession, or has had in his possession and has taken an image of. With a similar reference copy, the right equipment and materials, and two days, the character may forge a signet to press the seal whenever desired. Success depends on the details and some luck.

Master (60+)

Counterfeiting: with jewelry or tool-making skill, or the help of someone with such skill, the character is able to mint counterfeit coinage or print counterfeit currency. The time and cost to counterfeit depends on the sophistication and volume of targeted currency or coinage.
Forge artwork: the character, given an original, may forge a convincing replica of the work. With a copy or image and specifications of the work, the character may also attempt a forgery, but producing a forgery without access to the original or at least a prior, thorough examination of it, the forgery will not convince an expert.
Forge writing style: the character is able to mimic not only the hand of a person’s writing, but their written “voice” as well. With time, a character might even write a novel after the style of a known author that could believably have been the mimicked author’s own work. This, of course, requires that the character be fluently literate.

Gambling: The character is well-informed on games of chance and wise in their play, and so gains advantage over unskilled players.

Competent (10 – 29)

Skilled game player: the character plays and bets well beating unskilled players consistently a majority of the time.

Expert (30 – 59)

Detect cheats: the character’s familiarity with the odds of various games and ability to count and track historical play data allow him or her to notice if a player is cheating or if devices of chance, such as dice, are rigged.
Expert player: the character has improved chances to win at gambling games and can even train an unskilled player as a partner in tricks and techniques for driving even more winnings at the table into the expert’s hands.

Master (60+)

Master gambler: the character’s finesse at games is so great that it may appear he or she is cheating even when playing honestly. The character is able to play well enough that he or she is likely to attract the attention of a gambling house’s management and be ejected or worse. Of course, such characters may adjust their play to win less than they might otherwise and avoid attention.

Glazing: The character

Competent (10 – 29)

Ability: the character

Expert (30 – 59)

Ability: the character

Master (60+)

Ability: the character

Horsemanship: The character is familiar and comfortable with the use of animals as transport such as horseback riding, mule packing, or oxcart driving. Players should note the specific species with which their characters have experience.

Competent (10 – 29)

Guide: the character can assist others to be competent riders (under easy circumstances) with species with which he or she is already familiar.
Rider: the character is acquainted with using animals as a means of transport for passengers and cargo and can pack beasts of burden as well as rig and ride animals of burden with which he or she is acquainted, quickly, easily, and without guidance. Being familiar with fundamental principles, the character can do the same with unfamiliar animal species quickly and easily with guidance and slowly and with moderate difficulty if provided no guidance. Only advanced riders may ride flying mounts however, as the complexity of handling a flying beast, not to mention merely staying in the saddle, requires an expert level of competence.

Expert (30 – 59)

Advanced rider: the character can manage to perform other tasks while mounted such as using a weapon. The character is considered training or competent with riding species with which he or she is not already acquainted depending on how similar the animal is to species with which the character is familiar. The character can calm nervous animals to a degree, drive a mount into a combat situation, and handle flying mounts.
Trainer: the character is capable of training mounts and beasts of burdens of species with which the character has experience.

Master (60+)

Animal affinity: The character has a natural way with beasts. With domesticated animals, even those species with which the character is unfamiliar, the character can accomplish basic control such as calming, packing, and mounting. With some luck, the character may be able to settle wild animals, averting a stampede, warding off an attack, or the like.
Whisperer: the character has an affinity with mounts and beasts of burden which transcends normal communication and control of the animal. When mounted, or otherwise in direct physical contact with an animal, the character can control it without reins or other typical accouterments seemingly telepathically. The character can likewise calm an otherwise panicked animal.

Hunting/Trapping: The character is skilled at harvesting game by a variety of techniques.

Competent (10 – 29)

Hunt game: the character may stalk game of a specified type in order to minimize the time to find the desired prey. The hunter is always presumed to have initiative. A hit that causes damage equivalent to 25% or more of the creature’s current hit point stuns it, allowing the hunter another attack before the prey moves; otherwise, the animal will move away at its maximum move — which in many cases will put it far out of range.

Animal type (in order of likelihood)	Season	Hours to find		Distance	Weight of meat
Animal type (in order of likelihood)	Season	in season	out	Distance	Weight of meat
ground fowl	Aug – Dec	1-4	3-36	1d12 X 5’	6-24 oz.
burrowing mammal	Apr – Nov	1-6	2-16	1d12 X 5’	1-4 lb.
waterfowl	May – Nov	1-8	3-18	(1d20 + 18) X 5’	2-5 lb.
light herd animal	Apr – Oct (dry season)	1-12	3-18	(2d12 + 24) X 5’	51-110 lb.
heavy herd animal	Mar – Oct (dry season)	2-16	5-20	(2d12 + 24) X 5’	200+ lb.
predator	Apr – Oct (dry season)	2-20	4-24	(1d12 + 12) X 5’	81-100 lb.

Game hit for less than 10 points of damage will continue moving for 4-10 hours before resting. Following a day's rest, they will try to rejoin their herd and will probably steadily regain their hit points, resting intermittently, over the following three weeks. Prey taking 11 or more points of damage will move for one round at maximum stride, and then at their best run (half their maximum stride) losing 1 hit point per hour until they have less than 8 hit points. They will then move at base rate, continuing to lose 1 hp per hour, until collapsing and dying. In all cases, the resolution of killing an animal with hit dice is played out like any other combat.

Expert (30 – 59)

Expert hunter: the character may take the next smaller die in determining the number of hours needed to find prey, i.e., 1d4 becomes 1d3, 1d6 becomes 1d4, 3d6 becomes 3d4, 2d8 becomes 2d6, etc. The distance die is likewise reduced.

Master (60+)

Ability: the character

Instruction: The character can impart knowledge points that the character has to other persons. In addition, the character is able to teach courage and basic abilities enabling peasants to become soldiers and children to be prepared for first level training.

Competent (10 – 29)

Instruct: The tutoring character must first have at least an amateur status in Instruction, and must possess at least triple the amount of knowledge that might be taught and cannot increase another character's knowledge in any study beyond 12 points. Once the student has reached that threshold, further comprehension of the study must be gained through personal experience.
Train militia: the character is able to explain and motivate commoners to in the shift of mindset, physical conditioning, and skills acquisition allowing them to serve as militia, typically in defense of their settlement, far more effectively than the untrained commoner. The instructor may train 8 commoners at a time for 2 to 3 hours at a time, and students would participate in such training for 6 hours per week. Thus a single instructor may train up to 80 commoners at a time with 60 hours of dedicated effort per week. After each week’s training, the student makes a constitution check. If this is failed there is a 1 in 4 chance the student will refuse further training, but if successful, the student gains the next training benefit below. After the 6^th success, this training can provide no further benefit. Benefits of training:
Weapon proficiency: the character may train up to 8 individuals at a time in the use of a weapon with which the character is proficient. After each month during which the student has trained for at least one hour and for at least 23 days of the month, the student makes an intelligence check and a wisdom check. If either check is successful the student has succeeded with a month of training and after succeeding for 3 months, the character has become proficient in the use of this weapon. There are no restrictions on the student as to what weapon(s) he or she may be taught in this manner.

Expert (30 – 59)

Level training: the character is able to train a man-at-arms to advance to a 1^st level character. Details TBD.
School child: the character recognizes the potential in children aged 6 to 10 to become leveled characters and may nurture that development.
Train man-at-arms: The character can train a militiaman to be a soldier. The instructor may manage no more than (the same) 8 students through the training which is conducted in three stages lasting a total of four months:
If all three checks fail, the character has improved their weapon use and negative hit points, but has performed a crime that causes the instructor to dismiss him or her as not worthy of being a soldier: murder, egregious theft, sacrilege or the like. Usually the individual has fled by the time the crime is discovered and such persons often seek a future as an assassin.

Master (60+)

Self-educate: when rolling skill points within his or her specialty, the character gains 1d10 instead of 1d8-1 points. The character also benefits from a +2 on any checks when receiving education.

Jack-of-all-Trades: The character is very well-rounded and resourceful in a wide variety of situations. While not being truly competent in a skill in which he or she is untrained, the character is able to at least make some headway in a task, recall some piece of knowledge, or otherwise exceed the capability of others who also lack training.

Competent (10 – 29)

Well-informed: the character has been exposed to the use of all skills to at least a tiny degree and has a chance to recall a specific bit of knowledge or succeed at a simple task on occasion which relies on a skill he or she does not possess.

Expert (30 – 59)

Self-taught: the character may choose any two skills in which to have acquired 5 skill points in addition to those afforded by his or her experience level. These may be outside those normally available by the character’s training and subsequently improved.

Master (60+)

Natural knack: the character may perform at the competent level in any skill while under the direct supervision of a character expert in the skill. For example, accompanying a character that is expert in Musicianship, this character could be guided to competently playing of an instrument.

Jewelry: The character

Competent (10 – 29)

Ability: the character

Expert (30 – 59)

Ability: the character

Master (60+)

Ability: the character

Law: The character is knowledgeable about the laws of the character's religion, supplemented by an equal amount of knowledge in a single political entity of the character's choice. This may be an independent state or a province within an empire. The size of the political entity is not relevant.

Competent (10 – 29)

Solicitor: the character is knowledgeable in matters of property and the redress of individuals against damage done by the state. However, unless the solicitor is licensed, such knowledge can be applied only to personal wrongs the solicitor has experienced.

A solicitor cannot legally open an office and argue disputes of civil law before a lower court judge unless the character is able to pursue this position through the political skill of becoming a functionary. Once that has been accomplished, however, a solicitor is entitled to 10% of any financial redress that a court makes to an individual.

A solicitor's chance of winning a case in court depends upon the solicitor's experience. Initially, a solicitor begins with a % chance of winning a case equal to their wisdom (a 16 wisdom would mean a 16% chance of winning a case in court). Since this is very low, most cases that new solicitors accept will be cases where the individual has few resources and does not expect to win.

To determine the size of the case brought by others to the solicitor (in pounds), roll a random number between 1 and the solicitor's chance of winning (with a 16 wisdom, this would be an amount between 1 and 16). The solicitor must pay 2 pounds to bring the case to court; if the solicitor loses the case, this amount is lost. However, for each pound that the solicitor is paid for winning a case, both the % chance of winning and the randomly generated size of the case are increased by that amount.

Thus, a solicitor with a 16 wisdom is approached by someone seeking redress in the amount of 11 pounds. The solicitor pays 2 pounds to the court, miraculously rolls 04 on a d100 and wins the case. The solicitor receives 1.1 pounds in fees and although the solicitor takes a loss overall, the solicitor's chance of winning the case goes up by 1.1%. For the next case, the number generated is randomly determined between 1 and 17.

Each time the player's % chance of success improves past a round 10% mark (20%, 30%, 40%, etc.) then treble court costs and double the maximum random total for redress. Simultaneously, for each increase, halve the increase to success chance from fees.

Thus,
- a solicitor with a 20% chance of success would pay 6 pounds in court fees for cases that brought 2 to 40 pounds in gross return (10% of that for the solicitor), with a 40 pounds win increasing the solicitor's chance of winning a case by 2%.
- a solicitor with a 30% chance of success would pay 18 pounds in court fees for cases that brought 4 to 80 pounds. in gross return, with an 80 pounds win increasing the solicitor's chance of winning — again — by 2%.
- a solicitor with a 40% chance of success would pay 54 pounds in court fees for cases that brought 8 to 160 pounds in gross return, with a maximum win still increasing future success no more than 2%.
And so on. It is up to the character if they wish to increase the size of the cases they take; otherwise, fees and gross returns will remain at the level where the solicitor is comfortable.

In turn, the solicitor's chance of success equals the likelihood of the solicitor getting a case per week they are not working. Solicitors are not required to accept cases. Cases will not be brought to solicitors who are working on a case already. Cases require 1 week of participation per 20 pounds of gross return.

Expert (30 – 59)

Barrister: the character may act as a barrister, a lawyer who represents a litigant as an advocate before a court. A barrister speaks in court and presents the case before a judge, with or without a jury. In some jurisdictions, a barrister receives additional training in evidence law, ethics, and court practice and procedure. Barristers often have little or no direct contact with their clients. All correspondence, inquiries, invoices, and so on, will be addressed to the legal adviser or solicitor, who is also primarily responsible for the barrister's fees. A barrister will usually have rights of audience in the higher courts, whereas other legal professionals will often have more limited access, or will need to acquire additional qualifications to have such access.

Master (60+)

Inn board membership: the character belongs to the Inn of Court where they practice, which regulates admission to the profession. Inns of Court are independent societies that are responsible for the training, admission, and discipline of barristers.

Logistics: The character is acquainted with is the discipline of planning and carrying out the movement, supply, and maintenance of military forces, and broadly acquiring and providing support for the forces.

Competent (10 – 29)

Bargaining: the character’s ability to negotiate prices ensure finding the best deal available.
Encamping: the character can efficiently plan the construction, maintenance, and operation of a military camp’s storage, housing, and services facilities.
Mustering: the character is able to efficiently drive decampment and assembly of troops.
Provisioning: the character is skilled in calculating the provisioning, and re-provisioning plan, for a military (or other) expedition.
Read & write: the character is able to read and write languages he or she understands. If the character was not already literate, the demands of logistics skill require learning to be.
Tinkering: capability at repairing or strengthening ordinary tools, vehicles, and weapons.

Expert (30 – 59)

Raiding: the character is able to locate and obtain bulk goods that can be taken without cost.
Scrounging: the character can often locate items and materials that are not obviously available.
Supply chain: the character’s expertise in logistics enables supply planning on a massive scale.

Master (60+)

Supply improvisation: the character has such skill at supporting expeditions, that even in the apparent absence of the needed materiel or support, the logistician finds some, often “outside the box,” way to meet the need. For example, finding a trained elephant to haul a siege engine the company doesn’t have enough horses to pull, or finding an goblin healer willing to join the company after the surgeon was killed in action.

Lumbering/milling: The character has familiarity with the harvesting and processing of trees as well as knowledge about the various species’ characteristics and value.

Competent (10 – 29)

Miller: The character may oversee the day-to-day operation of a water-powered saw mill with a 2% chance per day of an accident that injures a worker, breaks part of the mill, or otherwise reduces production for the day.
Sawyer: Saw pits are trenches over which timber is positioned to be sawed with a long-handled whipsaw, commonly in tandem between two workers. The pit is easy to build and can be made ready in a few days. The worker in the pit was termed the "underdog" and the worker on top the "topdog." The result is sawn planks for construction, especially shipbuilding. In backcountry parts, saw pits were dug in order to saw trees before shipment, but many manufacturing towns, villages or country estates have their own saw pits.

To transform a cord of cut trees into firewood requires 2 days of untrained labor. Using a handsaw and saw pit, it is possible for two men to cut up to 96 board feet in a day (requires two people, but one can be untrained labor). Using a water or wind-driven saw (mill), up to 1,600 board feet can be cut in a day. A pit can be worked by a single person, with the end of the saw being weighted with a stone, but this lowers the number of boards that can be managed in a day to 4 or 5 boards (36 board feet).
Woodcutter: Also known as selective cutting, woodcutting is the practice of harvesting trees in a way that moves a forest stand towards an uneven-aged or all-aged condition, or “structure.” The practice involves harvesting single trees whose canopies are not touching, to produce small canopy openings conducive to the establishment and growth of new trees.

Adding in time to walk and select trees, up to 1 cord of timber logs can be cut down and cleared of branches in the space of a day. Once the tree is selected, however, an untrained laborer can cut it down, so a knowledgeable character working with a laborer may cut up to 3 cords of wood per day. This includes hauling the logs to a place nearby where they can be cut or sawed.

Over the course of a year, this will produce 32 cords of wood per acre. A cord is the equivalent of 85 cubic feet of firewood or 1,536 board feet.

Expert (30 – 59)

Expert miller: The character has sufficient understanding of processing timber into lumber that he or she can plan and oversee the construction of a water-powered lumber mill. Skilled blacksmiths must be employed to construct certain components and masons and carpenters are needed to build the structures needed. Such water-powered mills can cut up to 200 boards a day (1,600 board feet).
Overseeing such a mill’s day-to-day operation, an expert lumber reduces the likelihood of accidents to 1% per day.
Mushroom hunter: The character is skilled in collecting wild mushrooms, typically for consumption. In the game setting, the emphasis is less upon scientific identification and more on determining whether a mushroom is safe to eat or can be effectively used in making poison.

To engage in mushroom hunting, the character must explore wooded or partially wooded hinterland or wilderness. The process of locating 1 to 2 pounds of mushroom requires 2 – 5 hours of "stalking," or careful searching. It's important to note that only mushrooms locally available in the specific area can be located.
Woodland foraging: in temperate and subarctic forest ranges this ability allows the search for naturally occurring food, including mosses and lichens, berries, wild grasses, herbs, nuts, acorns and fruits. The amount found is far more than an unskilled person might glean while looking over the same tract of land and varies by season and forest type.

The standard time allocated for foraging is 10 hours, but characters have the flexibility to forage in increments of 1 hour, finding a proportional amount based on the 10-hour standard, for example 0.3 times as much in 3 hours.

Woodland foraging differs from hunting and fishing techniques, as it doesn't involve the use of weapons or fishing lines and foragers do not have the luxury of selecting their preferred type of food, but must make do with whatever sustenance nature provides.

During certain periods of the year, it is feasible to gather a substantial amount of forage within a single day. However foraging is labor-intensive, and there are instances when it's advisable not to forage all day, as collecting more food than necessary, especially when it's abundant, may not be the wisest choice.

Master (60+)

Master miller: Overseeing the day-to-day operations of a mill, the character reduces the likelihood of accidents to 1% per week of operation while increasing output to 1,760 board feet per day.

Medicine: The character has training in the medical arts and sciences.

Competent (10 – 29)

Apothecary: Identical to the expert Alchemy ability Apothecary.
Battlefield medicine: the character can take measures to staunch bleeding, stabilize broken bones, and so on, preventing wounded characters from bleeding to death after a battle. The character also can provide follow up care, cleaning wounds and changing dressings to minimize the chances of infection developing.
Read & write: the character is able to read and write languages he or she understands. If the character was not already literate, the character must become so.

Expert (30 – 59)

Expert apothecary: the character is familiar with a broader range of treatments and ingredients, as well as the more advanced techniques for making essences and extractives. He or she can produce more powerful medicines than the merely competent.
Physician: the character can provide a higher level of care than the merely competent, can diagnose common ailments and determine their treatment, and generally provide routine medical care as well as more complex trauma care than the battlefield medic.

Master (60+)

Medical doctor: the character is capable of providing advanced medical care, diagnosing complex disorders and rare diseases, and determining proper treatment.
Medical sage: the character understands physiology, pathology, and related studies sufficiently to research novel diseases, disorders, toxins, and so on and possibly find cures, treatments, or management strategies for them.
Surgeon: the character is capable of performing complex surgeries to correct wounds, excise diseased tissues, and so on.

Mercantile: The character understands the requirements of running a business and dealing with guilds and governments.

Competent (10 – 29)

Business management: the character’s business acumen is sufficient that he or she can competently manage most business operations. Securing supplies, getting the best available pricing on goods and services, and navigating transactions with other businesses and bureaucratic organizations is smoothly and easily accomplished under normal circumstances.
Memberships, patents, and taxes: the character’s general understanding of these topics allows him or her to comply with local requirements in the most expedient was, choosing answers which will not raise suspicions or cause delays. When operating without required permission, the character is able to minimize enforcement hassles and quickly proceed to correcting the situation rather that suffering more severe consequences.
Read & write: the character is able to read and write languages he or she understands. Mercantile skill is a common way in which people in a society that is not pervasively literate would come by the ability to read and write.

Reading and writing can be taught by anybody who's literate. The time needed is 50 hours of steady practice in lessons not more than one week apart over a time of not less than two months. At the end of the first 25 hours, the student makes a success check by rolling a d20 against both their intelligence and their wisdom. If either are successful, the student has achieved the first of two milestones, and can read simple texts. Following the second milestone, when the student has been tutored a total of 50 hours, the student will be able to write legibly.

If a check fails, then the student is "set back" 10 hours in their instruction. When this ten hours is made up, the student can try to roll success again. This process continues until the character learns to read and write, or gives up the effort.

Although this process does make the character literate, it will take six or more years for the character to become fully comfortable with texts that we'd rate as "high school" or "university" level.
Trade agreements: the character is skilled in promoting voluntary entry and mutual consideration terms of trade without negotiation. Agreements that are made with the character — even handshake agreements — will be kept if the other party is physically able. If the opposite party fails to keep the contract, there is a high probability that redress will be made, based upon the character's wisdom.

If the character, in making an arrangement with a buyer or seller, succeeds in making a wisdom check, then one of two arrangements at a market place may be made.

A seller will agree to provide up to 10 times the number of items presently shown as available on the market table, if the character agrees to pay a 5% mark-up on all items. Thus, if the equipment list showed that there were 10 long swords available at a cost of 20 pounds each, the seller would agree to arrange for 100 long swords to be available at a cost of 21 pounds each. The time needed to arrange such a sale will be 1-4 weeks.

Alternately, a buyer will agree to buy up to 10 times the number of items presently shown as wanted on the market table, if the character agrees to take 10% less per item sold. Thus, if the equipment list showed that the buyer was willing to buy 10 swords for 10 pounds each, the buyer would agree to buy up to 100 swords if the character was willing to take 9 pounds for each. The character is then given a period of 2-8 weeks before the market buyer is willing to make this deal with the character.

It should be noted that in the latter case, the character will not be required to show any items in the character's possession, as this will be taken in good faith.

The DM should make provisions for other arrangements to be made between character and non-player character, presuming that such arrangements in some way benefit both parties. Note that if the character fails to keep a bargain, the character will be requested in a court of law to pay 10% of the coin the player was set to make in penury damages.

Expert (30 – 59)

Enforcement avoidance: the character’s expertise in dealing with bureaucracies allows him or her to avoid close inspection of charters, paying extra duties, etc. through his or her words and behaviors, putting enforcement officials at ease that the character is in compliance with the bureaucratic requirements even if the strictly proper patent or writ is not produced. A certain degree of deception comes into use here, however, if the character does not in fact have the correct permissions and this could haunt the character later.
Expert business management: the character’s skill is such that the products and services produced by the business the character manages are of markedly superior quality compared to average producers. As an employee, the character is recognized as a key asset to the organization.

Master (60+)

Audiences and appointments: the character’s ability to navigate bureaucracies is such that he or she can obtain meetings or appointments with high-ranking officials and business-people quickly and easily in cases when most others would be denied.
Masterful business management: the character’s skill means the products and services produced by the business the character manages are of the highest quality and are possibly without equal in the system or region.

Mining: The character has empirical knowledge of geology and skills to exploit it.

Competent (10 – 29)

Assay: the character can identify types of minerals or gemstones and measure the physical and value content of metal in rock. As such, the character is also able to identify the principle mineral form, as well as its more obvious impurities by sight. Detailed, precise assessment of all contents requires the use of a laboratory and the study of alchemy. Note that this knowledge also applies to the identification of gemstones, whether unpolished, polished, or cut, as well as if the approximate value of the stone is ornamental, fancy, semi-precious, or precious.
Dowse for water: the character can identify the best place to sink a well. While anyone may attempt to dig a well, those skilled in dowsing have a 20% chance rather than 5% chance of siting a valuable well, one which is typically 50’ to 100’ deep (though 25% chance only 10’ to 40’ need be dug) in regions which receive 36” or more annual precipitation. In arid regions the water table may be 130’ to 220’ deep, however digging a well deeper than 150’ is generally not practical. A poorly sited well will find water at a similar depth to in an arid region.
Mine and excavate: the character is able to dig ditches, shafts, and tunnels safely and with the proper scaffolding as well as directing a team of up to 12 laborers at the task. See DMG p.106 for rates of progress, chance of encountering natural underground features, etc.

Expert (30 – 59)

Prospect: the character may comb through an untapped wilderness, often through creek beds or along ridge lines and hilltops, often on hands and knees, seeking signs of minerals in rock outcroppings. This “show” gives away the presence of metal (particularly gold or silver) in what is then called a dig or trap site. Once a show is found, the area must be worked over with a pick and shovel, often with the need to construct sluice boxes, races and cradles in order to winnow placer deposits from gravel and sand. Most shows are short-lived, exhausted and abandoned quickly, requiring the prospector to move on.
There will be potentially be 0-4 shows (2d4-4) per 10 square miles of wilderness. The number of shows need to be determined before a chance for finding them is rolled. During the course of a month of steady prospecting, a character with knowledge of doing so has a base 7 in 20 chance of locating and identifying a show in a given 10 square miles, if one exists (non-prospectors have a chance of 1 in 1000). After a month of searching a hex where there's no show to be found, the character will feel the hex is a wasted effort and any chance of prospecting being done must be in some other hex. If the prospector succeeds, roll a d30 divided by the number of shows in the area to determine how many days were needed to find the show.
Smelt & cupellate: the character is familiar with smelting, the a process of applying heat to an ore, to extract a base metal, and cupellation, the refining process in metallurgy in which ores or alloyed metals are treated under very high temperatures and subjected to controlled operations to separate noble metals, like gold and silver, from base metals, like lead, copper, zinc, arsenic, antimony, or bismuth, present in the ore. Provided that the character has access to the necessary tools and materials, he or she may extract and refine the known metals from ore.
Synergy with alchemy: if the character is competent as an alchemist, he or she may Purify element as if an expert alchemist or master miner.

Master (60+)

Purify element: like an expert level alchemist, the character is able to isolate pure elements of a variety of types useful to certain magical rituals or other alchemical processes.

Motivation: The character understands how to direct and inspire those under his or her command to do their best and risk their lives. This is accomplished by a complex mix of personal magnetism, moral fortitude, and many difficult-to-describe qualities unique to each leader.

Competent (10 – 29)

Combat leadership: the character is capable of leading groups of six or more individuals into combat. Untrained characters cannot effectively lead groups of more than five.

Expert (30 – 59)

Attract follower: the character attracts a loyal follower. The player creates a new, first level character and coordinates with the referee to integrate the character into the on-going campaign. This henchman gains XP as an NPC although he or she is under the control of the player. If the player retires the leader who attracted the henchman, the henchman may be converted to a PC, earning full XP thereafter.
Expert leadership: mercenaries or other NPCs under the character’s command obey orders without hesitation. Combatants within 25’ of character need not make morale checks.
Morale boost: the character’s leadership positively impacts morale and reaction checks for those under the character’s command.

Master (60+)

Luminary: the character becomes known as a highly trusted political or military leader, beloved by his or her followers, and thus gathering 150% of the usual number of retainers to his or her person upon reaching name level.
Inspire loyalty: the character’s leadership greatly impacts morale and reaction checks for those under the character’s command.
Recruiter: the character is likely to have greater success when hiring soldiers, employees, etc. than others, gaining twice as many potential recruits as a competent recruiter, and thrice as many if the character is already a competent or better recruiter.

Musicianship: The character has skill in music performance and composition.

Competent (10 – 29)

Composition: the character is skilled in creating original works.
Play instrument: the character can play a traditional instrument, typically a mandolin, lute, violin, drum, horn or the pipes. This is considered to be the musician's first instrument, so his or her master should have taught an instrument that is lightweight and easy to maintain and play. Only one instrument may be chosen. The character has acquired a sizable repertoire of songs that he or she is able to perform competently.
Sing: the character can use his or her voice to produce music either in conjunction with his or her instrument or a cappella.

Expert (30 – 59)

Inspiring performance: the character may give a performance such that the pleasure received from listening to this song gives the audience a feeling of well-being, confidence, and clarity of mind. This translates into a +5% bonus on experience points earned for twenty-four hours. If two or more experts perform together, the bonus is +8%. Such performances may be benefited from no more often than once per 30 days from a given musician.
Multi-instrumentalist: the player may specify an additional instrument that the character can play expertly for each level of Musicianship the character has. The character can competently play any other instrument after 30 days acquainting him- or herself with it.

Master (60+)

Master musician: the character’s skill is such that he or she gains renown even beyond those places where he or she has performed and can expect audiences and students to seek the character out.
Attract follower: the character attracts a loyal follower that is a competent musician. If desired, the player creates a new, first level character and coordinates with the referee to integrate the character into the on-going campaign. This henchman gains XP as an NPC although he or she is under the control of the player. If the player retires the character who attracted the henchman, the henchman may be converted to a PC, earning full XP thereafter.

Painting: The character is skilled in composing and painting artwork in a variety ways of mediums, but has a specific, preferred technique such as oil on canvas, reductive woodblock, large murals, etc. Size and complexity of the work are factors, but as a baseline, one week of work is required to produce a piece

Competent (10 – 29)

Create artwork: the character is skilled in creating original artworks.
Portraiture: the character is skilled at producing the likeness of specific people whether they pose for the work or are described verbally while the character sketches and iteratively shows and refines the sketch while interviewing the describer.

Expert (30 – 59)

Inspiring work: the character may create a commissioned piece of artwork such that the pleasure received from viewing it gives the commissioner a feeling of well-being, confidence, and clarity of mind. This translates into a +6% bonus on experience points earned for twenty-four hours. The viewing of the work may be benefited from no more often than once per 30 days. The artist is regrettably unable to create such a work for him- or herself.

Master (60+)

Master artist: the character’s skill is such that he or she gains renown even beyond those places where he or she has exhibited work and can expect enthusiasts and students to seek the character out.
Attract follower: the character attracts a loyal follower that is a competent artist. If desired, the player creates a new, first level character and coordinates with the referee to integrate the character into the on-going campaign. This henchman gains XP as an NPC although he or she is under the control of the player. If the player retires the character who attracted the henchman, the henchman may be converted to a PC, earning full XP thereafter.
Attract patron: the character attracts a powerful patron in the form of a wealthy collector. The character may expect regular, lucrative business from the patron as well as special favors to keep the character producing works of art.

Pottery: The character is skilled in making useful and attractive earthenware and stoneware utensils from clay. Sculpture in clay is addressed by a different skill, but expert potters may produce pieces so attractive as to be art themselves. What distinguishes stoneware from earthenware is that the latter is considerably stronger and non-porous to liquids. Historically, stoneware was produced BCE in the orient, but not until the late Middle Ages in Germany and the Renaissance in the rest of Europe due to the types of clay available in these regions and the poorer efficiency of kiln designs in the West.

Competent (10 – 29)

Potter: the character is competent to make useful, durable, and attractive earthenware utensils provided he or she has access to good quality clay and a kiln or fire.

Expert (30 – 59)

Artistic potter: the character has acquired skill in creating attractive designs in relief and/or glazing, elevating his or her output to the level of being art. Such pieces sell for twice the price of simple, utilitarian pieces if there is a market for them.
Construct workshop and kiln: With the help of stoneworkers and carpenters, the potter is able to direct the building of a complete workshop and low-temperature kiln.
Expert potter: the character can make high quality earthenware and stoneware utensils provided he or she has access to the right types of clay and a high-temperature kiln. Stoneware sells for five times the price of comparable earthenware due to its higher durability and usefulness.

Master (60+)

Attract follower: the character attracts a loyal follower that is a competent potter. If desired, the player creates a new, first level character and coordinates with the referee to integrate the character into the on-going campaign. This henchman gains XP as an NPC although he or she is under the control of the player. If the player retires the character who attracted the henchman, the henchman may be converted to a PC, earning full XP thereafter.
Attract patron: the character attracts a powerful patron in the form of a wealthy collector. The character may expect regular, lucrative business from the patron as well as special favors to keep the character producing works of pottery art.
Design high-temperature kiln: The potter has learned enough about firing pottery that with the aid of an engineer, he or she may design a high-temperature kiln and direct its construction by stoneworkers.
Master potter: the character regularly produces earthenware or stoneware of such high quality that his or her work sought out by high-paying (typically noble) customers near and far. Such a potter elevates the reputation of a settlement by setting up and operating a shop there for year.

Recruiting: The character is skilled in recruiting soldiers (or other hirelings) with "good character," with qualities of honesty, courage, self-control, and conviction of purpose (or whatever qualities are sought). These skills help build an army in which combatants learn to depend upon one another, sustaining one another when moving forward into battle at the limit of their endurance. The best soldiers are those who remain dedicated to their cause even when they're at rest, failing to indulge in temptations and vice; those who believe in what they're fighting for, giving them to believe that the sacrifice of their lives is not in vain.

Competent (10 – 29)

Recognize characteristics: after interacting directly with a recruit for 2 – 5 hours, or following one week's observation, the character knows which if the recruits ability stats that are below 9 and above 12, if any.
Recruit: through word-of-mouth and knowledge of how to get the word out, the character is assured of locating 2 potential recruits per 1,000 population of a town or city, per day. The character is able to recognize individuals who have untapped potential upon meeting, this being persons who have never had any official training but would react well to it. 1 in 6 potential candidates for recruitment will have this trait, which grants a +2 bonus to intelligence and wisdom for the first six months of any training that might take place.
Judge breeding: enables the character to recognize the pedigree of animals such as horses, dogs, and falcons, as a breeder might.

Expert (30 – 59)

Recognize class: following 2 – 5 hours of direct conversation, the character can determine the character class of another person.
Turn enemy: enables the character to gain the trust and loyalty of civilian or enemy sailors and soldiers who were originally recruited, conscripted, or pressed against their will.

Master (60+)

Intuit promotion: reveals from a group of soldiers the individual who is best suited to act as a leader of others in moments of great duress. Such chosen individuals will automatically raise the morale of their followers by 1 point.
Recognize level: following 1 – 4 hours of observation, without needing to directly speak with an individual, the character can determine the experience level of another person.

Science: The character has a general background in a broad array of studies of the natural world: astronomy, botany, geology, and zoology. The study of science conveys a few abilities of its own, but its real power is in synergy with other skills.

Competent (10 – 29)

Identify: the character is able to identify many, though not all, stars, plant & fungi species, mineral samples, and animal species on sight. Some species so closely resemble others the character may not be certain of which it is, but will know that it could be one of a couple or few possibilities.
Skill synergies: the character is considered to have half of the points he or she has in science in each of the skills agriculture, brewing, and mining/smelting/cupellation, up to a maximum competency of 2 levels greater than that which he or she actually posses, where at least 1 point is considered “Interested (1 – 9)” allowing a maximum of expert, and no points allowing a maximum of “competent” in the synergistic skill.

Expert (30 – 59)

Navigate: the character may monitor and maintain a given course overland or across the sea, without the need of visual topographic features or even familiarity with the area. This is done through sighting the stars, the sun, noting reflections upon the water and upon the land itself, with absolute certainty as to which direction is pursued. The character must continually track speed and direction in order to estimate position, but direction may always be known if the sky is visible.
Sage: the character’s knowledge is sufficient to serve as an expert sage as described on DMG p. 31 – 33. Upon achieving expert competency, the player chooses Fauna, Flora, or Physical Universe as the character’s “major” field, the other two being considered “minor,” and two special categories within his or her major field.
Self-educate: when rolling skill points within his or her specialty, the character gains 1d10 instead of 1d8-1 points. The character also benefits from a +2 on any checks when receiving education.
Skill synergies: the character is considered to have half of the points he or she has in science in each of the skills alchemy, engineering/building, and medicine, up to a maximum competency of 2 levels greater than that which he or she actually posses.

Master (60+)

Master sage: the player may select a second major field and one special category within it, or two additional special categories within the character’s existing major field with with which the character has sage expertise.
Skill synergies: provided the character is at least “Interested (1 – 9)” in any of the skill synergies conveyed by science, his or her maximum synergistic competency is not capped.

Sculpture: The character is skilled in creating artistic sculpture in a variety ways of mediums, but has a specific, preferred medium such as stone, wood, clay, etc. Size and complexity of the work are factors, but as a baseline, one week of work is required to produce a piece.

Competent (10 – 29)

Create artwork: the character is skilled in creating original sculpture and statuary.

Expert (30 – 59)

Inspiring work: the character may create a commissioned piece of artwork such that the pleasure received from viewing it gives the commissioner a feeling of well-being, confidence, and clarity of mind. This translates into a +6% bonus on experience points earned for twenty-four hours. The viewing of the work may be benefited from no more often than once per 30 days. The artist is regrettably unable to create such a work for him- or herself.

Master (60+)

Master artist: the character’s skill is such that he or she gains renown even beyond those places where he or she has exhibited work and can expect enthusiasts and students to seek the character out.
Attract follower: the character attracts a loyal follower that is a competent sculptor. If desired, the player creates a new, first level character and coordinates with the referee to integrate the character into the on-going campaign. This henchman gains XP as an NPC although he or she is under the control of the player. If the player retires the character who attracted the henchman, the henchman may be converted to a PC, earning full XP thereafter.
Attract patron: the character attracts a powerful patron in the form of a wealthy collector. The character may expect regular, lucrative business from the patron as well as special favors to keep the character producing works of art.

Seamanship: The character is acquainted with sea-going vessels and may operate small vessels independently.

Competent (10 – 29)

Able seaman: the character can hand, reef, and steer aboard any sea-going vessel and is acquainted with the procedures necessary to prepare a vessel for sea, load and unload cargo, and make emergency repairs to hull and rig.

Expert (30 – 59)

Captain: the character may command any number of able seamen and marines in all manner of peaceful and wartime vessel operations.
Expert seaman: the character is able to squeeze slightly better performance out of sailing craft crewed by six or fewer active sailors of which he or she is one. A adjustment of -2° may be applied to the vessels’ sailing characteristics table to reflect the sailor’s skill.

Master (60+)

Master seaman: the character can manage a 10% improvement to any vessel he commands for a period of up to two hours at a time. The character must be on deck and engaged in no other activity, even conversation. As such attention is mentally exhausting as well as physically demanding, the character must have a watch (4 hours) off before attempting such an effort again.
Renowned captain: the character’s reputation is well known in sailing circles, even some ports distant from his or her home. Sailors will seek to join the character’s crew at any opportunity, even leaving their own ships, in order to sail with the character. All sailors and marines under the character’s command are at +2 morale aboard the ship he or she commands (even if the character is temporarily absent) and in the character’s company when ashore.

Spycraft: The character has skill in intelligence gathering, generally for military purposes.

Competent (10 – 29)

Camouflage: the character can imitate his or her surroundings through clothing and the application of color and carefully chosen materials. The character knows how to mix paints, apply dyes to clothing, add materials to the body (such as mud, vegetable material, animals skins and the addition of natural odors to mask the character's smell), and so on, in order to avoid detection by animals or the enemy. This allows the character to approach enemies more closely, or remain unobserved for long periods. Disguising oneself in this way takes an hour or more and the camouflage is not quickly and easily removed.
Pass enemy lines: the character knows how to pass into enemy territory undetected and back out of it.
Reconnaissance: the character is skilled in military scouting enabling him or her to estimate troop numbers and movements based on trampled vegetation, tracks, and other clues.

Expert (30 – 59)

Blend in: Similar to disguise, the character is able to adjust their appearance so as to seem unworthy of attention, but unlike disguise this ability does not help to portray a specific individual and the appearance must be one that is expected rather than out of place as it will not stand up to much scrutiny. A "beggar" in the marketplace would not be noticed, nor would an apprentice of some sort. One more lawyer, courtier, or soldier would be dismissed among a plethora of like others, if they were not well known to each other. In short, with time to assume the proper clothing, the character is able to appear appropriate to the place, with the stance, tone of voice, mannerisms and general demeanor that would be expected of a drunk, a goodwife, a laborer, or so on. This allows the character to loiter about for a time, under the right circumstances, without being "seen." If the character acts in a way that brings attention such as interacting in any but the briefest and most superficial way with anyone, moving about too much, not moving around enough, hanging about for an overlong period of time, then eventually someone is going to notice and investigate. The referee should be flexible and the player should understand there's a limit as to how much inattention to reasonably expect.
Evasion: the character is able to evade capture in enemy territory almost indefinitely while scouting or escaping. The ability relies on the character going unnoticed both because he or she is skilled at covering her tracks, both literally and figuratively, and because he or she attempts to completely avoid contact. Choosing to make contact with the enemy, or to enter an enemy camp suspends the benefits of Evasion until the character is once again clear of the enemy’s notice.

Master (60+)

Evaporation: the character can, even in broad daylight under direct observation, disappear into a crowd.
Infiltration: synergy with Duplicity

Stonework: The character

Competent (10 – 29)

Ability: the character

Expert (30 – 59)

Ability: the character

Master (60+)

Ability: the character

Survival

Competent (10 – 29)

Bivouac
Fire-making
Fishing
Foraging
Hunting

Expert (30 – 59)

Wilderness sheltering

Master (60+)

Avoidance

Tailoring: The character

Competent (10 – 29)

Ability: the character

Expert (30 – 59)

Ability: the character

Master (60+)

Ability: the character

Tool-making: The character

Competent (10 – 29)

Ability: the character

Expert (30 – 59)

Ability: the character

Master (60+)

Ability: the character

Weaponsmithing: The character

Competent (10 – 29)

Ability: the character

Expert (30 – 59)

Ability: the character

Master (60+)

Ability: the character

Weaving: The character

Competent (10 – 29)

Ability: the character

Expert (30 – 59)

Ability: the character

Master (60+)

Ability: the character

Campaign Announcements

Non-Professional Skills Descriptions

Player Character Non-professional Secondary Skills

List of Skills (Incomplete skills are italicized, undeveloped skills are struck out.)

Skill Descriptions