Chapter 3: Proficiencies · character's movement. Until the character can remove the broken armor, the character moves at ½ of his normal rate and suffers a -4 penalty to all of

Chapter 3: Proficiencies

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Characters in the UnderDeep acquireproficiencies at the same speed and class levelas their surface counterparts. Use the rules

found in the Players Handbook when determiningthe number of proficiencies allowed to eachcharacter class in Fathoms: Aquatic Adventures. Due to the environmental differences of the Fathomscampaign, however, many of the standardproficiencies have been changed, as well as new onesadded.

It is possible for aquatic races to learn skills thatare normally allowed only to surface races, as longas they have spent enough time on the surface tolearn from someone there, and have paid theappropriate number of proficiency slots.

For example, a surface dweller who knows theAgriculture proficiency does not automatically knowAquatic Agriculture, but could learn this proficiencyif they spent enough time and studied underwater. Likewise, many UnderDeep races who travel on thesurface occasionally learn proficiencies such as FireBuilding and Land Based Riding, although theyoften suffer a penalty to their success chance.

Due to the number of relevant changes instandard proficiencies on the surface compared tothose in aquatic games, all non-weapon proficienciesare available in Fathoms are presented below. Proficiencies a player may want to learn that are notlisted below, but are revealed in another AD&Dgame supplement are subject to approval andrevision by the DM to fit them into the Fathomssetting. Unless otherwise indicated, the proficiencydescriptions which follow are unique to theunderwater campaign setting.

Also presented below are proficiencies thatUnderDeep races would not normally obtain, but areoften known by sailors and other surface races whotravel on or around the sea.

Nonweapon Proficiency DescriptionsActing: Acting enables a character to skillfully

portray various roles. Acting is most often used as aform of entertainment; it can also be useful in aidinga disguise. If both acting and disguise are known, theproficiency check for either is made with a +1 bonus.

Proficiency checks are required only if the actormust portray a particularly difficult character or isattempting an "ad lib" role.

Acting is a useful skill when aquatic races likequirden venture on the surface and attempt to imitatetheir surface dwelling counterparts.

Agriculture (Aquatic): The character has aknowledge of the basics of undersea agriculture.Farming in the UnderDeep involves raisingvegetation such as sea berries, edible sea weed,anenomes, etc. Agriculture also includes aquaticlivestock such as halibut, clams, crustaceans, andother creatures. Due to the ease of finding food inmost oceanic locations, farmers are not near ascommon in Fathoms as in other land-basedcampaign settings.

Alchemy: An individual skilled in the scienceof alchemy can perform a variety of feats when hehas access to a well-stocked laboratory. Given timeand the proper materials, the alchemist can createsuch things as ink cloud bombs, sleep liquid,nonmagical potions, various drugs and mild poisons,both natural and otherwise. Furthermore, acharacter with this proficiency can conductexperiments to determine the properties and contentof unknown substances.

A laboratory, including the specializedequipment and the innumerable chemicals necessaryfor its operation, costs at least 5,000 cw. For everyadditional 5,000 cw invested in the laboratory, thealchemist's chances of success in any given projectshould be modified by +1. However, since there isalways a chance of failure, any roll of a natural 20indicates that something has gone wrong, mostprobably damaging the alchemist and some of hisequipment. Other failures may result in worthlesspotions, creations with wildly different effects, orwhatever else the DM can think of. Due to thedifficulty of alchemy in an underwater setting, manyalchemists keep their laboratories in seashore caves,or even in air pockets in undersea caverns.

This skill is almost useless outside of thelaboratory, and the character's abilities should belimited accordingly when this is the case. Somecharacters may wish to carry small analysis kits withthem while adventuring. These typically cost asmuch as 2,500 cw each. The delicate equipment isnot likely to stand up to the rigors of normaladventuring, and the chances of success at anyproject will incur penalties ranging from -1 to -10depending on the situation.

Possession of this skill grants a +1 bonus on allbrewing, herbalism, and poison proficiency checks.

Alertness: A character with this proficiency isable to instinctively notice and recognize signs of adisturbance in the immediate vicinity, thus gaining a+1 bonus to surprise rolls whenever he makes a


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successful proficiency check. Assuming that he isable to communicate this information to others in theparty, their chance of being surprised is also reducedby that amount.

A character with a lateral-line system has a +5bonus on all alertness proficiency checks.

Ancient History (Aquatic): The character haslearned the legends, lore, and history of someancient time and place. The knowledge must bespecific, just as a historian would specialize today inthe English Middle Ages, the Italian Renaissance, orthe Roman Republic before Caesar.

The knowledge acquired gives the characterfamiliarity with the principal legends, historicalevents, characters, locations, battles, breakthroughs(scientific, cultural, and magical), unsolvedmysteries, crafts, and oddities of thetime. The character must roll aproficiency check to identify places orthings he encounters from that age.

Note that aquatic ancient historydeals with ages in the history of triton,mermen, and other oceanic races. Acharacter who has aquatic ancienthistory for a certain age does not knowthe events of surface history at thetime (unless they interacted with theUnderDeep). However, it is possiblefor characters to learn ancient historyabout surface dwelling races as aseparate proficiency.

Animal Handling (Aquatic):Proficiency in this area enables acharacter to exercise a greater-than-normal control over pack animals and beasts ofburden such as hippocampi, giant sea horses, trainedwhales, and similar aquatic animals. A successfulproficiency check indicates that the character hassucceeded in calming an excited and agitatedanimal; in contrast, a character without thisproficiency has only a 20% chance of succeeding inthe attempt.

Animal Lore (Aquatic): This proficiencyenables a character to observe the actions or habitatof an animal and interpret what is going on. Actionscan show how dangerous the creature, whether it ishungry, protecting its young, or defending it’sterritory. Furthermore, careful observation of signsand behaviors can even indicate the location of aschool of fish, predator, or impending naturaldanger. The DM will secretly roll a proficiency

check. A successful check means the characterunderstood the basic action of the creature. If thecheck fails by 4 or less, no information is gained. Ifthe check fails by more than 4 or more, the charactermisinterprets the actions of the animal.

A character with animal lore adds a +2 bonuswhen using the set snares proficiency (for hunting)since the character knows the general habits of thecreature hunted.

Animal Noise (Aquatic): A character with thisproficiency is capable of imitating noises made byvarious animals such as whales, dolphins, etc. Asuccessful check means that only magic candistinguish the noise from that of the actual animalbeing imitated. A failed attempt means that thesound varies from the correct noise in some slight

way.If the die roll fails, this does not

mean that all creatures hearing thenoise know that the sound is fake. While creatures and humanoids thatare very familiar with the noise knowthis automatically, other creatures orcharacters in earshot may requireWisdom checks to determine if theydetect the fake.

Animal Training (Aquatic):Characters with this proficiency cantrain one type of creature (declaredwhen the proficiency is taken) to obeysimple commands and perform tricks. A character can spend additionalproficiencies to train other types ofcreatures or can improve his skill with

an already chosen type. Creatures typically trainedin the UnderDeep are hippocampi, sea horses,dolphins, whales, and many common fish. Acharacter can choose even more exotic creatures andmonsters with animal intelligence.

A trainer can work with up to three creatures atone time. The trainer may choose to teach generaltasks or specific tricks. A general task gives thecreature the ability to react to a number ofnonspecific commands to do its job. A specific taskteaches the trained creature to do one specific action. With enough time, a creature can be trained to doboth general tasks and specific tricks.

Training for a general task requires threemonths of uninterrupted work. Training for aspecific trick requires 2d6 weeks. At the end of thetraining time, a proficiency check is made. If


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successful, the animal is trained. If the die roll fails,the beast is untrainable. An animal can be trained in2d4 general task or specific tricks, or anycombination of the two.

An animal trainer can also try to tame wildanimals such as sharks, barracuda, and other non-domesticated creatures (preparing them for traininglater on). Wild animals can be tamed only whenthey are very young. The taming requires one monthof uninterrupted work with the creature. At the endof the month, a proficiency check is made. Ifunsuccessful, the beast is suitable for training. If thecheck fails, the creature retains enough of its wildbehavior to make it untrainable. It can be kept,though it must be leashed or caged.

If the creature being trained is one thecharacter’s race has a bond with, such as the quirdenand orca, the proficiency is made with a +4 bonus,and training time is halved if successful.

Appraising: This proficiency is highly usefulfor thieves, as it allows characters to estimate thevalue and authenticity of shells, antiques, art objects,jewelry, cut gemstones, or other crafted items theyfind (although the DM can exclude those items tooexotic or rare to be well known). This proficiency isalso used to appraise items on sunken ships that arefound on the ocean floor. The character must havethe item in hand to examine. A successfulproficiency check (rolled by the DM) enables thecharacter to estimate the value of the item to thenearest 100 or 1,000 cw and to identify fakes. On afailed check, the character cannot estimate a price atall. On a roll of 96 or above, the character wildlymisreads the value of the item, always to thedetriment of the character.

Armorer (Aquatic): This character can makeall of the type of armor listed in the FathomsRulebook, given the proper materials and facilities. When making armor, the proficiency check is rolledat the end of the normal construction time.

The time required to make armor is equal to twoweeks per level of AC below 10.

If the proficiency check indicates failure but iswithin 4 of the amount needed for success, thearmorer has created usable, but flawed, armor. Sucharmor functions as 1 AC worse than usual, althoughit looks like the armor it was intended to be. Only acharacter with armorer proficiency can detect theflaws, and this requires careful and detailedinspection.

If the flawed armor is struck in melee combat

with a natural die roll of 19 or 20, it breaks. Thecharacter's AC immediately worsens by 4 additionalclasses, and the broken armor hampers thecharacter's movement. Until the character canremove the broken armor, the character moves at ½of his normal rate and suffers a -4 penalty to all ofhis attack rolls.

If an armorer is creating a suit of shell, chiton orother fitted armor, the character who will use thearmor must be present at least once a week duringthe creation of the armor, since such types of armorrequire very exact fitting.

Arms Appraising: This ability allows thecharacter to appraise the workmanship of variousweapons and armor. A character is able todetermine, without a proficiency check, the averageprice that normal weapon or suit of armor wouldfetch. He is also able to tell the condition of theweapon or armor, and if the previous owner caredfor it properly. With a proficiency check, thecharacter is able to tell if the weapon or armor is ofquality, and what type of bonuses (although not theexact bonuses) can be determined. This requiresconstant scrutiny of the item, and perhaps significantuse in battle, for no less time than one day. Withanother proficiency check, the apparent creators ofthe weapon or armor may be determined, unless thisis obvious by design.

Magical weapons and armor may be identifiedas such under extreme conditions. After using theweapon or armor for a period of at least 1 week inbattle, the character may roll a proficiency checkwith a -10 penalty. Success indicates that thecharacter notices some indications that perhapsmagic was involved in the creation of the item. Under no circumstances can specific powers orpluses be found out in this way. Characters with thisproficiency are knowledgeable in the proper care forany weapon they are familiar with. A proficiencycheck allows the character to care for unfamiliarweapons as well.

Blacksmithing: This is a skill rarely found inhe UnderDeep, although it does exist. Blacksmithing in the Fathoms setting can only beaccomplished on the surface, such as in seashorecaves, or in air pockets in underwater caverns, etc. Note that blacksmithing in an air pocket will quicklyuse up the oxygen, unless the pocket is of enormoussize.

A character with blacksmithing proficiency iscapable of making tools and implements from iron.


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Use of the proficiency requires a forge with a coal-fed fire and bellows, as well as a hammer and anvil. The character cannot make armor or most weapons,but can craft crowbars, grappling hooks, nails,hinges, sea saddle rings and buckles, and most otheriron objects.

Blind-fighting: A character with blind-fightingis skilled at fighting in conditions of poor or nolight. In total darkness, the character suffers only a -2 penalty to his attack roll. If the character is at adepth where their vision is reduced from 30 feet to 0feet, the character incurs only a -1 penalty. Thecharacter suffers no penalties to his AC because ofdarkness. A successful proficiency check is requiredto use the skill in this way. Each round, thecharacter may roll until success is achieved, in whichcase the character need not roll again during thatbattle.

Furthermore, the character retains specialabilities that would normally be lost in darkness,although the effectiveness of these are reduced byone-half. This proficiency is effective only againstopponents or threats within melee distance of thecharacter. Blind-fighting does not grant any specialprotection from crossbow missile fire or anythingoutside the immediate range of the character's meleeweapon.

Furthermore, this skill aids the character whendealing with invisible creatures, reducing the attackpenalties to -2. However, it does not enable thecharacter to discover invisible creatures; he has onlya general idea of their location and cannot targetthem exactly.

Boating: This skill is usually only known bysurface dwellers, since aquatic races would rarelyneed to travel on boats. A character with boating

proficiency is needed to guide a boat down a rapidstream or to reduce the dangers of capsizing a canoeor kayak. In addition, a character with boatingproficiency can insure that a boat is propelled at itsmaximum speed. This proficiency pertains to smallcraft on smaller lakes and rivers.

Boatwright: Among surface races, theboatwright proficiency allows a character toconstruct all kinds of watercraft up to a maximumlength of 60 feet. Larger vessels cannot be built.

The time required to build a boat depends onsize. As a general guide, a boat requires one week ofconstruction time per foot of length. Two characterswith the boatwright proficiency cut this time by half;three reduce it to one-third. A maximum of oneboatwright per five feet of length can work on thesame vessel.

The basic boat includes hull, masts, deck, andbenches as required. Features such as a cabin or asealed hold add about a week a piece to complete. Characters without the boatwright proficiency canaid the boatwright in construction, but two suchcharacters equal the time savings that one additionalskilled boatwright could provide.

Aquatic races are normally not skilled in theboatwright proficiency.

Botany (Aquatic): A character with thisproficiency is readily able to identify seaweed andother plant life of all kinds and is familiar with theirproperties, life cycles, and habitats. This knowledgeis limited to the type of water the character hasstudied. For instance, plant life in the abyssal flooris very different from that found on the continentalshelf. Under normal circumstances, no proficiencycheck is required to identify the vegetable. Trying torecall specific information requires a proficiencycheck, and trying to identify vegetables outside of thecharacter's chosen terrain requires a check with a -4penalty. No specific information can be gained onplants outside the character's chosen terrain. Additional proficiency slots may be spent to learnthe plants of other areas, one slot per area. Aquaticelves and locathan races generally have a goodgrasp of botany, allowing each of them a +1 bonus toall botany proficiency checks they make in their ownterrain and climate.

Possession of this skill grants a +2 bonus on allagriculture and herbalism proficiency checks.

Calligraphy: The handwriting of an individualwith this proficiency is controlled and beautiful tothe point of being considered art. A character could


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earn a tidy income lettering signs, writing letters,etc. for the wealthy public. Skilled calligraphers areoften sought by the courts of the aristocracy andreligious institutions that wish to illuminate theirholy writings.

A typical calligraphy set, including a set of 6pens, 2 bottles of tar-like underwater ink, and adozen sheets of hide (used as underwater paper)costs about 25 cw. Additional pens and colored inkshould be available in large underwater cities.

The reading/writing proficiency must have beentaken before this skill can be selected. Under normalcircumstances, no proficiency check is required. Truly beautiful works or extremely complicatedstyles require a proficiency check, with failureindicating something less than aesthetic. Characterswith both this proficiency and either scribing or aartistic ability requiring painting or lettering receivea +1 bonus with those skills.

Camouflage: This skill allows the character toeffectively hide an object or creature from casualview in any terrain. Netting, seaweed, sand, coral,and other materials must be used, depending on theterrain and situation. Objects or creaturescamouflaged cannot be made to appear as anythingspecific; they are just hidden by the surroundingcover. The objects size affects the proficiency checkaccording to the chart below:

Size Modifier to Success Chance

Tiny/Small +2

Medium -

Large -1

Huge -4

Gargantuan -10

If the check is successful, casual observance willbe 90% unlikely to notice the object or creature thuscamouflaged. Closer examination, however, willpossibly reveal the item or creature for what it is. Ifthe proficiency check fails, any creature viewing thecamouflaged object or creature will notice somethingstrange, and perhaps go to investigate. Intelligentcreatures (Intelligence over 10) will realize that theitem or creature is camouflaged if the check is failed. The DM should roll the check secretly, as thecharacter will not know if the camouflaging wassuccessful until another creature views it.

Cartography: Characters with the cartography

proficiency are skilled at making maps. Most mapsin the UnderDeep are made by carving the symbolsinto shells or using underwater ink on byssal, hide,or other flexible material. They can make maps toscale and can represent complex land formationsthrough the use of perspective drawing and coastaloutlines. A cartographer is a keen-eyed artist with awell-developed sense of distance and depth, whoseperception of the physical world is so exacting thatwith amazing accuracy, he can copy onto a sheet ofhide or byssal whatever he looks upon.

Only on three occasions does the character need tomake a proficiency check. If the area is very unusualor if he is copying another map, a proficiency checkmust be made. A successful proficiency rollindicates that the map is correct in every detail. Afailed roll indicates that some details, possibly somesignificant ones, are in error. A roll of 20 indicatesthat the map contains a serious error that invalidatesit. The success roll for this proficiency should bemade by the DM and kept secret from the player. Ifa character attempts to read a map which he did notcreate, a proficiency check is required, with failureindicating that the character is unable to decipherthe maps content.

In addition, characters with this proficiency whoare following a well made accurate map are 95%likely not to get lost. A successful proficiency checkis required, and if it is failed, normal chances forgetting lost apply, until the character can identifysome landmark on the map. At this point, anotherproficiency check may be made to raise the chanceback to 95%.

Depth Sense: This skill allows the aquaticcreature to estimate what depth they are currently at. They do this by judging light as well as the pressurethey feel from the water around them.

A successful check indicates that the character isable to determine their depth within 20 feet(determined by the roll on 2d10). A failed checkindicates that the character has misjudged theirdepth by 50-100 feet (determined by rolling d10 andmultiplying it by 50). Another die is rolled to findout if the character over or underestimated theirdepth. An even number on the die indicates thatthey overestimated their depth, and they are actuallyshallower than they thought, while an odd numberresult indicates the character underestimated theirdepth, and they are actually deeper than expected.This success chance for this proficiency is rolled insecret by the DM, so the character will not know if


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they are correct or not when the DM reveals thedepth the character believes they are at.

Direction Sense: A character with this proficiencyhas an innate sense of direction. A character withthis proficiency is able to determine the direction oftravel underwater. A failed proficiency check meansthe character errs by 90 degrees. A roll of 20indicates the direction chosen is exactly opposite thetrue heading. (The DM rolls this check).

While on the water in a boat, the character is ableto tell the direction of the party, even in unfavorableweather conditions, with a successful proficiencycheck, rolled by the DM. A character with thisproficiency adds +1 to navigation skill rolls.

Disguise: The character with this skill is trainedin the art of disguise. He can make himself oranother individual look like any general type ofperson of about the same height, age, weight, andrace. A successful proficiency check indicates thatthe disguise is successful, while a failed roll meansthe attempt was too obvious in some way.

This proficiency is very useful for races likequirden and aquatic elves who wish to travel on thesurface in the guise of their surface cousins. If theproficiency roll is successful on these races, they areable to hide webbed hands and feet, leg fins (forquirden), or even coloration differences.

The character can also disguise himself or anotherperson as a member of another race or sex. In thiscase, a -7 penalty is applied to the proficiency check. The character may also attempt to disguise himselfas a specific person, with a -10 penalty to theproficiency check. These modifiers are cumulative,thus it is extremely difficult for a character todisguise himself as a specific person of another raceor sex.

Diving: This proficiency allows the character todive into the water from an elevated surface. Thecharacter may attempt a normal dive from a heightequal to 20' plus an additional 10' per level ofexperience. This use requires no proficiency check. If the character wishes to dive from a higherdistance, perform a truly awe-inspiring dive, orwishes to improvise on the dive, modifiers to thechance of success are applied. For every added levelof complexity (a somersault, twist, pike, etc.), thecharacter must subtract 1 from his chance of success. In addition for every additional 5' in height, anadditional 1 penalty is applied to the chance ofsuccess. These modifiers are cumulative, and theDM may add other penalties or bonuses based on the

circumstances. A 'safe' depth of water equal to thediver's height plus an additional 1' of water per 10' ofheight (or fraction thereof) dove is needed to avoidinjury.

A character can perform one fast maneuver(somersault, for example) for every 10 feet of travel,or one slow maneuver (holding a pike, for example)for every 20 feet of travel. Use of a springboard addsan additional 5' height to the initial jump, giving atotal distance increase of 10'. Adding proficiencyslots has the effect of increasing the maximumheight by 10'. A diver may dive outwards five feetplus an additional one-third the distance that hetravels downward.

Eavesdropping: This proficiency allows thecharacter to hear tiny sounds that most others wouldmiss. Listening is not automatic; the character muststand still and concentrate on what he's hearing forone round. He must have silence in his immediatesurroundings and must remove his helmet or hat. Sounds filtering though doors or other barriers areunclear at best.

Note that an aquatic character with thisproficiency is only skilled at comprehendingunderwater sounds, and will not be proficient ateavesdropping on the surface. The same applies forsurface races with this proficiency who ventureunderwater.

Endurance: A character with enduranceproficiency is able to perform continual strenuousphysical activity for twice as long as a normalcharacter before becoming subject to the effects offatigue and exhaustion. In those cases whereextreme endurance is required, a successfulproficiency check must be made. Note that thisproficiency does not enable a character to extend thelength of time that he can remain unaffected by alack of food or water.

Engineering: The character is trained as a builderof both great and small things. Engineers canprepare plans for everything from simple machinessuch as aquatic ballista and boat drills, to largestructures. A proficiency check is required onlywhen designing something particularly complicatedor unusual. An engineer must still find talentedworkmen to carry out his plan, but he is trained tosupervise and manage their work.

Etiquette: This proficiency gives the character abasic understanding of the proper forms of behaviorand address required in many different situations,especially those involving nobility and persons of


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rank. For extremely unusual occurrences, aproficiency check must be made for the character toknow the proper etiquette for the situation.

However, having the character know what iscorrect and actually do what is correct are twodifferent matters. The encounter must still be role-played by the character. Knowledge of etiquette doesnot faux pas; many people who know the correctthing manage to do the exact opposite.

Fishing: The character is skilled in the art offishing, be it with net, trident, spear, or bare hands. Each hour the character spends fishing, roll aproficiency check. Aquatic races have a much easiertime fishing than surface dwellers, as they can seeand even chase the fish underwater. This results in abonus to oceanic characters proficiency checks. Ifthe roll is failed, no fish are caught that hour. Otherwise, the character will catch fish equal to thedifference between the die roll and the character'sWisdom score. A net will catch three times thisamount.

Of course, no fish can be caught where no fish arefound. On the other hand, some areas teem withfish, such as a river or pool during spawning season. The DM may modify the results according to thesituation.

Foraging (Aquatic): Similar to the fishingproficiency, this skill enables a character to locateand obtain edible aquatic plants, such as seaweed orsea berries, more easily than a normal character can. A successful proficiency check indicates that twice asmuch food is obtained than a normal characterwould be able to obtain in the same length of time,or that the time needed to obtain a certain amount offood is half as long as a normal character wouldneed to get the same results. The normal amount offood found in two turns is equal to one full day'sration of plant life. The character who makes hisproficiency check has his chance of finding inedibleplants reduced by 20% compared with the normalchances of characters without this proficiency.

Gaming: The character knows most commongames of chance and skill, including dice, bones,shells, etc. When playing a game, the character mayeither play out the actual game or make a proficiencycheck, with success indicating victory. If twoproficient characters play each other, the one withthe highest successful die roll wins. A characterwith gaming proficiency can also attempt to cheat,thus gaining a +1 bonus to his success chance. If theproficiency check for the game is 20, however, the

character has been caught cheating.Gem Cutting: A character with this proficiency

can finish the rough gems that are discoveredthrough underwater or shoreline mining at a rate of1d10 stones per day. A gem cutter derives no benefitfrom the assistance of nonproficient characters. Agem cutter must work with a good light source andmust have an assortment of chisels, small hammers,and specially hardened blades.

Uncut gems, while still of value, are not nearly asvaluable as the finished product. If the cutting issuccessful, the gem cutter increases the value of agiven stone to the range appropriate for its type. If a1 is rolled, the work is exceptionally brilliant and thevalue of the gem falls into the range for the nextmost valuable gem.

Geography: A character with the geographyproficiency must choose a specific area of the oceanworld no larger than a large country to be familiarwith. Additional slots may be spent to learn aboutother areas. The character has knowledge of allnaturally occurring geographical features, includingprominent seamounts, guyots, rifts, abyssal plains,oceanic currents, etc. This knowledge extends to thelocal level, enabling the character to recall detailsabout small islands and deep caverns. Noproficiency check is required to recall prominentknowledge. However, if details of small or obscureregions is to be recalled, a proficiency check isrequired. Recent natural formations would alsorequire a proficiency check, unless the character haspersonally visited them. A character travelingwithin the area he is knowledgeable in has hischances of becoming lost reduced by half. Proficiency checks with penalties also enable thecharacter to recall information in the immediate areasurrounding his specific area of knowledge.

This skilled allows the character to treat any spotwithin it as casually seen for the purposes ofteleportation or other instantaneous methods oftravel.

Healing: A character proficient in healing knowshow to use natural medicines and basic principles offirst aid and doctoring. If the character tendsanother within one round of wounding (and makes asuccessful proficiency check), his ministrationsrestore 1d3 hit points that were lost in the previousround. Only one healing attempt can be made on acharacter per day.

If a wounded character remains under the care ofsomeone with healing proficiency, that character can


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recover lost hit points at the rate of 1 per day evenwhen traveling or engaging in non-strenuousactivity. If the wounded character gets completerest, he can recover 2 hit points per day while undersuch care. Only characters with both healing andherbalism proficiencies can help others recover atthe rate of 3 hit points per day of rest. This caredoes not require a proficiency check, only the regularattention of the proficient character. Up to sixpatients can be cared for at any time.

A character with healing proficiency can alsoattempt to aid a poisoned individual, provided thepoison entered through a wound. If the poisonedcharacter can be tended to immediately and the carecontinues for the next five rounds, the victim gains a+2 bonus to his saving throw (delay save to the lastround of healing). No proficiency check is required,but the poisoned character must be tended toimmediately and cannot do anything himself. If thecare and rest are interrupted, the poisoned charactermust immediately roll a normal saving throw for thepoison. This result is unalterable by normal means. Only characters with both healing and herbalismproficiencies can attempt the same treatment forpoisons the victim has swallowed or touched. If thecharacter also has the poison proficiency, a +2 bonusis added to this attempt.

A character with healing proficiency can alsoattempt to diagnose and treat diseases. Whendealing with normal diseases, a successfulproficiency check automatically reduces the diseaseto its mildest form and shortest duration. Those whoalso have herbalism knowledge gain an additional+2 bonus to this check. A proficient character canalso attempt to deal with magical diseases, whethercaused by spells or creature. In this case, asuccessful proficiency check diagnoses the cause ofthe disease. However, since the disease is magical innature, it can be treated only by magical means.

When wounded underwater, any character with ahealing proficiency can attempt to stop the bleedingof a wounded individual to lessen the attraction of

predators. A successful proficiency check indicatedthe wound has been bound as to stop the scent ofblood. The character receives a -1 penalty to thistype of check for every 5 points of damage thewounded character has received. Thus, a characterattempting to stop the flow of blood on someone whohas taken 15 points of piercing of slashing damagehas a -3 penalty to their proficiency check.

Heraldry: The knowledge of heraldry enables thecharacter to identify the different crests and symbolsthat denote different persons and aquatic groups. Heraldry comes in many forms and is used for manydifferent purposes. It can be used to identifynoblemen, families, guilds, sects, legions, politicalfactions, and castes. The symbols may appear onflags, shields, helmets, badges, embroidery,standards, clothing coins, and more. The symbolsused may include geometric patterns, calligraphedlines of script, fantastic beasts, religious symbols andmagical seals. Heraldry can vary from the highlyformalized rules and regulations of late medievalEurope to the knowledge of different shield patternsand shapes used by African tribesman.

The character automatically knows the differentheraldic symbols of his homeland and whom they areassociated with. In addition, if the character makesa successful proficiency check, he can correctlyidentify the signs and symbols of other aquatickingdoms, provided he has at least a passingknowledge of the inhabitants of that area. Hisheraldry skill is of little use upon first entering aforeign land.

Herbalism: Those with herbalist knowledge canidentify sea plants and anenomes, and preparenonmagical potions, poultices, powders, balms,salves, ointments, infusions, and plasters for medicaland pseudo-medical purposes. They can also preparenatural plant poisons and purgatives. The DM mustdecide the exact strength of such poisons based onthe poison rules in the DMG. A character with bothherbalism and healing proficiencies gains a bonuseswhen using his healing talent. In addition, a +1bonus is gained when using the botany proficiency aswell, if both are possessed.

Hunting: When in the ocean, the character canattempt to stalk and bring down large fish or otheraquatic animals. A proficiency check must be madewith a -1 penalty to the ability score for everynonproficient hunter in the party. If the die roll issuccessful, the hunter have come within 101 to 200yards of an animal. The group can attempt to close


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the range, but a proficiency check must be made foreach 20 yards closed. If the stalking is successful,the hunter automatically surprises the fish. Creatures most often stalked in the UnderDeep aresharks, dolphins, swordfish, or other fish which arenot normally caught simply using the fishingproficiency.

Hypnosis: With this proficiency, a character canhypnotize another character--placing the subject intoa relaxed state in which he is very susceptible tosuggestions. However, hypnosis is not possibleunless the subject is willing and knows he is beinghypnotized.

Characters with this proficiency can hypnotizehumans and demihumans with ease. Nonhumanscan be hypnotized, too, but the DM should assign apenalty to the proficiency check. The size of thepenalty depends on how inhuman the subject is.

The act of hypnotizing someone takes about fiveminutes. The subject is then very relaxed andwilling to do almost anything that isn't verydangerous or against his alignment. Note, however,that a hypnotized subject can be easily fooled; thesubject may be convinced that he's doing one thing,while he's actually doing another. Lawful or goodcharacters who trick their subjects in this fashionshould beware.

Hypnotism can have the following (or similar)effects:• A character can be induced to remember things

he has forgotten by reliving a frightening ordistant event.

• A character can be made calm and unafraid inthe face of a specific situation that he has beenprepared for.

• A character can be cured of a bad habit oraddiction (but not cures or magical afflictions).

• A character can be prepared to impersonatesomeone by thoroughly adopting thatindividual's personality.

Hypnotism cannot be used to increase a character'sattributes, give him powers or abilities he does notnaturally possess, let him do things that are beyondhis capabilities, or give him information that hecouldn't possibly know.

Jumping: In Fathoms, the jumping proficiency isavailable to all character classes. The character canattempt exceptional leaps out of the water. If thecharacter has at least a 20-feet of swimming room togain speed, that character can leap our of the waterone foot for every movement point they have. For

instance, a character with a swimming movementrate of 12 could leap twelve feet out of the water.

Languages, Ancient: The character has mastereda difficult and obscure tongue, now primarily foundin the writings of pedantic sages and sorcerers. Themain use of the language is to read tomes of ancientsecrets written by long-dead mystics. Thisproficiency enables the character to either read andwrite or speak the language.

Languages, Modern: The character has learnedto speak a language of the known world. To do so,there must be a teacher available. This could beanother player character, an NPC hireling, or simplya local townsman.

Local History: The character is a storehouse offacts about the history of a region the size of a largecounty or a small province.

The DM will provide information about local sitesand events as the character needs to know them. Furthermore, the character can try to retell theseevents as entertaining stories. Once the subject ischosen, he can either make a proficiency check and,if successful, add that tale to his repertoire, oractually tell the story to other characters. If thecharacter succeeds in entertaining them, the playerneed not make a proficiency roll for the character. The character can tell these stories to entertainothers, granting him a +2 bonus to his Charisma forthe encounter. But telling stories to hostile beings isprobably not going to do any good.

Looting: This proficiency represents a knack forgrabbing the best loot in the shortest time. Forinstance, an aquatic elven thief sneaks aboard a shipat night. He has about two minutes to fill hisbackpack, so that he can escape before guards returndoing their rounds of the ship. If his proficiencycheck succeeds, he is able to recognize and stuff intohis pack the most valuable combination of items thatis feasible, given his limitations of time and space.

Mining: A character with mining proficiency isneeded to site and supervise the operations of anymine. First, the character can attempt to determinewhat type of ores or gems can be found in a givenarea. To do this, he must spend at least a weeksearching a four-square-mile area. The DM mayrule that more area must be searched to findanything of value and may thus increase the amountof time required. At the end of the search, thecharacter can say what is likely to be found in thisarea. After this, the character can site the mine. Ona successful proficiency check (made by the DM),


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the character has found a good site to begin miningfor any minerals that may be in the area. The checkdoes not guarantee a successful mine, only that aparticular site is the best choice in a given area. TheDM must determine what minerals, if any, are to befound in the region of the mine. On a failed check,the character only thinks he has found a good site. Much effort is spent before the character is provedwrong, of course.

Once the mine is in operation, a character withmining proficiency must remain on-site to superviseall work. Although this is a steady job, most playercharacters will find it better to hire an NPC for thispurpose.

Musical Instrument: The character can play aspecific aquatic musical instrument. An additionalinstrument can be added for every extra slot devotedto this proficiency. The character plays quite well,and no proficiency check is normally required. TheDM may direct the character to make a proficiencycheck in what he feels are extraordinarycircumstances. Some instruments, such as windpipes, will not function effectively underwater. However, the UnderDeep races have used nativematerials such as shells, coral, and other naturalitems to come up with a large assortment of theirown underwater instruments.

Navigation: The character has learned the arts ofnavigating by the stars, studying currents, reefs, andhidden danger. This is not particularly useful onland. At sea, a successful proficiency checkby the navigator reduces the chance ofgetting lost by 20%. Navigation is normallyonly known by land races.

Poisons: This proficiency gives thecharacter knowledge of manufacturedpoisons of all types. With this ability, thecharacter is able to manufacture poisons ofall kinds, given the time and materialsneeded. The types of poisons decide anypenalties to the chance of success, from -1 to-12 for rare immediate death poisons. In addition,the character can also make the antidote for anypoison he has manufactured himself with anadditional normal proficiency check.

The character may also identify poisons he did notcreate. This requires a proficiency check and closeexamination of the poison or object thought to bepoisoned. At times, the character must sample thepoison (putting himself at risk) to determine it'seffects. However, any saving throws are made with a

+4 bonus when a successful proficiency check ismade. Once a poison has been identified, and it'seffects known, an antidote may be created. Thisalways requires the character to sample the poison. A proficiency check at half the normal chance forsuccess is made, assuming the poison is available. Ifsuccessful, the character is able to concoct theappropriate antidote, assuming the materials arenearby. If a creature has already been poisoned, orthe poison is not available for sampling, then thecharacter has only a 5% chance of concocting anantidote. The rolls for antidote concoction are madesecretly by the DM. If the roll fails, the characterknows he is unable to concoct an antidote. However,if the roll is 96% or above, an antidote is made, butis ineffective, wasting the character and perhaps thevictim's time.

Reading Lips: The character can understand thespeech of those he can see but not hear. When thisproficiency is chosen, the player must specify whatlanguage the character can lip read (it must be alanguage the character can already speak). To usethe proficiency, the character must be within 30 feetof the speaker and be able to see him speak. Aproficiency check is made. If the check fails,nothing is learned. If the check is successful, 70percent of the conversation is understood. Sincecertain sounds are impossible to differentiate, theunderstanding of a lip-read conversation is neverbetter than this.

Reading/Writing: Thecharacter can read and write amodern language he canspeak, provided there issomeone available to teach thecharacter. This proficiencydoes not enable the characterto learn ancient languages.

Religion: Characters withreligion proficiency know thecommon beliefs and cults of

their kingdom and the major faiths of neighboringregions. Ordinary information of any religion isautomatically known by the character. Specialinformation, such as how the clergy is organized,requires a proficiency check.

Additional proficiencies spent on religion enablethe character to either expand his general knowledgeinto more distant regions or to gain preciseinformation about a single faith. If the latter ischosen, the character is no longer required to make a


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proficiency check when answering questions aboutthat religion. Such expert knowledge is highlyuseful to shaman characters when dealing with theirown and rival faiths.

Riding, Sea-based: The character is trained inhandling a swimming mount. The particularcreature must be chosen when the proficiency istaken. Additional proficiency slots can be used tolearn how to handle other types of mounts. Acharacter must have this proficiency (or ride withsomeone who does) to handle an aquatic mount. Inaddition, a proficient character can do the following:

* Leap onto the saddle of the creature (when it ison the surface) and spur it into motion in the samecombat round. This requires no proficiency check.

* Urge the mount to leap over obstacles in thewater, so long as the obstacles are less than 3' highand 5' wide. There must be water on the oppositeside of the obstacle, or the mount takes 1d6 points ofdamage from the impact. If the character wants toroll a proficiency check, the mount can be urged toleap obstacles up to 5' high and 10' wide. Successmeans that the mount has made the jump. Failureindicates that the mount has balked, and thecharacter must make another proficiency check tosee if he retains his seat or falls from the saddle intothe water.

* The character can spur his steed on to greatspeeds, adding 2d6 to the movement rate of theanimal for up to two turns. This requires aproficiency check each five rounds to see if themount can be pushed this hard. If the initial checkfails, no further attempts can be made, but the mountcan move normally. If the second or subsequentcheck fails, the mount slows to half speed and will beunable to bear the rider for a full turn. In any event,after two turns, its movement drops to two-thirds itsnormal rate until the mount is allowed to rest for atleast one hour.

* The character can guide his mount with hisknees and feet, enabling him to use weapons thatrequire two hands while mounted. This feat doesrequire a proficiency check to use initially and also ifthe character takes damage while so riding. In thiscase, a check is required and failure means that thecharacter falls from the mount and is stopped by thewater currents. A second check is allowed to see ifthe character manages to catch himself. If this fails,the rider falls off the mount. Of course a rider canstrap himself into the saddle, although this could bea disadvantage if his mount is slain and plummets

deeper into the water. This ability is useful bothabove and below the water.

* The character can attempt to control the mountif it panics.

Rope Use: This proficiency enables a character toaccomplish amazing feats with rope. A characterwith rope use proficiency is familiar with all sorts ofknots and can tie knots that slip, hold tightly, slideslowly, or loosen with a quick tug. If the character'shands are bound and held with a knot, he can roll aproficiency check with a -30% penalty to escape thebonds.

This character gains a +2 bonus to all attacksmade with a lasso. The character also receives a +2bonus to all climbing checks made while he is usinga rope (such as climbing aboard the side of a ship onrigging), including attempts to belay companions.

Seamanship: The character is familiar with boatsand ships. he is qualified to work as a crewman,although he cannot actually navigate. Crews oftrained seamen are necessary to manage any ship,and they improve the movement rates of inland boatsby 50%. This skill is normally employed only bysurface races.

Seamstress/Tailor: The character can sew anddesign clothing. he can also do all kinds ofembroidery and ornamental work. Although noproficiency check is required, the character musthave at least needle and thread to work.

Semaphore: This proficiency allows the characterto use semaphore flags to signal other ships. Organized war fleets use these flags as a standardcommunication tool. Most fleets have at least twopersons on each ship who can use the semaphoreflags. No proficiency check is required undernormal circumstances. In times of combat, however,a proficiency check is required for receiving a signal. Failure means the signal was unclear. In this case,the sending character can start over the next round.

When one semaphore proficiency is owned, thecharacter can send ten words in a round, and canreceive ten words the next round. For everyadditional proficiency, increase the number of wordsthat can be sent or received by five. The charactersshould be careful that the messages they send are atthe speed that the receiver can understand, and viceversa. Fast senders and receivers are often used tocode the transmissions.

Aquatic races have little use for this skill, but arare few do learn this art so they can eavesdrop onmessages sent by ships.


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Set Snares: The character can make simple snaresand traps, primarily to catch crustaceans. These caninclude rope snares and spring traps. A proficiencycheck must be rolled when the snare is firstconstructed and every time the snare is set. A failedproficiency check means the trap does notworkmanship was bad, the character left too muchscent in the area, or he poorly concealed the finishedwork. The exact nature of the problem does not needto be known. The character can also attempt to settraps and snares for larger creatures. A proficiencycheck must be rolled, this time with a -4 penalty tothe ability score. In both cases, setting a successfulsnare does not ensure that it catches anything, onlythat the snare works if triggered. The DM mustdecide if the trap is triggered.

Thief characters (and only thieves) with thisproficiency can also attempt to rig mantraps. Thesecan involve such things as crossbows, spikedspringboards, etc. The procedure is the same as thatfor setting a large snare. The DM must determinethe amount of damage caused by a man-trap.

Setting a small snare or trap takes one hour orwork. Setting a larger trap requires two to threepeople (only one need have the proficiency) and 2d4hours of work. Setting a man-trap requires one ormore people (depending on its nature) and 1d8 hoursof work. To prepare any trap, the character musthave appropriate materials on hand.

Characters with animal lore proficiency gain a +2bonus to their chance of success when attempting toset a snare for the purposes of catching fish or othersea creatures. Their knowledge of animals and thewoods serves them well for this purpose. They gainno benefit when attempting to trap monsters orintelligent beings.

Shipwright: The character is knowledgeableregarding techniques for ship construction andrepair. He can design and build ships of all typesover 50' in length, with a proficiency check onlybeing required for an unusual feature. The charactercan perform routine maintenance on sailing vesselsor galleys, including repairing sails and caulking thehull, without a proficiency check. Vessels of anysize require large crews of shipwrights and otherlaborers to build or repair.

The time required to build a ship depends on size. As a general guide, a ship requires one week ofconstruction time per foot of length. For everycharacters with the shipwright proficiency reducethis time by 20% (to a maximum of 60%). A

maximum of one shipwright per five feet of lengthcan work on the same vessel.

The basic boat includes hull, masts, deck, andbenches as required. Features such as a cabin or asealed hold add about a week apiece to complete. Characters without the shipwright proficiency canaid the shipwright in construction, but three suchcharacters equal the time savings that one additionalskilled boatwright could provide.

Only surface dwelling races would typically learnthe shipwrighting skill.

Sign Language: Sign language permits silentcommunication with anyone who sees andunderstands the signals. The maximum range isusually line of sight in a lit area, or the extent of thereceiver's infravision. Sign may be an extensivelanguage capable of handling long conversations, orsimply a means of communicating a few easy tounderstand phrases. A proficiency check is madewhen speaking or interpreting sign. If detailedsignals are given, a -3 penalty is applied to thesuccess chance.

Echolocation or a Lateral Line System alone arenot sufficient to understand sign language. Therecipient of the message must have visual contactwith the signer.

Singing: The character is an accomplished singerand can use this ability to entertain others andperhaps earn a small living (note that certain bardscan do this automatically). No proficiency check isrequired to sing. The character can also createchoral works on a successful proficiency check.

Skinning: This proficiency gives the characterknowledge of the proper ways to skin and prepare ananimal for food or for sale, such as whale, shark, etc. Hide for writing or armor may be obtained with thisskill, as long as the proper type of knife is available. A successful proficiency check indicates the skin isacceptable to be sold or the animal is fit to be eaten. Failure indicates a damaged skin or impropercleaning of an animal. One small animal may beskinned in one hour. Medium sized animals may beskinned in two hours, while large animals requirefour hours of time for proper skinning.

Spell Mimicry: This proficiency gives thecharacter knowledge into the manner in spells arecast. While this does not give the character anyspellcasting power, it does make him knowledgeableinto the ways of spellcasting, the gestures, arcanewords, and materials. This differs from thespellcraft proficiency in that no specific spells can be


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identified. The character simply goes through themotions of "casting" a spell, during which time hemutters incomprehensible words, waves his arms,and uses inexpensive components. This is difficultto master and useful for those characters who havepowers that they wish to appear as spellcasting or forthose characters masquerading as spellcasters. Colorful displays or non-magical effects such asflash paper are useful in the ruse.

A true spellcaster, upon careful observation has achance to detect the falsehood. This percentagechance is equal to the spellcaster's combinedIntelligence (or Wisdom for priests) and Perceptionscores minus the character's Intelligence score. Since no specific spells are ever imitated, being aspecialist wizard grants no additional bonuses.

Spellcraft: Although this proficiency does notgrant the character any spellcasting power, it doesgive him familiarity with the different forms andrites of spellcasting. If he observes and overhearssomeone who is casting a spell, or if he examines thematerial components used, he can attempt to identifythe spell being cast. A proficiency check must berolled to make a correct identification. Wizardspecialists gain a +3 bonus to the check whenattempting to identify magic of their own school. Note that since the spellcaster must be observed untilthe very instant of casting, the spellcraft proficiencydoes not grant an advantage against combat spells. The proficiency is quite useful, however, foridentifying spells that would otherwise have novisible effect.

Those talented in this proficiency also have achance (equal to ¼ of their normal proficiencycheck) of recognizing magical or magically endowedconstructs for what they are.

Stonemasonry: A stonemason is able to buildstructures from stone and coral so that they lastmany years. he can do simple stone carvings, suchas lettering, columns, and flourishes. The stone canbe mortared, carefully fitted without mortar, orloosely fitted and chinked with rocks and earth. Astonemason equipped with his tools can build a plainsection of wall one foot thick, ten feet long, and fivefeet high in one day, provided the stone has alreadybeen cut.

Surface Combat: This ability allows underseacharacters, who are out of their element when not inthe water, to engage in combat on the surface withthe standard penalties (see Combat). Attackingwithout the resistance of water against the body or

weapon causes the aquatic attacker to be far lessaccurate in landing blows, and this proficiency isnecessary to negate those penalties. Note thatsurface dwelling characters are automaticallyassumed to know surface combat.

Swimming: A character with swimmingproficiency knows how to swim and can moveaccording to the rules given in the Swimmingsection. Those without this proficiency cannot swim. They can hold their breath and float, but they cannotmove themselves about in the water.

Note that all aquatic races have the swimmingproficiency automatically. Sailors and otherhumanoids from the surface, however, must take thisproficiency in order to swim.

Trap Detection: The character is trained to findsmall traps and alarms. These include poisonedneedles, spring blades, deadly gases, and warningbells. This skill is not effective for finding deadfallceilings, crushing walls, or other large mechanicaltraps.

The character must be able to touch and inspectthe trapped object, and the DM usually rolls the dicesecretly to determine success. A character can checkan item for traps once per experience level, or whenhis chance increases. Searching for a trap takes2d12 rounds, and the character knows the generalprinciple of the trap but not it's exact nature.

In addition, the character may attempt to disarmthe trap, which also requires 2d12 rounds. If theproficiency check is a success, the character hasdisarmed the trap. Failure indicates that the trap isbeyond the character's knowledge, and he must wait


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until next level, or until his chance increases. A rollof 96% or above indicates that the trap is sprung,most likely affecting the character.

This proficiency is less effective when dealingwith magical or invisible traps. Characters are ableto attempt these traps, but at one-third their normalpercentages.

Underwater Combat: Fighting underwater can bea very difficult task for the adventurer, as the waterresistance they are not used to and three dimensionalcombat gives them penalties to hit. By taking theunderwater combat proficiency, the character is ableto become accustomed to these environmentalchanges, and negates the normal combat penaltiesfor fighting underwater. Note that the character isstill restricted to using weapons that can be usedunderwater, and is still not able to use slashing orbludgeoning weapons. Aquatic races automaticallyhave the underwater combat proficiency.

Weaponsmithing: This highly specializeproficiency enables a character to perform thedifficult and highly exacting work involved inmaking metal, bone, and other types of weapons. The

character blends some of the skill of the blacksmithwith an ability to create blades of strength andsharpness. If used to make metal weapons, a fullyequipped smithy is necessary, and the weapon mustbe fashioned out of the water where a fire can beused. Weapons of bone or other material can becreated underwater.

The time and cost to make various types ofweapons are listed below.

TABLE 11: WEAPON CONSTRUCTION

WeaponConstruction

TimeMaterial

Cost

Crossbow bolts 10/day 1 bp

Dagger/Knife 5 days 2 cp

Aquatic Crossbow 20 days 1 cw

Mancatcher 30 days 6 cw

Fork, Trident 20 days 1 sp

Spear, Lance 4 days 4 cp

Short Sword 20 days 5 cp

TABLE 12: FATHOMS NON-WEAPON PROFICIENCIES

GENERAL

Proficiency # of Slots Required Relevant Ability Check Modifier

Agriculture (Aquatic) 1 Intelligence 0

Alertness 1 Wisdom +1

Animal Handling 1 Wisdom -1

Animal Training 1 Wisdom 0

Artistic Ability 1 Wisdom 0

Blacksmithing 1 Strength -2

Boating ** 1 Wisdom +1

Boatwright ** 1 Intelligence -1

Carpentry 1 Strength 0

Cartography 1 Intelligence -2

Dancing 1 Dexterity 0

Depth Sense 1 Wisdom 0

Direction Sense 1 Wisdom +1

Diving ** 1 Dexterity -1

Etiquette 1 Charisma 0

Fishing 1 Wisdom +1


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Geography 1 Intelligence -1

Heraldry 1 Intelligence 0

Hypnosis 1 Charisma -2

Jumping 1 Strength 0

Languages, Modern 1 Intelligence 0

Leatherworking 1 Intelligence 0

Mining 2 Wisdom -3

Navigation ** 1 Intelligence -2

Reading/Writing 1 Intelligence +1

Riding, Airborne 2 Wisdom -1

Riding, Land-Based 1 Wisdom -2

Riding, Sea-Based 1 Wisdom +3

Rope Use 1 Dexterity 0

Seamanship ** 1 Dexterity +1

Seamstress/Tailor 1 Dexterity -1

Semaphore ** 1 Intelligence 0

Shipwright ** 1 Intelligence -2

Sign Language 1 Intelligence -1

Singing 1 Charisma 0

Stonemasonry 1 Strength -2

Swimming ** 1 Strength 0

Weather Sense 1 Wisdom -1

Weaving 1 Intelligence -1

PRIEST


Ancient History 1 Intelligence -1

Astrology 2 Intelligence 0

Calligraphy 1 Dexterity -1

Engineering 2 Intelligence -3

Healing 2 Wisdom -2

Herbalism 2 Intelligence -2

Languages, Ancient 1 Intelligence 0

Local History 1 Charisma 0

Musical Instrument 1 Dexterity -1

Religion 1 Wisdom 0

Spellcraft 1 Intelligence -2


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ROGUE


Acting 1 Charisma -1

Animal Noise 1 Wisdom -1

Appraising 1 Intelligence 0

Blind Fighting 2 NA NA

Camouflage 1 Wisdom 0

Disguise 1 Charisma -1

Eavesdropping 2 Charisma -4


Gaming 1 Charisma 0

Gem Cutting 2 Dexterity -2

Hunting 1 Wisdom -1


Looting 1 Dexterity 0

Musical Instrument 1 Dexterity -1

Poisons 3 Intelligence -4

Reading Lips 2 Intelligence -2

Set Snares 1 Dexterity -2

Spell Mimicry 1 Intelligence -3

Surface Combat 2 NA NA

Tracking 2 Wisdom -5

Underwater Combat ** 2 NA NA

WARRIOR


Animal Lore 1 Intelligence 0

Animal Noise 1 Wisdom -1

Armorer 2 Intelligence -2

Arms Appraising 1 Intelligence -1

Blind Fighting 2 NA NA

Bower/Fletcher 1 Dexterity -1

Camouflage 1 Wisdom 0

Endurance 2 Constitution 0

Foraging 1 Intelligence -2

Gaming 1 Charisma 0

Hunting 1 Wisdom -1 (+2*)

Set Snares 1 Dexterity -1

Skinning 1 Intelligence 0

Surface Combat 2 NA NA


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Survival 2 Intelligence 0

Tracking 2 Wisdom -5 (0*)

Underwater Combat ** 2 NA NA

Weaponsmithing 3 Intelligence -3

WIZARD


Alchemy 2 Intelligence -3

Ancient History 1 Intelligence -1

Astrology 2 Intelligence 0

Botany 1 Intelligence -1


Gem Cutting 2 Dexterity -2

Herbalism 2 Intelligence -2

Languages, Ancient 1 Intelligence 0


Reading/Writing 1 Intelligence +1

Religion 1 Wisdom 0

Spellcraft 1 Intelligence -2

* For rangers only** Normally only a surface dweller proficiency

Documents

Chapter 3: Proficiencies · character's movement. Until the character can remove the broken armor, the character moves at ½ of his normal rate and suffers a -4 penalty to all of