Skill of the Day: Dowsing!

 

DOWSING
Primary Ability: Wisdom
Alternative Abilities: none
Usual Time Requirement: varies, not usable in combat
Availability: Level 1
Type/Rate of Development: Campaign/Strategic; Slow (1:3)
FREE DEVELOPMENT BY CLASS:
OSRIC: none
Swords & Wizardry: none
Labyrinth Lord: none
FREE DEVELOPMENT BY RACE:
OSRIC: none
Swords & Wizardry: none
Labyrinth Lord: none DEVELOPMENT BY CLASS: OSRIC: Druid**,  Mentalist**, Seer**, Ranger*, Witch* S&W: Druid*, Ranger*, Witch* Labyrinth Lord: Druid**, Fortune Teller**, Mystic**, Ranger*, Witch*

 

Time to look at another item off the list of things left undone: Skill of the Day! It's been in abeyance for far too long - I get distracted easily - but here's a new skill (if you want to understand what this is, check out this post).  

Without further preamble, I rolled a 4 and a 1 on my d12s, and came up with the skill Dowsing, which I am classing as a Strategic or Campaign skill, rather than a Tactical or Adventure skill. Campaign skills are generally used during exploration or downtime. Dowsing is, of course, the art of locating water sources using the proverbial Y-shaped stick. The required level of Competency will vary with the availability of groundwater and the amount of magical 'noise' in the vicinity (highly magical areas such ley lines and faerie forests might confuse the Dowser's intuitive sense). Also, magical 'dead zones' will make this task much harder, increasing the required Competency Level by 4. As a rough guideline, a Dowser can examine one 10'r area (multiplied by their level of Competency) every five minutes. A Druid with Dowsing 3, therefore, can examine a 30' radius area every five minutes. 

Loss of the Dowser's divining rod - to which they are uniquely attuned - imposes a penalty of 3 Competency Levels (to a minimum of 1) until it is recovered or a new rod procured.  Note that such cannot be bought, or crafted: it must be found. There is a cumulative 5% chance per day spent searching for the right rod that one will be found (the maximum % chance is 80%). The Dowser must then spend 1d12 hours attuning themselves to the rod (usually through a combination of contemplation and experimentation) before it can be used.

Obviously, this skill is most useful in the strategic environment, especially when travelling long distances in arid regions. Another application is to sell one's services to farmers, landowners and travellers in marginal areas. As a rough figure, a Dowser can expect a base of 1 sp per day spent searching and anywhere between 1-100 gp should they find water sufficient to the needs of their client, with the payment dependent on quality, quantity and ease of access of the discovered water source. 

Lastly, there is always the possibility that other resources may be found, although such discoveries are almost always serendipitous. A Dowser searching for resources other than water (for example, gold, gems or copper) must overcome a Competency requirement of 10 (plus or minus 1-3 depending on how common or accessible the material is in the area surveyed). Note that Dowsers with Competency in skills such as Gem Lore or Metallurgy may be able to reduce this penalty (by no more than 1, in any case). Applying the same principle, a Dowser with Competency in Heal or Surgery could also search for bones... 

If you look at the summary chart above, you’ll note that the rate of development is “slow”: you gain 1 Competency Level for every three adventuring levels. The (*) indicates that the listed classes develop the Dowsing skill at 1 Competency Level per two adventuring levels. Two asterisks “**” denotes development at 1:1. 

Adventure Hook: Grasley Yearden, an experienced Dowser (Human Fortune Teller, L7, AL N, Dowsing Competency level 7) has gone missing: hired by an impecunious noble house to search their holdings for water to alleviate the effects of prolonged drought, she spent over a month in her search of their lands before disappearing. her findings are - apparently - unknown. The noble house insist they never received her report, and suspect that she may have fallen victim to foul play. However, the noble family has a bad reputation, and are quite capable of disappearing a mere Fortune Teller to avoid paying for their services...or suppressing their findings. 

ALOT Left Undone: Two More OSR Petty-Classes

 

SHEPHERD

 

Shepherds are sometimes tempted by poverty – or forced by circumstance – to pursue an adventuring career. By experience they are well-suited to outdoor adventures, being physically and mentally resilient and schooled in dealing with the dangers of their lonely life. They are also blessed with great humility – a product of long periods of solitary reflection and an acknowledgement of their relative insignificance in the wider scheme of things.

 

Attack Value: 0-level Human 

Saving Throws: Levels 1-4: 18 (all, except Death: 16). Levels 5-6: 17 (all, except Death: 15) 

Hit Dice: d6

Armour/Shield Permitted: leather only/no shields

Weapons Permitted: staff, sling, dagger

Weapon Proficiencies: 1 + 1 per 4 levels

Non-Proficiency Penalty: -4

Base Skills: Animal Husbandry 2, Animal Training 1, Common Knowledge 1, Local Knowledge 1, Weather Sense 1.

Free Elective Skills (choose 3 skills amongst which you may distribute 4 Competency Levels): Cook, Evade, Flee!, Folk Lore, Heal, Herb Lore, Hide, Keen Senses, Mountain Lore, Spinning & Weaving. 

 

Shepherd Level Advancement
	Base Experience			Hit Dice
Level	Points Required			(d6)	Abilities
1		0		1	Humility 1
2		500		2	Hardiness 1
3		1250		3	Humility 2
4		2250		4	Hardiness 2
5		3500		5	Humility 3
6		5000		6	Herder’s Blessing

 

Humility: Shepherds are protected by their awareness of greater things – the vastness of the natural world – and the knowledge of their own significance as a part of creation. This enables them to more readily resist outside influences, engage comfortably with others and be open to unusual insights and perceptions. At first level they may once per day choose one of the following options: re-roll a saving throw against mind-affecting magic, an Insight, Keen Senses, Charm, Encourage or Sense Motive roll. Where a re-roll is made, the Shepherd must take the second roll, even if it is worse. The required Competency Level of social skill checks to manipulate Shepherds increases by 1.

At third level, they may deploy their Humility ability twice per day. The Competency requirement to use social skills against the Shepherd increases to 2. At 5^th level, they may use the ability three times per day and the required Competency level improves to 3.

 

Hardiness:  In addition to their mental resilience, Shepherds are also physically robust. At level 2, they may once per day re-roll a saving throw against Death or Paralysis (but must take the second roll, even if the result is worse). This ability may be used twice per day from level 4. They also may add their Hardiness bonus when rolling hit points (as follows: +1 at 2^nd & 3^rd level; +2 at 4^th, 5^th and 6^th level). Finally, they may add their Hardiness bonus to the following Competencies: Climb, Fish, Herb Lore, Navigate, Weather Sense and Wilderness Lore.

 

Herder’s Blessing: At level six, the Shepherd’s mighty humility grants the ability to cast one of the following Druid or Cleric spells per day (the Shepherd may select the spell when the occasion arises, and may select a different spell each day): cure light wounds, purify food and drink, detect danger, locate plant or animal and animal friendship.

 

SAILOR

 

Sailors are very much natural adventurers: they have a wanderlust that does not abate and a set of skills that serves them well in many situations. They have also learned a thing or two in their travels – odd, disconnected pieces of information that occasionally prove of great utility.

 

Attack Value: Thief (level 1) 

Saving Throws: Levels 1-4: 18. Levels 5-6: 17 (all, except Death: 16) 

Hit Dice: d6

Armour/Shield Permitted: leather only/no shields

Weapons Permitted: staff, sling, dagger, cutlass

Weapon Proficiencies: 2 + 1 per 3 levels

Non-Proficiency Penalty: -3

Base Skills: Climb 2, Common Knowledge 2, Consume Alcohol 2, Fish 2, Folk Lore 2, Navigate 1, Sail 3, Swim 2, Weather Sense 2.

Free Elective Skills (choose 3 skills amongst which you may distribute 4 Competency Levels): Boat Building, Cartography, Haggle, Intimidation, Mock, River Lore, Row, Sleight of Hand, Story Telling, Strike Mighty Blow. 

 

Sailor Level Advancement
	Base Experience			Hit Dice
Level	Points Required			(d6)	Abilities
1		0		1	Sea Legs
2		500		2	Sea Lore
3		1250		3	Shanty
4		2250		4	Sea Legs 2
5		3500		5	Sea Lore 2
6		5000		6	Old Salt

 

Sea Legs: Sailors are experienced with keeping their feet on deck, regardless of what the sea is doing. Any penalty to combat or skill resolution incurred due to instability underfoot (at sea or otherwise) is reduced by 1, increasing to 2 at 4^th level.

 

Sea Lore:  Sailors hear all sorts of odd stories, rumours and gossip. Once per day, they may search their memories for some nugget of information that might prove useful. They have a 5% + 2%/level chance of knowing something relevant. At level 5 this chance increases to 10% + 3%/level.

 

Shanty:  Sailors know many tall tales and songs to rouse the spirit or enthral the listener. At 3^rd level, they may use either the Perform or Story Telling skill (with a required Competency Level of 4) to improve the Reaction Rolls of an audience numbering no more than half their CHA bonus (rounded up).

 

Old Salt: Veteran sailors have seen and heard a lot in the course of their seafaring. At level 6 they become very difficult to fool, adding 3 to the Competency Level required to deceive them, and treating their Keen Senses Competency Level as if 3 higher for the purposes of detecting illusion magic.