Generic, Text: Tools

Alchemy

The time honoured tradition of alchemy, the every-man magic. While the costs of entry and use are prohibitive for the poor, it does allow the practitioner to tap into magical powers and forces without the years of study and mental-shaping of the wizard colleges. The use of quasi-magical reagents from monsters and elementals to create small scale damage or control of the battlefield. Everything from small bursts of fire and lightning, to making weapons cut into ghosts, invisibility or eventually flight.
 

Astrology

A collection of masterful tools for measuring the heaven’s and gleaming knowledge of the stars. Used for the very practicalities of travelling across the face of the world, to the studying of celestial bodies to help navigate bodies of water. Some practitioners learn to use astrological charts to predict future events and travels the planes. While Survival is key for traversing difficult areas, a great navigator is critical for making the shortest possible journey.
 

Carpentry

One of the three equipment crafting proficiencies, allows you to make equipment, armour and weapons made from wood or bone. The mastery of wood-shaping, bone carving scrimshaw and the many processes to strengthen and enhance their properties. Can use magical bones and wood to craft extremely powerful gear. Also to use Runic magic to enhance magical weapons, armour, even ammunition.
 

Disguises

The Actors Tools; used to create prosthetics, masks, makeup, wigs to change hair colour, even devices to mask or alter ones height, gaunt, or proportions. The masters can even change their scent and spiritual components to better avoid mystical detection. There is also a strong trade in the mystical tattoos of the world, using tools to remove them from people and place them in others, almost as easily as altering a shirt.
 

Herbalism

The process and collection of many mystical and powerful herbs into tinctures that can heal, augment or alter the humanoid body in beneficial ways. Extremely useful for adventurers that spend lots of time out in the natural world and harvest reagents from mystical flora and fauna. From healing, to bottling courage, love, even the powers of Rangers and Rogues. The strength of giants, or resistant of genies, and eventually the swiftness of Quicklings or even Flight.
 

Instruments

The symbol of the Bard, these instruments are not exclusive to their collegial members. Each can weave a complex spell of mathematics and resonance to speak to the human soul, and even the mundane effects are significant. Many a non-Bard traveller can pick up a few chords on one of these many types of Faerinnan instrument. Each type of instrument does require it’s own proficiency, but you are able to play instruments that you aren't proficient with some difficulty if they are somewhat similar.
 

Poisoning

The First Great Blackcraft; used to create substances that enhance your damage, or negatively affect your target for long periods of time. The mastery of this can cause fear, love, blindness, and eventually even make them unable to rest or turn them to stone. There is a very strong trade for magical reagents in far off locations headed to where they are most often used, major metropolitan cities. Nothing else enhances melee combat potential quite like it.
 

Riding

The skill of riding an animal larger than you and working together in combat or for travel. This skill can't be used on any creature, requiring specific training from the Riding creature involved. There are a fair number of creatures that can be trained in such a way, from the riding hounds of the Halflings, Ponies for medium sized humanoids on a budget or with a lot of extra swag to carry, the horse a classic for human civilisations, and even more exotic choices.
 

Sailing

The skill of piloting a ship is complex and multifaceted, usually requiring a group of proficient people to gain the largest benefit from the craft. There are as many types of watercraft as their are types of sailors, and to get any functional use of this proficiency is requires a history of training under other skillful sailors. Sailing proficiency does not include navigation, which is usually as matter of Astrology, or working rigging, which can require Sleight of Hand or Athletics depending on the task. This is more how to aim the craft, knowing what needs to be done with the sails and how to best catch the wind.
 

Scribing

The work of a scribe is one that many dabble in for the mastery of letters and reading, but the scribe takes it to another level. Official record keeping, artistic calligraphy, map making, drawing portraits and making official documents and titles. For the arcane gifted, it's also about the transcribing and copying of spell scrolls. While this skill has many legitimate uses, it's also part of the great blackcrafting arts of forgery and imitation of magic and relics.
 

Smithing

One of the three equipment crafting proficiencies, allows you to make equipment, armour and weapons made from metal or stone. Even to make complex gearwork and rudimetary machinery. The mastery of metal-shaping, stone carving and the many processes to strengthen and enhance their properties. Can use magical metals to craft extremely powerful gear. Also to use Runic magic to enhance magical weapons, armour, even ammunition.
 

Teaming

The skill of teaming an animal larger than you and commanding multiple animals together into a cohesive unit to move heavy loads and transport. It is a distinctly different skill from riding, as much as they both use similar types of creatures. This skill can't be used on any creature, requiring specific training from the Teaming creature involved. There are a fair number of creatures that can be trained in such a way, from the classic draft horses, even a hardy pony, but teaming creatures tend to be more teamwork oriented than Riding animals.
 

Thievery

The Second Great Blackcraft; used for both the disarming and creation of traps and locks. Most practitioners use simple mundane devices and trickery to bypass activation mechanisms, but more proficient users can even handle magic glyph and enchantment work to bypass spell-work and it’s forces. A Master could conceivably deactivate auras and energy fields, or create fortresses of self-inflicted death. There is a level of legitimate respectability as protectors against the nefarious and a solid retirement strategy for graying thieves.
 

Weaving

One of the three equipment crafting proficiencies, allows you to make equipment, armour and weapons made from leather or fabric. The mastery of leather-shaping, sewing and making outfits to blend in where you usually would not. While being able to craft your own unique tabard or battle-standard is great for an impression, as well as make outfits for stage productions or the like, the highest masters of the art can spin starlight into silver thread, creating the highest badge off magical power. Also to use Runic magic to enhance magical weapons, armour, even ammunition.