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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 9841506" data-attributes="member: 2209">Non weapon proficiencies were in the 2e PH and part of a whole chapter on proficiencies and had done out ability based mechanics for a lot of them (some were like feats in giving non ability based stuff). They were, however, explicitly an optional 2e system and not the only one. A lot of options were explicitly ad hoc the DM does most anything they want for rulings."Chapter 5: Proficiencies (Optional)""For a really complete role-playing character, you should know what your character can do. There are three different ways to do this: using what you know, using secondary skills, and using nonweapon proficiencies. Each of these is optional, but each increases the amount of detail that rounds out your character."The three optional systems were 1) Using What You Know, 2) Secondary Skills, and 3) Non-Weapon Proficiencies.Using what you know""One way to answer this is to pretend that your character knows most of the things that you know. Do you know how to swim? If you do, then your character can swim. If you know a little about mountain climbing, horseback riding, carpentry, or sewing, your character knows these things, too. This also applies to things your character might want to build. Perhaps your character decides he wants to build a catapult. If you can show your DM how to make such a device, then the DM may allow your character the same knowledge. Indeed, you might visit the local library just to gain this information.""The biggest drawback to this method is that there are no rules to resolve tricky situations. The DM must make it up during play."Secondary Skills"Secondary skills are broad areas of expertise. Most correspond to occupations that your character may have been apprenticed in or otherwise picked up before beginning his adventuring life. Secondary skills are much more general than nonweapon proficiencies. They should not be used in combination with nonweapon proficiencies, which are explained later.Every player character has a chance at a secondary skill. Either choose one from Table 36 or take a chance and roll randomly. A random roll may result in one, two, or no secondary skills."Once a character has a secondary skill, it is up to the player and the DM to determine just what the character can do with it. The items in parentheses after each skill describe some of the things the character knows. Other knowledge may be added with the DM’s approval. Thus, a hunter might know the basics of finding food in the wilderness, how to read animal signs to identify the types of creatures in the area, the habits of dangerous animals, and how to stalk wild animals."Like the previous method (“Using What You Know”), this method has strengths and weaknesses. Secondary skills do not provide any rules for determining whether a character succeeds when he uses a skill to do something difficult. It is safe to assume that simple jobs succeed automatically. (A hunter could find food for himself without any difficulty.) For more complicated tasks, the DM must assign a chance for success. He can assign a percentage chance, have the character make a saving throw, or require an Ability check (see Glossary). The DM still has a lot of flexibility."Table 36:Secondary SkillsD100Roll Secondary Skill01–02 Armorer (make, repair & evaluate armor and weapons)03–04 Bowyer/Fletcher (make, repair & evaluate bows and arrows)05–10 Farmer (basic agriculture)11–14 Fisher (swimming, nets, and small boat handling)15–20 Forester (basic wood lore, lumbering)21–23 Gambler (knowledge of gambling games)24–27 Groom (animal handling)28–32 Hunter (basic wood lore, butchering, basic tracking)33–34 Jeweler (appraisal of gems and jewelry)35–37 Leather worker (skinning, tanning)38–39 Limner/Painter (map making, appraisal of art objects)40–42 Mason (stone-cutting)43–44 Miner (stone-cutting, assaying)45–46 Navigator (astronomy, sailing, swimming, navigation)47–49 Sailor (sailing, swimming)50–51 Scribe (reading, writing, basic math)52–53 Shipwright (sailing, carpentry)54–56 Tailor/Weaver (weaving, sewing, embroidery)57–59 Teamster/Freighter (animal handling, wagon repair)60–62 Trader/Barterer (appraisal of common goods)63–66 Trapper/Furrier (basic wood lore, skinning)67–68 Weaponsmith (make, repair, & evaluate weapons)69–71 Woodworker/Carpenter (carpentry, carving)72–85 No skill of measurable worth86–00 Roll twice (reroll any result of 86-00)</blockquote>

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