Hunting (sage ability)

Hunting is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of Scouting and an authority-status ability in the study of Logistics. This ability enables the character to locate and track animals effectively, allowing them to be brought down with weapons for the purpose of obtaining meat, leather and other materials.

Game may be found in or out of season, with the rarity of the animal determining the number of hours required before the hunter is within range to take a shot. While the ability enhances the character's effectiveness in pursuing and engaging prey, it does not grant the advantage of a first strike when hunting from horseback. However, a mount may be used to cover ground more quickly in the search for game.

Hunting Chart

Animal type (order of likelihood)	Season	Hours to find		Distance	Wgt. of meat
		in season	out
ground fowl	Aug-Dec	1-4	3-36	short	6-24 oz.
burrowing mammal	Apr-Nov	1-6	2-16	short	1-4 lb.
waterfowl	May-Nov	2-7	3-18	medium/long	2-5 lb.
light herd animal	Apr-Oct (dry season)	2-12	3-18	long	51-110 lb.
heavy herd animal	Mar-Oct (dry season)	3-18	5-20	long	200+ lb.
predator	Apr-Oct (dry season)	2-20	4-24	medium	81-100 lb.

Locating Game

All types of animals correct for a given range may be rolled for each day, with the exact species determined randomly. The availability of game depends on seasonal factors, local ecology and terrain, making some animals more difficult to locate at certain times of the year. If a herd or burrow of animals is found, the hunter may attempt to bring down multiple animals, but only one per hour — as the remainder of the group will be spooked and flee, requiring a cautious and patient approach before another attempt can be made.

Predators and fowl, being solitary or widely scattered, require an entirely new search once one has been located. The amount of meat harvested depends on the type of animal; light herd animals weigh up to 300 lbs., while heavy herd animals are significantly larger and provide greater yields of meat, leather and other useful materials.

If the number of hours required to locate a specific animal exceeds 10, the hunter must engage in a forced march to continue searching, pushing themselves beyond normal exertion. Otherwise, the effort to find game resets at the start of the next day, requiring a new roll to determine available animals. This time limitation often prevents hunters from locating certain species, particularly those that are out of season, elusive or found only in remote environments.

Ambushing

Once the hunter has located an animal, the distance at which an attack may be made is determined randomly, representing the unpredictable conditions of the wild. This is categorised into short, medium or long range. If the animal is encountered at short range, it will be 1–12 hexes away, determined by rolling a d12. If the distance is medium range, the animal will be 13–24 hexes away, determined by rolling d12+12. At long range, the animal is 25–47 hexes away, determined by rolling 2d12+23.

The ability to effectively strike at these distances depends on the hunter's weapon, as each missile weapon has its own effective range. If the hunter wishes to close the distance, they may attempt to approach using stealth, reducing the risk of startling the prey before making an attack.

Regardless of distance, the hunter always has initiative when making the first attack, as the prey is unaware of their presence. If the attack results in a stun, the hunter may make an immediate second attack before the animal can react. However, if the attack fails to stun or kill, the animal will immediately flee at its maximum stride, often moving well beyond effective range within moments, forcing the hunter to either give chase or abandon the attempt.

Hurt & Wounded Animals

If the hunter possesses skill in tracking, they may follow a hurt or wounded animal to finish it off. Animals are classified as hurt if they have taken 5 or more damage, while those that have suffered 11 or more damage are considered wounded.

A hurt animal will continue fleeing for 4–10 hours before coming to rest. If left undisturbed, it will begin recovering the next day, attempting to rejoin its herd while steadily regaining its lost hit points over the course of three weeks, resting intermittently until fully healed. A wounded animal will react with immediate desperation, sprinting at its maximum stride for one full round before slowing to half of its maximum stride as it struggles to escape. Once its hit points drop below 8, its movement slows further, reducing to stride -1 until it collapses and dies.

Regardless of the state of the prey, the final confrontation is resolved as standard combat, with the hunter needing to finish off the animal through direct engagement once it has been successfully tracked and located.

Unskilled Hunting

For characters without hunting skill, but who still wish to hunt for food, adjustments must be made to account for their lack of expertise.

First, the time required to locate an animal is increased, requiring the unskilled hunter to roll one additional die of the same type normally used. For example, locating a heavy herd animal in season typically requires 4d4-1 hours (ranging from 3 to 15 hours). An unskilled hunter would instead roll 5d4-1 hours (ranging from 4 to 19 hours), reflecting their inefficiency in recognising signs of animal presence and their tendency to search in unproductive areas.

Second, the range at which the attack must be made is increased by 50%, representing the unskilled hunter's lack of fieldcraft and their inability to approach game without alarming it. With less ability to read an animal's movements, anticipate its reactions or move undetected, an unskilled hunter is far more likely to startle prey at a greater distance, making an accurate shot more difficult.

If a skilled hunter is working alongside an unskilled hunter, the time required to find game remains based on the skilled hunter's ability. However, the range adjustment still applies, as the presence of the unskilled hunter increases the likelihood of making noise or moving in a way that disturbs the prey. Even if the unskilled individual is a thief or assassin, their expertise in stealth does not extend to the specialised tracking, positioning and patience required for hunting wild animals.

See also,
Foraging (sage ability)
Hunting (technology)
Leadership (sage field)
Reality (sage field)
Wilderland (sage field)