Preparedness (sage ability)

Preparedness is an authority-status sage ability, in the study of Judgement, that provides a careful, deliberate approach to situations both unfamiliar and dangerous. Using foresight, the character makes conscious decisions, taking proactive actions to assure against the unforseen, safeguarding the character's physical self and gear.

Such preparedness uses a combination of judgment, preparedness and adaptability. Once an everyday task is undertaken, paying attention to factors such as environment, weather conditions, terrain or other variables becomes second nature. As a result, the character develops a planned, conscious approach to travelling, settling in for the night, breaking camp in the morning and prior to taking any scaled action, such as departing an inn, entering a dungeon, getting aboard ship and so on.

As a result, the character does not "forget" the necessity of things like food, illumination, appropriate clothes and other gear. This applies not only for the character's personal needs, but for up to a dozen others to which the character mindfully attends. Thus he or she can, if there is time, look out for those with a poor memory or a tendency towards carelessness.

Retconning

The ability's primary usefulness is in forestalling maladies that might occur, both for oneself and for others who are nearby. Equipment and supplies are not mistakenly left behind, necessary details are attended to and the individual is naturally cautious in situations where one false move may mean injury, maiming or death. The character is assumed to remember things that need doing, and to have done those things in a timely fashion, knowing what tools to bring along, what provisions to pack, and what additional gear may be needed. This allows the character to "retcon," or revise retrospectively, so that things that ought to have been bought at the last market WERE bought, so long as the "last market" was visited less than three days ago.