Catch Fishing (sage ability)

Fishing is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of Scouting, describing the skill of catching fish using a line; net fishing is a different ability. The rules below only describe line fishing.

It is presumed that in a less developed world, with magic, druids and a far fewer fishing population than exists in the modern world, that most lakes, rivers and shores are teeming with fish and that any skilled angler will be able to consistently catch fish — it is simply a matter of spending the necessary time. Thus the numbers given below are obtained by giving a full day's effort, ten hours of continuous fishing. Subdivisions of the day can be assessed by the use of percentage dice and common sense.

Unskilled Fishing

Any person can, if they wish, attempt to catch fish. It is more difficult that modern fishing in that there are no reels for pulling a fish in, but it can nevertheless be accomplished even by young children, with luck.

Non-anglers should throw two SIX-sided dice of different colors, with one die designated the 'primary' die and the other the 'secondary' die. The number of fish that are caught will equal the primary die minus the secondary: any score of zero or less will mean that the would-be angler has been 'skunked' — that is, has caught no fish.

Fish that are caught will be of size, indicating the amount of food the fish offers (d10): 1-4 = one pound; 5-7 = two pounds; 8-9 = three pounds; 10 = four to five pounds.

Amateur Fishing

Describes the sage ability of a character with 10-29 points of knowledge. The rule is similar to that of unskilled fishing, except that the amateur angler throws a d12 as their primary die and a d4 as their secondary die. Amateur fishermen are less likely to get skunked, but it does happen.

Amateurs also have the chance of catching a big fish. For each fish actually caught, the amateur should roll a d20. Any roll of a natural 20 will indicate a fish that is between 6-11 lbs (d6+5).

Freshwater vs. Ocean Fishing

It is reasonable to argue that fish caught in the ocean are consistently larger than freshwater fish. Such fishing must be done from a boat, however, able to row out from the shore and find schools of fish. Moreover, the boat cannot be simply rowed anywhere and a line dropped out — salt water is largely empty of fish, so that the location of fishing grounds must be determined, either by sage ability (see Reading Tides) or by following other fishing folk well acquainted with the local waters.

When ocean fishing, double the size of any fish caught when fishing in a bay, bight, inlet or gulf; triple the size of any fish caught in a lagoon, sea or ocean. Also, when fishing in a bay, bight, inlet or gulf, the size of the secondary die should be increased by one degree — a d8 for unskilled anglers and a d6 for amateurs. When fishing in a lagoon, sea or ocean, increase the secondary die by two degrees — d10 for unskilled anglers and d8 for amateurs.