Caving I (sage ability)

Caving I is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of Mountaineer, enabling reasonable safety when managing the most common challenges associated with travelling through natural underground areas. Whereas many areas within caves will still require a dexterity or constitution check to manage, the following conditions can be traversed by an amateur caver without the character needing to roll dice:

• Vertical shafts and climbs, when the climb is supported by a sufficient rope that can be secured and climbed without obstructions such as falling water, ice or overhangs that impede direct ascent or descent.
• Constricted passages, lacking in turns, where the dimensions are at least 18 inches square. Those with Caving I experience do not feel claustrophobic in such circumstances and need not make a check, regardless of the distance that needs travelling.
• Open water surfaces, where travel does not require full submersion in order to move past an obstruction or through a submerged tunnel. So long as the water is moving, the character does not need to make a constitution check to endure the cold of the water, unless six full rounds have been spent immersed above the waist, or 12 rounds immersed at the waist or below.
• Bridges or ledges, where the purchase is solid and secure, regardless of the proximity of drops or height.

The skill also provides a +3 bonus to the particular ability statistic when making ability checks when encountering these obstacles:

• Mud, loose rock and slick surfaces, where the surface to be climbed or moved across fits one of these conditions. Check is made against dexterity.
• Submerged passages, where the character must continue to hold breath long enough to reach the other side, while potentially feeling around in the darkness. Check is made against constitution. Presumes the passage can be traversed in the time the character is able to hold their breath.