Farming (sage ability)

Farming is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of Grasses & Grains, imparting knowledge of the process of ploughing, weeding, tending and harvesting cereal crops, including barley, maize, millet, oats, rice, rye, wheat, hay, vetch, esparto grass and various other grains and types of forage. The character will have skill in using a scythe for cutting grain, a sickle, a flail, a winnowing basket, management of an ox, mule or draft horse for plowing, methods for driving off birds to limit seed consumption and using a rake for top soil.

The typical yield for a European wheat farm tended by traditional but inexpert methods is 400 and 600 lbs. of grain per acre. This is a yield of 1:3, or three times the amount of seed planted. A character with farming experience will be able to increase this yield by 50%, thereby producing between 600 and 900 lbs. per acre. Like increases are possible with respect to other grains.

If the character is not a cleric, he or she may choose scythe, sickle or flail as a weapon proficiency, regardless of class. If not chosen as a proficiency, the character's non-proficiency penalty will be reduced by 1 when using these tools as weapons.

Farming requires that the character work for three full days a week during the growing season, which will vary depending upon crop. Each week where this time is not spent will reduce the size of the crop by 15%.