Sage Study
A sage study is a professional area of knowledge describing an occupation in which prolonged training and much experience provides considerable powers and skills. Studies are available to to both player and non-player characters as part of their initial training to become levelled. Characters as they progress in level will become well-versed in many studies, but usually the one they began with becomes the most important.
Studies provide sage abilities, which define the character's skills. These skills are divided into four types: "amateur," "authority," "expert" and "sage." As more knowledge points a character obtains, the effectiveness and value of the character's skills increases, granting the character much more control over their environment.
Studies are grouped together in large spheres of knowledge called fields. When a character is rolled, the player chooses the character's field and one study within that field. This helps define the character's background and interests.
Below is a list of studies, including the study's field and the character classes able to acquire knowledge in those studies. There are many, many studies, allowing for many opportunities for a character to discover their identity.
- Amphibians & reptiles (animal life) – druid
- Architectural aesthetics (architecture) – bard
- Auctionhouse (art world) – bard
- Birds (animal life) – druid
- Black market (art world) – bard
- Bugs & spiders (animal life) – druid
- Camelback riding (animal training) – assassin, fighter, paladin, ranger
- Construction (architecture) – bard, illusionist, mage
- Dog training (animal training) – assassin, fighter, paladin, ranger
- Falconry (animal training) – assassin, fighter, paladin, ranger
- Flying mounts (animal training) – assassin, fighter, paladin, ranger
- Fortification (architecture) – bard
- Golems (animal life) – druid, mage
- Horseback riding (animal training) – assassin, fighter, paladin, ranger
- Magical fabrication (black magic) – mage
- Mahout (animal training) – fighter, paladin, ranger
- Mammals (animal life) – druid
- Occultism (black magic) – mage
- Patronage (art world) – bard
- Planar travel & gating (black magic) – mage
- Sea life (animal life) – druid
- Slime molds (animal life) – druid
- Underwater mounts (animal training) – fighter, paladin, ranger
- Use of building materials (architecture) – bard
- Clay masonry (ceramics) – bard
- Clay materials (ceramics) – bard
- Glaze (ceramics) – bard
- Modelling (ceramics) – bard
- Heraldry, signs & sigils (the church) – cleric
- History (the church) – cleric
- Politics (the church) – cleric
- Religious art & music (the church) – cleric
- Religious design (the church) – cleric
- Acrobatics (circus) – bard
- Animal performance (circus) – bard
- Clowning (circus) – bard
- Daredevil (circus) – bard
- Current affairs (civitas) – illusionist, mage
- Engineering (civitas) – illusionist, mage
- Mercantilism (civitas) – illusionist, mage
- Accompaniment (dance) – bard
- Danse noble (dance) – bard
- Folk dance (dance) – bard
- Social dance (dance) – bard
- Acting (drama) – bard
- Direction (drama) – bard
- Playwriting (drama) – bard
- Stage design (drama) – bard
- Alchemy (earth & sky) – druid
- Animal physiology (earth & sky) – druid
- Geography (earth & sky) – druid, illusionist, mage
- Geology (earth & sky) – druid
- Natural astronomy (earth & sky) – druid
- Oceanography (earth & sky) – druid
- Drawing (fine art) – bard
- Painting (fine art) – bard
- Printmaking (fine art) – bard
- Sculpture (fine art) – bard
- Chicanery (fraud) – thief
- Double-dealing (fraud) – thief
- Forgery (fraud) – thief
- Baking (gastronomy) – bard
- Brewing & distilling (gastronomy) – bard
- Cuisine (gastronomy) – bard
- Guile (grace) – assassin
- Jack-of-all-trades (grace) – assassin
- Murder (grace) – assassin
- Poisoning (grace) – assassin
- Language (humanities) – illusionist, mage
- Law & policy (humanities) – illusionist, mage
- Logic & ethics (humanities) – illusionist, mage
- Publishing (humanities) – illusionist, mage
- Judgment (leadership) – fighter, paladin
- Logistics (leadership) – fighter, paladin
- Morale strengthening (leadership) – fighter, paladin
- Motivation (leadership) – fighter, paladin
- Leathercraft (leather work) – bard
- Leather adornment (leather work) – bard
- Leather armour (leather work) – bard
- Leather clothing (leather work) – bard
- Hides & skins (leather work) – bard
- Artifacts (legends & folklore) – cleric
- Beasts (legends & folklore) – cleric
- Demi-gods (legends & folklore) – cleric
- Heroes (legends & folklore) – cleric