Cave Finding (sage ability)

Cave finding is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of Mountaineer which enables the discovery of cave entrances by virtue of the experience gained from systematically searching rock formations, pushing through passages that are overlooked as "too tight," digging through dirt and rock fill, or enlarging narrow fissures in the rock — even recognizing air movement, the patterns of water seeping from rock or the tone of an echo.

If a hidden entrance exists, persons with this skill are certain to find it; however, this does require half an hour of diligent searching over an area up to 25 combat hexes. Once that search is completed, the character will be able to say for certain that no hidden passage exists within a natural cave.

Note that the skill does not provide any ability to locate a secret door in a fabricated construction ... but it would identify any such door if the door's surface was concealed as a cave formation. For detection of secret doors in fabricated construction, see Detect Concealed Door (sage ability).