Woodland Foraging (sage ability)

Woodland foraging is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of Forester, similar to general foraging but more effective in temperate and subpolar forest ranges. The ability allows the search for naturally occurring food, including mosses and lichens, berries, wild grasses, herbs, nuts, acorns and fruits. The amount found is far more than an unskilled person might glean while looking over the same tract of land.

The standard time allocated for foraging is 10 hours, but characters have the flexibility to forage in increments of 1 hour. In cases where characters choose to forage for a shorter duration, the food found is proportionally divided based on the 10-hour standard. For instance, let's consider Makran, who opts to forage for three hours. He rolls the amount of food he would have obtained if he had foraged for the full 10-hour period, and he receives 3/10ths of that total amount.

Tools can be obtained to aid in harvesting, such as a knife, sacks for carrying food, a sling-bag that hangs over the shoulder, gloves for reaching into places covered with thorns, a hat against the sun and a trowel for digging out roots and tubers. Bringing a whistle along can attract the party's attention if something untoward should occur.

Repeat Foraging: those with this ability will remember places that promise an accumulation over a period of time, so that if the same area is picked over again, two weeks later, the time needed to forage is halved.

Foraging Table

Range	Nov 8 to Apr 14	Apr 15 to 21	Apr 22 to 30	May 1 to 11	May 12 to 24	May 25 to Sep 7	Sep 8 to 30	Oct 1 to 15	Oct 16 to Nov 7
taiga	3 in 6	1d4	1d6	1d8	2d6	3d6	2d6	1d10	1d4
Range	Dec 11 to Feb 15	Feb 16 to Mar 7	Mar 8 to 31	Apr 1 to 21	Apr 22 to May 7	May 8 to Oct 15	Oct 16 to 29	Oct 30 to Nov 12	Nov 13 to 26	Nov 27 to Dec 10
woodland	1d4	1d8	3d6	3d10	5d10	7d8	8d6	6d6	4d6	2d6

The Foraging Table is systematically organized based on geographical range and the time of year. When a chance is specified, denoted by phrases such as "1 in 6," it signifies the likelihood of discovering only 1d4 pounds of food. Conversely, when a roll is indicated using "d" for die, for example, 3d4, it means that you should roll that number of dice to determine the pounds of food you find.

The provided dates are tailored for the northern hemisphere, and these should be reversed when considering the temperate and subpolar regions in the southern hemisphere. In polar regions, which are regarded as sub-polar during the summer months, specifically from May 8th to October 15th, foraging opportunities abound. However, for the rest of the year, foraging becomes impractical.

It's essential to differentiate woodland foraging from hunting or catch fishing techniques, as it doesn't involve the use of weapons or fishing lines. While fish may be captured using traps or nets in streams, foragers do not have the luxury of selecting their preferred type of food. They must make do with whatever sustenance nature provides.

During certain periods of the year, it is feasible to gather a substantial amount of forage within a single day. However, it's crucial for characters to recognize that foraging is labor-intensive, and they are susceptible to the adverse effects of heat and dehydration. Consequently, there are instances when it's advisable not to forage all day, as collecting more food than necessary, especially when it's abundant, may not be the wisest choice.