Skill Scale Down 2021

This skill has been impacted by the Skill Scale Down. The impact of this for this skill is as follows:

• This skill remains.
• All knowledge is left as is.
• For how to deal with XP, please see the page Skill Scale Down 2021 for links, information, and a player guide.
• The scope of this skill has not changed. Please ensure that you take this into account going forward.

Overview

Appraisal is the trade of valuation, assessment, and estimation of the worth of property and goods. It is a necessary skill for those who wish to go far in the merchant trades.

Those who have a keen eye for the quality of a possession can catch when something is undervalued (and can be resold at a higher price), overvalued, or the price is balanced with the value. Taxes within cities or territories are also often decided by appraisal of estates and family wealth. All sorts of different people in society can find usefulness from appraisal from a noble looking to avoid being swindled while buying a new tapestry, to an adventurer trying to figure out how much to barter an unknown treasure they'd found on their travels, to a tradesman making a case that the taxes are too high, appraisal has many practical uses.

When appraising, it is important to consider quality, value, utility, and rarity of the object in question. For in-world references to tiers of quality, which can range from poor, basic, average, good, masterwork, etc., please read the relevant sections in The Shoppe.

Types of Appraisal

Appraisal of Goods

Most frequent, the appraisal of goods is the backbone of any mercantile exchange. Without an understanding of worth and value, traders can make foolish mistakes with those more skilled in appraisal - missing opportunities, paying too much for lesser quality items, or settling without understanding why the barter ended up as it was. Goods include things like food, drink, plants, agriculture, decor, outfits, weapons, materials, and most things that can be found in The Shoppe.

Appraisal of Animals

A specialized branch of appraisal, this includes the evaluation of pets, mounts, livestock, and so on. It is a very different thing to judge the worth of a horse from the worth of a carpet from the worth of a servant. This usually applies to domesticated animals, but can also be expanded to include valuations for exotic creatures brought into the markets. Related skills for this type of appraisal can be Animal Husbandry, Animal Training, and Mount.

Appraisal of Property

Less frequent, the appraisal of property manages estates and usually decides any taxes if applicable to the area of residence. This is a specialized field, but incredibly useful when it comes to figuring out the management of homes and buildings within cities. This can also include things like seafaring vessels.

Appraisal of People

A more contentious, yet relevant, type of appraisal is the appraisal of people. This includes slaves, but it also can include employees, underlings, apprentices, and so on. Basically, it is the value and worth of an individual, their skills, status, and how they apply to the situation, business, or person requiring the valuation of that individual. Related skills to this specific type could be Business Management, Intelligence, Logistics, or Politics.

Related Skills

• Detection: A key related skill, it is important to be able to detect when someone is trying to pull a fast one over the actual value of an object as well as be able to find the gems out of the rocks.
• Etiquette: This skill can help ease communication about the estimation of various goods and such to those inquiring the appraiser about them.
• Painting: Some appraisers might find this skill useful, along with the skill Deception:, but it is not necessary.
• Intelligence: For understanding the local and international markets and the differences in values that comes with location.
• Investigation: For rare or unique items that need some searching to fully appraise the worth of them, this can be supplemented with Research:.
• Socialization: For trading purposes.

Skill Ranks

Novice 0-25

The appraiser has started to recognize that there are differences which can be measured between goods, property, and people. While he is unable to fully assess, they have begun to compare the basic quality of different items (good or bad). The novice won't be able to estimate value on their own, but they will take notice of what people are willing to (or refuse to) pay for them. Bartering centers around the good itself, and they often use straight-forward methods of appraisal such as general visual surveys (looking for wear and tear, damage, etc.) and an understanding how they would personally determine the value of an item for themselves.

Competent: 26-75 (26 - 50 for FT Skill)

At competent, the appraiser has learned that value and worth can be subjective as well as based on obvious facts. They are able to expand appraisal beyond their personal judgment to apply how others might value different goods, property, and people. Still, the appraiser is limited to their local area that they have direct interaction with - often the market or commercial area in which they shop within. They are able to distinguish between more detailed nuances in visual surveys, and greater understanding toward quality, as well as understand that the combination of features can increase the worth (e.g. old red velvet is still worth more that new brown cotton).

Expert: 76-150 (51 - 75 for FT Skill)

An expert appraiser has expanded their understanding past their local marketplace. They, now, have an understanding of a greater scope of markets, as well as a much keener eye for value and worth. There are few items that they cannot estimate given enough time to do so. Sometimes, this requires research, or contacting another expert in a related field to the item, to figure out the value. The more unique and specific the thing being evaluated, the longer it takes the appraiser, but in time, they will come to an approximate accurate estimation. Mistakes are much less than when competent, but they still occur from time to time.

Master: 151-250 (76 - 100 for FT Skill)

The master appraiser has a vast understanding of marketplaces and the different prices, customs, supply and demand at an international scale. Frequent items take them merely a glance to figure out the value. Uncommon items take them less than a trial to evaluate. Rare and unique items, especially those of magic, can take longer but they will always arrive to an accurate pinpoint estimate for each available marketplace. There is no way to scam a master appraiser without the highest of deception and even then, if the appraiser is also a master in detection, then all cons regarding the value of goods, property, or people might as well be considered forfeit. It is only when the appraiser is distracted and in a hurry that he might make a mistake, but will realize it soon after. Appraisers of mastery often are given positions among taxation councils or in merchant houses.

Credit

Many thanks to Llyr for developing this skill.

Progressing Appraisal

• Capstones
• Grandmasters
• Tier 2 PCs

Appraisal Knowledge

The collapsible below has examples of Skill Knowledge for this skill. If you are unsure of what Knowledge is, please check the Knowledge Primer for details. Please remember that our Peer Reviewers will be checking to make sure that your Knowledge claim is appropriate to what you have learned in the thread and ensuring that you are not duplicating knowledge.

A guide to knowledge can be found here (this link takes you to the site) and the person reviewing your thread will do so following the steps laid out in the Peer Reviewer Guide. If you wish to use one of these knowledge in your request, please ensure that it is appropriate to your thread.