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.

• Knowledge from Butchery may be counted as Field Craft knowledge - or as Cooking or Hunting.

• Knowledge from Trap Making may be counted as Field Craft knowledge - or as Hunting or Engineering.

• For how to deal with XP, please see the page Skill Scale Down 2021 for links, information, and a player guide.

Overview

Credit: Squirrel

Surviving in the wild is a difficult task. One must make use of what little materials they have to stay alive for as long as they can, evading predators and ambushes, gathering resources, protecting oneself from all dangers. Whether travelling with professional equipment or relying on naught but the world around them to provide the materials they need, whether in temperate forests or the barren sands of the Hotlands, as an individual or as part of a group, during the day or the night, it is Fieldcraft that they turn to. Given the extensive reach of the skill, it leans heavily on the knowledges that the user builds up over time and association with their particular needs of the skill, in order to determine what it may be used for. Users who spend too much time in one particular environment may find it difficult to suddenly switch to another, even at higher levels. After all, knowing all the characteristics of poisonous plants of Ivorian will not carry across to Ne'haer.

Whether stranded in the wilderness or simply making a small trek through uncivilized territory, there are always priorities to be kept.

Survival Skills

The first priority is always food. Existing food parcels can be packaged in different thicknesses of cloth to preserve them for as long as possible, occasionally using other techniques such as salting, smoking, drying and pickling when possible. In the event of a food shortage, in forests, scavenging for non-poisonous berries and tracking down small woodland creatures can supplement meals; although, when cooking animals and collecting foodstuffs, they might never be able to match that of a chef in his kitchen - that same chef will struggle to find which ingredients in the natural wilderness will sustain his body for as long as physically possible. In desert environments, where food is much more scarse, one may be able to prey on spiders and scorpions, as well as potentially tracking down non-venomous snakes to catch and eat. At high altitudes, hunting down deer or even tracking birds may become a necessity. In both frozen and oceanic conditions, one may learn how to find the thinnest portion of ice and then fish for food, as all other sustainable sources will most likely be extinguished. When food supplies run low, the more experienced practicioners will be able to comfortably ration out what little they have, making small amounts of food last considerably longer than normal.

The second most important resource is water, often found using small streams in more bountiful environments, or in scarse conditions it can be found by creating makeshift spriggots to use on nearby trees or other water-holding plants, or found via underground resevoirs. Those of higher levels will learn how to create their own waterskins from what they have available, whether it be water-proof leaves stitched together, or the waterproof internal organs of a small animal. Management of water and rationing will quickly follow to make small volumes of water last days, even weeks when necessary.

Building Shelter

Third, shelter. Those of lower levels will most likely make use of what the environment gives them and little more than that - hiding out in caves or inside hollowed-out logs. As level increases, hand-made shelters created from leaves, rocks, branches or snow will become more preferable, and in the higher levels, the complexity of the shelters they will be able to make, becoming sturdier and more resistant to the elements of rain and wind, eventually becoming able to shield their creators from even climactic conditions such as extreme heat and extreme cold. The more sturdy and compact the shelter, the longer it will be able to last, allowing users to potentially set up permanent domiciles in the wild. These shelters will not only protect from the elements, but also from predators or ambushes from human attackers. After all, nobody is ever alone when they're in the wild.

Protection

Protection is a more miscellaneous priority compared to the first three, but by no means is it any less important. It covers the general knowledges that ultimately move towards protecting those of lower and higher levels from injuries and illnesses that could otherwise be avoided by the more experienced practitioner. This can range anywhere from choosing appropriate clothes and footwear to different methods on staying warm and hydrated, to treating injuries and illnesses associated with the outdoors. From hazardous plants, to insect bites and stings, to animal bites and wounds, even those of higher experience will make mistakes that could be deadly for those less invested in healing these minor cuts and infections before they spread and turn septic. Shelter can often play an important role in protecting the user, but by no means is it a complete supplement.

Surveying

Surveying is a lesser form of navigation that focuses on creating a spacial awareness of a given area using landmarks to determine one's relative whereabouts, as well as searching through the finer details of the user's surroundings. Food, water and shelter are often out of sight and far from the reach of those that seek them. Finding water might be as easy as tracking around a stagnant lake until the fresh stream that feeds it is found - or it might take breaks to follow the clues of damp rocks and weathered soil until the nearby stream is found that caused it. This is not a priority, mostly because it is not always needed - although there are those who become stranded without a map nor the directions to find their way to either their home or their destination, there are those who make their home in the wilderness and never find a need to escape. By surveying, not only can those of a higher level understand where the nearest food, water and shelter might be, but also the nature of their surroundings, the types of animals and plants that surround them and, to those of even greater experience, where they are and in what direction they can find civilization. Using special landmarks and knowledge of their surroundings, including anything from the different variations of rocks and trees, to the animals that they find and specific rock formations, surveying is a trick that is often used in collaboration with other relevant skills to build up a mental map of their surroundings.

Trapping Animals

An individual who knows field craft may be able to set traps, although it is unlikely that they would do so to the level of a hunter.

Mechanisms

Mechanisms that make up a trap are many and varied in utility, intent, and sophistication. They are broken into three separate categorized methodologies here: Triggers, Form, and Execution.

Triggers

The following are examples of types of triggers, and sub-types that exist, but that's not to say that other forms of triggers couldn't also be devised. In the wild, the trigger is often constrained by the environment.

Manual

Triggers which require an end-user to activate in order to fire correctly. Levers/Buttons/Plates/Switches/portable traps (Caltrops and banana peels).

Automatic

A form of trigger which is designed to fire when certain conditions or sub-triggers are activated.

Pressure/Weight Sensor: A conditional mechanism that typically fires its trigger after a certain amount of weight pushes down on a lever, pressure plate, or another surface activator.

Form

There are many form designs of traps, and not all of them are detailed here. Bear in mind, that designs can be combined one with the other. For instance, baited traps often have concealed elements, so that the danger of it isn't made obvious.

• Baited: A trap design that is meant to lure it's victims with the promise of a meal, treasure, or anything else it might need or desire.
• Concealed: A trap design that is typically set in a particular spot and hidden from view, in order to catch the unwary by surprise when it fires.
• Threatening: A trap design that is meant to deter, distract, or else scare victims toward a general direction (usually away from the trap).
• Sprung Traps: Traps that are activated by slight pressure applied to activate a spring-based execution. The execution styles for this form of trap include but are not limited to cages, snares, and mouse traps.
• Alarms: Traps that are meant to cause alarm or alert allies to intrusion.

Execution

• Snares: There are a few different kinds of snares in terms of mechanisms, triggers, bait styles, and each tends to be geared toward a specific type of victim. The result of these snares is that the victim ends up tied in place. Depending on the tension in the trigger, the size of the victim, and the type of snare, it may prove more or less deadly to its victim.
• Cages: A trap that is designed to keep the victim alive and intact, in an enclosed space, at least until it can be retrieved by the trapper for whatever purpose.
• Armed: A trap that is designed to cause direct injury it's victim, with the intent to kill or maim them. This runs the gamut from conventional blades, spears, and axes and clubs, to fire or poison spewing jets and dart guns.
• Pits: A trap that can be deadly depending on the depth of the fall and the fragility of the victim that falls into it. It is useful to trappers that wish to keep their victim in one piece, but not necessarily to spare their life.
• Sticky: A relatively simplistic trap that is available with the use of various grades of adhesive. More often used to trap rodents and other pests, it often consists of a strip or flat surface that is covered with both bait and adhesive material.
• Crushing: From simple woodland rocks propped up by a small stick and a trigger, to pressure plate-activated blocks that fall to crush hapless adventurers, this form of execution is varied in its applications.

Butchering in the Field

Processing Meat and Foodstuffs

Whether acting as hunter or receiving the animal from another party, butchers usually start the focus of the fieldcraft skill after the animal is already captured and/or dead.

Slaughter

How the animal was killed. For domesticated livestock, this usually includes some sort of stunning technique. However - for wild game, it is usually done during the hunt unless captive traps are used instead. There are also cultural and traditional rituals to the act of slaughter for certain types of meat that the butcher might work with. The means of slaughter is dependent on the environment the individual is surviving in.

Dressing

Dressing comes immediately after the initial slaughter and involves the preparation of the carcass. Proper dressing is important to get the carcass clean and avoid potential contamination of the meat. This usually includes bleeding the carcass, cleaning and skinning the hide or pelt, and evisceration (removing the viscera, sometimes also called “gutting” or “cleaning”).

After skinning, and during evisceration/gutting, certain organs (such as hearts, livers, etc.) can be removed and saved for later use.

Splitting or Quartering

Done immediately after dressing, splitting and quartering are techniques for separating large carcasses into smaller, more manageable sections. Splitting a large carcass may require a great deal of power, as well as specific tools like saws or large cleavers, depending on the size of the creature and the strength of its bones.

Quartering (or "Ribbing Down") avoids bone fragments the meat that can occur during splitting. Usually combined with field dressing, it typically involves just a hunter's knife and an understanding of skeletal structure, to cut the carcass at the joints.

Storage and Preservation

Unless one is planning to eat one’s quarry immediately, the carcass needs to be stored, and its meat protected from spoilage and attack by insects and other animals. Lacking the infrastructure of civilization, doing this can be quite a challenge for the survivalist. Hanging the carcass in a dry, cool environment is optimal. It is common to have the head, hide, internal organs, lower shank bones, and discarded waste already removed. Sometimes the head and organs are left intact. Most common organs to be left inside are the liver, heart, and kidneys with the surrounding fat included.

Techniques

There are many, many techniques for butchering meats but here are some examples of those that can be used with varying proficiency as the character progresses through Fieldcraft.

Boning

Removing bones is an important technique, especially for meat intended for gourmet meals. This technique can be improved as the character progresses in proficiency and learns the little tricks for the different types of animals that they work with (e.g. it is important to scrape away possible bone dust from the cuts after separating them). This is how boneless cuts are prepared and requires specialized tools like the boning knife, filleting knife (for fish), meat saws, etc. It requires understanding the shape and structure of the carcass being processed. For the novice and competent, it can also be a dangerous and frustrating technique when done improperly, leading to accidental injuries from excess force or wayward blades; and wasted products and ruined flavor due to poor butchering, respectively.

Tying

Butcher String or Kitchen Twine can be used for this technique that helps along meat intended for cooking in flame. It keeps the shape of the meat as it is, but allows for it to cook evenly. Another reason can be for stuffing so that when the meat expands while cooking, and becomes juicer, the stuffing is kept inside.

Preservation

Storing cut meats requires some sort of preservation if the meat is going to last more than a handful of trials. Moisture causes bacterial growth, which butchers and cooks understand on a fundamental level through their work with food. Neither need to understand the chemistry to know that when food is wet and left in the open, it expires quickly.

Drying

Drying meats significantly delays spoilage. Depending on the environment of location, colder places can get away with placing some meats (such as fish) outside in the cold air to dry. Similarly, in hot regions, meat can be dried in the direct sun. Common procedure is to cut the meat into thin strips, lightly salt, then hang to dry outside or in a place sheltered from the elements and bugs.

Smoking

Most common to preserve fish and pork, smoked meat is usually prepared by cutting it into thin, lean strips. These strips are then soaked in a salt solution for a brief time, then hung over a fire. The smoke absorbs into the slowly drying meat. Depending on the wood used in the fire, sometimes the salt is not needed but salt discourages bugs, bacteria, and moisture.

Skill Ranks

Novice (0-25)

After spending some time in the wild, they has begun to learn small, in most cases insignificant tricks to coping by themselves. It is at this stage that they will begin learning ways of building a fire, and how to track large animals by their footprints. They will still require a substantial supply of food and water, along with all other necessary survival gear whenever they travel, however they will now be able to supplement it in small ways, by occasionally catching water from streams or feeding from insects along the way. Thanks to what little knowledge they have, they are less likely to be attacked by wild animals, although it is still a threat.

Competent (26-75)

At this stage, for short periods of time travelling between cities, this person will be able to provide for themselves. It may not be comfortable, but as long as they carry their own supply of survivalist gear including tents and waterskins, they'll be able to survive. Food and water, while scarse, is still obtainable.. and when necessary, they can supplement their shelter with something more sturdy, should the environment provide it.

Expert (76-150)

By now, this person can not only provide for themselves and their own safety, but up to three others accompanying them will also be able to benefit from their abilities. Their man-made shelters will last longer and will be on equal footing in terms of protection and durability with those that can be bought, and many who reach this stage become wilderness survival guides for others.

Master (151-250)

If they so wished, these people could leave civilization and never come back, living very comfortably in the wild for the remainder of their lives. Most do, simply because they've spent so long beyond the reaches of civilization that it's almost a second home. There is nowhere in the world these people cannot live in and they require absolutely nothing to do so. Their tracking skills allow them to follow animals from tracks left weeks ago and they can comfortably provide for several others on their journeys, should they so wish.

Progressing Field Craft

• Capstones
• Grandmasters
• Tier 2 PCs

Field Craft 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.