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Stonemasonry
This skill refers to the knowledge, experience,
and ability to perform 2 types of masonry:
rubble and ashlar. Rubble walls are composed of
irregular and coarsely jointed field stone. Ashlar,
conversely, is a wall constructed of carefully worked
stones set with fine, close joints. It is in the building
of ashlar walls that stonemasons are employed, as
they painstakingly craft stones to certain measurements
or specifications. Stonemasonry is often reserved
as work for criminals.
Check: Roll 3d10 and apply the average of
the modifiers from the sub-abilities of Strength and
Spatial Intelligence. The roll must exceed TH 14 to
be successful for 1 day’s worth of labor. A single
stonemason can produce 1 cubic foot of fitted stone
per day.
Storytelling
Creatures have told stories as long as language
has existed. If a character is telling a story to
entertain or impress, then a Storytelling skill check
must be made. Storytelling may be combined with
other skills. For instance, not to be mistaken with
Trickery, which is telling a lie, a character may tell a
detailed and fabricated story in an effort to fool
someone; this is a combination of Trickery and
Storytelling.
Most stories do not have a moral. In fact,
wickedness triumphs more often than justice. Most
popular of all are humorous short stories in verse,
sometimes written and sometimes recited. These
works are the products of authors of all social classes
and are enjoyed by all audiences. Some have folk
tale origins, some are drawn directly from life. Their
common ingredient is humor, often bawdy. Certain
characters recur: the merchant who is cuckolded,
swindled, and beaten by his young wife; the young
scholar who outwits the husband; the lecherous
priest who is the rival of a husband. The women
tend to be treacherous, lustful, faithless, and may be
beaten by their husbands but always manage to get
the better of them.
Check: Roll 3d10 and apply the modifier
from the Charisma ability. The result indicates the
effectiveness of the story in many respects, including
elocution (how well it was physically delivered
including appropriateness of gestures), logical coherence
(did it make sense or did some elements
contradict others), organization (was there a clear
beginning, body, climax, and conclusion), etc. The
higher the number, the more effective was the story.
Unless successful Storytelling is combined with other
skills such as Persuasion or Trickery, the audience
will not be compelled to take any new action; they
will simply enjoy the tale.
Chapter 8: Skills
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