Fantasy equivalent of a Materials Scientist?

Davion

Davion

Scholar
Colorado Staff
My character is an alchemist and I've decided he spends a lot of time researching the different strange elements that have showed up. I was thinking that I wanted to take a CO equivalent of Materials Scientist. So when building a building, he might know nothing about architecture, but know that a particular type of granite makes that strongest walls. Or that frogs, when combined with cure light elixirs, make frog flavored cure light elixirs. (Not joking, I poured a lot of money into finding out that recipe).
 
I'm not sure if you could do that all in one single craftsman skill - I have seen craftsman:geologist, botanists, and similar, but those are some pretty disparate areas of study - even in real life. I'm not sure how alchemy gives you insight into stone composition though.

Either way remember that the only actual benefit from craftsman skills is coin. If your local plot team chooses to throw you other little flavor nuggets based on those, that's cool, but it is not required.
 
The easiest, and most historically accurate, professions encompassing what your suggesting are either the catch-all "engineer" or the semi-mystical "mason". Engineer has the advantage and scooping up just about everything under its umbrella but mason is more specifically appropriate for the time period and span of the game. Call forth all the Mystical Power ya like, ya still can't true a wall or add the right about of cow dung without a Mason.
 
Ezri said:
I'm not sure if you could do that all in one single craftsman skill - I have seen craftsman:geologist, botanists, and similar, but those are some pretty disparate areas of study - even in real life. I'm not sure how alchemy gives you insight into stone composition though.

Either way remember that the only actual benefit from craftsman skills is coin. If your local plot team chooses to throw you other little flavor nuggets based on those, that's cool, but it is not required.
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That's very true. However, many of the midwest chapters, such as Chicago, reward players who do have craftsman skills, with the ability to use them during mods, or to get mods. For example, if goblins come by and rob an adventurer, tracking (and descriptions to the marshal on how you're utilizing it) might give you a shot of tracking the goblins down.
 
Oh we do that too when we can, it's just not guaranteed is all. I sometimes worry that people have the impression that craftsman skills are guaranteed to get them special stuff in game, and that's not realistic.
 
jpariury said:
For instance, I hate when people try and use tracking against other PCs.
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That much, we don't allow anymore. Only NPCs. If you want to track a PC - start a search party. :) Even then, it's not always successful...
 
We only had one instance of PC tracking - but they didn't need craftsman skills to do it (even though one player had several ranks). It had snowed earlier that night, so they followed ACTUAL tracks. Naturally the player that got caught wasn't particularly happy about it, but they really didn't get any help from plot other than "you see what you see." ;)
 
Davion said:
My character is an alchemist and I've decided he spends a lot of time researching the different strange elements that have showed up. I was thinking that I wanted to take a CO equivalent of Materials Scientist. So when building a building, he might know nothing about architecture, but know that a particular type of granite makes that strongest walls. Or that frogs, when combined with cure light elixirs, make frog flavored cure light elixirs. (Not joking, I poured a lot of money into finding out that recipe).
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I love this concept. It is unfortunate that there are so many complexities that we can think of that just can't be covered in the rules. I hope your plot team is receptive to this CO!
 
Ezri said:
We only had one instance of PC tracking - but they didn't need craftsman skills to do it (even though one player had several ranks). It had snowed earlier that night, so they followed ACTUAL tracks. Naturally the player that got caught wasn't particularly happy about it, but they really didn't get any help from plot other than "you see what you see." ;)
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if you ask me this is how tracking should be, real.

in my opinion if you want to use a Craftsman skill in game i think you should learn to do it for real. saying your character can do something then asking the plot team to fill in for your lack of ability just looks silly.

you wanna track someone? learn how to track, you wanna know what a wall is made of? do some research! now if something in game isn't the same as what it is out of game then that would justify asking. and plus i think if people put the work into learning these things it would really add to the character and the world.

i know when i eventually make a full alchemist PC i'm gonna want to research alot of things so that i can properly roleplay the character. (and this comment will be biting me in the butt i'm sure...)
 
Ithra said:
you wanna track someone? learn how to track, you wanna know what a wall is made of? do some research! now if something in game isn't the same as what it is out of game then that would justify asking. and plus i think if people put the work into learning these things it would really add to the character and the world.
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Actually, if you review my first comment, what I meant is, "I'm already roleplaying my character this one way, now I want to pick up a CO to reinforce that idea." Also, my plot team is responsive to COs for IBGAs. So during research, if I have a skill, I may be more successful at something.
 
Ithra said:
Ezri said:
We only had one instance of PC tracking - but they didn't need craftsman skills to do it (even though one player had several ranks). It had snowed earlier that night, so they followed ACTUAL tracks. Naturally the player that got caught wasn't particularly happy about it, but they really didn't get any help from plot other than "you see what you see." ;)
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if you ask me this is how tracking should be, real.

in my opinion if you want to use a Craftsman skill in game i think you should learn to do it for real. saying your character can do something then asking the plot team to fill in for your lack of ability just looks silly.

you wanna track someone? learn how to track, you wanna know what a wall is made of? do some research! now if something in game isn't the same as what it is out of game then that would justify asking. and plus i think if people put the work into learning these things it would really add to the character and the world.

i know when i eventually make a full alchemist PC i'm gonna want to research alot of things so that i can properly roleplay the character. (and this comment will be biting me in the butt i'm sure...)
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If I the player has a set of skills that would be defined as a CO skill in the game...why should I take that CO...I dont care if I get coin..*I* know what Im doing....and at the same time...you can not make people learn a real skill to use a fake skill in a game...there are fighters out there that...well sux..they cant fight very well...they have fighters that swing big numbers...if they cant fight good why should they have prof. they *really* arent that good...thats the point of the game..."to be all you cant be".....if you want to do that...great...if you think others should too...well..that might not happen..
 
Ithra said:
Ezri said:
We only had one instance of PC tracking - but they didn't need craftsman skills to do it (even though one player had several ranks). It had snowed earlier that night, so they followed ACTUAL tracks. Naturally the player that got caught wasn't particularly happy about it, but they really didn't get any help from plot other than "you see what you see." ;)
Click to expand...

if you ask me this is how tracking should be, real.

in my opinion if you want to use a Craftsman skill in game i think you should learn to do it for real. saying your character can do something then asking the plot team to fill in for your lack of ability just looks silly.

you wanna track someone? learn how to track, you wanna know what a wall is made of? do some research! now if something in game isn't the same as what it is out of game then that would justify asking. and plus i think if people put the work into learning these things it would really add to the character and the world.

i know when i eventually make a full alchemist PC i'm gonna want to research alot of things so that i can properly roleplay the character. (and this comment will be biting me in the butt i'm sure...)
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Hypothetical:
Ok, so I know how to track IRL and don't by the skill (shouldn't be forced if my character doesn't want/use it).
Does this mean I can use my RL skill in-game? No, considered meta-gaming, yes?
This would be akin to telling someone they need to learn how to assassinate someone before taking the skill.
 
Guys, I really don't appreciate how this thread has been turned into "how you think your way of playing is vastly superior to everyone else, and they're ruining your fun by doing it otherwise." I see about 4 posts out of 12 here that are actually constructive to my question, all the others belong in a different thread.
 
Davion,

Your already an alchemist right? I would have said CO-alchemist since thats pretty much what alchemists do... they understand how things interact with each other. The problem is a lot of plot teams wont let you have a CO of a game skill since its confusing so check with your plot team.

One you might consider is CO: Naturalist... where you have made a study of nature and the natural materials to be found out there.

Lastly, consider CO: Scientist which is really a synonim in fantasy for "alchemist".

Hope that helps a little man.

Paul
 
I hate to be "that guy" but it actually says right in the rules you can't duplicate a game skill with a Craftsman skill. (pg 58)
 
But in practical terms, what the Alchemy skill does, and what an "Alchemist" is more or less notorious for, are two distinct things. If we're going to abscond with the one term, we should at least have a feasible replacement term. He's not replicating the skill, he just doesn't really have a good alternative because we stole the word that would have fit best.
 
it was around this time when natural science started to diverge into its fields, so chemist might work.

chemistry spans lots of things. it is general and it covers most of your basis. like when talking about rocks and concrete, the substituent molecules and how they form solids would be in the breadth of knowledge including how they might interact with a whole host of things

Edit: Including aromatics that would produce the frog flavoring or the frog smell. Back in this time though, chemists were still trying to gather their true base of knowledge. but you could be a gifted chemist who has worked with large amounts of things. molecular structures doesn't come in until very late, but the way they interact is totally legit and In period
 
This is just shooting from the hip here so feel to tell me I'm off base.

Ultimately, the benefits he will gain as a result of taking these CO skills will come through plot. Would it be reasonable to ask his plot team, "Dudez, I want my character to do X. What CO or combo of CO would you want me to have to get that done? Kthx."

In reality they could tell him to take Craftsman: Howlbear Whisperer, but as long as the plot team recognizes those craftsman skills for the purpose he wants it should be fine.

Right?

Stephen
 
Natural scientist is the precursor general scientist term, covering natural philosophy, basic 'alchemy,' simple physics and simple biology. it is a broad field but natural scientists had little real knowledge, even though they had theories about everything.
Geologists would know about rocks and soil, water tables and lots of other things to do with the environment and the history of the environment.
 
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