Synopsis: Scavenging is a skill often misunderstood by others. The skill is very useful and predominantly can help the survival of those that are skilled in it. Scavenging specifically is the ability to find and use various oddities and items in the world of Mizahar. This could include basic items like food, items, cloth, resources, and treasures.
Outline: Scavenging predominately became a way of survival and an art after the Valterrain. It first started when those looking to survive the harsh lifestyle. The natures of a scavenger doesn’t just involve searching through another’s person trash. Scavenging utilizes other skills to be able to find relevant items that fit the purpose of the scavenger. As one becomes more skilled with scavenging they are able to do more to find what they seek and gather useful items along the way. Recovery of the items aren’t always easy, and can often involve dangers, as cities are usually not filled with a lot of materials to look for.
Related skills: Observation, Wilderness Survival, Cartography, Cryptography.
Observation when used with Scavenging: One must be able to seek out items from one another and be able to observe a good place to look from a bad place to look.
Wilderness Survival: Those brave enough to go out of the reaches of the city must know how to survive out in the wilds to scavenge. The two can directly relate to each other in the sense of survival, and scavenged materials can aid in the survival of the scavenger.
Cartography: Scavengers will often hear tales of treasures and may be bold enough to act upon it. A very skilled scavenger may utilize and decipher maps to be able to find what they are looking for
Cryptography: Some missions to scavenge may require the use of deciphering a code if someone else placed it there and left their own plans on how to retrieve it.
Not to be confused with foraging: Searching for wild food is not the same. Those that scavenge look to use every resource to their disposal and the biggest difference from foraging and scavenging is that scavenging is the search for food in manners that do not relate to hunting and gathering in the wilds.
Techniques used for scavenging:
Sifting/rummaging: Scavenging at the most basic forms is searching for wasted or discarded materials for items and discarded materials. When the scavenger first starts out he would search for items by sifting through a variety of places till they spot something that interests them. This form of scavenging is the rawest and the most frowned upon. Another man’s waste is another’s treasure, though.
Scouting: Finding an area where people would discard or often place materials in a specific spot. Scouting requires the scavenger to watch and look for locations that could be used to gather supplies. Scavenging in random locations is often foolish because the area could be of no value to the scavenger and not have anything for the scavengers. Scavenging should be organized and have a target in mind. Once the scavenger has a target in mind the scavenger can then utilize other techniques of scavenging.
Corpse Scavenging: The scavenger looks to utilize the items on dead bodies and animals. Everything has a potential use whether it be possessions on the corpse, furs of an animal, bones, or other grisly affairs that the scavenger looks to use.
Digging: The scavenger is able to determine whether or not possible items would be underneath the ground or buried under earth and ruins. This scavenging technique is often the hardest, but can yield the best and most unique rewards.
Treasure Hunting: Some legend or rumors hint at possible treasure in some sort of remote location. The scavenger would do anything they could to find the biggest yield that they possibly could. Treasure hunting often would require research before engaging in the activity and require travel and other skills to utilize properly. Treasure doesn’t always subside under the ground. Treasures can be behind hidden walls, false floors, abandoned houses/safes, and ruins.
Water Scavenge: The water scavenger will use nets, and various other forms to catch and collect materials from the ocean, rivers, and etc in the intension to find items that travel along its path. Finer scavenging techniques could be sifting for metals with a finer meshed netting.
Tools of a scavenger:
Bags and cargo: Without these a scavenger is pretty much useless. What is the point of scavenging without a way to haul away your newly found items?
Light sources: Be it torches, kindled fire, or other ways of illumination good lighting is often needed to be able to see what the scavenger is doing.
Marking tools: Whether it is a knife, sword, chalk, or other cunning way; a scavenger must be able to recognize where they have scavenged already.
Shovel: For digging and getting through hard areas
Mining pick, axe, and pry bar: For the harder to reach areas or more effort involved scavenges.
Places to scavenge
Deserts: Often terrible for scavenging for supplies, they won’t have many plants that grow and water is very scarce. Most animals and predators have most likely already scavenged corpses and not left much behind.
Forests/woods: Often bountiful and the best areas to search for food and water. Some food could be poisonous or tainted and unfit to eat. Dead animals could often be found where you can scavenge parts of the animal and meat for. Abandoned campsites and buildings could exist and if lucky you could find some ruins.
Mountains: Not as unrelenting as a desert, but still a harsh environment to scavenge. Abandoned mining shafts, huts, and campsites could exist.
Open Fields: The ability to scan these areas is quite easy, and often makes them the prime place for scavenging.
Cities: Ask your ST (May work with storytellers to adapt this into the skill and have a concrete answer for players that want to scavenge)
Novice: (1-25)
The Novice scavenger is able to use his instincts to find basic items that may be of some use. He/she hasn’t formulated a concrete way to style to perform his scavenging and is not able to formulate a good plan to reap for the best results. He/she is not that careful when scavenging and may encounter some misfortune due to sloppy work. The noise from rummaging, dropping items, and talking during scavenging can bring unwanted attention or danger to the scavenger. The scavenger hasn’t really grasped the routines of knowing exactly what to look for and could waste time searching for things only to end up empty handed. A novice scavenger might require the grader to award or moderate what they are awarded if it is worth more and is at the discretion of the player. May participate in treasure hunting.
Competent: (26-50)
The Competent scavenger relies on more than just instincts and has formulated plans to find what they are looking for. Everything a potential source for items, and nothing is looked at as being unable to use in some sort of form. They might begin thinking of the items and their resources when taken apart. The competent scavenger is much more careful while scavenging and has learned to utilize tools to aid in their quest. The scavenger would be able to formulate a plan, survey the area, and make sure that they will not waste their time looking for things that aren’t usable. This scavenger has started to think on a larger scale and goes out further to find what they are looking for. They are more skilled at using their tools and have come up with a specific style to do their scavenging. A competent scavenger might require the grader to award or moderate what they are awarded if it is worth more and is at the discretion of the player May participate in treasure hunting.
Expert: (51-75)
The expert scavenger is always able to find at least one thing that they can use in one way or another. He/she knows that a plan is the key to success and will never enter an area without scoping it out for dangers first. They are able to use their tools in manners that would often surprise others, and look in place that often other’s would never think of looking. An expert scavenger might require the ST to award or moderate what they are awarded if it is worth more and is at the discretion of the player May participate in treasure hunting. At this level searching and scavenging could lead to the quest to find ancient artifacts or forgotten wastes. May participate in treasure hunting.
Master: (76-100)
The master scavenger has a sense for what he/she is looking for. They are masters at using their tools, and can quickly find what they are looking for to include useful items that they weren’t looking for. The master scavenger will often rely on their keen senses to keep out of trouble and can scavenge easily in the open without being noticed or drawing attention to themselves. May participate in treasure hunting.
Outline: Scavenging predominately became a way of survival and an art after the Valterrain. It first started when those looking to survive the harsh lifestyle. The natures of a scavenger doesn’t just involve searching through another’s person trash. Scavenging utilizes other skills to be able to find relevant items that fit the purpose of the scavenger. As one becomes more skilled with scavenging they are able to do more to find what they seek and gather useful items along the way. Recovery of the items aren’t always easy, and can often involve dangers, as cities are usually not filled with a lot of materials to look for.
Related skills: Observation, Wilderness Survival, Cartography, Cryptography.
Observation when used with Scavenging: One must be able to seek out items from one another and be able to observe a good place to look from a bad place to look.
Wilderness Survival: Those brave enough to go out of the reaches of the city must know how to survive out in the wilds to scavenge. The two can directly relate to each other in the sense of survival, and scavenged materials can aid in the survival of the scavenger.
Cartography: Scavengers will often hear tales of treasures and may be bold enough to act upon it. A very skilled scavenger may utilize and decipher maps to be able to find what they are looking for
Cryptography: Some missions to scavenge may require the use of deciphering a code if someone else placed it there and left their own plans on how to retrieve it.
Not to be confused with foraging: Searching for wild food is not the same. Those that scavenge look to use every resource to their disposal and the biggest difference from foraging and scavenging is that scavenging is the search for food in manners that do not relate to hunting and gathering in the wilds.
Techniques used for scavenging:
Sifting/rummaging: Scavenging at the most basic forms is searching for wasted or discarded materials for items and discarded materials. When the scavenger first starts out he would search for items by sifting through a variety of places till they spot something that interests them. This form of scavenging is the rawest and the most frowned upon. Another man’s waste is another’s treasure, though.
Scouting: Finding an area where people would discard or often place materials in a specific spot. Scouting requires the scavenger to watch and look for locations that could be used to gather supplies. Scavenging in random locations is often foolish because the area could be of no value to the scavenger and not have anything for the scavengers. Scavenging should be organized and have a target in mind. Once the scavenger has a target in mind the scavenger can then utilize other techniques of scavenging.
Corpse Scavenging: The scavenger looks to utilize the items on dead bodies and animals. Everything has a potential use whether it be possessions on the corpse, furs of an animal, bones, or other grisly affairs that the scavenger looks to use.
Digging: The scavenger is able to determine whether or not possible items would be underneath the ground or buried under earth and ruins. This scavenging technique is often the hardest, but can yield the best and most unique rewards.
Treasure Hunting: Some legend or rumors hint at possible treasure in some sort of remote location. The scavenger would do anything they could to find the biggest yield that they possibly could. Treasure hunting often would require research before engaging in the activity and require travel and other skills to utilize properly. Treasure doesn’t always subside under the ground. Treasures can be behind hidden walls, false floors, abandoned houses/safes, and ruins.
Water Scavenge: The water scavenger will use nets, and various other forms to catch and collect materials from the ocean, rivers, and etc in the intension to find items that travel along its path. Finer scavenging techniques could be sifting for metals with a finer meshed netting.
Tools of a scavenger:
Bags and cargo: Without these a scavenger is pretty much useless. What is the point of scavenging without a way to haul away your newly found items?
Light sources: Be it torches, kindled fire, or other ways of illumination good lighting is often needed to be able to see what the scavenger is doing.
Marking tools: Whether it is a knife, sword, chalk, or other cunning way; a scavenger must be able to recognize where they have scavenged already.
Shovel: For digging and getting through hard areas
Mining pick, axe, and pry bar: For the harder to reach areas or more effort involved scavenges.
Places to scavenge
Deserts: Often terrible for scavenging for supplies, they won’t have many plants that grow and water is very scarce. Most animals and predators have most likely already scavenged corpses and not left much behind.
Forests/woods: Often bountiful and the best areas to search for food and water. Some food could be poisonous or tainted and unfit to eat. Dead animals could often be found where you can scavenge parts of the animal and meat for. Abandoned campsites and buildings could exist and if lucky you could find some ruins.
Mountains: Not as unrelenting as a desert, but still a harsh environment to scavenge. Abandoned mining shafts, huts, and campsites could exist.
Open Fields: The ability to scan these areas is quite easy, and often makes them the prime place for scavenging.
Cities: Ask your ST (May work with storytellers to adapt this into the skill and have a concrete answer for players that want to scavenge)
Novice: (1-25)
The Novice scavenger is able to use his instincts to find basic items that may be of some use. He/she hasn’t formulated a concrete way to style to perform his scavenging and is not able to formulate a good plan to reap for the best results. He/she is not that careful when scavenging and may encounter some misfortune due to sloppy work. The noise from rummaging, dropping items, and talking during scavenging can bring unwanted attention or danger to the scavenger. The scavenger hasn’t really grasped the routines of knowing exactly what to look for and could waste time searching for things only to end up empty handed. A novice scavenger might require the grader to award or moderate what they are awarded if it is worth more and is at the discretion of the player. May participate in treasure hunting.
Competent: (26-50)
The Competent scavenger relies on more than just instincts and has formulated plans to find what they are looking for. Everything a potential source for items, and nothing is looked at as being unable to use in some sort of form. They might begin thinking of the items and their resources when taken apart. The competent scavenger is much more careful while scavenging and has learned to utilize tools to aid in their quest. The scavenger would be able to formulate a plan, survey the area, and make sure that they will not waste their time looking for things that aren’t usable. This scavenger has started to think on a larger scale and goes out further to find what they are looking for. They are more skilled at using their tools and have come up with a specific style to do their scavenging. A competent scavenger might require the grader to award or moderate what they are awarded if it is worth more and is at the discretion of the player May participate in treasure hunting.
Expert: (51-75)
The expert scavenger is always able to find at least one thing that they can use in one way or another. He/she knows that a plan is the key to success and will never enter an area without scoping it out for dangers first. They are able to use their tools in manners that would often surprise others, and look in place that often other’s would never think of looking. An expert scavenger might require the ST to award or moderate what they are awarded if it is worth more and is at the discretion of the player May participate in treasure hunting. At this level searching and scavenging could lead to the quest to find ancient artifacts or forgotten wastes. May participate in treasure hunting.
Master: (76-100)
The master scavenger has a sense for what he/she is looking for. They are masters at using their tools, and can quickly find what they are looking for to include useful items that they weren’t looking for. The master scavenger will often rely on their keen senses to keep out of trouble and can scavenge easily in the open without being noticed or drawing attention to themselves. May participate in treasure hunting.
