Table 61:

Fields of Study

Study	Frequency	Abilities and Limitations
Alchemy	10%	Can attempt to brew poisons and acids
Architecture	5%	Specific race only (human, elf, etc.)
Art	20%	Specific race only (human, elf, etc.)
Astrology	10%	Navigation, astrology proficiencies
Astronomy	20%	Navigation, astronomy proficiencies
Botany	25%
Cartography	10%
Chemistry	5%	Can attempt to brew poisons and acids
Cryptography	5%
Engineering	30%
Folklore	25%	One race/region only
Genealogy	25%	One race/region only
Geography	10%
Geology	15%	Mining proficiency
Heraldry	30%
History	30%	One race/region only
Languages	40%	One language group only
Law	35%
Mathematics	20%
Medicine	10%
Metaphysics	5%	One plane (inner or outer) only
Meteorology	20%
Music	30%	One race only
Myconology	20%	Knowledge of fungi
Oceanography	15%
Philosophy	25%	One race only
Physics	10%
Sociology	40%	One race or region only
Theology	25%	One region only
Zoology	20%

Frequency is the chance of finding a sage with that particular skill in a large city—a university town of provincial capital, at least, Normally, sages do not reside in small villages or well away from population centers. They require contact with travelers and access to libraries in order to gain their information. Roll for frequency only when you can't decide if such a sage is present. As always, consider the dramatic effect. Will the services of a sage further the story in some exciting way?

Abilities and limitations define specific limitations or rules effects. If this column is blank, the sage's knowledge is generally thorough on all aspects of the topic. One race only means the sage can answer questions that deal with a particular race. One region only limits his knowledge to a specific area—a kingdom or province. The size of the area depends on the campaign. One plane limits the sage to the study of creatures, conditions, and workings of a single extra-dimensional plane. Where no limitations are given, the sage is only limited by the current state of that science or art in your campaign.

What does a sage know? A sage's ability can be handled in one of two ways. First, since the DM must answer the question any way, he can simply decide if the sage knows the answer. As usual, the consideration of what is best for the story must be borne in mind.

If the player characters simply can't proceed with the adventure without this answer, then the sage knows the answer. If the answer will reward clever players (for thinking to hire a sage, for example) and will not destroy the adventure, then the sage may know all or part of the answer. If answering the question will completely unbalance the adventure, the sage doesn't know the answer.

Of course, there are times it is impossible to tell the effect of knowing or not knowing something. In this case, the sage's answer can be determined by a proficiency check, modified by the nature of the question. The DM can decide the sage's ability or use the following standard: Sage ability is equal to 14 plus 1d6 (this factors in his proficiency and normal ability scores).

If the proficiency check is passed (the number required, or less, on 1d20), the sage provides an answer. If a die roll of 20 is made, the sage comes up with an incorrect answer. The DM should create an incorrect answer that will be believable and consistent with what the players already know about the adventure.

Questions should be categorized as general ("What types of beasts live in the Valley of Terror?"), specific ("Do medusae live in the Valley of Terror?"), or exacting ("Does the medusa Erinxyes live in the Valley of Terror?"). The precision of the question modifies the chance of receiving an accurate answer. Precision modifiers are listed on Table 62 .

If a question is particularly complex, the DM can divide it into several parts, each requiring a separate roll. Thus, a sage may only know part of the information needed. This can be very good for the story, especially if some key piece of information is left out.

The resources required by a sage can be formidable. At the very least, a sage must have access to a library of considerable size to complete his work. He is not a walking encyclopedia, able to spout facts on command. A sage answers questions by having the right resources at hand and knowing how to use them. The size and quality of the sage's library affect his chance of giving a correct answer.

This library can belong to the sage or can be part of an institution. Monasteries and universities typically maintained libraries in medieval times. If a personal library, it must be at least 200 square feet of rare and exotic manuscripts, generally no less than 1,000 gp per book. If the library is connected with an institution, the sage (or his employer) will be expected to make appropriate payments or tithes for its use. Expenses in the range of 1,000 gp a day could be levied against the character. Of course, a sage can attempt to answer a question with little or no library, but his chances of getting the right answer will be reduced as given on Table 62 .

Sages need time to find answers, sometimes more time than a player character can afford. Player characters can attempt to rush a sage in his work, but only at the risk of a wrong answer. The normal length of time depends on the nature of the question and is listed on Table 63 . Player characters can reduce the sage's time by one category on this table, but the chance that the sage's answer will be incorrect or not available grows. These modifiers are also listed on Table 62 .

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