Mining proficiency? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Mining proficiency? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Lord Donnachie
03-31-05, 10:52 AM 2nd edition had this proficiency but it doesnt exist per say in 3rd.
What skill would I use for a pc that wants to survey an area for mining potential?
SEARCH?
PROFESSION, MINER?
APPRAISE?
Preternatural
03-31-05, 11:57 AM Profession (Mining) would be the best choice, imo. For prospecting for locations, finding good mineral veins, and extracting it. Other skills might help, provide a competence bonus perhaps. Something to do with Stone cutting, perhaps.

Appraise seems to be more for finished goods, be it antiques, finished gems, refined ore.

Search seems more for hidden things, usually things that have been affected by people. Hidden passages, disturbed environments.
warlockco
03-31-05, 09:07 PM Profession (Miner) will cover most things that the Miner Prof. did in 2E.
Other skills that are related are the various Knowledge skills (Geography) being a major one, and also the various Craft skills.

I would say a combo of Profession (Miner) and Knowledge (Geography), depending on what they are trying to do.
Harmonica
04-01-05, 03:22 AM There is also a spell in one of the FR books: Detect metals and minerals. With this spell one can search for metals and minerals. It works sort of like a detect magic, but it can see through solid rock. It is a 3rd level Clc/Wiz/Sor spell. The profession (miner) is a very good substitute for the 2e proficiency.
dragonheart
04-03-05, 08:54 PM Actually I would use Craft: Miner for the skill rather than profession. crafts are skill based and we are mostly talking about skills in digging/panning etc not in identifying when and where. that would be either profession or knowledge. Profession: prospector or knowledge: ores and minerals would be good examples there. of course its your campaign so your take on whether craft or profession are bettor suited. but as someone who actually does some of this in his off time it really is three different sets of skills and knowledges.
Lord Donnachie
04-03-05, 10:54 PM Actually I would use Craft: Miner for the skill rather than profession. crafts are skill based and we are mostly talking about skills in digging/panning etc not in identifying when and where. that would be either profession or knowledge. Profession: prospector or knowledge: ores and minerals would be good examples there. of course its your campaign so your take on whether craft or profession are bettor suited. but as someone who actually does some of this in his off time it really is three different sets of skills and knowledges.

I never saw miner as a craft per say put a profession. Besides mining isnt mentioned as a a craft put it is under profession.
thanks!
Another Gnome
04-04-05, 01:34 AM All Craft skills are for manufacturing something; mining can't be a Craft (as opposed to refining the mining products) so it has to be a Profession.

Simply hacking at rocks doesn't need a skill at all, but checks determine whether the digging comes up with anything. The same thing with panning for gold; you don't make a check to figure out if you're flinging a pan properly, but to see if you're in the right place.

(I'd have one Profession (mining) skill to apply in both cases - simplicity is the key, after all).
dragonheart
04-06-05, 12:15 AM not to be cruel but remind me not to hire some of you to help me mine and pan. I've always treated craft as a hands on skill set while profression was more paper shuffling type work. a miner had better do more than hack at rocks - you have to know how to recognize the rocks you want from all the others in the mine and work to follow those minerals as they twisat and turn thru the veins. panning is a definite hands on skill you DON"t just slosh things around even if it does look that way when a pro does it. the pro and can keep all the gold and dump all the sand in a pan in under 30 seconds ( I take about 90) an amateur or slosher will dump all the gold and end up leaving most of the sand whether he takes 10 seconds or 10 minutes so in my campaign mining is a skill, prospecting - knowing the signs to look for to find the different ores is more the brain on profession while the knowledge both need would probably be geology although I suppose you could a regular knowledge nature check with a -10.
Preternatural
04-06-05, 12:38 AM But then there comes a point when you ask, just how many individual skills do you need to put points into to become even decent in this occupation. Granted mining/prospecting isn't easy.

Craft seems to be manufacturing, making or producing stuff that can be used as is, while profession seems to be the service jobs. The text for Profession states that it is for a broader range of skills, mining I guess would fall under that since it involves knowing how to find the materials and then how to extract it, and all the various methods involved in that. You're not actually creating the ores, but using a skill to extract it from the environment. Though some of the professions do prepare materials for use.

Actually, looking at the PHB 3.5e, miner is listed under Profession. We can argue forever for or against it, but the rules state it's there. It's an abstract system anyway, they had to stick it under somewhere.

I guess we can look at Craft (Int) and Profession (Wis), which ability would mining use more. Take into account the medieval setting, lol, dousing rod anyone?
Another Gnome
04-06-05, 12:45 AM I've always treated craft as a hands on skill set while profression was more paper shuffling type work.

Hey, more power to you, I'm only saying that's not how it works as far as rules go. Craft skills are for crafting something, Profession skills are for operating (siege engineer) or running things (innkeeper, miner).

While alchemy is a Craft skill these days, you still don't create gold by mining or panning. :)
primemover003
04-07-05, 10:12 PM Mining is a profession... you don't make anything. Fisherman is a profession. He doesn't make the fish, just catches, harvests, procures them. Miners break stuff and drag it out with them... I'd call that procuring.

Once you smelt the ore and extract the metals then you can craft something.
Lord Donnachie
04-08-05, 10:40 PM Mining is a profession... you don't make anything. Fisherman is a profession. He doesn't make the fish, just catches, harvests, procures them. Miners break stuff and drag it out with them... I'd call that procuring.

Once you smelt the ore and extract the metals then you can craft something.

thats exactly what I thought!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lord Donnachie 03-31-05, 10:52 AM	2nd edition had this proficiency but it doesnt exist per say in 3rd. What skill would I use for a pc that wants to survey an area for mining potential? SEARCH? PROFESSION, MINER? APPRAISE?
Preternatural 03-31-05, 11:57 AM	Profession (Mining) would be the best choice, imo. For prospecting for locations, finding good mineral veins, and extracting it. Other skills might help, provide a competence bonus perhaps. Something to do with Stone cutting, perhaps. Appraise seems to be more for finished goods, be it antiques, finished gems, refined ore. Search seems more for hidden things, usually things that have been affected by people. Hidden passages, disturbed environments.
warlockco 03-31-05, 09:07 PM	Profession (Miner) will cover most things that the Miner Prof. did in 2E. Other skills that are related are the various Knowledge skills (Geography) being a major one, and also the various Craft skills. I would say a combo of Profession (Miner) and Knowledge (Geography), depending on what they are trying to do.
Harmonica 04-01-05, 03:22 AM	There is also a spell in one of the FR books: Detect metals and minerals. With this spell one can search for metals and minerals. It works sort of like a detect magic, but it can see through solid rock. It is a 3rd level Clc/Wiz/Sor spell. The profession (miner) is a very good substitute for the 2e proficiency.
dragonheart 04-03-05, 08:54 PM	Actually I would use Craft: Miner for the skill rather than profession. crafts are skill based and we are mostly talking about skills in digging/panning etc not in identifying when and where. that would be either profession or knowledge. Profession: prospector or knowledge: ores and minerals would be good examples there. of course its your campaign so your take on whether craft or profession are bettor suited. but as someone who actually does some of this in his off time it really is three different sets of skills and knowledges.
Lord Donnachie 04-03-05, 10:54 PM	Actually I would use Craft: Miner for the skill rather than profession. crafts are skill based and we are mostly talking about skills in digging/panning etc not in identifying when and where. that would be either profession or knowledge. Profession: prospector or knowledge: ores and minerals would be good examples there. of course its your campaign so your take on whether craft or profession are bettor suited. but as someone who actually does some of this in his off time it really is three different sets of skills and knowledges. I never saw miner as a craft per say put a profession. Besides mining isnt mentioned as a a craft put it is under profession. thanks!
Another Gnome 04-04-05, 01:34 AM	All Craft skills are for manufacturing something; mining can't be a Craft (as opposed to refining the mining products) so it has to be a Profession. Simply hacking at rocks doesn't need a skill at all, but checks determine whether the digging comes up with anything. The same thing with panning for gold; you don't make a check to figure out if you're flinging a pan properly, but to see if you're in the right place. (I'd have one Profession (mining) skill to apply in both cases - simplicity is the key, after all).
dragonheart 04-06-05, 12:15 AM	not to be cruel but remind me not to hire some of you to help me mine and pan. I've always treated craft as a hands on skill set while profression was more paper shuffling type work. a miner had better do more than hack at rocks - you have to know how to recognize the rocks you want from all the others in the mine and work to follow those minerals as they twisat and turn thru the veins. panning is a definite hands on skill you DON"t just slosh things around even if it does look that way when a pro does it. the pro and can keep all the gold and dump all the sand in a pan in under 30 seconds ( I take about 90) an amateur or slosher will dump all the gold and end up leaving most of the sand whether he takes 10 seconds or 10 minutes so in my campaign mining is a skill, prospecting - knowing the signs to look for to find the different ores is more the brain on profession while the knowledge both need would probably be geology although I suppose you could a regular knowledge nature check with a -10.
Preternatural 04-06-05, 12:38 AM	But then there comes a point when you ask, just how many individual skills do you need to put points into to become even decent in this occupation. Granted mining/prospecting isn't easy. Craft seems to be manufacturing, making or producing stuff that can be used as is, while profession seems to be the service jobs. The text for Profession states that it is for a broader range of skills, mining I guess would fall under that since it involves knowing how to find the materials and then how to extract it, and all the various methods involved in that. You're not actually creating the ores, but using a skill to extract it from the environment. Though some of the professions do prepare materials for use. Actually, looking at the PHB 3.5e, miner is listed under Profession. We can argue forever for or against it, but the rules state it's there. It's an abstract system anyway, they had to stick it under somewhere. I guess we can look at Craft (Int) and Profession (Wis), which ability would mining use more. Take into account the medieval setting, lol, dousing rod anyone?
Another Gnome 04-06-05, 12:45 AM	I've always treated craft as a hands on skill set while profression was more paper shuffling type work. Hey, more power to you, I'm only saying that's not how it works as far as rules go. Craft skills are for crafting something, Profession skills are for operating (siege engineer) or running things (innkeeper, miner). While alchemy is a Craft skill these days, you still don't create gold by mining or panning. :)
primemover003 04-07-05, 10:12 PM	Mining is a profession... you don't make anything. Fisherman is a profession. He doesn't make the fish, just catches, harvests, procures them. Miners break stuff and drag it out with them... I'd call that procuring. Once you smelt the ore and extract the metals then you can craft something.
Lord Donnachie 04-08-05, 10:40 PM	Mining is a profession... you don't make anything. Fisherman is a profession. He doesn't make the fish, just catches, harvests, procures them. Miners break stuff and drag it out with them... I'd call that procuring. Once you smelt the ore and extract the metals then you can craft something. thats exactly what I thought!