Mapping (Cartography): If a character has this skill, he can understand and make maps even if he cannot read and write. The skill allows the character to comprehend simple maps without a skill roll; the character should make skill rolls to interpret or draft complicated layouts or to map an area by memory. A character does not have to have this skill in order to map a dungeon as the characters explore it. A character who can map but not read obviously cannot understand the words on a map.
🗺️ Racial Variants #
| Variant | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dwarven | Volumetric Drafting | Dwarves map in three dimensions. Their maps use cross-sections to show depth, ore veins, and structural support. They can estimate the “thickness” of a wall or the distance to the surface with a successful roll. |
| Elven | Living Landmarks | (Forest/Jungle) Elves don’t use grids; they use the “soul” of the land. Their maps record the age of trees, the flow of magic, and seasonal changes. An Elf can find a location on a centuries-old map by observing the current growth of the forest. |
| Orcish | Scars of the Earth | Orcish maps are often carved into bone or hide. They ignore aesthetics for “Strategic Dominance,” focusing entirely on choke points, water sources, and sightlines for ambushes. |
| Gnome | The Clockwork Compass | Gnomes use miniature mechanical surveying tools. They can produce maps with “Technical Precision,” allowing them to calculate the exact square footage of a room or the precise angle of a slope. |
🌍 Regional Variants #
- The Wayfinder (Wilderness/Nomadic)
In regions with no permanent landmarks, mapping is about Memory and Stars.
- Specialty: Mental Projection. They can “draft” a map purely from memory after only passing through an area once. They gain a +4 bonus to their skill roll when mapping by memory.
- The Sewer-Rat (Metropolitan/Urban)
In the sprawling “below” of a city, maps are about Connectivity.
- Specialty: Flow-Mapping. They map based on where things lead. Their maps highlight secret doors, drainage grates, and “illegal” knock-throughs between basements. They can interpret the “slum-logic” of city layouts that would confuse an outsider.
- The Reef-Charter (Coastal/Maritime)
In the islands, the “land” changes with the tide.
- Specialty: Hydro-Cartography. They map what is under the water as much as what is above. Their maps include tidal depths and submerged hazards. They can read a map even when it has been partially ruined by sea-spray or water.
- The Tomb-Recorder (Ancient Ruins/Dungeons)
Trained in the dead-ends and deathtraps of the past.
- Specialty: Trap-Spatial Awareness. They don’t just map the rooms; they map the “dead space” between rooms. A successful roll allows them to identify where a hidden corridor must be located based on the dimensions of the surrounding chambers.
Why other options are incorrect
- ❌ Navigation is incorrect because it is the act of following a path; Mapping is the act of recording or deciphering the path’s structure.
- ❌ Literacy is incorrect because, as a character can be a master cartographer without knowing how to read a single word of the local script.
- ❌ Artistic Painting is incorrect because Mapping is a technical skill of spatial proportions and symbols, not necessarily aesthetic representation.
