Lacking any background skill that represented the farm boy (or girl) who departed country life for one full of adventure, I present this remedy. This is only intended as a background skill, and is not intended to represent the full range of skills a farmer of the era might possess.

Select 3 basic knacks at rank 1. Additional basic knacks may be purchased as normal for basic knacks.

Climbing: You understand how to find hand and foot holds, how to use climbing gear, and how to seek out the easiest path to climb in the first place. If you are attacked while climbing, you use this knack as your Defense Knack, in place of Footwork or Parry (Heavy Weapons).

First Aid: Even without formal training, you can administer simple treatment if the ailment allows for it. This includes sewing and cauterizing a wound, or mixing a chest balm for respiratory problems. The TN for First Aid is the number of Flesh Wounds the patient has suffered. Success eliminates all current Flesh Wounds. First Aid requires one action to use, and may not be used more than once per patient per Scene. Heroes with First Aid may use it on themselves, with the same restrictions, but they will need to make one Raise because of the difficulty of bandaging themselves.

Fishing: Knowing where to cast a net or how to thrust a spear has saved the life of more than one starving hunter or sailor. It allows you to supplement your diet with fish and sell any excess, or dry it for later use.

Menial Tasks: This Knack allows you to perform all of the common labors that any servant must perform in service of his Lord. (i.e. cleaning, laundry, plucking fowl, etc)

Ride: This knack is what you use for ordinary horseback riding. Your GM may call for checks when you do unusual things such as gallop a horse (TN 10), stay seated on a rearing mount (TN 15), or jump a horse over a hurdle (TN 20). A well trained mount may reduce the Target Numbers by 5.

Skinning: Using this Knack you can skin and tan the hide of an animal in preparation for use or sale. This keeps the skin from rotting and increases its value.

Survival: Foraging for berries and nuts isn’t exciting, but it’s often necessary during the winter or in unfamiliar territory. With the Survival Knack you can always find enough food to survive on, although it may include such delicacies as mice, grubs, and termites. Rules for the use of this knack are in the GM’s guide.

Tracking: You know the signs that animals and people leave behind as they move through the woods: a broken twig, a crushed leaf, or a muddy footprint. More difficult, but much more impressive, is determining how long ago the signs were made. This Knack will commonly be used against a TN generated with the target’s Stealth Knack when he last passed through the area.

Trail Signs: Hunters have a private language all their own, in the form of carefully bent twigs, stacked rocks, and notched limbs. You can leave a trail for others to find and follow later, warn of danger, or indicate a good fishing hole. The GM has a list of basic TNs for using this Knack; success means that the person you are signaling automatically sees the trail signs when he passes by. (Possible trail signs are listed in the GM’s guide)

Unobtrusive: Sometimes, a Servant’s best knack is remaining unnoticed while his employer works off a fit of rage. This is not actually hiding, but rather blending in with the background. It plays upon a noble’s tendency to ignore servants, and so works best on them.

Animal Training: This Knack allows you to domesticate animals and train them to perform tricks, or to attack on command. The GM’s Guide has suggested rules for Animal Training.

Drive Carriage: Driving a carriage is different from riding a horse. The Animals must be hitched up, prevented from scraping the carriage along a wall, and kept calm in the dizzying swirl of people, dogs and other animals. Worse still, the carriage is bulky and difficult to stop, so it presents a hazard to pedestrians who are not quick on their feet. You have learned to deal with all these things. This knack may also be used to drive farm wagons.

Herb Lore: You have a strong knowledge of plants, and can tell which ones are edible and which ones have medicinal value. This is not the same as First Aid, since you cannot bind wounds. However, with enough time and the proper environment, you can find the right plants to keep from starving or to prevent a wound from becoming infected.

Weather: Whether it’s because your corns start to hurt, your joints begin to ache, or you’ve learned to identify the signs, you know when a storm is coming, and you can quickly get an idea for how bad the storm is going to be. Rules for Weather can be found in the GM’s Guide.

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