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Academia

Academia involves study with parents at home to learn the basics. Following that, additional knowledge is achieved through teachers, tutors, and text books. At first, academic knowledge involves the basics of reading, writing, mathematics, and history. Further knowledge includes the study of more specialized subjects such as politics, law, literature, and religion as well as the study of etymology, alphabets, and the study of other languages, spoken and written, including dead languages.

The Academia Skill Group has only one discipline, General Studies. Although in real life, we wouldn't group all academic knowledge so closely, in Dice Mob it makes sense to do so to keep things simple. Rather than specializing in a variety of disciplines, academics add more and more knowledge on more and more subjects, almost as if taking a variety of classes at a college or university in pursuit of a General Studies degree. More or less.

Like all Skill Groups, Academia requires skill points to learn and has prerequisites to take this Skill Group. Further prerequisities might be required to attain higher degrees of General Studies, so be aware of that when spending Skill Points towards the attaining of higher degrees.

Basic Abilities

Reading and Writing This implies the ability to be able to read and write in any language that the character can speak. This does not imply any ability to read or write other language except, at the GMs judgment, some language that is very close to one of the ones they already speak, read, and write.
Counting This implies counting in whatever manner makes sense for the language spoken and written as well as simple mathematics necessary for the buying and selling of goods.

General Studies

First Degree

A first degree academic in modern day terms has completed elementary school. In medieval times, that would generally be considered quite a feat, one that few people actually accomplished or even had the opportunity to accomplish. Several general pieces of knowledge are listed in the table below, but the GM should consider any general knowledge for an elementary school graduate to be fair game.

Basic History This implies knowledge of the history of the region where the character grew up as well as well-known history of the world, often biased by wherever the instruction was received.
Basic Mathematics This implies knowledge of arithmetic, greater than what a shopkeeper might know, but not necessarily knowledge of advanced mathematics
Weather Patterns Although they have no practical knowledge of weather and its effects, they do have book knowledge of weather and what might be expected based on climate and other conditions. This might or might not prove practically useful.

Second Degree

A second degree academic, in modern terms, has completed a secondary education. A few of the pieces of knowledge are listed below, but at the GMs discretion, any knowledge which a character might gain in high school would be fair game. This is the knowledge most elementary school teachers are considered to have.

Literature This implies a knowledge of poetry, literature, and legends from the area where the instruction was received. It also implies knowledge of well-known literature and legends from around the world.
Politics This implies knowledge of governments in the region and well-known ones throughout the world. It also implies knowing well-known lines of succession including ones localized to the region where the character was instructed.
Common Creature Knowledge Commonly known strengths, weaknesses, what they eat, if they're nocturnal… Second degree academics have some knowledge of creatures they're likely to face from their instruction and the books and other materials they have studied, even if the players might not. This could be a skill check or this could just be instructions by the GM.
Basic Sciences Character understands the basics of biology, botany, geology, astronomy, and other sciences to a very minor degree.
Algebra and Geometry This implies a greater knowledge of mathematics, including algebra and geometry. It's debatable how much help this can be in a medieval campaign, but the character has that knowledge, helpful or not.

Third Degree

A third degree academic, in modern terms, has completed a post-secondary education. They are general considered to have all of the book knowledge easily possessable with no real practical experience with it. The GM can generally consider any knowledge for a college graduate with a degree in general education to be fair game. This is the knowledge most high school level teachers are considered to have.

Religion This implies knowledge of various religions including being able to recognize types of religions and deities based on symbols, runes, ceremonies, religious apparel, etc. It does not imply any ability to cast divine incantations or the like.
Advanced History This is a much greater knowledge of world history to a much more specific level. Generally this knowledge is just awarded upon asking, but the GM could require skill checks to see if a character would know lesser known tidbits of history that could be valuable.
Languages This implies an ability to “guess” at the meaning of other languages with a reasonable amount of accuracy and to communicate in a rudimentary way with creatures who speak a different language.
Geography The character has a knowledge of the known geography of the world, as far as they would have seen it in their studies. Skill checks can be used to determine if they can remember where towns, minor waterways, and other landmarks might be. They are generally considered to know where major cities, major waterways, and major landmarks would be located in relation to where the characters are currently at, assuming the character knows where they are at.

Fourth Degree

A fourth degree academic, in modern terms, has completed a graduate level education including years of research and field study. Many have also practiced for some years in academic related vocations, but they are not well-known for their accomplishments. This is the level most professors are considered to have.

Law and Diplomacy This implies knowledge of many legal and political systems as well as the best ways of taking advantage of them.
Uncommon Creature Knowledge With a successful skill check (GM determines the dice required), the GM can instruct the player on strengths and weakness of creatures they're facing or are likely to face, even if the knowledge wouldn't be all that wide-spread. It has to be something that someone would know and have written about, however.
Advanced Mathematics and Sciences This implies the ability to take advantage of advanced scientific knowledge like calculus, astronomy, physics, chemistry, geology, botany, and other sciences that might be known at the time. At the GMs discretion, this could add one or two dice to attacks, defenses, or skill checks if advanced knowledge of the sciences would aid one of these in any way.

Fifth Degree

A fifth degree academic is a master in academics, well-known in the academic community and sought after by others seeking knowledge to impart of their wisdom and research experience.

Advanced Languages This implies a healthy knowledge of many languages, including the ability to decipher, given enough time, pretty much any language they might come in contact with (with GM approval).
Reading Magic A character understand written languages well enough to be able to perform spells which are written down on scrolls or magic books, but not the ability to commit them to memory and to cast them at will.
Call in Favor Calling in a favor refers to having done favors in the past with the expectation that others will reciprocate in the future. Once per city, a character can call in a favor to accomplish something difficult (per the GMs discretion) with a successful Persuasion check. It's like deus ex machina on a smaller scale.