Nonweapon Proficiencies

Learning Nonweapon Proficiencies

Under vanilla AD&D rules, NWPs are gained upon levelling up, just as Weapon Proficiencies are. On Morus, this is not the case. New WP slots are gained by levelling, as normal, but you never gain any "free NWP slots" just for levelling up. The NWPs you start with represent your knowledge base - they are the sum of your skills. However, this drawback is mitigated by two advantages.

First of all, most classes have a larger potential pool of NWPs to start with, depending on their Intelligence score. When creating a new character, you take your number of NWP slots and your number of bonus languages from Intelligence and add them together to get your "skill points". You can then spend freely from this pool to buy either NWPs or languages. It costs one point to speak a language and one point to read it - you get your native tongue (spoken only) for free, as well as any "special" languages like Arcane or Thieves' Cant.

Secondly, it is possible to study and learn new NWPs - just as it is with WPs. Although there are no NWP slots, new NWPs can be obtained just by learning and studying. The exact parameters of this learning and studying depend on the specific skill you are trying to aquire. Some skills, like Ancient History, could be obtained solely through independent study and research. Others, like Blacksmithing, are likely to require equipment and a mentor.

As a general rule of thumb, you can figure out how long an NWP will take to learn based on how many slots it would cost you. Don't forget to take into account the penalties for cross-class learning - it would cost 3 slots for a fighter to learn Astrology, for example. If you are trying to learn the proficiency without a teacher, master or mentor who already possesses the skill, add 1 to the cost.

You may then refer to the table below to see how long it will take to learn the NWP, based on your Intelligence. Bear in mind that only time spent studying counts towards this total; 1 day is considered to be equivalent to 8 hours of study, and 1 month is 30 days. It is possible for an adventurer to learn on the road, but this must be taken into account - if they can only spare 2 hours a day to study, it will take them 4 times as long.

Intelligence	Time per Slot
1-2	N/A
3	1 year
4-5	6 months
6-7	4 months
8-9	3 months
10-11	2 months
12-13	1 month
14-15	3 weeks
16-17	2 weeks
18	1 week
19+	1d6 days

Note that you do not need to have completely learned an NWP to make checks in it. In order to make a check for an NWP you're not fully proficient in, you must have completed at least one time period of study (i.e. if your INT is 8, you must have studied for 3 months). You can then make checks with a penalty equivalent to -4 for each period of study that remains. For example, a fighter learning Astrology (3 points) with an INT of 8 has been studying for 3 months. Two more slots remain to learn, so he can make Astrology checks at a -8 penalty.

Research

In some cases, you may find yourself with access to a considerable trove of lore - such as an ancient library or dwarven hall of records. With such reference texts on hand, it is possible to gain the effects of knowledge-based NWPs - such as Local History, Ancient History, and Religion - even if you do not have them. Alternatively, if you do already have the relevant NWP, access to a library can make your chances of finding out what you need to know significantly higher.

The time taken to research a subject or question, and the chances of success, can vary. Smaller collections are faster to peruse, but less likely to have the information you seek. Larger collections are more comprehensive, but may take a long time to go through. Note that there are some questions which will not require an NWP check - for example, anyone with the Local History(Vingaard) NWP would know the name of the Queen. In this case, the research time is still required to discover this information, but no check must be made.

Collection Size	Research Time	No Relevant NWP	Relevant NWP
Relevant Tome	1d6 turns	-8 penalty	+1 bonus
Assortment of Books	1d6 hours	-6 penalty	+2 bonus
Personal Collection	3d4 hours	-4 penalty	+3 bonus
Small Library	1d6 days	-2 penalty	+4 bonus
Large Library	1d20 days	no penalty	+5 bonus

Extensive familiarity with a corpus of books (i.e. it is your own personal collection or a library you have done significant research in before) will reduce the research time by half. Particularly well-organised libraries will have the same effect, although this does not stack. At the DM's discretion, special libraries (i.e. the domain of an dragon that has memorised every book) may require significantly less time.

Homebrew NWPs

Name	Score	Category
Alchemy	INT-3	Wizard
Astrology, Kyujitai	INT	Priest Wizard
Dragonlore	INT-2	Priest Wizard
Dreaming	WIS-4	Priest Wizard
Lore: Planar Race	INT - 4	Wizard
Ritual Magic	INT - 4	Priest Wizard

Alchemy

This is the Alchemy NWP, as detailed on the Alchemy page.

Astrology, Kyujitai

This proficiency incorporates the eastern schools of astrological divination, which are very different from those of Leng. Unlike western astrology, it is not used to predict the near future. Instead, it can be used to predict the complex flows and interchanges of cosmic energy in the universe. A successful Astrology check can provide indication of which kinds of spells will be more effective in the near future, as a result of the current state of yin and yang.

Dragonlore

Lore of dragons. Includes knowledge of the different types of dragons, their personalities and habitats, and other general information. Does not include knowledge of specific dragons; this is within the purview of history.

Dreaming

The difficult art of training oneself into forcing lucid dreams - during which you are fully aware and in command of your mental faculties. In Morus, where dreamers' minds travel to a place known only as The Dreamlands, this can have profound effects. A "dreaming", as it is known, requires an hour of meditation and preparation prior to sleep. The circumstances must also be correct; comfortable and without noise or distractions. Upon falling asleep, the dreamer must make an NWP check. If they succeed, they manage to initiate a lucid dream.

While travelling in the Dreamlands, lucid dreamers are "native travellers" - only their minds have taken a journey, not their bodies. While they can harm and be harmed by the denizens of dream, they cannot be permanently killed - anything that would do so will simply awaken them in a shock. The only deleterious effect such a dreamer will feel is a sense of fatigue the next day.

It is not possible for dreamers, no matter how skilled, to become "foreign travellers" and physically transport themselves to the Dreamlands. However, those who are especially skilled may find it possible to leave their own dreams and enter the Plains of Mist - possibly making their way to other dreams or even to the Ethereal Plane. Leaving their dream and every "crossover" they make thereafter requires an NWP check. As soon as one of these checks is failed, they immediately awaken and lose their progress.

Lore: Planar Race

This proficiency is specialised to a type of planar being. Common examples include modrons, aasimar, tanar'ri and baatezu. Characters with this proficiency can identify the different species of their chosen planar race (i.e. different ranks of baatezu), as well as their approximate abilities and purpose. More complex information, such as the habits, personality and rank of a particular type of devil, requires a proficiency check.

At the DM's option, characters who already have the Ritual Magic NWP (either during character creation or during play) who take this NWP can elect to learn the names (not true names) of 1d4 random planar creatures, making them easier to summon and bind.

Ritual Magic

Ritual magic is the art of scholarly magic, slow and complex compared to the spells cast by most wizards. For more information, see the page here.