Proficiencies: Sage Proficiencies

Sage proficiencies are a subset of Intellectual Proficiencies and are often required for the advancement of Talker or Sage family character classes. Introductory Topics confer general knowledge that may become useful during gameplay, but does not substantially boost a character's abilities. Introductory Topics are prerequisite for the study of Advanced Topics, which in turn are required for the study of Expert Topics. Expert-level Sage proficiencies confer significant bonuses upon learning. Many Advanced Topics are also proficiencies in the Practical category.   Introductory and Advanced Topics
Philosophers of any class may study any Sage Topics (except Architecture, Nautical Science, and Military Science)    

Introductory Topic (Prerequisite)	Advanced Topic	Proficiency Type	Also Available To
Animal Biology		Scholarship	Freelanders
(Animal Biology)	Humanoid Biology	Scholarship	Freelanders
(Animal Biology)	Monster Biology	Scholarship	Freelanders
Plant Biology		Scholarship	Freelanders
(Plant Biology)*	Herbalism	Scholarship (Sages only) or Wilderness	Freelanders
(Plant Biology)*	Agriculture/Botany	Scholarship (Sages only) or Civil	Freelanders
Languages (spoken)		Language, Scholarship, or Cultural	any
(any Language)	Rhetoric	Cultural	any except Freefolk Warrior*****
Literacy (any Language)		Scholarship	any
(Literacy)	Calligraphy	Cultural	any except Freefolk Warrior*****
Numeracy		Scholarship	any
Mathematics (Numeracy)		Scholarship	Agilists, Divines
(Mathematics)	Geometry	Scholarship	Agilists, Divines
(Mathematics)	Numerology	Scholarship	Agilists, Divines
Geology (Numeracy)		Scholarship or Wilderness	any
(Geology)	Minerology	Scholarship or Wilderness	any
(Geology)	Astronomy	Scholarship or Wilderness	any
Music Theory (Numeracy)		Cultural	any
(Music)**	Singing/Instruments	Cultural	any
(Music)**	Dance	Cultural	any
Theology (Literacy)		Scholarship	Knights, Talkers, Divines
(Theology)	Lore	Scholarship	Knights, Talkers, Divines
(Theology)	Religious Rites	Cultural	Knights, Talkers, Divines
History (Literacy)		Scholarship	Knights, Freelander Scouts, Agilists, Divines
(History or Heraldry)***	Geography	Scholarship or Wilderness	Knights, Freelanders, Agilists
(History)	Archaeology	Scholarship	Agilists, Divines
Physics (Literacy, Mathematics)		Scholarship	Divines
(Physics)****	Mechanics	Scholarship or Civil	Divines, Gnomes, Dwarves
(Physics)	Metaphysics	Scholarship	Divines

*Instead of spending 2 slots on Herbalism as a Practical prof, Sages spend 1 on Plant Biology and 1 on Herbalism or Agriculture as Intellectual profs. Other classes may learn Herbalism and Agriculture without Plant Biology, but it costs them 2 slots with or without.
**Prerequisite only for Agilists and Philosophers. Others may learn singing, one instrument, or the Dances of a region, either Court or Folk, for one prof slot, without knowledge of Music Theory; Philosophers and Agilists learn Music Theory first (1 slot) but then learn both the folk and court dances of a region for 1 prof slot.
***Prerequisite only for Agilists, Philosophers, and Knights. Freelanders may learn Geography independently through survey and communication with travellers.
****No prerequisite for Dwarves and Gnomes. Any class of Dwarf or Gnome may learn.
*****Freefolk Warriors may choose to learn Rhetoric and Calligraphy, but as soon as one of these proficiencies has been learned, they cease progress in their class and become a Fighter instead.  
Expert Topics
Expert topics require knowledge of quite a few other topics, so they are rarely pursued by anyone but Sages, although (with a few exceptions) they are open to all Philosophers. For Mages and any other class that can study an expert topic, each expertise costs a proficiency slot on top of the prerequisites. For Sages, however, completion of the required topics results in automatic awarding of the expertise.    

Expertise	Benefit	Proficiency Type	Requirements	Also Available To
Alchemy	allows concoction of level 1 potions, prerequisite for Metallurgy, Distillation	Scholarship	Metaphysics and 2 of Biology (any), Botany, Geology, Minerology, Numerology, Astronomy, Herbalism	Warlock, Shamanic Bard
Astrology	allows a bonus use of one Divination spell (up to level 3) per night under a clear sky	Scholarship	Astronomy, Numerology	Divines
Augury	allows a bonus use of one Divination spell (up to level 3) per day	Scholarship or Wilderness	Animal Biology, Theology	Divines
Commerce	Haggle as level 3 Merchant. Merchants: Haggle as 3 levels higher	Civil	Mathematics + 1 of Agriculture, Rhetoric, Geography, Archaeology	Agilists
Cosmology	cast all spells as +3 levels	Scholarship	Metaphysics, Astronomy, Numerology, Theology	any spell-caster
Cryptography	Read scrolls as 3 levels higher + Read Languages as level 3 Thief. Thieves: Read Languages as 3 levels higher	Scholarship	Calligraphy, Numerology	Agilists
Diplomacy	+1 Charisma	Cultural	3 of Religious Rites, Law, Rhetoric, Heraldry, History, Geography, Dance	Agilists, Knights
Divine Law	+1 Wisdom	Scholarship	Lore, Rhetoric	Divines, Holy Warriors
Law	+1 Intelligence	Scholarship or Civil	History, Rhetoric	Divines, Knights
Medicine	cast Necromantic spells as +3 levels	Civil	Humanoid Biology, Herbalism	Divines
Architecture	construct large dwellings,original designs, confers Elf-type detection in humanoid-made buildings	Civil	Mechanics, Geometry, Carpentry	only open to Clerks, Martial Advisors, and Mechanists, or Dwarves of any class
Military Strategy	-1 Attack Rating, +1" Command radius, required for Admiral or General	Scholarship or Civil	Physics, History, Signaling, Geography	Warriors
Military Science	required (with Carpentry) for building siege weapons and (with Shipbuilding) for building warships	Scholarship or Civil	History, Geography, Logic	only open to Sages, costs 1 proficiency slot except for Martial Advisors or Marshalls
Nautical Science	required (with Carpentry) for Shipbuilding proficiency	Scholarship or Civil	Geometry, Astronomy, Physics	only open to Sages, costs 1 proficiency slot except for Martial Advisors or Marshalls