Optimising the most helpful characters

Needs a little salt -wise is a classic example as it’s a starting wise for Halflings. The obvious use is cooking, but salt has many purposes (and more than one meaning!). In groups I have been in Needs a Little Salt-wise has been used to give advice on how to season a stew (Cooking skill), on the appropriate salt to use in alchemical concoction (Alchemist), on the amount of salt to add to turn water into brine for quenching, or what type of salt to use as flux for forge welding (Armourer), what types of salts have healing properties (Healer), and when a little bit of pointed complaining and pettiness might help a social interaction, or to help deal with a frustrating situation - ya know, getting salty! (Social skills and Recovery rolls for mental conditions)

Similarly broad wises that I have seen used in games;

Bearing Burdens- Wise: given to an old veteran who had experience in lugging a pack, maintaining roads and bridges, making sure armour straps distributed weight evenly and watching friends die in battle. Give advice on bearing burdens both physical and mental- great as a substitute for a character without Labourer to help many physical skills and as way to help with Recovery rolls.

Herb-wise: how many things have herbs?!

Dwarven Craft-wise: dwarfs make all sorts of things and obviously have unique dwarf-y ways that are better than whatever that other character just tried. Elven craft works as well in a similar manner

Dirty Tricks- Wise; pulling dirty tricks, avoiding dirty tricks, social tricks, fighting tricks, ambushes

Guerrilla warfare-wise: setting traps or ambushes, fighting larger forces or against a large foe, making hidden shelter or cache, hiding, passing through town unnoticed, locating local sympathizers

It is also important to keep in mind that wises are how a character accesses re-rolls, so there needs to be a consideration between being able to help the group and being able to get crucial rerolls. All characters can unlock labourer or scholar with just Beginners Luck rolls (as many as the character’s Nature Score), but wises are much harder to get. Having Battle Magic wise on an Elf or Wizard might be worth the loss of utility until they can open up labour so they can re-roll Destiny of Heroes and Simulacrum or their Nature tapped empowered Eldritch Darts!

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