Skills and Expertise
High Expertise (11+ Ranks)
L I S T E N
Caelus possesses a keen ear and seems to maintain a continual, low-key awareness of himself and his surroundings. He's not so fine-tuned as to be able to detect, for example, a pin drop upon carpeted flooring; but he
can often pick up things folks say nearby at low volume, thinking they're unheard, and he has foiled more than one ambush against himself or his men on hearing a snapped twig or a weapon rattle.
L O R E : H I S T O R Y
Caelus values few things higher than the lessons of the past. In fact, it is fair to say that this is his area of academic specialization, with a practical focus on military history (including tactics and strategy). Not only did history inform his career leading up to his time at Candlekeep, but Caelus's primary goal on the Sword Coast is to record its recent history of the region for future generations.
L O R E : R E L I G I O N
As a priest, Caelus naturally has a strong grasp on theological matters. He is, of course, best informed on the subject of Oghma -- his own deity -- and the Church of Oghma -- of which he is a member. But he has a working knowledge of the other faiths of Faerûn, as well, and a better-than-average understanding of the various gods and their dogmas and holy days.
S E N S E - M O T I V E
Intuitive by nature, Caelus can usually get a feel for the emotional status or motives of others. Like many priests, he is used to acting as counselor and confidante to the faithful, and an important skill in this respect is recognizing when someone wants to say something -- but needs to be led into saying it. He is no "human lie detector," though, and his trusting nature often leads him to ignore his gut when it's telling him not to trust someone at their word.
S P E L L C R A F T
Nothing shifts the situation on a battlefield more quickly than spells -- whether they're cast by one's allies or by one's foes. Although he is not an arcanist himself, Caelus has learned to identify most spells so that he can quickly react to them, whether it means adjusting tactics in response to his friends, or finding ways to minimize the damages of his enemies.
S P O T
Caelus has sharp eyes, capable of seeing in the dark and picking up detail -- especially movement -- from an impressive distance. Although he wears reading glasses from time to time, it seems unlikely it's the result of failing eyesight. Unless his vision is less keen up close?
T U M B L E
Caelus is an excellent wrestler: Agile and swift -- but strong. Like many priests of Oghma, his preference for wrestling over more traditional weapons of war is in honor of his god, but he has also found that it assists him in his travels. People are less likely to distrust an unarmed man than one who looks like a threat. By going unarmed and relying on subdual combat, he more quickly wins trust, and, through trust, the truth from people.
U S E - M A G I C - D E V I C E
Knowledge comes in many forms, but regardless of its form, much knowledge is protected by or hidden by magic. While he's no wizard, himself, Caelus has learned a number of arcane tricks and shortcuts to assist him in bypassing magical securities and activating magical devices so as to retrieve the knowledge behind them.
Moderate Expertise (5-10 Ranks)
C O N C E N T R A T I O N
Many years of meditation and prayer have given Caelus focus and a steady concentration. He has not made a high art of it, as do some mages and monks, who meditate deeply and can even mentally block out pain -- but he is capable of dedicating himself to tasks without distraction.
D I P L O M A C Y
Although he is a strategist, not a mediator, Caelus is still quite apt at diplomacy. He is naturally patient, and seems to strive for and care about finding middle grounds and winning compromises. The only thing that keeps him from being a true ambassadorial personality is his pride and stubbornness, and his moral unwillingness to rely on deception or false promises.
H E A L
Caelus relies on the blessings of his god for healing the most serious injuries, but he still has a fundamental knowledge of the healing arts, including herbalism, battlefield medicine, longer-term wound care, dealing with sickness (from heat stroke to head colds), and very basic surgery (such as sewing sutures). He is no doctor, and he certainly can't compete with the priests of Ilmater, but he is usually a good source of comfort for the Avowed at Candlekeep when the infirmary is busy.
L O R E : A R C A N A
One does not deal long with the scholars of Candlekeep before realizing that magic and magical lore is a big part of many of their lives. While Caelus considers magic only a small part of the vast realm of Oghma's knowledge, he has made sure to make a study of it, realizing that for all practical purposes, most adventurers seeking him out for wisdom will have magical inquiries as or more often than they will have inquiries about historical events or farming techniques.
L O R E : L O C A L
Knowledge of local factions, personalities, shops and taverns, streets and laws, have all served Caelus tremendously well in his travels around the region. In his quest to write a recent history of the Sword Coast, knowledge of local celebrities, important organizations, and events has proven instrumental. While still relatively new to the region, this is one area he is currently heavily focused on improving.
L O R E : N A T U R E
The natural world has always fascinated Caelus, and, truth be told, he feels more at peace in rural or wild environments than he does in big cities. Many nights sleeping under the moon, either by necessity or by preference, have taught him a great deal about a fascinating world that's usually so hidden from the people in the cities.
L O R E : T H E - P L A N E S
As a devotee of a god of travel, Caelus is somewhat familiar with the planes and planar travel. His own experience with planeswalking is fairly limited, however, mostly relying on short-term transdimensional movement and summoning spells. He is certainly more knowledgeable and experienced than your average person, but there are a number at Candlekeep who are experts in this field, and so he will normally point all but the most general of inquiries towards them.
S U R V I V A L
Caelus has likely spent more time out on the road and in the wilds than he has in comfortable temples and cities. As a result of these travels, he has learned to survive -- and, indeed, thrive -- in a variety of environments. While he is no ranger or woodsman, he seems like he's in his element when he's stationed at a campfire outside of a tent.
Low Expertise (1-4 Ranks)
A P P R A I S E
Caelus has no formal training in mercantile matters, and tends to simply accept a posted price. He can generally tell a valuable object from a worthless one, but when it comes to getting the "right" price for it, he's usually playing the guessing game.
C R A F T : A L C H E M Y
While Caelus has some training in the apothecary arts, his training in other matters of an alchemical nature are passing at best. He can potentially identify a potion, poison, or alchemical substance, but that's about the limits of his skills: He has no talent for brewing potions or creating alchemical objects of his own.
C R A F T : A R M O R
Having spent many years traveling with various mercenary companies, Caelus knows his pauldrons from his sabotons, but simply being familiar with armor does not mean he can make it. At best, he can equip it, adjust it, maintain it, and maybe bang out the worst of a dent. He'd point you towards a forge for anything beyond that.
C R A F T : T R A P
Caelus can fashion basic hunting snares and trip-lines, but that's about the limit of his art as a trapsmith. He has just enough understanding of the way that traps work that he might be able to spot them, but he would not feel confident in disabling them or reproducing them.
C R A F T : W E A P O N
Given his background in waging war, Caelus is familiar with many weapons: But he's not familiar with their repair or creation. He can polish a sword and maintain a longbow during a rain, but the only weapons he can "make" are improvised weapons like sticks and stones.
H I D E
Caelus's only experience with hiding is waiting in ambush, which is more an effort in preparing a surprise than truly practicing stealth. He is no ghost, capable of fading into crowds or shadows, and it's not really in his nature to hide, either.
L O R E : A R C H I T E C T U R E - A N D - E N G I N E E R I N G
Caelus knows a post from a lentil, and has some basic foundational knowledge in military engineering (such as siege engines, sapping, and erecting fortifications), but he is not a professional architect or builder, and it quickly shows if you try to quiz him on these matters.
L O R E : G E O G R A P H Y - A N D - A S T R O N O M Y
A traveler, Caelus knows a good deal of trivia about various places around the continent -- but when it comes to cartography and astro-navigation, he is ill-equipped to assist others. He can read a map, but he can't make a (good) map. And if you want the name of a specific star, he's going to have to look it up.
L O R E : N O B I L I T Y - A N D - R O Y A L T Y
As a mercenary-priest and tactician, Caelus worked for many noble families. He knows the proper courtesies and titles, but that's about it. He is no Herald of the Realms, and he'd have a hard time telling one noble family from another by their coat of arms -- unless it's one he's specifically familiar with. He might be able to tell you who the Grand Dukes of Baldur's Gate are (Lore: Local), but he probably couldn't name more than one or two of the noble families of Waterdeep or Cormyr.
M O V E - S I L E N T L Y
Caelus knows how to move silently, and sometimes practices light footfalls when hunting or planning an ambush, but he is definitely nobody's ninja master. Going without armor helps him immensely in this field, but he is not noiseless in the night, and would still raise a ruckus crossing any challenging terrain, such as a field of high grasses or a floor strewn with glass.
O P E N - L O C K
Caelus knows how locks work, mechanically, and can even manage to manipulate low-quality locks into opening without the key, but anything beyond very basic locking mechanisms leave him scratching his head -- and considering a sledge hammer.
P A R R Y
Since he typically fights unarmed, and unarmored, Caelus prefers to dodge attacks over blocking or parrying them. He understands how the parry maneuver works, though, and can even teach the basics of swordplay to others despite his not using a sword himself. But against a true master of the sword, his own fencing would quickly falter.
P E R F O R M
Oghma is a god of music, and, as a priest of Oghma, Caelus has studied music. He is not especially good at it, but he can sing and carry a simple beat on the drums and other basic instruments. He can also "perform" in the sense of oratory performance, giving sermons and speeches.
S E A R C H
Caelus is a researcher, and is better at searching the insides of books than at searching for traps or hidden doors. He has a general idea that these things exist, but as he's not an adventurer by trade, he doesn't have much experience with searching for them (or identifying their tell-tale signs).
S L E I G H T - O F - H A N D
Caelus actually has some basic practice with sleight of hand. He can sequester away things that people aren't actively paying attention to, and he can do a few simple tricks, like "got your nose," the removing your thumb trick, and even the
famed "what's behind your ear? A gold coin!" trick. But he can't really juggle or pick pockets or do anything more complicated than that.
No Expertise (Untrained)
B L U F F
Caelus actively disapproves of spreading gossip and rumors, and deliberately avoids putting himself into situations where he might be tempted to tell a lie. Oghma
is a god of trickery, and his followers are not beyond the occasional bit of mischief, but Caelus is no Sharran, and neither he nor his Church approve of actively deceiving people or falsifying ideas. This naturally makes him a pretty terrible liar.
D I S A B L E - D E V I C E
As a military strategist, Caelus understands the important of sabotage, but he is not personally very good at it. He's more likely to spring a trap than disable one, and he doesn't have enough background knowledge to disable complicated engineering. At best, he can use brute force methods to block doors and break machinery.
E S C A P E - A R T I S T
Caelus's preferred method of escaping is not to be caught in the first place. If he is tied up or grappled, he has no special techniques or means of escaping beyond those available to others similarly untrained, such as magic or brute force.
I N T I M I D A T E
Kind and gentle, soft-spoken and always smiling, Caelus doesn't cut an especially intimidating figure. Anyone who knows anything about him is liable to understand that he doesn't have the stomach for torture or brutality. He's just not very scary at the end of the day, at least not in terms of his likeliness to cause you direct physical harm.
S E T - T R A P
In the same way that he lacks the ability to really lie or intimidate, Caelus doesn't have much skill with setting traps. He can do some basic hunting traps (under the Survival skill), and he knows how to lay an ambush as a trained tactician, but physically placing complicated traps? He leaves that to the scouts and the rogues. He'd just lose a finger if he tried to do it himself.
T A U N T
"That was a great try, keep practicing!" "I'm surprised you're so good at this, I thought you were just a bandit! I'll have to take you more seriously here!" These are the sorts of taunts that Caelus is capable of. Sometimes they annoy people if they sound disingenuous to their ears, but as far as intentionally inviting an aggressive response that he can then take advantage of? Caelus is no good at using taunts as traps.
