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Kafana
2018-08-19, 04:33 AM
My next character will be an aquatic elf that spends most of her time on the surface, exploring marshes, forests, hills (near water).

I wish to have a craft skill which she can use to create trinkets for other PCs. These trinkets are pure fluff, and will be there for roleplaying purposes. Now, since she's been exploring the surface world for 5 years now, she can pick up carpentry or pottery to create small statutes which can be distributed among players.

However, is there any art form that would be better suited for an aquatic elf? Keep in mind that the materials need to be available on land.

Now, my goal is to find online pictures of these trinkets and print them out with a sentence or two to really hit it home. That being said, I need to be able to easily find these images, which is why clay, wood, or even stone can work.

Berenger
2018-08-19, 05:29 AM
I think carving would be nice. It works on land and under water. You don't need heavy tools. It works with many materials (wood, soft stone, coral, shell, bone) and you can offer to decorate bland mundane gear already carried by the party in addition to creating new stuff.

Erulasto
2018-08-19, 06:15 AM
I think carving would be nice. It works on land and under water. You don't need heavy tools. It works with many materials (wood, soft stone, coral, shell, bone) and you can offer to decorate bland mundane gear already carried by the party in addition to creating new stuff.

I agree with Berenger. Carving would be very appropriate. Carve a shark's tooth into a small pendant. Carve some driftwood into a pipe for the wizard. Carve some coral into a broach.

So many options!

BreaktheStatue
2018-08-19, 08:29 AM
If you want a real world example for inspiration, look up "scrimshaw." It's carving, as the others recommended, but specifically of ivory or whalebone. Very nautical.

LibraryOgre
2018-08-20, 12:17 AM
Scrimshaw is a great suggestion, but my tongue in cheek answer was "basket-weaving" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_basket_weaving). Like, in your situation, totally a useful skill that you picked up in the ocean and now apply on land... but with an amusing undercurrent of its idiomatic use.

Hand_of_Vecna
2018-08-20, 08:09 AM
Scrimshaw is a great suggestion, but my tongue in cheek answer was "basket-weaving" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_basket_weaving). Like, in your situation, totally a useful skill that you picked up in the ocean and now apply on land... but with an amusing undercurrent of its idiomatic use.

If you do this I insist you label the skill surface basket weaving.