Ancient History (Proficiency)

==Player's Handbook==
The character has learned the legends, lore, and history of some ancient time and place. The knowledge must be specific, just as a historian would specialize today in the English Middle Ages, the Italian Renaissance, or the Roman Republic before Caesar. (The DM either can have ancient periods in mind for his game or can allow the players to name and designate them.) Thus, a player character could know details about the Age of Thorac Dragonking or the Time of the Sea-Raiders or whatever else was available.
The knowledge acquired gives the character familiarity with the principal legends, historical events, characters, locations, battles, breakthroughs (scientific, cultural, and magical), unsolved mysteries, crafts, and oddities of the time. The character must roll a proficiency check to identify places or things he encounters from that age. For example, Rath knows quite a bit about the Coming of the Trolls, a particularly dark period of dwarven history. Moving through some deep caverns, he and his companions stumble across an ancient portal, sealed for untold ages. Studying the handiwork, he realizes (rolls a successful proficiency check) that it bears several seals similar to those he has seen on "banned" portals from the time of Angnar, doorways to the legendary realm of Trolhel.
==Player's Option: Skills & Powers==
Characters with this proficiency are familiar with the legends, rulers, and writings of a specific historical period in the campaign world. They will recognize, without a proficiency check, items, scrolls, artwork, etc. of that period. They will know the main historical figures, such as kings and powerful villains, and the major circumstances of those individuals' lives and deaths. With a successful proficiency check they will recall lesser figures, such as lords, knights, and heroes, and recall legendary tales, important sigils, and perhaps be able to decipher a small bit of text, symbols, or hieroglyphics. The obscure knowledge trait provides a +3 to this character's proficiency rating.
==Campaign Option: Council of Wyrms Setting==
The dragon learns the legends, lore, and history of an ancient time and place, including principle legends, events, characters, locations, battles, breakthroughs (scientific, cultural, and magical), unsolved mysteries, crafts, and oddities of the times. Common specific topics of knowledge are the founding of the Council of Wyrms and various historical periods in the Io's Blood chain. Hatchlings can't select this proficiency. 
==Shaman==
For tribal shamans, this proficiency always centers on the spirits whom the community reveres. Tribal shamans with this proficiency, upon making a successful check, receive +10% to the chance that a spirit is "home" when they attempt to contact it.
For other shamans, the history proficiencies operate as normal, although any shaman may choose to specialize in lore about the spirits.
Category:Player's Handbook Proficiencies