Survival of the fittest (T|O)

[Tora Tsume]

SPOILER: Click to show

Direction Sense
Rank: "E"
Skill: Skill
Effect: There are people who always seem to know where they're going as if they had an inner compass.
Special:
Drawback: ---
Description: Can be learned by an Animal. There are people who always seem to know where they're going as if they had an inner compass. The character with this skill is just such a person. They have an innate sense about which direction is north, south, east, west, etc. They need no compass. They also can read the stats and use them to navigate by, although they know nothing about navigating on the seas. They can read signs as well, using such information as the direction a river flows or which side a tree moss is growing on, in order to get a sense of where they are. Look in Task Skills thread found in the Skills and Traits Index for more information. Each time learned user gets 2 die roll to increase the skill.
Limit: ---

0/5

There was much beauty to be seen in the world. A lot of trees growing, a lot of animals enjoying life and nature. Mountains spreading all across the land. Sun shining in between the trees and the birds chirping. A lot of beauty indeed. Such was not the case in the land of Water. The swampy lands didn't allow much vegitation to grow. Nor did the damp air contribute to anything except for the swamps which were slowly filling up the country's soil. Moreover, the animals were not a sight of beauty, most of them deadly and adapted to the specific enviornment in this land.

There was a good side to it. It was the perfect place to obtain some necessary survival skills this particular Genin would use in the upcoming Chunin Exam. Walking away from the village, Tora made sure he left up some marks on the trees he passed, carving up a specific mark at the base of the tree, so that he'd know where to look and so that others wouldn't find their way to his village as easily. He made sure he was in the wilderness, and once there decided to run in some more, just to try and see how lost he could get himself. After all, if he was lost, it'd be a wonderful start to his direction training.

Once he made sure he had no clue where he was he began practicing his direction sense. One of the most important things he had to remember was some basic physical logic. Unless he was under the effects of some Genjutsu, the world still worked as it did before, and the sun always rised at the East and set at the West. It was never located at the North. So, in order to find the North and according to it determine the direction he had to turn in order to get back to the villae, Tora had to look at the sun.

Since it was mid day, the sun was at the South, which only left Tora with the direction opposite where the sun was located. It was what determined North, or at least the general direction. With that determined, he could find himself going in the correct general direction - pretty good for a novice.

[KoKoKo]

+5 tp
+12 sp

narutoforumrp.proboards.com/thread/103073/skill-training-rolls?page=37#scrollTo=944676

[Tora Tsume]

12/125 SP

Knowing the direction for Noth was good. It provided a lot of information and actually helped understanding the overall idea of navigation. However, it really wasn't such good idea to know the General direction for Noth, which wouldn't bring Tora any closer to the village, especially if he was in a slightly wrong angle and quite a distance from it, which eventually would result in a huge detour and maybe even sent him too far from the actual direction. There was more to be learned.

To determine the correct direction for the North, a different methed should be taken. The damp air in the Water country was a rather common thing. It especially helped develop swamps and grew all sorts of weird vegetation all around. One of the things especially easy to notice was the moss, which grew on almost every tree in the deep forest. It wasn't much information for those unaware of the tiny detail it provided which saved many lives and thus documented in a lot of places.

The moss grew only on one specific side of the tree, which drove a lot of people to question whether the location is specific or if it's random. Upon some research, it was discovered it grows on the North side of the trees. Wonderful! A great way to see and determine the direction he had to turn to in order to find his village. Find North and you're all set. Noticing it wasn't too difficut and allowed Tora to easily deduce where's the direction of North.

[Father 'Suke]

+5 TP
+14 SP
26|125

Note: Please put at least what you are training. The name itself if a continuation of a skill immediately prior helps.

[Tora Tsume]

SPOILER: Click to show

Direction Sense - 26/125 SP

Moss on trees was helpful. It was especially helpful in such a country as a water country. However, it wouldn't be the same for the other countries. If he were, for example, to travel to a rocky area, or a desert, it would prove to be difficult to find such a tree with moss growing on it. So, that strategy was helpful in his own backyard, in his own beloved country, that provided plenty of trees with plenty of moss. Another little trick should be helpful if he were in a different environment.

Since he already knew where North was, due to the moss, it would provide a helpful little cheat to let him see whether he understood everything correctly and give him feedback on his learning. It would also allow Tora to see if he was correct, adjust his learning and try something else. Each time, he would be able to find North with the moss and each time find out if his deductions were right or not.

This time, Tora wanted to try another technique using the sun. The sun moved from East to West. The shadow of anything would move in the opposite direction. So, if he was to stick a knife in the ground, mark the shadow, wait and then mark it again, by connecting the dots, he'd create the West to East line. Next, by drawing a diagonal line, he would have the South to North line. Only thing left to determine was the directions. So, since North was 90 degrees to the right of the West arrow, all he had to do was mark it.

With all that determined, all that was left was to actually do it. And so he did. Placing the knife, marking the shadow, waiting, marking again and he had all four directions drawn on the ground.

[Father 'Suke]

+5 TP
+6 SP
32|125

[Tora Tsume]

SPOILER: Click to show

Direction Sense 32/125 SP

To completely master a skill of any sort, one would have to practice. To simply determine directions was nice. It was helpful even. But it was all wasted if he couldn't find his way back and return to his village. Or at least to a familliar point he recognized, which in turn would give him enough validation that he in fact had the correct directions set and followed. Moreover, it would say a lot about his ability to adjust and survive when lost.

First, he had to determine where was the village, or the tree he initially marked was located. Then, he would have to see in what general direction he went, so he could go the opposite way and find it. To make the task even more difficult, he got himself so lost he didn't really go in one direction. This meant that before he could even retrace his steps, he would need to see where he initially went according to his memory and thus confirm his sense of direction, or at least see if he could determine where he went.

Thinking back, he determined that he went out of the East exit, and went forward for a while. Then at a certain point he went off the road and into the forest. He turned left, which meant that if he was facing East, he was then facing North. It went like that for a while, and soon enough Tora was able to retrace his steps completely up untill reaching his current point. All that was left was to actually go back.

[Father 'Suke]

+5 TP
+6 SP
38|125

[Tora Tsume]

SPOILER: Click to show

Direction Sense - 38/125 TP

His directions were set. He had succesefully menaged to retrace his steps back to the village. Now, all he had to do is actually go there and see if he could find his way home. If it was to work, great, he'd have a stronger understanding of the direction sense. If it was to fail, then he'd have to practice some more and try to get a deeper grasp on it all. Pretty much, he had a plan of action even if he was lost, which would be somewhat entertaining, especially after all the hard thinking he did.

He headed South, heading to the main road. By determining that the main road leading to the village was in fact hidden and not on the main road at all, it wasn't easy to find. However, the main road did in fact had it's adventages, since it was somehow connected to the village after all. The main adventage the road had, was that all the little rivers inside the water country eventually intersected with it. If he was to combine that fact with the direction water flowed, he'd easily find his way to the  main road and achieve another way to determine directions.

Since water flowed from a higher point to a lower point, all he had to do was think about the country's geography and determine where the water would flow. Since the most logical point for the road to intersect the river was in the middle of the country, he decided to go downstream, which would bring him to the correct spot, considering his general initial location. If he was wrong, all he had to do was go the other way. A win-win.

[Father 'Suke]

+5 TP
+8 SP
46|125

[Tora Tsume]

SPOILER: Click to show

Direction Sense 46/125 SP

His idea worked well. He in fact found his way to the main road, thus making it known that he in fact had the right intuition when it came to directions. However, he still wasn't satisfied. Rivers, were once again a trait mostly the Water country had. He wanted something a little more general. Other places, perhaps a bit less damp than that forest wouldn't have moss on the trees or a river to run into. He wanted something more sufficient. Perhaps some animals left clues? Something of an indication?

Thinking back, animals were very direction oriented. They have this inner compass. Birds migrate and know where to fly. Deer tend to make their way to the west, or east, or something. But to wait for migration season or to go find a deer would be too much trouble. He wanted something more sufficient and common. Luckily, there was just that! Insects! These fuckers were everywhere! In every country there they were, boasting about their tiny bodies and annoying sounds. Insects were the answer.

Looking at trees, ants would usually build their tunnels at the south side of a tree, thus marking it as a good place to get directions from. To support this, all Tora had to do was find an ant tunnel by a tree and look for moss on the other side. If he were succesful, he'd gain another point of knowledge and perhaps even enough to satisfy his hunger before the dreaded Chunin exams.

[Father 'Suke]

+5 TP
+13 SP
59|125

[Tora Tsume]

SPOILER: Click to show

Observation
Rank: "E"
Skill: Skill
Effect: This skill focuses certain powers of observation - sight, smell, hearing, and touch.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Can be learned by an Animal. A failed check indicates that the character is oblivious until the thing is pointed out to him. This skill is important for ferreting out advancing enemies or ambushes, generally real-time events and actions occurring, versus scrutiny, which covers static objects or areas. A Game Master may roll an Observation skill check for a Character any time there is an NPC, monster, event or happening that a character might notice, even if he did not specifically state that he is monitoring his surroundings. Characters are capable of noticing any event within their perception. Observation reveals only facts, not motivation. Each time learned user gets 1 die roll to increase the skill. If you are Schooled in Anthropology you gain a +10% synergy bonus with Observation checks that involve noticing disguise checks.
Limit: ---

0/5 TP
0/125 SP
[Note: I have a book that grants me an additional dice roll]

SPOILER: Click to show

Book: Textbook: Volume XIV: Mental Acumen
Rank: "S"
Type: Main, Book, Reference
Effect: Volume XIV of The Encyclopedia of Loremaster Linus Winterguest pertaining to Analytical skills.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Page Count: 680 pages. This book has the two-fold purpose of teaching the fundamentals of HOW to study, as well as making the reader more aware. It grants a -30 Competence Bonus to Evidence Analysis checks, and a -10 Competence Bonus to Observation. Moreover, once a person has read this book, he or she can add an Additional Die roll each time they learn these Skills.
Limit: These items may be bought inside any Special Book Shop. 5% chance finding.
Cost: 50,000 Ryo

---

In all honesty, Tora was pretty much ready for the Chunin exam as far as directions went. If he'd see a map he would probably find his way to the target. Problem was sensing any kind of danger approaching. He had to develop some observational skills that would allow him to analyze data and collect clues about the area around him. He had to listen, see, analyze and notice details in order to become proficient in that particular area. So, in order to do that, he had no choice but to try and train it.

The best way to begin such training is simply by observing, surprisingly enough. Since he was in a forest, information was all around him, all he had to do was look. To train his observational skills, Tora first decided to listen, after all, if he were to try and look around he'd probably notice the unimportant things. So, it was best to begin with something less obvious, like listening, which in turn would help him develop a sense of sorts and an intuition when it came to identifying sounds and such.

Closing his eyes, Tora listened, hearing the sounds of the forest, trying to see if he could catch something out of the ordinary. He took in a deep breath and focused, hearing something aside from the wind. A sort of cracking sound, perhaps old wood, and the flow of water. In order to understand it better, the Genin decided to take a look in his book, see if he could actually see something there that would help. Reaching under his cloak and taking it out, he opened a referance page, assesing all sorts of sounds. Since he was in a muddy area, the sound he heard probably came from the river nearby and some movement occuring in the tree, perhaps some squirel or something.

Of course, Tora wasn't yet trained to identifying animals by sound alone, but that's why he practiced!

[Father 'Suke]

+5 TP
+5 SP
5|125

Note: You must first read the book, generally in the same manner as the grimoire to receive said bonuses.

[Tora Tsume]

SPOILER: Click to show

Observation 5/125 SP

Listening was working out well. The Genin began to slowly understand the tiny little differances in each scream or song of the birds around him. The forest seemed alive, and he could hear it in detail. He could not yet understand what sound related to which creature, which was annoying. To do that, he had to first see the creature, understand it's sound and then see if he was right. The idea behind it was simply to allow himself to train identifying certain creatures.

Closing his eyes, he listened to his enviornment. It wasn't too hard to hear the dominant sound in the forest, and it was easy to focus on it. He focused on this specific noise, this pitch in the air. Some sort of parrot perhaps? Following the sound, making his way towards it, listening intently, Tora looked up, once he was too close to ignore it. Opening his eyes, Tora could hear it, a crying baby? No, something else! An animal! He looked around, trying to see where it came from, trying to identify the source.

Looking around, scanning the sights he saw, trying to see and notice movement, or perhaps catch a glimps of the animal. Eventually he saw it. A fox. It was small, and white, screetching and screaming, sounding just like a crying infant, and yet it looked so pretty. It wasn't calling for anyone, and once the animal noticed Tora as well he began running away, and of course Tora let him, gaining a valuable piece of information.

"So...The fox says 'Wahh'?" He asked himself with the chuckle, gaining an answer to 'What does the fox say?'

[N A T S U M I]

+8 SP
+5 TP
13|125

[Tora Tsume]

SPOILER: Click to show

Observation 13/125 SP

With the dominant of sounds running away from him, Tora decided to begin focusing on the more easily avoided sounds, something that should help him developping a better listening sense and eventually optimize his observational skills. To do that, he had to once again shut his eyes and focus on the other sounds around him, on everything in his vacinity, trying to find the slightest of sounds, guess the source and perhaps locate it - which would help when listening to it in the future.

Along with the sounds of the forest, Tora could hear something else. Perhaps something that shouldn't have been there. Nature being the dominant sound around him, finding and locating such a sound was already a testament for his growing skill. To hear the sounce of a cart rolling wasn't something Tora would expect in the jungle of the Water country, especially so deep in it. He slowly walked towards the noise, hearing the whells spinning, there was no mistaking it, it was a cart, perhaps a slow moving one. Was someone lost?

At any rate, to confirm his suspicions, Tora followed the faint sound in the background, looking around himself, trying to locate it. No matter how close her got, he just couldn't pinpoint the location, not to mention the sound even grew weaper at some point. Deciding to give up, Tora fell along side a tree, looking up. That's when he noticed it, a parrot, mimicking the sound the cart was making from afar. At least he wasn't wrong - sort of...

[Father 'Suke]

+5 TP
+9 SP
22/125

[Tora Tsume]

SPOILER: Click to show

Observation 22/125 SP

The parrot was amusing, although pretty rare. Tora decided to try and see if he could notice other things. Since the parrot listened to a cart and imitated it's sound, it was likely there was a road nearby, perhaps even a residance of sorts. Tora decided to search and find clues of such a hypothesis, by observing and noticing the environment around him and perhaps noticing some sort of clue that would bring him to such a location.

Looking around him, Tora didn't see anything especially different with the forest. However, he still decided to try and look deeper. After all, if you look for something, you're probably going to find it. Thus, in no time, Tora felt something was wrong. The vegitation around him wasn't as glorious and rich as the one surrounding the village. He also noticed the path he took was surprisingly easy to walk on, even though he was supposed to be in the middle of a forest.

It all concluded pretty well when Tora noticed something different. A leaf covering up a sign, pointing somewhere and having a name of some village written on it. It was probably a road that wasn't optimal for travel which meant no one walked it, so the plantation grew and covered it up. It also provided a clue that there was in fact a village nearby, and even gave the young Genin a name to work with. Though he couldn't really bother himself with the name. Oh well...

[Father 'Suke]

+5 TP
+8 SP
30|125