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Simple question, for pathfinder is Cartography used as a skill classified as "craft " or "profession"?

For reference:

Craft Skill

Profession Skill

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2 Answers

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There is no official response, but it can actually be both a Craft and a Profession according to your interpretation.

Pathfinder SRD mentions neither one. Song and Silence (a product) contains the Royal Explorer prestige class whose prerequisites also list 8 ranks in Profession (cartographer).

It could be a Craft skill. Cartographers produce tangible items (maps) upon commission and earn money in selling them. Also, a masterwork map is a sound concept.
Pathfinder also lists calligraphy among the Craft skills; and it is a good relative of cartography.

It could also be a Profession skill. Cartography could include hiring explorers, being on the move and providing services beyond the actual map making. Someone already included it among Profession skills in his own home rules.

My own feeling is biased toward Craft (cartography) or Craft (map making) rather than Profession (cartographer).
As a side note, this is an example of what the D&D Next skill system is going to seamlessly address.

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+1. Also, which one you take it as would allow you to accomplish different things with it. Does the player want to e.g. make masterful maps, or have surveying abilities? – SevenSidedDie Jun 13 '12 at 16:18
I pretty much treat craft and profession skills as interchangeable. Profession(lumberjack) seems like a weird grey area, otherwise. – GMJoe Jun 14 '12 at 6:22
Craft is what I'll go for, after looking through the cartography guilds samples, especially the old maps, it's as much art as helpful geographical info; and for things like the Mappa Mundi even more so! This is will be supplimented with Knowledge skills and Survival, to both know about an area and do the physical mapping. – Rob Jun 15 '12 at 8:34
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If it's both, can they give each other synergy bonuses? – valadil Jun 18 '12 at 16:57
up vote 3 down vote

Craft: Cartography, Knowledge: Geography are the ways I would split it up. Cartography implies making the maps (thus accurately transferring to a chosen medium), where a character who is aware of the landscape would therefore have a knowledge. The skills would not be mutually inclusive but the DM could approve a synergy.

EDIT: I believe this covers the criteria since it is a specialized combination of painting and calligraphy which are both craft skills.

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This doesn't actually address why Cartography should be a craft skill rather than a profession skill. -1. – GMJoe Jun 15 '12 at 6:36
In my initial post is "Cartography implies making the maps (thus accurately transferring to a chosen medium)". I believe this covers the criteria since it is a specialized combination of painting and calligraphy which are both craft skills. – CatLord Jun 15 '12 at 17:28
In that making the map is generating a physical item, it would more aptly fit a craft – CatLord Jun 15 '12 at 17:31
I suggest you edit that into your answer, then. – GMJoe Jun 18 '12 at 4:09
Done and done. Edited in. – CatLord Jun 18 '12 at 16:52
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