SUGGESTION: Hydrologist Specialty

I want to propose the addition of Hydrologist to the available specialties for the Naturalist trade.

I understand that "health of the waterways" is mentioned briefly as part of the Fisher specialty's skillset, but I feel that hydrology is an interesting enough study to warrant its own specialty under the Naturalist trade.  My interpretation of wolves interested in achieving Master Baiter Fisher are wolves whose main focus is to acquire food for the pack — they simply happen to get that food from the water and therefore pay more attention to waterways than most.  The focus is on the prey and not solely on the habitat.

I think Hydrologist would be nice because, like Geologist and Botanist, it focuses on a vast amount of things.  People would be able to get threads for their mastery in so many different ways!  Future packs that might take place on locations like Wheeling Gull Isle, Blackwater Islands, and Turtle Island are going to need plausible ways to find freshwater in order to survive.  For example, some islands are completely uninhabited and barren because there's no way to sustain life.  I did a ton of research before settling on Wheeling Gull Isle as a territory I wanted and checked what kinds of water sources would occur on an island that small.  It was so interesting to me!  I bet there are other people who are just as dorky as I am.  ♥

Plus, Hydrologist is a specialty that does not fit in with other specialties but could work so well with them.  There is some overlap, which is nice; I know I enjoyed flexibility when deciding to go Warrior or Guardian with Cypress, and sparring threads fit both ways.  So if an aspiring Meteorologist wants to examine rainfall or try to clock it somehow, an aspiring Hydrologist could also use the thread for trade mastery.  I checked out this link for some other ideas of possible trade threads and thought many of them sounded cool.

I hope you will consider this addition, though I'm not sure what it would entail as far as coding and stuff goes.

Iris did this for her Jester post, so I'm not sure if it's required for suggestions, but just in case:

@Towhee @Gannet @Valette @Earthsea @Dune

I love this idea so much! Selfishly this would work for Catori so I would vote for it xD

I feel that Hydrologist is too specific, but I can get behind the reasons you suggested it. I've thought before that we need something akin to a biologist. So that's why I would like to counter your proposal: I think that something like Ecologist would better suit our system. :)

I feel that Hydrologist is too specific, but I can get behind the reasons you suggested it. I've thought before that we need something akin to a biologist. So that's why I would like to counter your proposal: I think that something like Ecologist would better suit our system. :)

Yeah! 

Psst, WWS had a simillar co-rank, Seaguard or Coastguard or something? Wish I remembered what it was called, but it was basically a less specific version of what is proposed here. Was a Nautical co rank.

I feel that Hydrologist is too specific, but I can get behind the reasons you suggested it. I've thought before that we need something akin to a biologist. So that's why I would like to counter your proposal: I think that something like Ecologist would better suit our system. :)

Yeah! 

Psst, WWS had a simillar co-rank, Seaguard or Coastguard or something? Wish I remembered what it was called, but it was basically a less specific version of what is proposed here. Was a Nautical co rank.

We definitely had a lifeguard one! I remember the little lifesaver icon, it was so cute! :)

Edit:

i love this idea! ecologist would make a really interesting skillset with how diverse the environments in the teekons are. (& lowkey, lifeguard would be cool as hell too)

bay watch WOLF edition

corinna volunteers

I love the idea of an ecologist! <-- wikipedia link. That would work really well across the board. :D

That's a great idea, @Towhee!  Perhaps Ecologist might also encompass/replace Geologist, since that one carries the same level of specificity as Hydrologist?  It would definitely work for wolves in a variety of biomes!  ^^

Plus, Ecologist sounds prettier than Hydrologist.  Hahaha.

That's a great idea, @Towhee!  Perhaps Ecologist might also encompass/replace Geologist, since that one carries the same level of specificity as Hydrologist?  It would definitely work for wolves in a variety of biomes!  ^^

Plus, Ecologist sounds prettier than Hydrologist.  Hahaha.

Yeah, I think that's a valid point. I'm not sure we have any Geologists in the game at present? We could also roll geology into the Botanist specialty (if y'all feel that makes sense?).

I'm not sure how geology (study of rocks and soil) would fit into botany (study of plants) at all, but would support seeing it rolled into something like Ecologist along with hydrology, since they are somewhat related. I pursued geology for 2 seconds with Burr before realizing that there just isn't enough for a wolf to do with rocks to really make a whole trade out of it, so combining it into something else would be a good move for it!

I had that problem with Nova too - she was interested in rocks and classifying them (geodes / common / gemstones, ect) but.....there's really only so much to be done with it. It just wasn't a sustainable trade to carry. I think lumping them in together might be better - Ecologist would give a wider set of options.

The closest I got with Geologist was having Screech eat rocks, but that only lasted so long before it stopped being funny.
It isn't like rocks are that important to wolves either! Maybe gems, but then you'd likely need a mountain-based pack / character and like, what's even the point of identifying rocks? :P

I'm not sure how geology (study of rocks and soil) would fit into botany (study of plants) at all, but would support seeing it rolled into something like Ecologist along with hydrology, since they are somewhat related.

Fair enough.

We'll see about incorporating these suggestions.

I'm not sure how geology (study of rocks and soil) would fit into botany (study of plants) at all, but would support seeing it rolled into something like Ecologist along with hydrology, since they are somewhat related. I pursued geology for 2 seconds with Burr before realizing that there just isn't enough for a wolf to do with rocks to really make a whole trade out of it, so combining it into something else would be a good move for it!

this is what I wanted to say but like 1000% better than how I would have said it