Dungeons and Dragons character creation, AD&D 2nd edition character creation, Skills: nonweapon and weapon proficiency

Scribe (Physical 1, Dexterity/Aim +1) — Before printing came into common use, professional scribes created books by copying manuscripts. Even after printing presses were in widespread use, scribes were in demand for their calligraphy and the quality of their illuminated (or illustrated) pages. A character with this skill is familiar with a scribe's techniques for preparing pages and working both swiftly and accurately. This is an invaluable skill for a wizard; with a successful skill check, the character gains a +5% bonus to any rolls he must make in order to copy or transcribe a spell into his spell book or onto a scroll.
Seamstress/Tailor (Mental 1 or Physical 1, Intelligence/Knowledge -1, Dexterity/Aim -1) — The character can sew and design clothing. He can also do all kinds of embroidery and ornamental work. Although no skill check is required unless the character wishes to create a truly masterful work, the character must have at least needle and thread to work.
A character with this skill can use it to make padded armor on a successful skill check.
Racial modifiers: A dwarf is penalized by -5% when using this skill. Halflings receive a +5% bonus when using this skill.
Shipwright (Mental 1, Intelligence/Knowledge -2) — The character with this skill is knowledgeable regarding techniques for ship construction and repair. He can design and build ships of all types, with a skill check only being required for an unusual feature. The character can perform routine maintenance on sailing vessels or galleys, including repairing sails and caulking the hull, without a skill check. A shipwright need not have other workmen to finish small vessels, but vessels of greater size require large crews of shipwrights and other laborers to build or repair.
Shipwright, Spelljamming: Only a character who has experience in Wildspace can learn this skill, which shares basic techniques with the earth-based Shipwright skill, but is nevertheless considered a separate skill. However, a character who is trained in building Spelljamming vessels has little understanding of seaworthiness and a character trained in conventional shipwrighting has little understanding of the design techniques used in Spelljamming vessels. An attempt by a normal shipwright to conduct Spelljamming carpentry or shipwrighting is done so with a -40% penalty to the skill check and vice versa.
A character familiar with building and repairing Spelljamming vessels can oversee normal carpenters working on Spelljamming vessels. The tools, machinery and materials necessary must be available. Jury rigging to restore hull points, masts or spelljamming rigging requires a successful skill check. If this check fails, the character either fails to repair the damage or the repair must save as thin wood vs. crushing blow each time it is stressed, at the DM's option.
A character with the earth-based Shipwright skill gains a +10% bonus to his Spelljamming Shipwright skill and vice versa.
Silkmaking (Physical 1, Dexterity/Aim -2) — A character with this skill can spin silk thread from silk worm cocoons, spider silk and other raw materials without making a skill check. By making a skill check, a character with this skill can also appraise silk products.
Smelting (Mental 1, Intelligence/Knowledge) — The Smelting skill is closely tied to the Mining skill. Between them they provide all of the metal to the world’s strongholds. With this skill a smelter can be operated.
A smelter is a very hot furnace used to separate metal from ore-bearing rock. The furnace is super-heated by forcing air from a bellows — often operated by two or more people — through burning coal. Ore is fed into the smelter in iron buckets moving along a chain, which tows the buckets along a rail and dumps their contents into the furnace.
The ore is heated to the metal's melting temperature (which is below the rock's). Water or acid are occasionally added to enhance the process. The molten metal runs out from the base of the smelter and into molds or troughs known as “pigs” hence the term pig iron. The pigs are sold to blacksmiths, weaponsmiths, and armorers to produce metal goods, weapons and armor. Smelters can also make alloys, such as steel or bronze.
The amount of ore that can be processed is more a function of the size of the smelter than of any character's work rate. A small smelter can process ore as fast as four miners can dig it. A medium smelter can process the ore produced by up to 20 miners. A large smelter can process ore excavated by up to 100 miners.
In addition to the cost of smelting equipment, a smelter is expensive to maintain because of the materials required to operate it. A small smelting operation costs 5 gp per day to operate, the cost of a medium operation is 12 gp per day, and a large one costs 25 gp per day to run. Smelter costs only apply when the smelter is in operation. To keep it operating at maximum efficiency, it is common practice to collect a stockpile of ore before firing the furnace. Once all the ore is smelted, the equipment is allowed to cool and is then cleaned.
Given its bulk, even a small smelter is not very portable.

Stonemasonry (Physical 1, Strength/Stamina -2) — A stonemason is able to build structures from stone so that they last many years. He can do simple stone carvings such as lettering, columns, and flourishes. The stone can be mortared, carefully fitted without mortar or loosely fitted and chinked with rocks and earth. A stonemason equipped with his tools (hammers, chisels, wedges, block and tackle) can build a plain section of wall one foot thick, ten feet long, and five feet high in one day, provided the stone has already been cut. A stonemason can also supervise unskilled laborers who are working to quarry stone; one stonemason is needed for every five laborers.
Racial modifiers: Dwarves are among the most skilled stonemasons in the world and receive a +10% bonus when using this skill. Gnomes are also quite skilled and receive a +5% bonus.
Tattooing (Physical 1, Dexterity/Aim) — This is the art of injecting dyes beneath the surface of the skin in order to create lasting art upon the human body. The process is painful for the subject and difficult for the tattoo artist because skin isn't the best medium with which to work.
Note, merely having the Tattooing skill doesn't not grant the character Artistic Ability. The skill only covers the ability to produce a tattoo of crude design.
This skill is necessary to cast the tattoo of power spell, though it isn't necessary to make a successful skill check when using this skill to cast that spell. The magic is able to guide an experienced hand in the correct patterns and designs to make with the dye.
Racial modifiers: Fälgornians humans default to this skill at 20%.