Pielorinho
Iron Fist of Pelor
Before I explain the idea, I should say that this depends a lot on the type of campaign you run; it won't be great for everyone.
That said, in the last four games I've played in (2 D&D, 1 AU, 1 Spycraft), certain skills get used far more than other skills. Diplomacy, Bluff, Tumble (especially tumble!), Spot, Listen, Search, Hide, and Move Silently all get used a lot.
Other skills get used rarely if ever. Nobody has EVER had to make a life-or-death swim check; jump checks are usually unnecessary, given the alternatives; climbing is usually outclassed by flying; Balance checks are very rare.
Yet these are the skills that fighters get. So PCs with fighters just shrug, take a couple points in jump, and figure taht they're focused on using feats anyway.
What I'm thinking is that I might combine Balance, Jump, Climb, and Swim into one skill called "Athletics," linked to Str or Dex depending on the skill's use. This frees up fighter-types to put a skill point or two into something like a craft, or even a cross-class skill.
Has anyone done this? Are there any obvious problems with this idea?
Daniel
That said, in the last four games I've played in (2 D&D, 1 AU, 1 Spycraft), certain skills get used far more than other skills. Diplomacy, Bluff, Tumble (especially tumble!), Spot, Listen, Search, Hide, and Move Silently all get used a lot.
Other skills get used rarely if ever. Nobody has EVER had to make a life-or-death swim check; jump checks are usually unnecessary, given the alternatives; climbing is usually outclassed by flying; Balance checks are very rare.
Yet these are the skills that fighters get. So PCs with fighters just shrug, take a couple points in jump, and figure taht they're focused on using feats anyway.
What I'm thinking is that I might combine Balance, Jump, Climb, and Swim into one skill called "Athletics," linked to Str or Dex depending on the skill's use. This frees up fighter-types to put a skill point or two into something like a craft, or even a cross-class skill.
Has anyone done this? Are there any obvious problems with this idea?
Daniel