D&D 5E Paring the skill list

[Vicar In A Tutu]

I like narrow specific skills that you have to invest in. You can't say you like narrow skills but you like a system that makes you good at all Intelligence based skills because you have a high Intelligence or high dex etc.. I like the idea of having to learn something specific and having to choose between this skill or that one. Wait a minute, [notranslate]Pathfinder[/notranslate] already does this so that's another strike against 5th edition in my book.

You have a very confrontational way of expressing yourself. I have noticed this in quite a few of your posts. Is that really necessary? You often make good points, but the ending of many of your posts, like this one, really seems like flame-bait. With that said, I personally prefer a narrow list of skills IF they go the route of 3E, but if skills are really just a bonus to something everyone can do (based off of Attribute Scores), I prefer narrow skills.

 

[Li Shenron]

With the current focus of DnD Next on ability checks, shortening the skill list to less than let's say 3 times the number of abilities is just plain nonsense.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

You have a very confrontational way of expressing yourself. I have noticed this in quite a few of your posts. Is that really necessary? You often make good points, but the ending of many of your posts, like this one, really seems like flame-bait. With that said, I personally prefer a narrow list of skills IF they go the route of 3E, but if skills are really just a bonus to something everyone can do (based off of Attribute Scores), I prefer narrow skills.

You have to understand that I don't flame-bait anything, I state my points in a blunt and obvious fashion.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

With the current focus of DnD Next on ability checks, shortening the skill list to less than let's say 3 times the number of abilities is just plain nonsense.

Exactly! It's actually getting to the point where a skill list is unnecessary. It's like putting in an extra step when you could just say what you want to do and make an ability check. D&D Next has turned into a skill edition that will cater to those player's who can come up all sorts of ways to do things while someone not as good at it will suffer. Essentially it's what ever the player can come up with instead of what your character would know. Very metagaming style of play.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Are [notranslate]Pathfinder[/notranslate]'s skills narrower than 3e's skills?

 

[ForeverSlayer]

Are [notranslate]Pathfinder[/notranslate]'s skills narrower than 3e's skills?

Stealth replaced Move Silent and Hide while Perception replaced Search and Spot.

 

[mlund]

I'm still in favor of abandoning the narrow, capped, and rigid skill list concept entirely. It isn't like there were a finite list of skills in 3rd Edition either. There were an unbounded number of Profession, Perform, and Knowledge skills available to invest in.

I'd prefer more descriptive traits (which can be acquired skills or natural aptitude more specific than just an ability score) that let you activate the skill die on whatever attribute check applies when the circumstance met the description. Think more "Alert," "Inquisitive," "Commanding," "Commercial," "Forgettable," or "Sneaky" and way less "Spot," "Bluff," "Intimidate," and "Use Rope."

- Marty Lund

 

[Viking Bastard]

Stealth replaced Move Silent and Hide while Perception replaced Search and Spot.

So no, then. Slightly broader. Thanks!

 

[Kobold Stew]

I'd prefer more descriptive traits (which can be acquired skills or natural aptitude more specific than just an ability score) that let you activate the skill die on whatever attribute check applies when the circumstance met the description. Think more "Alert," "Inquisitive," "Commanding," "Commercial," "Forgettable," or "Sneaky" and way less "Spot," "Bluff," "Intimidate," and "Use Rope."

This is what FATE does with aspects (Spirit of the Century, Dresden Files RPG, Diaspora, etc.). It's a fundamentally different way of thinking about skills than D&D has ever used. It's a great system, but I don't see it as remotely likely for D&DNext.

 

[mlund]

This is what FATE does with aspects (Spirit of the Century, Dresden Files RPG, Diaspora, etc.). It's a fundamentally different way of thinking about skills than D&D has ever used. It's a great system, but I don't see it as remotely likely for D&DNext.

Actually, I think the play test blog posts along with the completely new skill die mechanic indicate that they are definitely open to revamping the skill system. There's never been a skill die before. There weren't non-thief skills (those were percentile based) in AD&D prior to the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide bringing in the Non-weapon Proficiency. 2nd Edition handled things differently than 3.X, and 4E handled it differently than that. OD&D had only raw Ability checks. Basically, the Status Quo of skill systems hasn't ever survived any full iteration of an edition cycle, so there is no historical status quo to honor.

I think Q&A #3 also emphasizes that their skill-type system design is angling away from being defined the same way as in the past editions:

http://community.wizards.com/dndnex...next_qa:_racial_stats,_expertise_dice__skills

- Marty Lund