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Discussing 4e Subsystems: Skills
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<blockquote data-quote="Cryptos" data-source="post: 4532205" data-attributes="member: 58439"><p>I think there's an important distinction to make between 4th and earlier editions between what's missing and what's merely absent. Missing implies it should be there. In many cases, you could make a strong argument that things like skill points, crafting skills or profession skills aren't so much missing as they just aren't there.</p><p></p><p>The skill system was the thing I was most skeptical about when 4e was previewed, now it's one of the things I appreciate about it. </p><p></p><p>In a lot of ways, I now feel it allows for more flexible characters simply because of the availability of skill training as a feat. In core 3rd edition, if you wanted a fighter with stealth, you would have to make a multiclassed Frankenfighter and invest skill points in multiple skills, and wind up taking a lot of other rogue characteristics in the process. The most optimized way to do it would be to take Rogue at level one for all the extra 1st level skill points, so you don't even start out as your main class. Here, you just take one feat (or there's even the option to just play an Eladrin.)</p><p></p><p>The +1/2 level thing isn't all that bad given the cinematic nature of the game. Heroes are supposed to be able to have some chance to succeed at something... only 'comic relief' and film noir heroes are <em>completely</em> clueless or useless in a wide variety of cases. As for 6th level Barbarians having a +3 to Arcana... well, to that I say "Conan." He seemed familiar enough with magic to know how to deal with it at times. He at least understood what was going on. Not bad for a barbarian.</p><p></p><p>Honestly, I'd be a bit worried about the ability of a warrior to function in society if he didn't pick up anything at all about the sort of things he encounters on a regular basis, or in some cases about the thing that is the equivalent of 'technology' for his world. Compare a +3 to a +12 and it's roughly the difference between the average person talking to their mechanic about what's wrong with their car... you know enough (you hope) to follow along and possibly know when the mechanic is just making stuff up to stick you with a large repair bill. If he's going around adventuring in a magical world, it makes sense that the character learns a little about what magic does.</p><p></p><p>I'd dare say that in that sense, it's more organic to character growth than investing skill points to a set list of skills. As you get more exposure to your world, you tend to pick up knowledge about your world in general.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cryptos, post: 4532205, member: 58439"] I think there's an important distinction to make between 4th and earlier editions between what's missing and what's merely absent. Missing implies it should be there. In many cases, you could make a strong argument that things like skill points, crafting skills or profession skills aren't so much missing as they just aren't there. The skill system was the thing I was most skeptical about when 4e was previewed, now it's one of the things I appreciate about it. In a lot of ways, I now feel it allows for more flexible characters simply because of the availability of skill training as a feat. In core 3rd edition, if you wanted a fighter with stealth, you would have to make a multiclassed Frankenfighter and invest skill points in multiple skills, and wind up taking a lot of other rogue characteristics in the process. The most optimized way to do it would be to take Rogue at level one for all the extra 1st level skill points, so you don't even start out as your main class. Here, you just take one feat (or there's even the option to just play an Eladrin.) The +1/2 level thing isn't all that bad given the cinematic nature of the game. Heroes are supposed to be able to have some chance to succeed at something... only 'comic relief' and film noir heroes are [I]completely[/I] clueless or useless in a wide variety of cases. As for 6th level Barbarians having a +3 to Arcana... well, to that I say "Conan." He seemed familiar enough with magic to know how to deal with it at times. He at least understood what was going on. Not bad for a barbarian. Honestly, I'd be a bit worried about the ability of a warrior to function in society if he didn't pick up anything at all about the sort of things he encounters on a regular basis, or in some cases about the thing that is the equivalent of 'technology' for his world. Compare a +3 to a +12 and it's roughly the difference between the average person talking to their mechanic about what's wrong with their car... you know enough (you hope) to follow along and possibly know when the mechanic is just making stuff up to stick you with a large repair bill. If he's going around adventuring in a magical world, it makes sense that the character learns a little about what magic does. I'd dare say that in that sense, it's more organic to character growth than investing skill points to a set list of skills. As you get more exposure to your world, you tend to pick up knowledge about your world in general. [/QUOTE]
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