Free Craft and Profession Skills!

[Sigdel]

Craft/Profession: These two often-neglected skills offer a way to give some flavor to a character but offer little in the way of actual affect on game play. And because of this, it’s not uncommon to find a PC with no ranks in either skill, unless it’s a PC with plenty of points to spare. So, at first level, every PC gets free ranks in any single Craft and Profession skill of their choice equal to half their max ranks in a class skill. This bonus increases accordingly as PC levels up, as long as they level up in a class or prestige class that has craft and profession as skills.
If a player wants, they can invest more ranks into those skills than what is given to them for free. The usual max ranks rule is enforced.
Also, if the player chooses a craft skill and profession skill that are related, they enjoy a +2 synergy bonus to both skills.
Example: William, a Raider 1, chose Craft (leather working) and Profession (tanner) as his skills. His total modifier in both skills is +5 (2 from free ranks, +1 from intelligence, and +2 from synergy)

So far the rule is still in its design phase. Tell me what you think.

 

[hong]

It won't break anything. However, are they actually going to use those skills in play? Because if not, then you haven't really accomplished anything IMO.

 

[Sigdel]

It won't break anything. However, are they actually going to use those skills in play? Because if not, then you haven't really accomplished anything IMO.

I'm toying with the idea of giving the PC a chance to use these skills to identify whether or not a item is magical or not. For example , William could use Craft (weaponsmithing) to make a check to see if a sword is magical or not.

 

[Flame_Excess]

Do you have a well developped list of those craft and profession skills ?
I believe that if those were better described in the documents that I possess, their would gain more in popularity.

 

[der_kluge]

One of the GM's I played with gave players some starting skills which we could put into things like Profession and Craft.

I would be in favor of just allocating a few bonus skills (say, 5) that a player could freely allocate into Profession and Craft. This would reflect their job, or their life prior to becoming an adventurer.


I see no harm in it. It makes the characters a bit more realistic. And yes, some profession skills are actually useful. I'm getting good use of my Profession(navigator) in our Savage Tides campaign.

 

[Roger]

Hmmm. I guess I might be a bit concerned about this sort of effect:

PLAYER: I spend the next month plying my trade. Let me make some Profession(Catamite) rolls... how much much money do I make?

DM: Shouldn't you be off adventuring?

PLAYER: Why'd you give me all these Profession skill points if you didn't want me to use it?


That may or may not happen, and if it does it may or may not be a problem, but it's still the sort of thing I would keep in the back of my mind.



Cheers,
Roger

 

[Dyir]

In my game, I gave each of the players 1 free Craft or Profession skill of their choice, which is always 3 + Hit Dice in ranks. I also use the Upkeep variant rule from the DMG. Thus, in between quests the players make Craft or Profession skill checks to determine how much money they made to offset the costs due to Upkeep. So far, they seem to enjoy it, especially since it gives them a better sense of what their characters were doing "off camera."

 

[phindar]

It won't break anything. However, are they actually going to use those skills in play? Because if not, then you haven't really accomplished anything IMO.

I'd like to buy stock in your company, hong.

 

[Sigdel]

Hmmm. I guess I might be a bit concerned about this sort of effect:

PLAYER: I spend the next month plying my trade. Let me make some Profession(Catamite) rolls... how much much money do I make?

DM: Shouldn't you be off adventuring?

PLAYER: Why'd you give me all these Profession skill points if you didn't want me to use it?


That may or may not happen, and if it does it may or may not be a problem, but it's still the sort of thing I would keep in the back of my mind.



Cheers,
Roger

Valid concern. But I think that it's been proven that a PC would make more money adventuring than he would plying his craft.

 

[Sigdel]

In my game, I gave each of the players 1 free Craft or Profession skill of their choice, which is always 3 + Hit Dice in ranks. I also use the Upkeep variant rule from the DMG. Thus, in between quests the players make Craft or Profession skill checks to determine how much money they made to offset the costs due to Upkeep. So far, they seem to enjoy it, especially since it gives them a better sense of what their characters were doing "off camera."

I like this idea. You cant be off adventuring all the time, so you might as well ern some more money in the meantime.