New Skills

[DonaldRumsfeldsTofu]

You don't particularly see any new skills, but here are some ideas I had. Tell me if they're idiotic.

Memory [Wis]
Use this skill to recall the name of someone you met, remember an experience from your past, or memorize complex trains
Check:
A character can make a check to remember something a character or player would otherwise forget. Alternatively, he can make a check to memorize something complicated on the spot

DC| Memory
10| Name of person, place, or thing (if the name is dirivitive of a language the character knows)
20| Name of a person, place, or thing (If the name is dirivitiver of a language the character doesn't know)
0| Remember a major event in the charater's life
10| Remember petty fact or minor accourance that happened recently
+5| Every six months since the character has heard the name or experienced the encounter (does not apply to major events)
-5| If the character concentrated on memorizing the event
17| DC to Memorize a ten-word, number, letter, or component pattern
+5| Every five components added to the pattern

Retry: For memorizing something; Yes. For recalling a name or event, you may retry the next day.
Special: Anyone with a form of deminsia gets a -4 to -10 penalty to all Memory checks, depending on the level of seriousness of the alement.

Research [Int]
Similar to Gather Information, this skill represents your eptitude at the ability to gain information on a subject using written material made available to you.

DC| Type of Information Gathered| Example
5| Common Knowledge; Known by| Dietary habbit of a
most experts in the field| common species of
fish
10| Moderately Common Knowledge;| Material component of
Mundane fact probably unknown| a high-level spell, name
by the lay community| of a Lord's first lady,
number of moons on the
Red Planet
15| Moderately Uncommon Knowledge;| How much the mayor
Arcane knowledge known mostly| pays his guards, the min-
by insiders| utes of a 5-year-old city
hall meeting
20| Uncommon Knowledge;| Criminal record of duke,
Facts somewhat difficult to learn| the location of buried
treasure
30| Classified or Obscure Knowledge| The king's mistress, the
secret ingredient in a
popular brew
40| Absurd or Long-Lost Knowledge| Zues' great-great
grandfather,
pornographic paintings of
the king

Taste [Wis]
A relatively petty skill, this skill might come in handy if detecting if one's drink is poisoned, make an oneological appraisal, or identify a component of a recepie.
DC| Scenario
10| Recognizing a familiar taste
20| Recognizing an unfamiliar taste
15| Tasting a major component in something you're tasting
20| Tasting a milliliter of substance in a cup of liquid
30| Tasting a drop of substance in a cup of liquid
25| Identifying the aproximate year in which a bottle wine was made

I know they're rusty and need some fine tuning, but what do you think? Suggestions and criticism are appriciated

EDIT: Crap, I accidentally posted this in the wrong forum. Someone move this to House Rules

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I think Memory should be renamed (skill names refer to something you do. So "remember" or "recall fact" or something would be better). Also, it should be keyed to Int, which is the key ability for memory AFAIK.

Research is already used in d20 Modern, so it should be no problem.

I don't know if Taste is important enough, but you could do something that refers to taste and smell, maybe even to sight and sound and feeling. Maybe Recognize. You can recognize materials by visual, audible, olfactory, tactile means or by taste.

 

[Cybern]

Int is Memory, in the PHB... why a skill? I think an Int check (bardic knowledge) is enough

 

[Velmont]

Memory:

I would do Int roll instead.

Research:

Not a bad skill. Dragonstar have devellop this new skill, but still, I find it a bit restrictive. This skill could be include into search, but in that case, it would need to add search to the wizard skill list.

Taste:

Can be usefull, but it would be as Intuit Direction or other skills like that, just too restrictive for it's use. You could do something like:

Sense[Wis]
This skill let you see how you have devellop your sense. Every time touch, taste or smell is critical, this skill will come handy.

This would complete the spot and listen who describe hearing and seeing.

 

[jgsugden]

Memory seems like it is redundant. Bardic knowledge, knowledge skills, survivial, etc ... all involve recalling things from memory.

Research is not needed. A simple intelligence or wisdom check (intelligence if the material is hard to understand, wisdom if the material is extensive or poorly organized) each round or turn will suffice.

Taste is fine, if you want it. I added a smell skill to my game a long time ago. It uses the scent mechanics, but makes the ability variable in effect. It works well.

 

[der_kluge]

I agree, I would lump taste and smell into one skill. I could see either coming into effect occasionally, smell more often, though.

I've always thought that gather information would include things like research, but maybe not. I could see it being different enough, especially if you've got need for that kind of thing.

The memory thing is also kind of game-specific. In most games I play in, if the player doesn't write it down, the PC doesn't remember it. This skill would be good if the DM allowed the player to roll to see if their character remembered something the player didn't!

The only skills I've added to my game are:

Knowledge (monster:dragons/humanoids/aberrations, etc.) So, you can have general knowledge about a specific category of monster.

The other one is "Artist". This skill essentially means that you are skilled with a paintbrush, or with sculpture, or some other artistic medium. You could lump it into Perform(), but creating art is not a performance, and therefore not Charisma based. I made Artist dex-based.

 

[DonaldRumsfeldsTofu]

The other one is "Artist". This skill essentially means that you are skilled with a paintbrush, or with sculpture, or some other artistic medium. You could lump it into Perform(), but creating art is not a performance, and therefore not Charisma based. I made Artist dex-based.

Actually, that already exists. Under "craft", I believe painting and sculpting are two sub-skills, at least in 3.0.

And thanks for your imput. I knew the ideas were kind of stupid, I was just experimenting in the art of making new skills.

And I believe Memory would be Wisdom, not Intelligence. Under the examples for ability checks, the one they use for wisdom is "Remembering to lock a door". Intelligence is for logic, retaining facts, and reason. Wisdom is common sense and being in tune with your surroundings.

 

[der_kluge]

Yea, I could see either one, I suppose.

Craft is Int() based, and I'm just not sure I agree that painting a picture requires intelligence. Dexterity, yes, but not intelligence.