MoonSong
Rules-lawyering drama queen but not a munchkin
Hmm. I'm really not sure I understand the objection: Most characters are trained in four skills. The skill list is currently at 25, plus knowledge (9 categories), plus profession (infinite categories, though most characters would only want 1). So that's 4 of 35. I've suggested removing 8 of the 35.
Your comments make it sound like I'm reducing the skill list much more than that. Nothing is threatening ability checks. Skills remain the narrow focuses you describe. If anything, my requirement to ensure necessary coverage in knowledge or profession will, I feel, actually add to the diversity, not reduce it.
Your two arguments about jumping and diplomacy have nothing to do with my post. I did not suggest rolling Jump (or swim for that matter) into Athletics, nor all social skills into Diplomacy (truth be told, I actually want a diversity of charisma skills, to reduce its dump-stattedness).
I agree with this, and have not suggested differently.
Ok, something that really has to do with your suggested reductions:
Drive, actually I can't help but feeling it is just right.
I would actually unroll Thumble into more narrower skills, if it only landed a skill set that wasn't only playable by parkour experts, so a single skill is the second best thing.
I like spot and listen as separate skills, it allows to create characters that maight have a poor vision, but still have an awesome sense of hearing. (like certain blind musician)
Conversely, I have a poor eyesight, but in the end I'm very good at finding things, those things aren't necesarilly conected.
Knowledge heraldry is fine by me, I wouldn't want to get less knowledge abilites, but rather to get more of them.
I refuse to play on a d&D without a perform skill, unless it is absent because it has Dance, Drama, Painting, Singing, Poetics, etc as individual skills instead. (Though I recognize it may be more granularity than some people are comfortable with). I fear the "wiazards are better performers than pure bards" of recent times happening all over again.
Disguise is one of the coolest-funniest skills ever, it shouldn't be exclusive to rogues.
Yes, Heal is an awesome skill, Herbalism doens't necessarily remove it, and remember it should be possible to play using backgrounds without specialties, you shouldn't try to get rid of a flavorful ability because another subsystem which won't be there all the time risks making redundant on certain situations.
War theory is a valid knowledge field, it doesn't necessarily imply leadership.
And 10, it would make a good house rule, but won't fly with all playstyles.