Skill list guess

[TerraDave]

Most likely a combination of Knowledge (dungeoneering) and Survival-oriented abilities. The skills are meant to be more robust and meaningful. It will probably entail lore related to spelunking and monsters commonly found in such settings as well as trap lore. Also, such things as terrain movement DC's, allow one to hunt and forage in such terrain, ability to sense direction, etc.

This would make sense if Nature is used for above ground survival as well as knowledge of "normal" plants and animals.

 

[Nikosandros]

This would make sense if Nature is used for above ground survival as well as knowledge of "normal" plants and animals.

Which would make a lot of sense. Perhaps we could also have a similar skill for planar environments... I could see the skill training feat* for it being available at paragon levels.

* Assuming that there will be something like the training system in SWSE.

 

[Sadrik]

If you truncate craft/knowledge skills, you cheapen the game badly, IMHO. ALso, you prevent players from spending their skill points on things they care about

I disagree with you. I think that making the game run smoothly takes more precedence than any other concern. I also think the opposite will occur when you make a bunch of super niche skills--> they wont select them over basic skills like sneak. So yeah I pretty much disagree with you on all levels.

 

[Professor Phobos]

While for most games I adopt an alternative philosophy, with D&D...if someone wants to say, "I'm a good cook", it's fine. It's character flavor. I see no reason for it to be implemented mechanically.

Only "Action" skills- stuff you use in adventures- really needs mechanics, because it's the only stuff that's going to have dramatic uncertainty requiring a dice roll in the first place. Seduce the Princess- yes, need a skill for that. Stab the monster? Definitely. Steal the idol? Of course.

Cook? Aside from edge cases like, "You must cook a brilliant dinner for the Tyrant Lord or he will eat your eyeballs!" it just doesn't come up that often. And if you don't show restraint in skill listing and insist on being able to represent any damn thing a character might know how to do, you'll end up ten years later a bloated, overweight mess who goes to the same Weight Watchers group as GURPS trying to get rid of "Freight Management..."

 

[Sadrik]

Here is my current thought on the skills. There are two areas that I am uncertain on. Athletics- should it be broken up? and Act and Music should they be combined- omited?

Athletics I can see both ways and Act and Music, Act for the Assassin who disguises and impersonates and Music for the Bard, they definitely have there niche but I still don't like em.

I can also see some kind of herbalism/alchemy skill for poison, potion, and antidote making making.

1. Acrobatics (jump, tumble, balance, escape artist)
2. Act (disguise, perform act, perform comedy)
3. Arcana (appraise, craft and repair magic, arcana, spellcraft, alchemy, id dragons, planar creatures, and constructs)
4. Athletics (climb, swim, ride)
5. Build (appraise, craft and repair buildings and structures, architecture and engineering)
6. Craft (appraise, craft and repair most things, craft arms and armor)
7. Diplomacy (gather information, diplomacy, perform oratory)
8. Dungeoneering (nature, handle animal, survival but for underground, id animals, plants and oozes)
9. Finery (appraise, repair and craft fine things/art- including forgery)
10. Heal
11. History (history, local, nobility, royalty, id a religion, and humanoids)
12. Insight (sense motive)
13. Intimidate
14. Language (speak language, decipher script, id a language)
15. Music (perform musical instrument, perform sing)
16. Nature (nature, handle animal, survival, id animals, plants and fey)
17. Occult (religion, id undead, and shapechangers)
18. Perception (spot, listen, search)
19. Pilot (profession sailing)
20. Stealth (hide, move silently)
21. Streetwise (bluff, local)
22. Thievery (open locks, disable traps, sabotage device, sleight of hand)

Concentration (class ability)
Profession (gone)
Use magic device (class ability)
Use rope (gone)

 

[Connorsrpg]

We did a new list based upon Star Wars Saga.

Couple of things I noticed with several skill lists above is the complete lack of marine skills. What is used to operate a boat (or air ship for eberron)? As we were running a piratical campaign when we converted we thought a lot about the skills to use here.

I kept Pilot for ship operation and we divided Survival into Land, Subterranean, & Water. (Felt the more 'user' skill of Survival was better than the many 'passive' Knowledge skills. So they all inc Nature, but also Dungeoneering for Sub'. Pilot to operate a vessel, Survival (water) to navigate and survive at sea).

I like the new names hinted at in 4e...just calling a skill Nature for eg. But there really needs to be some maritime skill. Even if it is called just that: Maritime (which would seem to fit the way names are being used).

I also agree with poster regarding creature lore. After many inceptions we went with Knowledge (customs) which rolled in Nobility, etc. Could let players pick a few races they are very familiar with (or just use those common to homeland) for bonuses.

Other knowledge skills we had were: structures, business (pretty much covers most professions), history & religion (in together as the two are fused in most CSs) and tactics (as in Star Wars and something for a thinking fighter).

Craft remained, but is more general, in that you choose a material you work with (egs: hard metals, soft metals, cloth, wood, alchemy, stone, etc).

 

[Connorsrpg]

Oh and we put the Iaijutsu Strike into the Initiative skill. This was a popular move. (in our CS this has always been an elven method as well as oriental).

 

[Nine Hands]

In Saga intimidate is a function of diplomacy.

A wonky function, but a function nonetheless.

Well its a function of Persuasion, which is what you are doing when you intimidate someone, its not NICE persuasion, but its persuasion none the less.

 

[JohnSnow]

I like the new names hinted at in 4e...just calling a skill Nature for eg. But there really needs to be some maritime skill. Even if it is called just that: Maritime (which would seem to fit the way names are being used).

I also agree with poster regarding creature lore. After many inceptions we went with Knowledge (customs) which rolled in Nobility, etc. Could let players pick a few races they are very familiar with (or just use those common to homeland) for bonuses.

A "seamanship," "seafaring," or "nautical" skill seems to me like it would make a lot of sense.

I can think of keeping Intimidate and Diplomacy separate, but then diplomacy should cover things like knowledge (nobility), etiquette, and the like.

I also like doing a "Craft" skill that covers the things adventurers might need to make in an adventure - like weapons, armor, rafts, bows, and the like.

 

[Sadrik]

A "seamanship," "seafaring," or "nautical" skill seems to me like it would make a lot of sense.

Those are good but I think that I am partial to pilot and make it a catch all for any and all vehicles. Heck, it could be even used for chariots. Ebberon has trains, airships and ships which should really all be the same skill.

I can think of keeping Intimidate and Diplomacy separate, but then diplomacy should cover things like knowledge (nobility), etiquette, and the like.

Really I think that intimidate shouldn't be a skill at all but more like a per encounter ability.

I also like doing a "Craft" skill that covers the things adventurers might need to make in an adventure - like weapons, armor, rafts, bows, and the like.

The "make something skills" I think should fall into a couple of broad catagories: build, craft, arcana, finery, and possibly alchemy. I like the idea that repair and appraise are also tied to these, appraise art? -> make a finery check, repair a weapon? -> make a craft check, build a raft? -> make a build check.