D&D 5E Skills Should Be Core

[Falling Icicle]

That doesn't mean it shouldn't be simpler. That's like making a 5 hour movie, and saying "well, it's a lot shorter than Lord of the Rings, even if you're just talking about the theatrical editions."

Or, you could say that Next without things like Skills and Feats, is like a 30 minute mini-movie, and all I'm asking for is a full length feature film.

 

[1of3]

I'd answer yes and no. I want the ability to make my character good at something. If my character is an expert in demonology, I want my demonology to be better than other types of knowledge. If my character won the Pelorian games in swimming, I want my character to be good at swimming.

That doesn't mean there must be a skill system. A skill system would assume a fixed list of possible skills that would be expected. With a skill system, I would have to think about how good my Pelorionikes is a Demonology, when I only want a character good at swimming.

In short: I want specialisation to be optional at character level, not campaign level. That probably means feats.

 

[DonAdam]

Tying the size of the skill die to ability scores rather than to level may allow for the best of both worlds.

Shameless self-promotion intended.

 

[Derren]

In the end it comes down to what WotC wants 5E to be. A full RPG, even with simple mechanics or a hack&slash combat simulator where nothing matters except fighting as everything else is a optional addon?

 

[YRUSirius]

Anyone else noticed that some of the NPCs in the newest Against the Slave Lords Bestiary (like some of the half-orcs) have no skills but 'Expertise' in certain fields? This is the easy skill simplification Mearls talked about. Characters with a certain Expertise get a +1d6 or +1d8 to some ability checks.

-YRUSirius

 

[Ahnehnois]

My opinion has always been that whatever form of skills they use should be *the* core and the rest of it should be added on.

 

[Jester David]

They can always make a basic version of the game, without things like skills or feats, for new and younger players, as well as those who prefer a simpler game. I believe they've said that they intend to do just that.

The first release, the "core" game and rules, should be the simpler game for people who want a really streamlined game (and new & young players). Everything else should be optional and options are by their very definition non-core.

 

[Derren]

The first release, the "core" game and rules, should be the simpler game for people who want a really streamlined game (and new & young players). Everything else should be optional and options are by their very definition non-core.

Wrong. The core release will set the tone for the entire edition as all following releases have to assume that only the core rules are used. Optional modules can not be referenced in further products very well.
So by releasing a simple version for beginners as core, the entire edition will be necessity be written mainly for beginners, leaving the game itself lacking for those who have played for years.

 

[Jester David]

Wrong. The core release will set the tone for the entire edition as all following releases have to assume that only the core rules are used. Optional modules can not be referenced in further products very well.
So by releasing a simple version for beginners as core, the entire edition will be necessity be written mainly for beginners, leaving the game itself lacking for those who have played for years.

Why can't optional modules be referenced in future products?

It'd be super easy to have the "core" book be a Rules Cyclopedia with all the rules for how to play, four classes & races, DM rules, and even some monsters. Then you could then have a PHB & DMG that omit the basic rules but uses that space to cram in extra modules and options.

It'd be simple to have a slightly different trade dress on the PHB and DMG signifying they're "Standard", such as a coloured band at the bottom, and have future accessories do the same. And then they could release a third line that has the "Advanced" options a little while after that build and expand on the Standard game.
Basic accessories would be compatible with all versions of the game and wouldn't use any rules modules. This would include the Monster Manual and *most* adventures. Meanwhile, other accessories would be Standard or Advanced and list the rules modules they use on the back along with source. Standard adventures and accessories would assume a skill system (but not necessarily which skill system) and other assumptions. Advanced adventures might vary dramatically based on the modules used.

 

[Greg K]

In 3e, there were not only "trained only" restrictions on many actions, but also, since you could have up to (level +3) ranks in a skill, and the DCs were set accordingly, it was often pointless to even bother trying if you didn't have max ranks in a skill, or close to it.

Wrong on how DC were set. As stated in one of the first issue of Dragon covering 3e, the 3e skill DCs were based upon what WOTC called the "commoner standard" which is how difficult it would be for someone with no bonus from race, ability scores, class, skill, etc, to perform the action in question.