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<blockquote data-quote="kuraban" data-source="post: 5952899" data-attributes="member: 81311">The problem I've always had with allowing for an essentially limitless skill list is that players will often (usually) opt for the broadest possible skill, and then try to use that bonus for everything... &quot;I've got sailing skill, so I should know how to tie knots/climb ropes/walk on uneven surfaces/swim/catch fish/recognize flags, etc&quot;.As much as it was a humorously themed game, I always liked the concept behind the Paranoia RPG skill system (bear with me, Paranoia uses 5% increments in skills). Everyone started with at the base level for every skill, no matter what the skill itself, 5%. Each step could then add an extra 5% onto that base skill, or could be used to then buy a next level skill from that skill tree.As an example then, your first point could be used to buy the skill, Stealth. This would give you a +1 bonus to any check requiring stealth.Your next point in Stealth could then be used to increase this to +2, or it could be used to buy Move Silently, which would again be at +1. This character would then get a +1 for hiding, but would get a +2 for Move Silently. Having a point in Move Silently, this character could then add their Move Silently skill to their movement rate.I think it would take a lot of work to develop such a system with suitable rewards for specializing in skills. Perhaps a better method might be to say that adding a point to Move Silently would give the character +2 for each point. I think that this would lead dangerously towards that whole 'Point Creep' problem that was endemic to 4e.I do believe that this system could end up quite complex, but I think it would give players that really wanted to specialize their characters a reward for doing so.Just a thought...</blockquote>

[QUOTE="kuraban, post: 5952899, member: 81311"] The problem I've always had with allowing for an essentially limitless skill list is that players will often (usually) opt for the broadest possible skill, and then try to use that bonus for everything... "I've got sailing skill, so I should know how to tie knots/climb ropes/walk on uneven surfaces/swim/catch fish/recognize flags, etc". As much as it was a humorously themed game, I always liked the concept behind the Paranoia RPG skill system (bear with me, Paranoia uses 5% increments in skills). Everyone started with at the base level for every skill, no matter what the skill itself, 5%. Each step could then add an extra 5% onto that base skill, or could be used to then buy a next level skill from that skill tree. As an example then, your first point could be used to buy the skill, [I]Stealth[/I]. This would give you a +1 bonus to any check requiring stealth. Your next point in [I]Stealth [/I]could then be used to increase this to +2, or it could be used to buy [I]Move Silently[/I], which would again be at +1. This character would then get a +1 for hiding, but would get a +2 for [I]Move Silently[/I]. Having a point in Move Silently, this character could then add their Move Silently skill to their movement rate. I think it would take a lot of work to develop such a system with suitable rewards for specializing in skills. Perhaps a better method might be to say that adding a point to Move Silently would give the character +2 for each point. I think that this would lead dangerously towards that whole 'Point Creep' problem that was endemic to 4e. I do believe that this system could end up quite complex, but I think it would give players that really wanted to specialize their characters a reward for doing so. Just a thought... [/QUOTE]

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