Best Skills

[iamtheend]

I've seen in so many books new and interesting ways to preform skills especially in Complete Scoundrel. There are some skills I love to use like Tumble and others I've never really dealt with while playing.

What would you consider to be the top ten or so best skills in D&D 3-3.5? Reasons why are optional.

 

[Dandu]

Lucid Dreaming
UMD/UPD
Iaijuisu Focus
Tumble
Autohypnosis
Diplomacy
Bluff
Intimidate
Knowledge
Handle Animal

 

[Belzbet]

1.Listen
2.Spot Those are a must on my list, since they are the most used and very helpful

3.Knowledge (I dont know about a specific one I sort of wing it while Dming my game) using knolwedge arcana and religion as catch all categories although my PC with the knolwedge skills has invested in like 7 knowledge skills... but back to topic...)

4.Tumble (for sure)

5.Craft (I love making Golems); although you can pay for that I like to be able to do it myself so maybe this is just a flovor thing for me, I like having all of my PC I play to at least be able to craft one thing, although I rarely actuall craft anything except golems.)

6.Diplomacy
7.Gather Info.
8.Bluff
These skills are just great and a must for a best skills list

9. Ride (I like mounted combat)

10. concentration
11. Spellcraft (very useful for a spellcaster and you cannot cast epic spells without it so its a must on my list)

12. Handle animal is great as well

My list isnt necessarily in order... also there are others but these are my fav 12 If I had to make it my top 10 I would take out Bluff and tumble)...

 

[Ahnehnois]

Spot
Listen
Search
Hide
Move Silently
Bluff
Diplo
Knowledge (Arcana)
Tumble
Survival


***

Stealth and perception are pretty universal. Bluff is used for lying and feinting, Diplo is used for most other circumstances where you need to roll while talking (Intimidate is confusing and underpowered). There are several useful knowledges, but if I had to pick one I'd say Arcana gets rolled the most (and in the core rules, unlike my games, it covers dragons). Tumble is the most useful combat-based skill. Survival is loaded with uses at low levels and is needed for tracking; could have had this or another knowledge to round out my 10.

Contrary to what others might have experienced, no one ever takes UMD in my games. People who want magic take spellcaster levels, people who don't don't. The skill that matters the most in my games is probably knowledge, because I do a lot of narration through knowledge skills and when PCs don't have them it really changes the way things play out.

 

[Sekhmet]

Without going out of the base skill list, for no particular class in mind; Tumble, Diplomacy, Bluff, Handle Animal, Knowledge, Intimidate, Use Magic Device, Survival, Craft.

Talk skills are a must.
Tumble has far reaching effects (Combat Expertise/Fighting Defensively included).
Knowing everything is as important as being able to convince a person you know everything.
UMD is the single most useful skill.
Survival and Craft up to about +10 or so, and you'll more or less never fail a check with either.

Any caster should always max out Concentration and Spellcraft, up to at least +30.

 

[Belzbet]

Contrary to what others might have experienced, no one ever takes UMD in my games. People who want magic take spellcaster levels, people who don't don't. The skill that matters the most in my games is probably knowledge, because I do a lot of narration through knowledge skills and when PCs don't have them it really changes the way things play out.

I have noticed this in my game as well (although if a PC is an artificer then UMD gets extremely important)... Knowledge is probaly used the most in my games for the same purposes...

 

[Deset Gled]

Contrary to what others might have experienced, no one ever takes UMD in my games. People who want magic take spellcaster levels, people who don't don't.

UMD is much more commonly seen in games where the PC start at a later level. The minimum DC for using the UMD skill is 20, so you will practically never use it at low levels. But 20 is also the fixed DC for wand activation, which is pretty much a guaranteed success by the mid teens.

If your character starts at level one and only makes it to 10, UMD is a wasted investment. But if you start at 15 and want to get free access to a major class feature by only spending 1 rank/level, UMD is by far the most powerful skill in the game.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Of the core skills, including non-core uses:

Concentration
Diplomacy
Use Magic Device
Tumble
..............
Spellcraft
Intimidate (terrible w/o splat material to up duration, lower action cost, make it an AOE, etc...)
Bluff
Handle Animal
Balance (can prevent flatfooted, resist trip, and Swift action stand up w/o AoO)
Knowledge (if you have to do them individually, Nature is best as it covers the most)


Dotted line to separate them into tiers, as IMO those above the line are a significant step up from those below, which are also good.

Of the noncore stuff I'm familiar with, Iaijutsu Focus, Autohypnosis, and Use Psionic Device and Psicraft (which I'd just put alongside their magical counterparts) would go on my list and knock off some of the skills at the bottom of my list. I'm not familiar with Lucid Dreaming, but from what I've heard, it's the most stupidly broken skill ever.

 

[Dandu]

You get to kill people in their dreams, opposed by... guess what skill.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Oh, I'm not too knowledgeable of all the various alchemical items added in splat books, but I have a hunch that Craft (Alchemy) has potential to be an uber skill.

You get to kill people in their dreams, opposed by... guess what skill.

Whoever thought that was a good idea was clearly brilliant!