Changing Class Skills

[Ahnehnois]

One problem I frequently have making characters is that I just can't get the class skills that I want. I've seen various solutions tried (feats, fooling around with class lists), but I was wondering what other people out there do about this in their games.

 

[DMH]

For humans, I prefer what is in their racial class features in Shaping the Self (2 points can be spent in any non-exclusive skill as if they are class skills plus some other things).

 

[Afrodyte]

I was redesigning classes for an adventure I'd like to run someday, and what I did was structure the classes similar to the D20 Modern classes. I use talents and talent trees. One of the talents available to the Expert generic class is Cross-class skill. It gives the character an additional class skill, although I'd probably alter this to give more of a benefit.

Another thing I did was open up the class skills for the generic classes. You start out with one or more of the Craft, Knowledge, and Profession skills, and you can have a few more.

Something I'm considering is adding a generic talent that increases the number of skill points a character has.

 

[Nifft]

I give free Education Skill Points (2/level, 8/1st level) which can only be spent in Knowlege, Craft, Profession or Perform. There's a Feat IMC that doubles this number (must be taken at 1st level).

The world is a big place, and I demand a lot of Knowlege checks.

-- N

 

[Gez]

My rule is that one skill point = one skill rank. Cross class and class skills only serves to determine the maximum rank you can have. Whenever you gain a level in a class, you cannot raise your rank in a class skill above character level +3, or in a cross-class skill above half that total. (It isn't a problem is the skill rank is already above that limit, because the previous level was in another class, but then you just can't improve it.)

 

[Crothian]

I just allow the players to alter the list of class skills as long as it makes sense for their character.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I allow feats like Cosmopolitan and Educated to alter class skill lists, as well as Adapative Learning (from Human Paragon). I won't allow background changes to class skill lists, but I will allow class variants to have some changes-- such as the Urban Ranger.

Since I run Gestalt games, I generally assume this takes care of itself-- if, between your two classes you don't have the desired skill as a class skill, it's outside your area of expertise and should be cross-class for you.

 

[orsal]

flexible response to player suggestions

I pretty much agree with Crothian. As DM I'd let my players design orders that their characters might belong to, and let them tailor the class to fit the order. For example, if a player wanted to play a monk who trained in a monastery where practice included extensive reading, I'd let him add knowledge skills to the monk class list, and ask him to suggest some of the standard monk class skills to be stricken from the list for this particular character. So long as my campaign idea had space for that kind of monastery, I'd like to be able to incorporate it in response to the player's initiative.

 

[Ace]

One problem I frequently have making characters is that I just can't get the class skills that I want. I've seen various solutions tried (feats, fooling around with class lists), but I was wondering what other people out there do about this in their games.

I give everyone Knowlege/Local + 3 other class skills -- usually knowledge as appropriate. In addition each character gets 2 extra skill points points per level -- oh yeah appropraite Professions and Crafts are class skills for everyone

 

[Alhazred]

My rule is that one skill point = one skill rank. Cross class and class skills only serves to determine the maximum rank you can have. Whenever you gain a level in a class, you cannot raise your rank in a class skill above character level +3, or in a cross-class skill above half that total. (It isn't a problem is the skill rank is already above that limit, because the previous level was in another class, but then you just can't improve it.)

I like this. I may have to import it into my campaign