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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mallus" data-source="post: 4529182" data-attributes="member: 3887">Combat and spell casting occur more frequently (in most games) than farming or glass-blowing. Therefore it is reasonable that the rules prioritizes them. Also, part of my point is that you don't need rules --not even those that govern whacking and blasting-- in order to create a character to role-play. Because "characters" are personalities, motivations, mannerisms, the qualities we associate with the denizens of fiction. I'm saying that there are a small set of frequently-used skills that are relevant to the kind of adventure stories (most) RPG's seek to recreate. And those are the one's the rules should be concerned with. The problem is one of costing. Creating a multi-instrumentalist in D&D would use up most, if not all, of a character's skills. This is wonderful in terms of characterization but terrible in terms of the kinds of general adventuring situations PC's find themselves in. That PC has fewer skills with which to mechanically participant in non-combat encounters. Unless, of course, the majority of campaign's encounters take place during studio recording sessions or in a concert hall.  Infrequently-used 'flavor' abilities should cost much less than adventure-relevant ones. Otherwise, the system incentivizes taking primarily adventure-relevant abilities. I said he was a poet, not a filmmaker.<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> I'd roll for it (1/2 level + CHA bonus + 1d20), in addition to making up some hideous verse on the spot. His character level denotes his expertise (this is 4e, 1/2 level to all skill checks). It's less granular than 3e, but honestly, I've never seen a 3e character with less than max ranks in their important skills, so this is kinda moot. I don't understand your point here. My PC still has a bonus to perform poetry, it's currently +4, at 10th level it'll be +10, and so on. I know exactly how good he is. What I've said was that attempts to more fully characterize your character shouldn't make them less effective at killing things and taking their stuff.</blockquote>

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