Help - Essential Skills Collection

[GMMichael]

Ferghis - I'm not seeing the point of pulling out intense-study skills. Think about this: is it easier to get measurably better at swaying ambassadors or swimming with the sharks, or learning another volume of Reflections on the Court Perception of Counselor Influence during the Kingship of Emmanuel XVIXIVVXIXVIVXI?

And please join me on the dark side...where combat, spellcasting, and defending are skills!

Speaking of...anyone see a balance issue if a fighter has three core skills to cover (Fight-Unarmed, Melee, Missile), the thief has three core skills (Deceive, Larceny, Sneak), a priest has two (Repel Undead, Healer), and the wizard needs a skill for each spell (and maybe Concentration for replenishing magic (Metaphyiscal) points)?

My current skill list: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/p-p-rpg/wikis/common-skills

 

[Ferghis]

I could certainly see combat skills as skills, I just think it's a dangerous simplification if the skill resolution system is identical to, say, remembering the name of that old king.

 

[GMMichael]

Not so dangerous, I hope:
The old king (undead or otherwise) doesn't have a say in whether you remember his name.
If he gets attacked though, he 1) gets to use his Parry (defense) skill to avoid damage, and if he takes damage, he 2) can reduce that damage by wearing armor (or using a perk).

 

[khermit]

Super Condensed

I know this is an old thread but I recently came across it. The topic is one that I've spent many years thinking about. Here's my 2 cents - which ain't worth a lot these days.

I think most actions can be categorized as follows:

Melee
Marksmanship
Subterfuge
Survival
Communication

i'm very much inclined to break Melee and Marksmanship out into particular weapon-types or unarmed fighting styles. It's easy enough to do and it just makes sense to me. If it's a physical activity that is sneaky and requires some knowledge, I lump it into Subterfuge. I'm not inclined to break Subterfuge down into Locks, Traps, Pick-pocket, Sneaking, etc. Yep, it's the Thief Skill. Survival includes Tracking, Foraging, Navigation by land, First Aid, etc. Yep, it's the Ranger Skill.

I am inclined to break Communication out into the specific languages a character knows - duh. Beyond that, no. Communication would include Charisma, Leadership, Diplomacy, Influence, Intimidation, Interrogation, Negotiation, Haggling, Lying, etc.

Because I'm inclined to keep Subterfuge, Survival, and Communication very broad and vague, I'm also inclined to make their advancement more costly or slow in relation to specific weapon skills. Not using a particular system or real numbers here - just trying to illustrate - but if improving a particular weapons skill costs 10XP, i would charge 20XP to improve Subterfuge, Survival, or Communication. If I wanted to keep the costs the same, I might do something like the following:

Improving a weapon skill (+1 bonus) would cost 10XP and the skill-test would be resolved with a d20. Improving the Subterfuge, Survival, or Communication skill (+1 bonus) would cost 10XP and the skill-test would be resolved with d20 rolls and DCs multiplied by 2. If the player (or the DM) wants to break-out a particular skill from within Subterfuge, Survival, or Communication so it can be advanced more quickly, cheaply, effectively, or independently - that's fine too. That particular skill then costs 10XP to improve +1 and tests with a d20.

 

[GMMichael]

I know this is an old thread but I recently came across it. The topic is one that I've spent many years thinking about. Here's my 2 cents - which ain't worth a lot these days.

I think most actions can be categorized as follows:

Melee
Marksmanship
Subterfuge
Survival
Communication

Yep, it's the Ranger Skill...

If I wanted to keep the costs the same, I might do something like the following: That particular skill then costs 10XP to improve +1 and tests with a d20.

Nice necro, Khermit. Blast from the past for me, anyway. I'd like to mention that your skill list might contain options that will help members of classes to break out of their molds a bit. There's not much point in having a melee skill if every fighter ends up taking melee, and no members of other classes bother to take it. But if melee is a group of skills for, say, sword, spear and axe skills, then your fighters can diversify a bit. (Or you can encourage your players to define what melee means to their characters...)

As I read the end of your post, I was hoping you'd go the Savage Worlds route and suggest using different dice as a way to improve skills, or show that some develop differently than others. Or maybe throw in the AD&D d8+d12?

My skill list, as a sort of belated wrap-up to this thread, just got larger by one:
Deceive
Defend (concentration)
Defend (parry)
Defend (willpower)
Detect
Fight (melee)
Fight (missile)
Fight (unarmed)
Handler
Knowledge (lore)
Knowledge (nature)
Knowledge (scholarship)
Larceny
Magic
Movement
Persuade
Profession (artist)
Profession (craftsman)
Profession (healer)
Profession (scientist)
Sneak