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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Clint_L" data-source="post: 9027434" data-attributes="member: 7035894">I would like to see data from DDB on how frequently each skill is rolled. Then I would use that data to refine the skill list to try to bring it much closer to parity, taking into account that some usages are more powerful than others. I definitely think the current list could be pruned by combining elements of different skills.And there are some skills that should just require specific training to be used; i.e. should only be available as class features or feats. Medicine, as it is normally used in game (to stabilize a dying person within seconds) is not something that you can just have a go at - you are a combat medic, with all that implies (for D&D purposes I would add enough sweeteners to make it viable).A central problem with the way skills are done in 5e is that they are tied so closely to attributes that don't reflect how people actually work, leading to strongly counterintuitive results. Intelligence, for example, is not a single "attribute" in human beings - it is not exactly breaking news that all of us have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to thinking. For example, I am very good at reading and writing based tasks, but not great at practical problem solving tasks. My cousin is a genius with musical instruments but terrible at math. And so on.And what even is "wisdom"? How is it different from intelligence? Like, I know how it is defined in D&D: "Wisdom reflects how attuned you are to the world around you and represents perceptiveness and intuition." But in actuality, the game uses it as the "cleric" attribute, and always has, which makes it more about spiritual rather than worldly awareness. The consequence is that clerics are the go to class for things like animal handling (should be rangers), insight (should be rogues), medicine (see above) and perception (should be barbarians or monks).So I would, first, try to better balance the usefulness of skills per my first point. Then I would divorce them from attributes and instead build them more strongly into class and background. I would use them to tune class balance - a rogue or fighter would start with more skills than a wizard or cleric (which to me makes sense, since the latter classes are much more narrowly focused in their training). I would give every class a minimum of one expertise to start with, derived from their class (rogues, bards, and rangers might start with 2-3). And every level I would let every character add +1 to any skill, even if not currently proficient in it (gotta start somewhere).</blockquote>

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