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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Winterthorn" data-source="post: 3734403" data-attributes="member: 1702">Reviewing the math on skillsWell a free action to drop the shield can be done to reduce the penalty. That's what I'd allow as a DM.Actually I may have made a wee math error anyways - let's check...These skills are all class skills for the Warrior, we'll apply the stat modifier first:Climb (Str) +1Handle Animal (Cha) -1Intimidate (Cha) -1Jump (Str) +1Ride (Dex) +0Swim (Str) +1Then apply the armor check penalty (-2 for chain shirt plus -1 for light shield gives us a -3):Climb +1 -2 (light shield not counted since two hands are required to climb; so it's strapped on back or dropped or ?) = -1Handle Animal -1 +0 (n/a) = -1Intimidate -1 +0 (n/a) = -1Jump +1 -3 (yes) = -2Ride +0 +0 (n/a) = +0Swim +1 -6 (double armor check penalty for this skill, 2 x -3) = -5Finally allocate skill points; a Human Warrior at 1st level with an Int of 10 gets 12 (i.e. (2 + 0) x 4 + 4) skill points:Climb +1 -2 +2 = +1Handle Animal -1 +0 +1 = +0Intimidate -1 +0 +1 = +0Jump +1 -3 +3 = +1Ride +0 +0 +2 = +2Swim +1 -6 +3 = -2Thus skills should be: Climb +1, Handle Animal +0, Intimidate +0, Jump +1, Ride +2, Swim -2.So Swim should have a -2 total modifier, or, assuming the light shield is dropped (loose the -1 doubled) as a free action (just before one starts swimming), a +0. The average of -2 and +0 is -1. A useful "fudging" for simplicity. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> I think at the time I calculated the stats I assumed that an NPC Warrior had a 50-50 chance of dropping his shield or keeping it while trying to swim. The average neatly avoids the bother for the DM - especially with a group of Warriors (e.g: nasty guardsmen pushed off of a bridge into a river by the PC heros <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />) - unless the DM requires otherwise. We're talking a very small "error" here. I think we're okay <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=":)" />Tangental comment: DM's fiat is a -2/+2 change to a DC for the situation, and/or -2/+2 circumstance penalty/bonus for the PC/NPC. As a DM I don't worry about any error that may appear which is <= DM's fiat. But I do review my math now and then to keep my errors to a minimum, otherwise gaffs could compound and skew the dice rolling aspect of the game which would be neither fair nor enjoyable for the players or myself. YMMV  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f60e.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":cool:" title="Cool    :cool:"  data-smilie="6"data-shortname=":cool:" /></blockquote>

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