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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ferratus" data-source="post: 5999829" data-attributes="member: 55966">PHYSICAL SKILLSThe first type of skills are purely physical that require no equipment.   Running, jumping, swimming, climbing, etc.    The ability scores work just fine for differentiating how good people are at doing things like that.   If you are an athlete, you have a higher dex, higher con, higher strength.   If your fighter has a str of 9, a dex of 8, and a con of 10... I'm sorry, but he skipped gym.  He is not trained very well in any of the physical skills, including his weapon (because his attack score would be abysmal too).   Since you already have a bonus for physical ability score to the check, adding skill training would just be be stat inflation.  Ability scores represent physical fitness and training already, so not having a skill boost just keeps the numbers of the DC low.The way to improve your skills in the purely physical sense is to have equipment, perhaps by bypassing the check altogether.   If you have no strength for climbing, a grappling hook rope or hammer and pitons allows you to bypass the wall without making a check (or make a considerably easier one).   If you have trouble swimming, something that floats or a pair of flippers can make that considerably easier.   If you have trouble running, you buy a horse and cart. etc.This would allow physically weaker characters succeed along with the stronger characters, whereas making skills more important than equipment merely exacerbates the spread of difficulty.   If you have a +10 to that skill, and your party members only have +2, and all your equipment gives you a piddly +1 bonus... then what is the use of that skill a lot of the time?   You can make the DC's but they can't. Ability scores therefore are better, because everyone can at least an attempt with a good chance of success, and while you are better than people who aren't as strong, or nimble, or fit as you are, you usually aren't doing things that they don't have a chance of doing it with you.   Which is good, because low level parties should be spending most of their time being stealthy, and you should never split the party.</blockquote>

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