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<blockquote data-quote="fuindordm" data-source="post: 1773229" data-attributes="member: 5435">Some good ideas here.&nbsp; I'm quoting the skill that I have comments on:Empathy: I like the idea of folding sense motive and handle animal into an empathy skill, quite a lot.&nbsp; It makes a very good Wis-based skill, which were a bit lacking I think in the last version.&nbsp; As Afrodyte suggested, such a skill could also be expanded to include a touch of otherworldly perception at high DCs.Mystic: I'd like to hear more details on the mechanics of this skill.&nbsp; You imply that it can be used to aid spellcasting, so how would that work?Notice: I'm quoting it here because I want to address StAlda's post about pseudo-skills.&nbsp; It's an interesting idea, but I think it actually does make sense to&nbsp; allow PCs to put ranks in the perceptions skills. The reason is that it's not our eyes and ears that filter the outside world; it's our brains.&nbsp; Our eyes and ears catch everything, but our brains decide what's important enough to refer to our conscious attention.&nbsp; With training, a person can become more perceptive simply by learning to designate certain kinds of detail as 'important' rather than as 'background'.Of course, I see your point as well.&nbsp; Our eyes and ears do have limits; no amount of training will allow you to distinguish letters at 400' away if your eyesight isn't good enough, or to hear a faint noise if your hearing isn't good enough.&nbsp; But distance perception isn't the most common use for these skills!&nbsp; The most common use is to notice something subtle (like a sneaking person) but nearby.Trade: Sounds like profession: merchant, but might indeed merit being given a place of its own for its overall utility.&nbsp; Especially for characters that consider themselves money-grubbing, and with a mechanic that actually gives them real discounts on items.Good ideas, all!&nbsp; Let's keep it to skills, though, and spawn another thread for the other sub-systems.--Ben</blockquote>

[QUOTE="fuindordm, post: 1773229, member: 5435"] Some good ideas here. I'm quoting the skill that I have comments on: Empathy: I like the idea of folding sense motive and handle animal into an empathy skill, quite a lot. It makes a very good Wis-based skill, which were a bit lacking I think in the last version. As Afrodyte suggested, such a skill could also be expanded to include a touch of otherworldly perception at high DCs. Mystic: I'd like to hear more details on the mechanics of this skill. You imply that it can be used to aid spellcasting, so how would that work? Notice: I'm quoting it here because I want to address StAlda's post about pseudo-skills. It's an interesting idea, but I think it actually does make sense to allow PCs to put ranks in the perceptions skills. The reason is that it's not our eyes and ears that filter the outside world; it's our brains. Our eyes and ears catch everything, but our brains decide what's important enough to refer to our conscious attention. With training, a person can become more perceptive simply by learning to designate certain kinds of detail as 'important' rather than as 'background'. Of course, I see your point as well. Our eyes and ears do have limits; no amount of training will allow you to distinguish letters at 400' away if your eyesight isn't good enough, or to hear a faint noise if your hearing isn't good enough. But distance perception isn't the most common use for these skills! The most common use is to notice something subtle (like a sneaking person) but nearby. Trade: Sounds like profession: merchant, but might indeed merit being given a place of its own for its overall utility. Especially for characters that consider themselves money-grubbing, and with a mechanic that actually gives them real discounts on items. Good ideas, all! Let's keep it to skills, though, and spawn another thread for the other sub-systems. --Ben [/QUOTE]

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