In Class or not because....?

[ThePublic]

Hey folks,

Just when you couldn't get enough I got an issue for ya to expand upon.

The list of in class skills seem ok for some, but not all occasions. how do you deal with it/ how have you dealt with it in the past during and after initial build of PC?

'Nuff said,

The Public

 

[DarkJester]

In some of our games we drop class skills all together, and just take what we feel is appropriate for the character. It really hasn't been much of an issue as there is a fair amount of multiclassing going around and the roguish types tend to take able learner as a feat.

 

[blargney the second]

We just dropped cross-class from the game - all skills are class skills. We haven't noticed any significant downsides, and plenty of upsides.

 

[Arkhandus]

I never have a problem with class/cross-class skills. They make sense to me, and I never have any qualms against spending skill points cross-class on stuff that fit the character concept but are kind of unusual for a member of that character's class.

For the campaigns I run, I generally include a feat or two that can be taken by PCs who want a few unusual class skills for their character, that don't fit the standard mold of their chosen class.

 

[Goblyn]

When I run I drop the idea of cross class skills. Too much bookkeeping for too little gain.

 

[irdeggman]

Haven't found any problem with the present class/cross class skill rules.

I see them as part of the balance of the game.

Sure it gets frustrating because I can't get my PC to have what I want for in ranks but heck it works.

Remember that most skills can be used untrained so quite often there is still a chance for success, especially if generously using take 10 or take 20.

 

[Li Shenron]

We suck it up In early days at some point we established to spend 1 feat in exchange for 1 class skill, and some character spent it. Even 2/feat is still quite ok... We even play 3.0, where some classes have less skill points and class skills.

 

[KarinsDad]

The Star Wars game has an elegant solution to this.

Each class gets class skills and non-class skills.

Both sets of skills go up by 1/2 rank per level automatically.

Class skills get an extra +5 to the skill.

And, a PC can take a Skill Focus Feat that gives +5. So, this allows any PC a little extra capability in some specific desired skill.

For example, at level 10 with +2 stats, it works out to:

+7: Non-class skills
+12: Class skills (or non-class skill with Skill Focus)
+17: Class skills with Skill Focus

In current DND, the max is (still assuming a +2 stat):

+8: Non-class skills (but usually much lower)
+15: Class skills
+18: Class skills with Skill Focus

Balance-wise, this seems reasonable.

The designers also combined things like Search, Spot, and Listen into a single Perception skill. The great thing about this is that it takes a LOT less time to create a higher level NPC for the DM.

It is also trivially easy for a player to take his PC from level x to level x+1. If it is an odd level, none of the skills improve. If it is an even level, they all improve by 1.

If there is any set of rules in 4E that WotC should adopt, this DEFINITELY is one of them.

 

[Stormborn]

I let players swap out class skills for their PCs on a one-for-one basis. This is usually good for fighters who, in our games, tend not to need Ride or Handle Animal but can say they were a guard or watchman and take Spot and Listen. Or a rogue who used to work for a wizard "aquiring" magic artifacts may have picked up Kn(arcana) but know nothing of Forgery.

The only caveat there is to be careful of PrC that have specific skill prereqs, but the easiest solution is to make PrC that do not seem like a natural progression for the character have RPing prereqs in addition to mechanical ones.

I have not run into any significant problems this way.

 

[Drowbane]

I've been over class skills for close to four years now. My Portland group and I have abolished class skills all together in our games.