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<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 6339528" data-attributes="member: 20323">[MENTION=2067]Kamikaze Midget[/MENTION]Well, from the perspective of the entire party ALL skill are just color.Example: Perception allows you to sense an ambush to avoid being surprised, or discover a secret door leading to bonus encounters/treasure. Neither avoiding surprise nor the bonus encounters/treasure are &quot;necessary&quot; to the adventure arc. Likewise, Athletics can be used to climb after the thief to encounter him without backup, get to a hard to reach perch to fire arrows, or swim to the bottom of a lake to gain a sunken treasure.None of those situations are &quot;necessary&quot; to the adventure, just like the case with Perception. They are color, yes, and color MATTERS. It matters because of the story space the player holds in their mind, reinforcing how they see their character. It matters because it suggests the sort of complications the DM might introduce if things don't go as planned. It matters when figuring out how to resolve a group check.Also, going a bit deeper, I think you've grouped skills into two distinct categories:&quot;Plot changing/scene framing&quot; and &quot;useless color&quot;, or something along those lines. Could you articulate this more clearly?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 6339528, member: 20323"] [MENTION=2067]Kamikaze Midget[/MENTION] Well, from the perspective of the entire party ALL skill are just color. Example: Perception allows you to sense an ambush to avoid being surprised, or discover a secret door leading to bonus encounters/treasure. Neither avoiding surprise nor the bonus encounters/treasure are "necessary" to the adventure arc. Likewise, Athletics can be used to climb after the thief to encounter him without backup, get to a hard to reach perch to fire arrows, or swim to the bottom of a lake to gain a sunken treasure. None of those situations are "necessary" to the adventure, just like the case with Perception. They are color, yes, and color MATTERS. It matters because of the story space the player holds in their mind, reinforcing how they see their character. It matters because it suggests the sort of complications the DM might introduce if things don't go as planned. It matters when figuring out how to resolve a group check. Also, going a bit deeper, I think you've grouped skills into two distinct categories:"Plot changing/scene framing" and "useless color", or something along those lines. Could you articulate this more clearly? [/QUOTE]

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