airwalkrr
Adventurer
This is part 1 of my New Skill System. I want to bounce these ideas off others to get some feedback. This system was inspired partially by Spoony Bard. The purpose of the system is to simplify skills by combining similar skills with each other. Here are the basics.
The new skill rules contain 20 skills in all. Some have not changed or have not changed much. Others have been folded into another skill or combined with other skills to create a new skill. Still other skills have been split and some of their abilities moved to other skills. The names of the old skills (and the key ability for those skills) along with the new skill they have been converted to are shown below:
Appraise (Int) => Lore (Int)
Balance (Dex) => Acrobatics (Dex)
Bluff (Cha) => Chicanery (Int)
Climb (Str) => Athletics (Str)
Concentration (Con) => Concentration (Con)
Craft (alchemy) (Int) => Alchemy (Int)
Craft (all skills, taken individually) (Int) => Profession (Wis)
Decipher Script (Int) => Lore (Int)
Diplomacy (Cha) => Influence (Cha)
Disable Device (Int) => Disable Device (Dex)
Disguise (Cha) => Chicanery (Int)
Escape Artist (Dex) => Acrobatics (Dex)
Forgery (Int) => Chicanery (Int)
Gather Information (Cha) => Influence (Cha)
Handle Animal (Cha) => Handle Animal (Cha)
Heal (Wis) => Heal (Wis)
Hide (Dex) => Stealth (Dex)
Intimidate (Cha) => Influence (Cha)
Jump (Str) => Athletics (Str)
Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int) => Lore (Int)
Listen (Wis) => Alertness (Wis)
Move Silently (Dex) => Stealth (Dex)
Open Lock (Dex) => Disable Device (Dex)
Perform (all skills taken individually) (Cha) => Perform (Cha)
Profession (all skills taken individually) (Wis) => Profession (Wis)
Ride (Dex) => Handle Animal (Cha)
Search (Int) => Alertness (Wis)
Sleight of Hand (Dex) => Sleight of Hand (Dex)
Sense Motive (Wis) => Sense Motive (Wis)
Speak Language (none) => Speak Language (none)
Spellcraft (Int) => Alchemy (Int) and Spellcraft (Int)
Spot (Wis) => Alertness (Wis)
Survival (Wis) => Survival (Wis)
Swim (Str) => Athletics (Str)
Tumble (Dex) => Acrobatics (Dex)
Use Magic Device (Cha) = Use Magic Device (Cha)
Use Rope (Dex) = Acrobatics (Dex) and Athletics (Str)
Characters no longer put ranks into skills. There are three levels of skill training: non-proficiency, proficiency, and mastery. Characters who have non-proficiency in a skill can make a check using the skill but they use only their key ability modifier and any circumstance bonuses or penalties. Characters who have proficiency in a skill gain a bonus on skill checks equal to 1 + 1/2 character level (rounded up). Sometimes proficiency in a skill also grants additional uses of that skill. Characters who have mastery in a skill gain a bonus on skill checks equal to 3 + character level. Sometimes mastery in a skill also grants additional uses of that skill.
All characters have non-proficiency in a skill by default. However, a character can acquire proficiency or mastery in a skill by spending skill points. Classes no longer receive skill points at every level. Instead they gain a set number of skill points at first level (plus a bonus number of skill points equal to their Int modifier) and at certain levels thereafter they gain additional skill points. One skill point earns a character proficiency with a skill. Two skill points earns a character mastery with a skill. Any character, even a 1st level character, can have proficiency or mastery in a skill as long as the skill is part of that character's class skill list. A character may gain proficiency in a skill that does not show up on his class list, however such a character must spend two skill points and can not gain mastery in that skill.
Each class gains a number of skill points at 1st level equal to the number of skill points that character normally would receive at each level (e.g. 4 for a barbarian, 6 for a bard, etc.). Characters that gain 2 skill points at 1st level gain an additional skill point at levels 10 and 20. Characters that gain 4 skill points at 1st level gain an additional skill point at levels 5, 10, 15, and 20. Characters that gain 6 skill points at 1st level gain an additional skill point at levels 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18. Characters that gain 8 skill points at 1st level gain an additonal skill point at levels 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19.
The new class skill lists are simple to determine. If a skill changed, then a class gets the new skill as a class skill, even if it didn't have other skills that might have been folded into that skill. The Use Rope skill for the ranger is the only exception to this rule (although rangers retain Athletics so they still retain some of the benefits of the Use Rope skill).
A character does not gain bonus languages based on Intelligence. Instead, a character can learn new a new language by spending one skill point (except for bards who learn two languages for each skill point spent). Speak Language does not differentiate between proficiency and mastery, you either know a language or you do not. Languages learned at 1st level must come from the character's bonus language list. Languages learned thereafter (such as when a character gains a bonus skill point at a later level) may be any language.
Below is a sample new skill, Acrobatics, and how it differs from its component skills in 3.5. Otherwise the skill works exactly as described in its component skills. I've attached a Word document with the updated Acrobatics skill for those who wish to see what it looks like in its new incarnation.
Acrobatics (Dex; Armor Check Penalty)
-An Acrobatics check made to escape bindings is opposed by the binder's Athletics check.
-Any character can attempt a soft fall (as long as speed is not reduced by armor or encumberance) with an Acrobatics check as per old Tumble rules.
-A character can secure a grappling hook with an Acrobatics check as per the old Use Rope rules.
-Acrobatics proficiency is required for tumbling past an opponent without provoking an attack of opportunity.
-A character with mastery in Acrobatics is not flat-footed while balancing, gains a +3 dodge bonus to AC when fighting defensively and +6 dodge bonus to AC when using total defense.
-A character gets a +2 synergy bonus on Acrobatics checks if the character has proficiency in Athletics. A character gets a +4 synergy bonus on Acrobatics checks if the character has mastery in Athletics.
That's it for part 1. I will elucidate some of the reasons behind these changes in part 2 as well as presenting several new incarnations of skills.
The new skill rules contain 20 skills in all. Some have not changed or have not changed much. Others have been folded into another skill or combined with other skills to create a new skill. Still other skills have been split and some of their abilities moved to other skills. The names of the old skills (and the key ability for those skills) along with the new skill they have been converted to are shown below:
Appraise (Int) => Lore (Int)
Balance (Dex) => Acrobatics (Dex)
Bluff (Cha) => Chicanery (Int)
Climb (Str) => Athletics (Str)
Concentration (Con) => Concentration (Con)
Craft (alchemy) (Int) => Alchemy (Int)
Craft (all skills, taken individually) (Int) => Profession (Wis)
Decipher Script (Int) => Lore (Int)
Diplomacy (Cha) => Influence (Cha)
Disable Device (Int) => Disable Device (Dex)
Disguise (Cha) => Chicanery (Int)
Escape Artist (Dex) => Acrobatics (Dex)
Forgery (Int) => Chicanery (Int)
Gather Information (Cha) => Influence (Cha)
Handle Animal (Cha) => Handle Animal (Cha)
Heal (Wis) => Heal (Wis)
Hide (Dex) => Stealth (Dex)
Intimidate (Cha) => Influence (Cha)
Jump (Str) => Athletics (Str)
Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int) => Lore (Int)
Listen (Wis) => Alertness (Wis)
Move Silently (Dex) => Stealth (Dex)
Open Lock (Dex) => Disable Device (Dex)
Perform (all skills taken individually) (Cha) => Perform (Cha)
Profession (all skills taken individually) (Wis) => Profession (Wis)
Ride (Dex) => Handle Animal (Cha)
Search (Int) => Alertness (Wis)
Sleight of Hand (Dex) => Sleight of Hand (Dex)
Sense Motive (Wis) => Sense Motive (Wis)
Speak Language (none) => Speak Language (none)
Spellcraft (Int) => Alchemy (Int) and Spellcraft (Int)
Spot (Wis) => Alertness (Wis)
Survival (Wis) => Survival (Wis)
Swim (Str) => Athletics (Str)
Tumble (Dex) => Acrobatics (Dex)
Use Magic Device (Cha) = Use Magic Device (Cha)
Use Rope (Dex) = Acrobatics (Dex) and Athletics (Str)
Characters no longer put ranks into skills. There are three levels of skill training: non-proficiency, proficiency, and mastery. Characters who have non-proficiency in a skill can make a check using the skill but they use only their key ability modifier and any circumstance bonuses or penalties. Characters who have proficiency in a skill gain a bonus on skill checks equal to 1 + 1/2 character level (rounded up). Sometimes proficiency in a skill also grants additional uses of that skill. Characters who have mastery in a skill gain a bonus on skill checks equal to 3 + character level. Sometimes mastery in a skill also grants additional uses of that skill.
All characters have non-proficiency in a skill by default. However, a character can acquire proficiency or mastery in a skill by spending skill points. Classes no longer receive skill points at every level. Instead they gain a set number of skill points at first level (plus a bonus number of skill points equal to their Int modifier) and at certain levels thereafter they gain additional skill points. One skill point earns a character proficiency with a skill. Two skill points earns a character mastery with a skill. Any character, even a 1st level character, can have proficiency or mastery in a skill as long as the skill is part of that character's class skill list. A character may gain proficiency in a skill that does not show up on his class list, however such a character must spend two skill points and can not gain mastery in that skill.
Each class gains a number of skill points at 1st level equal to the number of skill points that character normally would receive at each level (e.g. 4 for a barbarian, 6 for a bard, etc.). Characters that gain 2 skill points at 1st level gain an additional skill point at levels 10 and 20. Characters that gain 4 skill points at 1st level gain an additional skill point at levels 5, 10, 15, and 20. Characters that gain 6 skill points at 1st level gain an additional skill point at levels 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18. Characters that gain 8 skill points at 1st level gain an additonal skill point at levels 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19.
The new class skill lists are simple to determine. If a skill changed, then a class gets the new skill as a class skill, even if it didn't have other skills that might have been folded into that skill. The Use Rope skill for the ranger is the only exception to this rule (although rangers retain Athletics so they still retain some of the benefits of the Use Rope skill).
A character does not gain bonus languages based on Intelligence. Instead, a character can learn new a new language by spending one skill point (except for bards who learn two languages for each skill point spent). Speak Language does not differentiate between proficiency and mastery, you either know a language or you do not. Languages learned at 1st level must come from the character's bonus language list. Languages learned thereafter (such as when a character gains a bonus skill point at a later level) may be any language.
Below is a sample new skill, Acrobatics, and how it differs from its component skills in 3.5. Otherwise the skill works exactly as described in its component skills. I've attached a Word document with the updated Acrobatics skill for those who wish to see what it looks like in its new incarnation.
Acrobatics (Dex; Armor Check Penalty)
-An Acrobatics check made to escape bindings is opposed by the binder's Athletics check.
-Any character can attempt a soft fall (as long as speed is not reduced by armor or encumberance) with an Acrobatics check as per old Tumble rules.
-A character can secure a grappling hook with an Acrobatics check as per the old Use Rope rules.
-Acrobatics proficiency is required for tumbling past an opponent without provoking an attack of opportunity.
-A character with mastery in Acrobatics is not flat-footed while balancing, gains a +3 dodge bonus to AC when fighting defensively and +6 dodge bonus to AC when using total defense.
-A character gets a +2 synergy bonus on Acrobatics checks if the character has proficiency in Athletics. A character gets a +4 synergy bonus on Acrobatics checks if the character has mastery in Athletics.
That's it for part 1. I will elucidate some of the reasons behind these changes in part 2 as well as presenting several new incarnations of skills.
No worries, Airwalkrr. It's an interesting idea, overall. 
