Gez
First Post
In the DMG, they say that gnomes, orcs, and half-orcs can be allowed to take the Scent ability as a feat.
Smell isn't only useful for tracking, see the gnomes have a bonus to Alchemy because of that. They should as well have a bonus to Profession (cook), but that's just my opinion. Maybe one of the three main designer didn't wanted to see the cook profession used to much ?
Actually kobolds are the only creature with a bonus to a profession skill.
So well, I've no problem with a smell skill. It would be class skill for all classes that have Listen & Spot.
And why not touch skill as well ? The skin is the main sensory organ of a body. It gives you information on temperature, humidity, etc. It's also very helpful for things you can't see, like detecting a mechanism with a probe in a keyhole. (This way it could give a synergy bonus to some Search, Open Lock, Pick Pocket, or Disable Device checks.) Think also of blind people reading things written in Braille code; this is the proof touch skill can be trained.
Things like the sudden chill you have when you've got a bad feeling could as well be rattached to this touch skill, in a way.
The last sense, taste, could be merged with smell. It would be used to detect poison, for example. Or to play a wine critic.
Smell isn't only useful for tracking, see the gnomes have a bonus to Alchemy because of that. They should as well have a bonus to Profession (cook), but that's just my opinion. Maybe one of the three main designer didn't wanted to see the cook profession used to much ?

So well, I've no problem with a smell skill. It would be class skill for all classes that have Listen & Spot.
And why not touch skill as well ? The skin is the main sensory organ of a body. It gives you information on temperature, humidity, etc. It's also very helpful for things you can't see, like detecting a mechanism with a probe in a keyhole. (This way it could give a synergy bonus to some Search, Open Lock, Pick Pocket, or Disable Device checks.) Think also of blind people reading things written in Braille code; this is the proof touch skill can be trained.
Things like the sudden chill you have when you've got a bad feeling could as well be rattached to this touch skill, in a way.
The last sense, taste, could be merged with smell. It would be used to detect poison, for example. Or to play a wine critic.