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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jasin" data-source="post: 4862805" data-attributes="member: 7531">What is the expert's schtick, described in common language without reference to D&D rules?It's not "skills", since skills in D&D are a rather arbitrary subset of what you'd call skills in a normal conversation. For example, swordfighting isn't a skill, jumping is a skill, running isn't a skill, faking people out in a fight is a skill. What is the thematic common ground that makes an expert good at jumping and faking people out, but not at running or swordsmanship in general?I think character types modeled by a PC expert would be better modeled by several more specific classes. If you want a PC general who isn't as good as a fighter in sword duel but is a better strategist, tactician and leader, make a general class, with knowledge (history), perform (oratory), intimidate... but not tumble, knowledge (nature) or escape artist. If you want a PC farmer, make a heroic farmer class, with knowledge (nature), survival, handle animal, but not knowledge (nobility & royalty), forgery or decipher script.Furthermore, to be PC-worthy, a class needs some interesting, unique special abilities, not just better results on skill checks. A general might have an aura of courage, a bonus to overland speed of his troops, a bonus to spot and listen checks made by sentries posted according to his commands. A farmer would be more difficult, but you could do something along action points or Cityscape's luck mechanics, since this kind of character is often represented as lucky or persevering despite not being particularly formally competent.The point is, if you want a playable alchemist, general, farmer and scholar, it really doesn't make sense to represent them with a single class just because their schtick is non-combat, non-magic, just like you don't represent a duelist, a ninja and a berserker with a single class, even though they're all non-magic combat chatacters.</blockquote>

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