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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Krelios" data-source="post: 2916961" data-attributes="member: 33022">The problem is with the way D&D handles skills in general. I would love to see the skill system become independent of the combat/level system, but that has its own problems. (Once you start trying to make D&D realistic, it ceases to be D&D.)It sounds like the best solution would be to leave the existing skill list intact and come up with a system of "specializations." In other words, the Survival skill gives you a basic understanding of first aid, tracking, etc., but some tasks will be more difficult or even impossible, without a specialization in the specific terrain involved. So you might have Survival (Arctic) or Survival (Jungle).Just making these skills in and of themselves isn't a good idea for several reasons, one of which you pointed out--the lack of skill points means the ranger gets very much screwed over. It also doesn't make sense that someone who knows the basics of survival (how to make fire, find water, etc.) in one environment knows nothing about them in another.For example. Rogar the Barbarian has 5 ranks in Survival and no specialization. He can use this basic information to start a fire or try to find water at the normal DCs listed. However, when confronted with the challenge of finding shelter in the desert, or surviving the night in the jungle, he is treated as unskilled since he doesn't have the specialization for Deserts or Jungles.Then we have to decide how characters acquire specializations. I'd say that the easiest way to do that is to let characters buy them with skill points. The first one costs 1 skill point, all others cost 2 skill points each. Then give every character an extra two skill points per level (up to the maximum of 8+Int modifier) and you're good to go. The more skills you apply this specialization system to, the more skill points you'll have to give your characters and the more open to abuse the skills that don't have emphases become.It's a balancing act, but maybe this gives you some good ideas.</blockquote>

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