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<blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 7994348" data-attributes="member: 7006"><p>There is another methodology a DM could use to change up how ability checks and skill proficiency are presented and used in their game. This involves two things:</p><p></p><p>First, use the Variant Ability Score alternative rule in the game that doesn't connect one ability score to one skill. Instead, the DM selects the ability score to use based upon what is being done, and then if the PC is proficient in a skill that could apply to the check, then they can add their proficiency bonus.</p><p></p><p>Second, change up the skill list by adding more broad categories of knowledge as skills. Right now the game provides Arcana, Religion, History and Nature as options. What are other broad categories of medieval life you could add? Commerce. Nobility. Dungeoneering. Folklore. Military. Sailing. Mechanics. Urban Life. These are just a few ideas, but you can add more if you can think of them, or if you want to be much more specific on certain things (like dividing up Arcana into "Spellcraft" and "Planar Lore" for instance.)</p><p></p><p>Now, you combine these two together while removing most/all the other skills from the list. Any time someone needs to do something, the DM asks them to make the applicable ability check... and the player then sees if their knowledge of the category that the check involves would apply (and if it does, they'd add their proficiency bonus.) What this does is it changes the granularity of how actions are applied. No longer would a PC have proficiency in "Acrobatics"... instead, they would make a balancing attempt using a DEX check, and where they were attempting this DEX check would impact whether they had a proficiency they could apply. So if the PC was running along rooftops, it would be DEX (Urban Life). If they were on a boat it would be DEX (Sailing). Across tree branches would be DEX (Nature). On slick ledges underground would be DEX (Dungeoneering).</p><p></p><p>Likewise... there would be no basic Persuasion or Intimidation proficiencies. Rather, anything to do with communicating with people would be CHA checks plus your applicable knowledge base. To convince the local baron would be CHA (Nobility). To haggle with a shopkeep would be CHA (Commerce). Shaking down the local village riffraff would be CHA (Folklore). Praying to your deity or your fiendish patron for help would be CHA (Religion).</p><p></p><p>Is this a perfect or better system than what we currently have? Nope. But it is an alternative. One that incorporates more character backgrounds and jobs and knowledge directly into the game's skill system, rather than it being a strictly "Rulings not rules" application on the DM's part. Maybe it's useful to you? Maybe it's not? But I do know that indeed I have incorporated several of these knowledge categories into my amended skill lists for my games and they have worked out well for me. So take it as you may.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DEFCON 1, post: 7994348, member: 7006"] There is another methodology a DM could use to change up how ability checks and skill proficiency are presented and used in their game. This involves two things: First, use the Variant Ability Score alternative rule in the game that doesn't connect one ability score to one skill. Instead, the DM selects the ability score to use based upon what is being done, and then if the PC is proficient in a skill that could apply to the check, then they can add their proficiency bonus. Second, change up the skill list by adding more broad categories of knowledge as skills. Right now the game provides Arcana, Religion, History and Nature as options. What are other broad categories of medieval life you could add? Commerce. Nobility. Dungeoneering. Folklore. Military. Sailing. Mechanics. Urban Life. These are just a few ideas, but you can add more if you can think of them, or if you want to be much more specific on certain things (like dividing up Arcana into "Spellcraft" and "Planar Lore" for instance.) Now, you combine these two together while removing most/all the other skills from the list. Any time someone needs to do something, the DM asks them to make the applicable ability check... and the player then sees if their knowledge of the category that the check involves would apply (and if it does, they'd add their proficiency bonus.) What this does is it changes the granularity of how actions are applied. No longer would a PC have proficiency in "Acrobatics"... instead, they would make a balancing attempt using a DEX check, and where they were attempting this DEX check would impact whether they had a proficiency they could apply. So if the PC was running along rooftops, it would be DEX (Urban Life). If they were on a boat it would be DEX (Sailing). Across tree branches would be DEX (Nature). On slick ledges underground would be DEX (Dungeoneering). Likewise... there would be no basic Persuasion or Intimidation proficiencies. Rather, anything to do with communicating with people would be CHA checks plus your applicable knowledge base. To convince the local baron would be CHA (Nobility). To haggle with a shopkeep would be CHA (Commerce). Shaking down the local village riffraff would be CHA (Folklore). Praying to your deity or your fiendish patron for help would be CHA (Religion). Is this a perfect or better system than what we currently have? Nope. But it is an alternative. One that incorporates more character backgrounds and jobs and knowledge directly into the game's skill system, rather than it being a strictly "Rulings not rules" application on the DM's part. Maybe it's useful to you? Maybe it's not? But I do know that indeed I have incorporated several of these knowledge categories into my amended skill lists for my games and they have worked out well for me. So take it as you may. [/QUOTE]
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