Replacing d20 skill method with Saga's?

[Scurvy_Platypus]

So I'm looking to make my life easier in the upcoming game I'm going to run, so I was thinking of simply replacing the way that d20 usually does the skills with the way that Saga does them.

I don't plan on changing the class skills list, consolidating the list, or anything like that. I just plan on having people look and see how many skill points the character would get on level up, and that's the number of Trained skills they've got. If they want more, they buy it with a feat.

I should note that this is being done in a d20 based game, but isn't D&D or d20 Modern. The skill list is pretty similar to the D&D PHB list though.

It looks like all things being the same, the default method of messing with skill points means 5 extra skill points compared to the Saga way of doing things. I can live with that difference, and if necessary, I can always just shave the DCs.

Anything I need to watch out for?

 

[Aust Diamondew]

At low levels DCs will be easier to meet, and at high levels as you point out they will be harder.
For instance a level 1 character in saga who is trained in a skill has a +5 bonus before other modifiers. In D&D the character would have maxed out his skill as +4.
At level four they are even (at +7) after this point the standard D&D skill system has a larger bonus.

Even greater concern however saga skill focus which gives a +5 bonus would allow low level chars to meet even higher DCs earlier on.

 

[Scurvy_Platypus]

Well, if that's the only problem then I'm not worried and extremely pleased. The Skill Focus giving them a +5 simply puts them back at being able to make the same DC as they'd get under the old way of doing it, so that's fine. I missed the Skill Focus, so thanks for pointing it out. I just figured I'd let 'em use the regular D&D Skill Focus if they wanted to try and bump it up a bit more.

I'm not particularly worried about characters being really competent, even from the get go. Besides, it's not too difficult to simply say, "You can't take Skill Focus until level [whatever]" and the problem basically goes away.

So keeping the Saga version of the Skill Focus means that characters would only be off by 3 points. I think that's pretty workable.