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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Pickaxe" data-source="post: 2890766" data-attributes="member: 10812">I think the origin of this may have to do with the ties to old editions, at least for Spot and Listen. These skills basically replace the old "surprised on a...." mechanic of 1e. IIRC, the default was that anyone was surpised on a 1 or 2 on a d6, and you could improve this chance through a variety ways, such as your race, your familiar, the Alertness NWP, or your class. Hence, in 3e, some races have bonuses to Spot and/or Listen, familiars give you alertness, and you can take the Alertness feat (or Skill Focus).In addition, those classes that were harder to surprise in 1e get Spot and/or Listen as a class skill. I know this follows for the ranger, and I believe it was true for the monk (and maybe the barbarian) as well. I don't think  1e thieves actually were harder to surprise, but presumably the designers saw the rogue's role as either similar to that of a ranger in terms of scouting or else as the "master of skills" in general. Listen was probably given to bards since they deal closely with sound. The addition of Spot and Listen to the druid class skill list came in 3.5, and that seems to be the most "artificial" to me. Spot and Listen, for me, belong as class skills to those classes most likely to serve in some capacity as a scout or "point man," and the druid does not come to my mind for that role normally.--Axe</blockquote>