Should there be a skill for the ability to smell?

[der_kluge]

to make it balanced, i would make the DC similar to a spot, listen, check. perhaps being invisible also masks a creature's scent somewhat.

i would say that a polymorphed person would also have a different smell, since polymorph is a fairly powerful ability

Yes - all valid workarounds - you just have to be prepared beforehand with this ability, lest it catch you off guard when you least expect it!

 

[Sejs]

I just use the Spot skill for smell-type perception checks. Unless it's a strong odor, I generally don't make those smell-type perception checks if the character in question doesn't have the Scent ability.


Similar to what Particle_Man mentioned, when I DM I let certain races take Scent as a feat, namely Orcs, Half-Orcs, Gnomes, Kobolds, and Gnolls. Requirements are Wis 13+ and Character Level 3rd+.

 

[Gez]

I'd make the "Odor Perception" skill and Scent works like the Swim skill and a Swim speed. If you have scent, you get a +8 bonus on all Odor Perception checks, and you can always take 10 on OP checks.

Without, you do not have the +8 bonus, and you can never take 10.

What Scent normally allows you to do would then be a DC 15 task for this check. With an automatic 18+modifier for ranks, Wisdom modifier, etc., that task would thus be always successful for creatures with Scent.

 

[Berandor]

I have consolidated Hide & Move Silently to "Sneak" imc (from Monte's AU), and Listen & Spot into "Perception", which now includes smell, touch and taste. I really like that house rule.

 

[Garnfellow]

The Denizens of Avadnu book has Scent as a skill, and it works pretty much as you would imagine.

Between the grimlock PC in one campaign, and the wolf companion in another, I can see the use for making scent a skill. But I've been leaning toward a solution like others have mentioned . . . consolidate Hide and Move Silently into a single Sneak skill, and Listen, Spot, and Scent into a single Perceive skill. If you add in Gez's nifty +8 bonus to creatures with the Scent special ability, you're good to go with a nice house rule.

 

[JVisgaitis]

We have scent as a skill in Denizens of Avadnu. I'm at my day job and I don't have the description in front of me. You basically get bonuses for being upwind and downwind and there are set DCs for the intensity of the odor.

As a design decision we felt that scent was too black and white. I like what we came up with as an alternative. I'll post it here when I get home if anyone is interested.

 

[Mystery Man]

My wife just bakes some snickerdoodles and puts these little steaming drops of heaven on the rack to cool off. But since I only rolled a 2 and have a bonus of only plus one and the fact that I'm covered in mud from fixing the sod outside gives me a -2 to smell them I can't get a whiff even with my face DIRECTLY over the rack.

Am I the only one who can see why this didn't make it into the book?

 

[grodog]

Ryan Smalley's Valus allows Scent to be selected as a racial feat for Roven PCs and NPCs (roven are a race of dog-like bipeds):

SCENT [RACIAL]
You have keen olfactory capabilities.
Prerequisites: Roven
Benefit: This feat is identical to the Scent (Ex) special ability. You may detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and possibly track by sense of smell. You can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights.
You can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple normal range.
When a character detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere within range. The character can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. Whenever the character comes within 5 feet of the source, the character pinpoints the source’s location.
Special: A character with both the Scent and Track feats can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom (or Survival) check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the scent). This DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry’s odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. Rules for the Track feat otherwise apply normally. Characters tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility.

 

[Psion]

Smelling is a class skill for gamers.

(Or so I'm told.)

My dad had a few RANKS in it, with a specialization in smelly socks.

 

[Berandor]

Smelling is a class skill for gamers.

(Or so I'm told.)

My dad had a few RANKS in it, with a specialization in smelly socks.

Eww...

Seriously, I would be against a "smell" skill - there are already enough skills to put points into, and being a perceptive character (spot, listen, smell, search) should not be too restrictive on other options, imo.