VelvetViolet
Adventurer
After reading Iron Heroes and Fantasy Concepts Campaign Resource, I'm come to believe that Pathfinder has too many skills and most of them are too niche.
For this reason, I think Pathfinder could benefit from two rules: Skill Groups and Level-Based Skills.
In applying this to Pathfinder, I make the following adjustments:
Comments? Concerns?
What would you suggest as the skill groups in Pathfinder?
For this reason, I think Pathfinder could benefit from two rules: Skill Groups and Level-Based Skills.
A skill group is a collection of skills that are closely related in terms of their use, the training needed to master them, or some other factor. If you spend 1 skill point on a skill group as a whole, you gain one rank in each skill it contains. You can gain access to a skill group via your character class (or classes, if you are multiclassed). The skill group illustrates your overall training and exposure to several different abilities. It provides an efficient, easy way for you to build a character who is trained in the core skills and abilities that your class normally studies.
A skill group does not allow you to circumvent the normal limit on skill ranks based on your level. It simply gives you a greater return on the investment of a single skill point. While you are under no compulsion to invest in your class’ skill groups, doing so generally is a wise choice. The more skills you can use, the better your chances of surviving and flourishing in a wide variety of situations.
When you spend a skill point on a skill group, you gain one rank in each skill it contains. If you are already at your maximum number of ranks in one or more skills in the group, the skills that are not yet at that maximum improve. The skills that have reached their limit remain there.
Not all skill groups contain the same number of skills. Some skills are more useful in a wide range of situations, while others provide a single, but highly advantageous talent. Some skills appear in more than one group. Also, remember that you can still purchase ranks in any individual skill. Even if your class does not offer a group that includes a skill you want to use, you can still purchase ranks in it at a rate of one rank per skill point.
Level–Based Skills
Fantasy Concepts assumes that skills are based on a character’s level. Each character begins play knowing a number of skills based on the character’s starting class, modified by the character’s Intelligence modifier. This is detailed in the Skills by Class Table. A character will always know a minimum of one skill, regardless of Intelligence penalty.
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Trained Skills vs. Untrained Skills
Little difference exists between trained skills and untrained skills. The following consolidates the few differences:
• Trained skills gain a +5 bonus on skill checks.
• Characters may only take 10 with trained skills.
• Some skill–based actions are restricted to characters with the skill as a trained skill.
Making Skill Checks
When a character makes a skill check under the Fantasy Concepts rules system, use these formulas:
Trained Skills: 1d20 + one–half character level + ability modifier + 5
Untrained Skills: 1d20 + ability modifier
Character Level: The sum total of a character’s level, or hit dice in the case of monsters.
Ability Modifier: The ability modifier used in the skill check is the modifier for the skill’s key ability (the ability associated with the skill’s use). The key ability of a skill is noted in its description.
A character who wishes to specialize or branch out their skill knowledge can select the Skill Focus feat, which grants an additional +5 bonus to a trained skill, or Skill Knowledge, which grants an additional trained skill to the character.
Optional Rule: Competent Heroes
As an optional rule, heroes may receive their character level modifier (one–half character level) as an additional bonus to untrained skills.
In applying this to Pathfinder, I make the following adjustments:
- Instead of gaining and distributing skill points at each level, a character always knows a number of skills equal to his skill points per level (X + Int mod). Trained skills have effective ranks equal to character level. All other rules, including class skill bonuses, remain the same.
- Each class has a number of skill groups associated with it. Instead of selecting a single skill, a character may select one or more of his class' skill groups to gain effective ranks in multiple skills.
Comments? Concerns?
What would you suggest as the skill groups in Pathfinder?