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<blockquote data-quote="Spatzimaus" data-source="post: 2593804" data-attributes="member: 3051">I'm just not sure it's necessary to drastically overhaul the skill system.&nbsp; The current system discourages cross-class skill spending, sure, but I look at it a different way:&nbsp; IMO, the basic problem is that a character's class skill list is set in stone from the start, unless they multiclass.&nbsp; So, the best solutions, to me, are ones that allow characters to customize their class skill list.&nbsp; You want &quot;the seafaring fighter (marine), the court magician, the urban berserker, the savage bard&quot;?&nbsp; Easy to fix.&nbsp; If it's simply a matter of making one or two skills be available to the player, then do it in a way that's balanced.For instance, allow every player to pick one skill at character creation to be a class skill for them at all times.&nbsp; If that skill later becomes a class skill for you, you get a permanent +1 bonus.&nbsp; We did this IMC a long time ago; sure, it makes things a little more powerful, but it was surprising how often people picked non-optimal skills.&nbsp; The Psion, for instance, took Speak Language, just because he could.&nbsp; Or make it race-related, and give every race two; for instance, all Elves get Spot and Listen as class skills; all Dwarves get the metal/stone Craft skills; Half-Orcs get Intimidate and Survival; Humans get to pick two; Half-Elves get Spot or Listen as one, and pick the other.One upshot is that it makes PrCs much easier to enter; many of them require 8-10 ranks in a skill because it effectively limits access to a single class.&nbsp; A Sorcerer can now be a Loremaster by picking a Knowledge skill, for instance.&nbsp; Seriously, we had people wanting to play Human, Half-Orc, or Half-Elf simply because the Human Paragon class has an ability that adds one permanent class skill, and it finally allowed them to play the type of character they wanted.&nbsp; That's just bad design.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Spatzimaus, post: 2593804, member: 3051"] I'm just not sure it's necessary to drastically overhaul the skill system. The current system discourages cross-class skill spending, sure, but I look at it a different way: IMO, the basic problem is that a character's class skill list is set in stone from the start, unless they multiclass. So, the best solutions, to me, are ones that allow characters to customize their class skill list. You want "the seafaring fighter (marine), the court magician, the urban berserker, the savage bard"? Easy to fix. If it's simply a matter of making one or two skills be available to the player, then do it in a way that's balanced. For instance, allow every player to pick one skill at character creation to be a class skill for them at all times. If that skill later becomes a class skill for you, you get a permanent +1 bonus. We did this IMC a long time ago; sure, it makes things a little more powerful, but it was surprising how often people picked non-optimal skills. The Psion, for instance, took Speak Language, just because he could. Or make it race-related, and give every race two; for instance, all Elves get Spot and Listen as class skills; all Dwarves get the metal/stone Craft skills; Half-Orcs get Intimidate and Survival; Humans get to pick two; Half-Elves get Spot or Listen as one, and pick the other. One upshot is that it makes PrCs much easier to enter; many of them require 8-10 ranks in a skill because it effectively limits access to a single class. A Sorcerer can now be a Loremaster by picking a Knowledge skill, for instance. Seriously, we had people wanting to play Human, Half-Orc, or Half-Elf simply because the Human Paragon class has an ability that adds one permanent class skill, and it finally allowed them to play the type of character they wanted. That's just bad design. [/QUOTE]

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