Skills for modern/future?

[Flobby]

Snap! I forgot Thievery...

Mechanics is Technology, maybe Technology is a better name for the skill though.

Mallus and Katahn - Thats pretty much what I was thinking about Bureaucracy.

Religion and Arcana/Occult would only be useful if it was a modern game with magic. Otherwise they could go into the History skill.

As far as the Craft, Research, Gamble, and Demolitions skills in d20 Modern. Research could be split into any number of skills (History, Computers, etc...) and Demolitions could go into Technology. And we know that craft will be handled differently for 4E.

I think its logical to have a Technology and Computers skill even though they do overlap. (In fact I think thats what the 4E skill system is all about- broad overlaping skills.) Need to break into someplace with an alarm? You can reprogram the system with Computers or cut the wires with Technology, or maybe carefully pick the lock with Thievery.

Do you really need a Current Events/Popular Culture skill? Or we could make history a little broader and call it Academics..

So...heres the new list:

Academics (Int)
Acrobatics (Dex)
Athletics (Str)
Bluff (Cha)
Bureaucracy (Int)
Computers (Int)
Diplomacy (Cha)
Endurance (Con) Don't you need this skill now that Fortitude saves are out?
Heal (Wis)
History (Int)
Insight (Wis)
Intimidate (Cha)
Nature (Wis)
Perception (Wis)
Science (Int)
Stealth (Dex)
Streetwise (Cha)
Technology (Int)
Thievery (Dex)
Vehicles (Dex)

For Urban Arcana etc.
Arcana
Religion

 

[arscott]

I agree that History is too narrow. Fold it into academics. Likewise, I'd fold arcana and religion into a single Occult skill--outside of a D&D specific context, the arcane/divine split is much less important.

And finally, perhaps replace 'Heal' with 'Medicine'. The latter name seems much more appropriate to modern contexts. Plus, when your using the skill for things like autopsies, illicit drug manufacture, and the occasional mad science, the term medicine fits better.

 

[Zephrin the Lost]

I've been trying something similar with using Star Wars Saga skills in D20 modern. In Saga, a skill like Stealth has several specific applications as a sub-heading. I imagine that 4e will do the same. To make the kinds simplified skill system we are describing here viable, wouldn't we need to attach existing D20 modern skills to each skill listed? So Stealth includes Hide, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, etc.

For my D20 saga experiment, I found that +5 +1/2 ch. level for trained skills was too fast a progression for d20 modern as written, but +3 worked well. I also made cross class skills available via the skill training feat, but those skills would be at +2. Kind of close to class skills, I know, but Modern has so many powers and feats that provide bonuses, a 'specialist' in any skill group (like a fast hero specializes in dex skills) would still be far better than say a strong hero who cross-classes in stealth.

This allowed me to use so many more skill checks and the new 4e skill challenges in my games, without worrying that only a few PC's could even attempt the DC's I was asking for.

--Z