Skills That Should be Handy for an Adventurer...But Aren't in Actual Play.

[TheAuldGrump]

You know, I have never been fond of picking pockets, regardless of the edition of the game. In thirty (ack!) years of running the game I have seen the skill used maybe six times, usually to annoy other player characters. Maybe the reason that the OP is not seeing th SoH skill used to pick pockets is because the players don't want to pick pockets?

The easiest way to increase the use of skills is to tell the players up front that you run a skills heavy game, and if they still don't try to cover the major bases then you will feel free to alllow them to fail.

I have found that the skill retraining rules in the PHBII book allows a character to start using a skill that the party was previously lacking, at the expense of another skill that was over represented.

As a semi related aside, I have been considering bumping the cross class skill rank caps up to the same as skill ranks, I am not at all sure that having a cross class cap of half that of class skills is at all necessary (aside from some prestige classes, and I can bump the requirements for those up a notch if I feel the need). I suspect that the greatest effect will be on Spot and Listen.

The Auld Grump

 

[danzig138]

Hehe. Still, a wand of cure light wands is incredibly cheap.

Cheap? Maybe. Readily available? Not so much in my games. I tend to run my GH game in a kind of old schoolish manner (whether or not it's actually old school, I dunno). Which means that you can't just walk in some place,even a common temple, and purchase wands of CLW. Alchemical potions are a bit more common, but still not on the shelf. But even when I've tried upping the availableity of CLW wands, it doesn't help if no one in the group can use the item. I think what it really is though, is that they don't want to spend money on perishables. It's cheaper to use the skill.

And concerning Pick Pockets - wow, I'm surprised that some have indicated this never gets used. Picking pockets is a favorite past time of my guys'. They walk into a town or bar, and one of the first questions I hear involves me telling how the pockets look for picking.

I'm beginning to think my guys may be greedy.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

It makes sense to me.

I never said it didn't.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

The easiest way to increase the use of skills is to tell the players up front that you run a skills heavy game, and if they still don't try to cover the major bases then you will feel free to alllow them to fail.

A fair DM should also tell PCs what the "major bases" are, IMHO.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

And concerning Pick Pockets - wow, I'm surprised that some have indicated this never gets used.

I saw it frequently when it was called Pick Pockets. When it's name was changed I've almost never seen it used for anything ever, much less picking pockets. I'm not saying I dislike or like the name change, although I appreciate the reduced intra-PC stealing induced from the change, it's just a cause and effect hunch based on my personal observation.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Personally, whether one or more people in the group cannot climb or swim or balance or whatever very well or at all does not stop me from creating encounters/goals that include that kind of thing.

Sometimes it is fun to not be good at something and have to do it anyway. . . Sometimes it leads to innovative ways to deal with problems and encourages teamwork.

Exactly. Everyone can't swim to get through the flooded tunnels? Well, the druid wildshapes into a fish and scouts ahead. Having discovered a passageway, he returns and informs the party. The wizard polymorphs the fighter into a sahuagin and then casts dimension door to skip the flooded area entirely. The cleric casts water breathing on himself and the rogue, and they walk along the bottom.

Or, someone casts control water, and everyone marches through.

Or, they all pile into the Portable Hole and hope that nothing happens to the druid as he tows it through the water in his mouth.

There's a ton of options for bypassing trouble, limited only by the resourcefulness of the party.

 

[Felon]

I think what it really is though, is that they don't want to spend money on perishables. It's cheaper to use the skill.

Cheap? Yes. Practical? Not so much. The advantage of expending wand charges to heal the party back to full hit points within a minute and that of spending days convalescing is pretty self-evident. Well-worth 750 gp for 50 charges by any rational transaction.

 

[Felon]

Exactly. Everyone can't swim to get through the flooded tunnels? Well, the druid wildshapes into a fish and scouts ahead. Having discovered a passageway, he returns and informs the party. The wizard polymorphs the fighter into a sahuagin and then casts dimension door to skip the flooded area entirely. The cleric casts water breathing on himself and the rogue, and they walk along the bottom. Or, someone casts control water, and everyone marches through. Or, they all pile into the Portable Hole and hope that nothing happens to the druid as he tows it through the water in his mouth.

There's a ton of options for bypassing trouble, limited only by the resourcefulness of the party.

It's hardly enlightening to point out that magic can frequently overshadow skills. It's actually one of the reasons for this thread....

 

[Remathilis]

I VOTED for Forgery, Use Rope, and Disable Device (FOR NON-ROGUES)

That said, I've heard WotC is jumping on the "combine" bandwagon with Star Wars Saga (Hide + MS = Stealth) so some of those skills are being rolled into one.

My list for combines?

Spot + Listen = Notice
MS + Hide = Stealth
Balance + Tumble = Acrobatics
Open Lock + Disable Device = Disable Device

I'm not sure what to roll Appraise Checks into though. Craft? Professon?

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I'm not sure what to roll Appraise Checks into though. Craft? Professon?

How about roll Sense Motive in with Appraise, keep calling it Appraise. A skill that let the character appraise value in objects and appraise motives or intent in others. *shrug*