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Message: <blockquote data-quote="fuindordm" data-source="post: 5798403" data-attributes="member: 5435">Interesting ideas, but I thought the skill systems of 3E and 4E both worked very well. However, I have noticed that the rank system can discourage players from trying to do things if they don't have ranks in a skill and they think the chance of success is low.  If skill ranks are an optional rule, I could see the Core system saying: "When a character wants to do something skillful that makes sense for their race and class, have them make an ability score check with DC 10-15. Examples include a dwarven priest appraising a smithed weapon, a human fighter looking for weak points in a palisade, and a hobbit bard reading a song written in an ancient dialect.  Remember that the players can take 10 to accomplish easy tasks.  If the DM thinks that a task falls outside your character's training, they can add 5 to the DC."There you go, a complete skill system. It could be fleshed out with a few more examples, but it's good enough for most situations. The advantages of a system like this one are that it makes race (and character histories) more relevant, and that the barrier to trying unusual actions is low.</blockquote>