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<blockquote data-quote="Empirate" data-source="post: 5935040" data-attributes="member: 78958">As [MENTION=92305]Water Bob[/MENTION]'s comments have shown, the need for a Survival skill is directly dependent on the style of campaign you're playing. You describe a setting where the PCs are rarely, if ever, out of touch with civilization for extended periods of time. Water Bob's campaign simply has no civilization. You can't go buy 'rations', because such a thing isn't produced anywhere. The economic model of the society is based on self-sufficient households, not on producing for a marketplace. So the Survival skill is pretty mandatory if you're not staying in one place, tending the fields or herds. Because without it, you starve.Similarly, the campaign I'm currently DMing takes place in a world of extremely harsh climates. Those Survival checks to gain +4 on checks to not take damage while outside are pretty important (as is the Endurance feat). Predicting bad weather, finding shelter from a storm, maintaining important equipment (tents, weapons, clothing) from materials foraged in the wilds, tracking wild game to hunt, and avoiding scorpion-infested territory come up all the time. Magic isn't a viable solution, since magic items are ultra-rare, this is E6 (no PC above 6th level), and Wizards and Clerics are nonplayable. Survival, alongside Knowledge (Nature), is probably the most important skill in my game at the moment.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Empirate, post: 5935040, member: 78958"] As [MENTION=92305]Water Bob[/MENTION]'s comments have shown, the need for a Survival skill is directly dependent on the style of campaign you're playing. You describe a setting where the PCs are rarely, if ever, out of touch with civilization for extended periods of time. Water Bob's campaign simply has [I]no [/I]civilization. You can't go buy 'rations', because such a thing isn't produced anywhere. The economic model of the society is based on self-sufficient households, not on producing for a marketplace. So the Survival skill is pretty mandatory if you're not staying in one place, tending the fields or herds. Because without it, you [I]starve[/I]. Similarly, the campaign I'm currently DMing takes place in a world of extremely harsh climates. Those Survival checks to gain +4 on checks to not take damage while outside are pretty important (as is the Endurance feat). Predicting bad weather, finding shelter from a storm, maintaining important equipment (tents, weapons, clothing) from materials foraged in the wilds, tracking wild game to hunt, and avoiding scorpion-infested territory come up [I]all the time[/I]. Magic isn't a viable solution, since magic items are ultra-rare, this is E6 (no PC above 6th level), and Wizards and Clerics are nonplayable. Survival, alongside Knowledge (Nature), is probably the most important skill in my game at the moment. [/QUOTE]

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