Talents or Broadening of skills

[Kestrel]

All characters can have cross-class skills based on thier stat bonuses. These skills are called talents and can be purchased at 1 to 1 ratio just like a class skill but are still limited to your level +3 divided by 2. You can have one talent per natural bonus of a skill. i.e. A character with a strength of 18 has a +4 bonus. He can choose to spend skill points in 4 crossclass str skills, with a limit described above. So on and so forth for all stat bonuses.

Some limitations: A character cannot spend points in trained skills or class-specific skills. Bonuses from anything beyond the character's natural stat do not increase the number of talents. Also, this rule does not give any additional skill points, it just allows you to broaden your character if you so choose.

 

[Nifft]

IMC, there are "Education Skill Points", which every character gets.

Starting out, everyone gets 8 Education Skill Points (ESP), which must be put into Knowleges, Crafts or Professions. At each level after 1st, the character gains another 2 ESP, which also must be put into Knowleges, Crafts or Professions.

-- Nifft

 

[Staffan]

This is a bit weird considering that some stats are way more skillheavy than others. There's no reason not to count Concentration as a talent, for example, since there are no other Con-based skills.

 

[RC Hagy]

Simple, straight forward... I like it!!! What I try to do... except my rambling gets in the way when I write things out.

Here is my method in planning:

Ease cross-class skills restrictions by allowing a PC to pick one every few levels, 3rd, 9th, 15th, at regular price... in conjunction with:

Allowing PCs to hold skill points for a few levels after reaching third (hold a feat for a few lvls after attaining seventh).
Skill points saved for a cross-class skill could mean a little pain now, for (hopefully) a little gain later.


RC Hagy
Vermont

 

[Kestrel]

Staffan: That's true, but really concentration is worthless to anyone that's not a caster, and all casters get it as a class skill.

Its true that some stats are more skill-heavy than others, but really, that doesnt matter to this house rule much. It just allows you to broaden your character a bit if you so choose. Like an intelligent fighter taking some knowledge skills, or a swashbuckling fighter taking some charisma skills.

 

[Staffan]

It's not that I'm against the rule in principle, it's just the tying to individual stat modifiers that irks me. How about instead of tying it to stat modifiers, just give everyone three (or so) talents? Maybe more for humans - and maybe half-elves (a lesser version of the human skill versatility)?