Chris_Nightwing
First Post
I thought about this at some length also. It would definitely work, but you have to be careful how you structure the skill system. I came up with the following:
- Skills cover everything, including magic.
- They are divided into several categories: Arms and Armour, Arcana, Divinity, Trickery and General.
- A skill rank gives a +1 to use that skill, there is no bump for the first skill rank.
- Having no skill ranks restricts your use of that skill. For instance, you cannot critical hit if you have no training with a particular weapon, you cannot cast any spells if you have no training in any arcana skills. General skills have no restrictions.
- You cannot invest every skill point you receive in the same skill: your highest skill cannot be greater than the sum of your other skills in a given category (this can be adjusted to determine vertical vs. horizontal growth).
- A background provides general skills and perhaps 1 non-general skill. Each level you take in a particular class defines how you may spend skill points for that level. A Fighter might get 1 general skill point and N-1 arms and armour skill points.
- Feats would have skill rank requirements.
- Multiclassing would be completely open, and a feat might exist that allows you to spend 1 skill point in a given area every level (ignoring your usual requirements) to allow both dabbling and more integrated concepts.