Variant skill class: Wisdom based!!!!

[Shiner]

Just had an idea, 10 minutes ago, which I would like to share with you... In my games, nobody ever takes skills like profession, craft and knowledge. They usually dont have enough points to spare for all of them, so they just take major skills, and I really cant blame them.

However, even if I have just began to play (and dm) with d&d, I found that it is often very interesting when pcs take these skills, it tends to immerse them more in their character, and offer plenty of opportunity for good roleplay. For example, my girlfriend, who was playing a kobold sorcerer, was having quite a lot of fun with her (inherent) capacity to design traps and work in the mines (they began their campaign as slaves in a mining camp ).

So I tought it could be a good idea to make a SEPARATE skill system, one that grants skills point, based on WIS, to spend on profession. I dont know yet if it would also work for craft and knowledge, since these are based on INT, but i await your opinions. It would possibly be 1pt/level + WIS bonus.

I await your comments and ideas. You can also trash this idea because it would not be a good idea at all, so I could go back to lurk again


SHINER

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

I've toyed with the idea of giving double INT bonus to players, the extra points can only be spent on Knowledge skills, or Proffession and the like. In the current campaighn, we just gave everyone 2 extra per level, and made Knowledge skills more important.

 

[Mark]

However, even if I have just began to play (and dm) with d&d, I found that it is often very interesting when pcs take these skills, it tends to immerse them more in their character, and offer plenty of opportunity for good roleplay. For example, my girlfriend, who was playing a kobold sorcerer, was having quite a lot of fun with her (inherent) capacity to design traps and work in the mines (they began their campaign as slaves in a mining camp ).

So I thought it could be a good idea to make a SEPARATE skill system, one that grants skills point, based on WIS, to spend on profession. I dont know yet if it would also work for craft and knowledge, since these are based on INT, but i await your opinions.

If you feel that it would be helpful to the chaarcters in your particular campaign to focus on these skills, I would suggest you just tell your players that this is the case. Perhaps you can suggest to them that using 20-25% of their skill points in those areas would be a good guideline. In this way you don't risk tampering with the balance of the game while tempering it toward the outcome you desire.

(Lurk no more...)

 

[LostSoul]

I've toyed with the idea of giving double INT bonus to players, the extra points can only be spent on Knowledge skills, or Proffession and the like. In the current campaighn, we just gave everyone 2 extra per level, and made Knowledge skills more important.

I've been thinking about doing the same thing, but with the caveat that those extra two points should be spent on rounding out the character - like spending a point in Perform: dance because you spent a few nights dancing and partying it up, or something like that.

 

[Ace]

. In the current campaighn, we just gave everyone 2 extra per level, and made Knowledge skills more important.

We did the same thing. The idea spread among the group and now all 4 DM's use it

 

[ConcreteBuddha]

IMC, every skill is a class skill for everyone. (Except exclusive skills.) Also, we combined all of the DnD skills into more general skills. Examples:

Hide and Move Silently turned into Stealth.

Appraise was combined with Profession: Merchant


Now we have characters who actually have a few knowledge, craft and profession skills. This is opposed to the Fighter who could only swim, jump and climb.

 

[Frostmarrow]

Have a look at their character sheets and assign extra points where YOU want them, as DM.

 

[darkbard]

maybe a good way to implement this would be to assign 4 bonus skill points to all characters at first level that must be assigned to either craft, profession, or perform (which is cross-class for all but bards, monks, and rogues). this does a few things:

it provides the emphasis you're looking for as part of the character's backstory (the skills they start play with)

it won't unbalance the game (it's essentially one bonus point like the human's (except everybody gets it and the human gets two) that gets multiplied by 4 like all other skill points at first level that must be allocated in a narrowly defined way)

it gives a minor edge in skill points to bards (who many claim don't have enough) who can pick up an additional skill at first level since every bard will choose perform as one of his/her skills.

 

[Shallown]

For my present game I gave all classes +2 skill points per level.

Second All of my players have bought at least two or more knowledge/profession or craft skills of some type.

The dwarf wizard must have at least 3 knowledge not counting arcana

the Human cleric has profession research and at least 3 knowledge skills not including religion.

The dwarf fighter has three craft skills, weapons, armor and carpentry (the last so he could build his own shop for the other two)

The Bard sticks mostly with his bardic knowledge but has at least one craft and one knowledge skill.

The rogue has knowledge theives guilds and mercanery companies.

The fighter/ranger well he ain't got much that way except knowledge geography

My players know that if they ask a question unless I know the character should know they will need to make a roll. Information is hard to come by. I think people forget how easy we have it and how well rounded our education is compared to the fantasy/medieval level. Knowledge doesn't come easy and my players are the self sufficient kind not wanting to be stuck counting on others.

All these skills see active use in my game as well none are wasted. Well except maybe the wizards Knowledge (Tolen) which is the podunk town they live near. It has very little to be knowledgable about.

Later

 

[Jasperak]

I like the idea and offer 4 skill points to be used for craft or proffession skills at character creation. Works out fine for a character's background without sacrificing valuable skill points.

I have also been toying with the idea of offering a free weak feat at character creation similar to some regional feats from FRCS.

The way I see it, +4 to proffession (Cook) can have potential for character developement, and not be game breaking, especially for the skill point challenged.

Since it is a house rule though, I do check each application to make sure it cannot be abused, like a bard taking those points in perform.