What are the least-used skills in D&D?

[haiiro]

Based on my own experience (DMing and playing), I'd say Profession and Forgery.

I don't think I've ever taken either of them as a player, and I don't think anyone in any of my games since 3.0 came out has taken them either. Have others had the same experience with these two skills -- or with other skills?

Just curious.

 

[hero4hire]

In our campaign Diplomacy always seems to not get used. Our DM usually seems to predetermine whether or not an NPC will help us.

 

[Crothian]

climb, balance, swim, craft, professions, these seem to get little use especially once people get fly and other magics.

 

[Acid_crash]

In the last three D&D campaigns I was in, here is a list of skills that we DID use:

Move Silently
Hide
Listen
Spot
Search
Climb

Now, does that say anything about the game and the focus that's lacking. These three campaigns were by three different DMs who didn't know each other, and yet these were the only six skills used. Sure I put skill ranks into other skills, but to me there doesn't seem a point to use any skills when the skills are so underused.

 

[Steverooo]

Use Rope. In-game, the tying of knots (or failure to tie them) is usually ignored, and the only other uses are to oppose a Rogue's Escape Artist when tied up, or determine whether or not a thrown grapnel catches its intended target (which should be handled by a BAB "To-Hit" roll). The skill is so useless that in 3e, I reccommended rolling it into both Climb & Survival.

Most of the other less-useful skills of 3e were rolled into others (or returned to being a special ability - Animal Empathy = Wild Empathy) in 3.5e... Intuit Direction joined Wilderness Lore and became part of Survival, Read Lips became part of Spot, etc.

Forgery may not be much used, and a PC's Spot skill be used to spot one, but for making them? Forgery needs to stick around. You could make it a craft, I guess...

 

[DonaldRumsfeldsTofu]

Profession: Awakened Animal Dance Recital Coreiographer

 

[Felon]

Use Rope. In-game, the tying of knots (or failure to tie them) is usually ignored, and the only other uses are to oppose a Rogue's Escape Artist when tied up, or determine whether or not a thrown grapnel catches its intended target (which should be handled by a BAB "To-Hit" roll). The skill is so useless that in 3e, I reccommended rolling it into both Climb & Survival.

IIRC, it's not used at all in D20 Modern. Binding someone is handled with a Dex roll, with a large bonus included to represent that it's easier to bind someone than it is to escape bonds.

Skills really do fall victim to D&D's constant metamorhposis into video game full of magical superheroes.

 

[jeffh]

Here's how I would rank them:

Used every session (or nearly so):
Concentration
Listen
Search
Spot

Used fairly regularly:
Bluff [5]
Climb
Disable Device
Hide
Knowledge (Arcana)
Open Lock
Sense Motive
Survival
Tumble

Used occasionally:
Appraise
Balance
Diplomacy
Heal [2]
Intimidate
Jump
Knowledge (most others)
Perform [3]
Ride
Sleight of Hand [4]
Spellcraft
Swim
Use Magic Device

Seen used once or twice:
Craft (mostly Trapmaking)
Decipher Script
Escape Artist [1]
Gather Information
Handle Animal
Profession (mostly Gambler)
Use Rope

NEVER seen used:
Disguise
Forgery

So overall, I would say that considering I've been running relatively conservative dungeon-heavy games for the last few years, my players make pretty good use of the skill system, and I do my best to reward them for it without being ridiculous, like those DMs you hear about who basically treat Bluff as a Suggestion spell. The only place where I would say I go out of my way to accomodate skills is that I try to make it useful, or at least interesting, to have Knowledge skills, my players mostly take care of the rest.

[1] - Escape Artist could come up a lot more, as one of my groups uses grappling a fair bit, but the people who use that option a) tend to have more Strength than Dex and B) are usually the ones interested in maintaining the grapple, not escaping it.
[2] - Probably should rank a bit higher, as until recently we almost always forgot about the Long-Term Care option. Its other uses come up surprisingly rarely.
[3] - A pretty good percentage of the times I've seen this used, it's been for Bardic Music.
[4] - Ranks so high because of one klepto PC. Without her this would drop to the "Never seen used" category.
[5] - Almost never for feinting in combat, interestingly enough. It's always been for BSing people.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I use Gather Information a lot. Diplomacy, Bluff, and sense motive get used all the time. Spot, Listen, and search are natches. Intimidate now and again.

Climb, jump, and swim don't get used all that often. Climb probably least of all.

We use professions a lot, but not so much for actually making money.

Knowledges get used often, save for engineering/architecture.

Forgery has some awesome uses. Decipher script I have never ever seen used. Innuendo goes in the same category, though I don't even know if it's still around.

Handle animal is a little bit more common recently but otherwise...

 

[Gez]

Never used Use Rope. I nixed it, instead it goes in the "Survival" grab bag.

And you get a synergy bonus from Profession (Sailor) to Survival for the matter of tying knots.