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

[Duncan Haldane]

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.

I'd be very worried about playing in a campaign like this...
No Spellcraft? so you never know what an enemy is casting? Or do you always know?

No Concentration? So no-one ever casts a spells near a foe? Or is success automatic?

No Tumble? Do people not try for flanking position, or can they move there without a roll?

No Healing? There are plently of reasons healing comes into play. And you've never had the skill used?

I try to use a spread of skills in my games. If people are focussing on putting points into certain skills, then it's logical to assume they want opportunities to use them.

Duncan

 

[Ahnehnois]

First may I say: Good thread topic. I'm surprised at what I read.
Magic has a lot to do with it, since some skills are helped by magic, some require it, and somr are preempted by it.

In my experience:


Used all the time:
Bluff (not for feinting-for lying)
Hide
Knowledge (Arcana, Nature, Planes, Religion)
Listen
Move Silently
Search
Spot

Used regularly but not every session:
Concentration (casters only)
Disguise (not an everyday thing, but loads of fun)
Gather Information
Knowledge (the rest of them)
Spellcraft
Survival

Used occasionally:
Balance
Craft
Diplomacy (sadly down here)
Heal (usually use magic instead)
Intimidate
Open Lock
Perform
Profession
Sense Motive
Sleight of Hand
Tumble

Seen used once or twice:
Appraise (nearly useless)
Climb (only if you need to and can't get there by magic-very rarely)
Disable Device
Escape Artist
Forgery (interesting, but not often used)
Handle Animal
Jump
Ride
Swim
Use Magic Device (surprisingly no one uses this)

NEVER seen used:
Decipher Script (I know the D&D rules. I don't even know what this does)
Use Rope (I know what it does but I don't care)

 

[Saeviomagy]

NEVER seen used:
Decipher Script (I know the D&D rules. I don't even know what this does)

Make a roll at a high DC, read a passage in a language you don't understand.

Make a roll at a higher DC, read a passage that's been encyphered or otherwise obscured.

The first function is made totally redundant, because apart from the fact that many spells serve the function, it's a single rank in speak language to be able to read or write it without needing rolls.

The second function is never used unless the party has access to decipher script - so taking it is a null-benefit. Either you do have it, and the campaign includes a code and no NPC to decrypt it, or you don't have it and there are either no codes, or NPC's decrypt it.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Don't mind the rules primer, but my point is simply that the skill isn't much of a part of the game.

 

[Samothdm]

Decipher Script, Craft & Profession

As a DM, I try to look for circumstances to let my players use their skills. I have a fairly newbie group, and my wife (brand new to RPGs) chose a Rogue and then dumped quite a few skills points into Decipher Script.

So, what I try to do is every once in a while have ancient, dead languages make an appearance somewhere. It works best during dungeons crawls, but I've also inserted books, journals, "grafiti", and other such stuff. Having ranks in Speak Language doesn't help because no one speaks these languages any more - they're "dead". It gives her a chance to feel useful. Depending on how well she rolls, I allow her to get the gist of what the message says, and usually it gives them a little campaign secret or at least a lead on a new possible adventure hook.

On another note, I see a lot of people aren't using Craft and Profession skills. One of my wizard players took quite a few ranks in different Craft skills because he wanted to make weapons and armor and stuff for the rest of the party. However, they almost never rest long enough for him to make anything remotely useful. Right now they're slogging through the Banewarrens and have been doing so for the past year or so of gaming and they will probably be doing it for another 6-8 months before they finish. He feels like his ranks in Craft are a waste.

Aside from using a type of Craft reserve system like the one in UA, what have some of you all done to make Craft more user-friendly?

And what about Profession? Almost every core class has it as a class skill, but no one seems to be using it. Any ideas?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

However, they almost never rest long enough for him to make anything remotely useful.

There's the largest part of your answer right there.

First off, realize that without enough down-time, certain character ideas - especially crafters, both mundane and magical - are pretty much dead in the water.

If you want such skills to be useful, you must ensure that the PCs have that downtime.

In addition, I've found that the rules on mundane crafting in 3E result in some ridiculously *long* crafting times (like, say, 3 years for mithral full plate). Consider allowing the PC to make progress in SP per day, rather than SP per week (roughly 7x as fast) or allow the crafter to set the DC as high as he or she wants. Normally, you can craft a buckler at DC (10 + AC bonus) 11 for "normal speed," or DC 21 for "fast speed." If the crafter can succeed (while taking 10, usually) at a DC of 25, let 'em. Usually, it means they'll finish in 6 days instead of in 7 or 8 - but sometimes those extra days are important.

And what about Profession? Almost every core class has it as a class skill, but no one seems to be using it. Any ideas?

Have you ever had an instance in your game that called for a Profession check?

If not, why not?

If all such skills are good for are background info, expect them to be relegated to background status.

If the party is adventuring underground, allow a Profession (Miner) check to recognize and avoid potential cave-ins - or create them! Or, perhaps, recognize that the strata of rock you're currently meandering through is known for harboring gold deposits - something the PCs may not be able to make personal use of, but information which the mining coster might be willing to pay a hefty amount of coin for!

(And don't forget to give the dwarves +2 for stonecunning on the above checks! )

 

[Shallown]

To make craft more useful it can be used as a synergy bonus toother skills like appraise or to spot/listen if somehoe it was important. Say a +2 to spoting the arrows an archer has are "special" in some way if you have bowyer/fletcher craft.

Profession is a harder one since it requires some dedication to make it useful. In my mind the players profession is Adventurer, so having another profession isn't useful in a game. Once again profession can be used as a synergy bonus to skills. Profession (mercenary) grants a +2 synergy bonus to Knowledge Royal/noble when trying to recognize heraldry of military companies.

I think it is a matter liek someone mentioned earlier that you need to force the issue somewhat by asking "Hey can a get a synergy bonus becuase I have X Skill" It still requires 5 ranks to get the bonus so it is a skill you have put some effort in.


As far as less useful skills. Forgery and use rope top my list. Forgery should be a craft skill (since you are producing something that is worth money) and Use rope made either part of escape artist or survival.

Some other skills while not immediately useful are needed like swim. It seldom comes up but when it does you want ranks in it.

Their are skills that depend on the campaign. Last game I ran Ride was used quite a bit even if some people only got few levels just to say they had it. In the game i am in now it's not used. We are 6th party who is on foot. So far we haven't needed horses and just use an old mule for carrying gear.

One skill the took from 3.0 I used and no one else did was sense direction. I used it whenever someone was blinded and had to get around. It worked pretty well to show the stumbling around one would do when blind.

later

 

[diaglo]

i'd have to say the least used skill in D&D is hygenie.

mang, go to some convention some time..

P ... U...

 

[Li Shenron]

IMXP probably Forgery is the least used of all, I don't remember to have seen it ever. It requires too much a specific situation to get a use out of it, and it should also require downtime and/or comfortable place to be credible.

Other ones which are very rarely used, but at least I've seen them, are Disguise and Use Rope. Appraise, Craft and Profession pretty rare as well, although we decided to extend their uses a little otherwise they were basically never used at all.

Two general notes:

1) There are some skills which suffer from the fact that if you don't max them out, you'd better forget about them. Because of this, we see Use Magic Device and Sleight of Hand only when there's a PC which chooses them, max them out and decides to get something out of them on a regular basis. No 'casual' use of these IMXP

2) Some skills are taken with a few ranks just for character fancy, but then the player doesn't try to use them: Craft, Profession, some of the Knowledge (the rare ones). As such, they are always on someone's sheet even if we don't use them for a very long time.

 

[Malin Genie]

1) There are some skills which suffer from the fact that if you don't max them out, you'd better forget about them. Because of this, we see Use Magic Device and Sleight of Hand only when there's a PC which chooses them, max them out and decides to get something out of them on a regular basis. No 'casual' use of these IMXP

That's a very good point. I would throw the 'don't get caught or else' skills like Forgery and Disguise in there as well.