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

[Doug McCrae]

I disguised the entire party as drows with some reliability

Break out the boot polish!

 

[Kichwas]

I thought I'd take jeffh's list and just rearrange it for how I've seen it play out in my games.


Used every session (or nearly so):
Diplomacy
Gather Information
Sense Motive
Spot

Used fairly regularly:
Listen
Bluff
Knowledge (mostly the creature lore skills)
Search
Survival
Tumble

Used occasionally:
Appraise
Balance
Climb
Disable Device
Heal
Hide
Intimidate
Jump
Knowledge (Arcana)
Spellcraft

Seen used once or twice:
Decipher Script
Escape Artist
Handle Animal
Open Lock
Perform
Sleight of Hand
Swim
Use Rope
Use Magic Device

NEVER seen used:
Craft
Concentration
Disguise
Forgery
Profession
Ride

 

[The_Universe]

Profession and decipher script are almost never used in my game. Disable device is only used occaisonally, since we don't do a lot of dungeon crawling.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

On the other hand, if materials costs are reliably 50% of the value of a magic item, then there's no difference between finding half the price and finding the full price. It would only have the potential to be significantly different if people regularly made swords thousands of gold pieces more expensive than they needed to be or if magic swords are regularly broken and reforged (since IIRC, it's half-price to repair a broken enhancement, there is some incentive to reforge broken magic weapons instead of replacing them but this would only change the physical/magical value ratio if an owner had not fully repaired his sword--if for instance, a +1 holy flaming burst longsword were reforged but the owner only had time and/or money to get it made into a +1 holy longsword and left the flaming burst enhancement for later).

I'd probably tone down the appraise to a lesser value only because it does not have the magical portion. The appraise skill could certainly show how much the item is worth if it was melted down for it's individual parts or based on it's asthetic value, but not necessarily on the magical abilities where most of the value is from. So, I may adopt this in my games, but rather than whole value, only half would be determined. The rest would be best guess.

 

[arche]

On the other hand, if materials costs are reliably 50% of the value of a magic item, then there's no difference between finding half the price and finding the full price. It would only have the potential to be significantly different if people regularly made swords thousands of gold pieces more expensive than they needed to be or if magic swords are regularly broken and reforged (since IIRC, it's half-price to repair a broken enhancement, there is some incentive to reforge broken magic weapons instead of replacing them but this would only change the physical/magical value ratio if an owner had not fully repaired his sword--if for instance, a +1 holy flaming burst longsword were reforged but the owner only had time and/or money to get it made into a +1 holy longsword and left the flaming burst enhancement for later).

A +1 longsword is worth about 4300 or so. It's comprised of a masterwork longsword worth a little over 300gp. It also has unknown material components that may or may not be implemented into the longsword to make it magical worth about 2000gp. Some of that creation cost goes into casting of spells that do not show up in the actual longsword itself (the mystical magical element). On the other hand, there will probably be some material components embedded into the sword as part of its creation, which reflect the creation cost.

So, I would make it variable, but still allow for a guessable value of the sword. Perhaps rolling a percentage or just making up an amount of material components that were implemented into the sword to allow for a full appraisal. The appraiser would then multiply his raw materials appraise by 2, but it may be worth more considering there are unidentified magical components involved.

In all, I'm definitly going to add appraise to magical weapons, but I will limit the total value because of that mystical costs involved. I guess that makes sense. Let me know if I'm missing something here as I may be.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Use rope - it's used, and having it CAN be a good thing (masterwork manacles simply cannot compete). It still sucks though. Tying up people should be under escape artist (because you need to know what to avoid letting people do). Other uses go into climb.

Forgery - essential for urban and political campaigns, so you can't take it out of the game, but almost never used outside of that theatre.

Disguise - I've yet to see a DM roll for spot checks vs disguise. Ever. Which sucks.

Decipher script - All but useless for PCs. I've basically never seen it used. If something is essential to the plot, then the DM will put in a non-DS solution. If it's not essential, then you take the thing to the nearest expert in DS and let him do it.

Profession. It sucks. I'd suggest that a suitable profession skill at 5 ranks gives a synergy bonus whenever applicable.

Sleight of hand - since our DM is a bit of a jerk, this one doesn't work either. If the NPC has something good, he spots you. If you succeed, you get crap.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Decipher script - All but useless for PCs. I've basically never seen it used. If something is essential to the plot, then the DM will put in a non-DS solution. If it's not essential, then you take the thing to the nearest expert in DS and let him do it.

I've used it all of once since I started playing 3.X - no one in the party spoke frogman, and my 3.5 Wizard used it to determine that the somewhat crunchy paste the monk had just eaten was, in fact, "spider pudding."

Profession. It sucks. I'd suggest that a suitable profession skill at 5 ranks gives a synergy bonus whenever applicable.

Heh heh heh!

I'd suggest allowing people with Profession skill ranks to actually use them to *do* something, rather than making it even worse. But you and I've had *that* discussion before ...

Sleight of hand - since our DM is a bit of a jerk, this one doesn't work either. If the NPC has something good, he spots you. If you succeed, you get crap.

I've only used Sleight of Hand for concealing weapons - I've got a "Take 20" concealed dagger sewn into a cloak somewhere ...

Otherwise, never used that one, either.

 

[Ibram]

This is a fairly interesting thread...

Used multiple times per session:
Spot/Listen (I've merged these skills into a single skill calld perception)
Tumble
Bluff & Sense Motive (Rogues IMC usualy feint alot)
Knowledge (Religion/Arcana)
Heal
Search

Usualy used durring a session
Gather Info
Diplomacy
Hide/Move Silently (Which after this tread are being merged into a single skill called Stealth)

used once in a while
Knowledge (X)
Decipher Script
Intimidate
spellcraft
jump

the other skills are barely ever used.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I've used it all of once since I started playing 3.X - no one in the party spoke frogman, and my 3.5 Wizard used it to determine that the somewhat crunchy paste the monk had just eaten was, in fact, "spider pudding."

Yeah, but a real, actual use? Lets face it, if the DM thinks of something humerous like that, he's going to let the PC eating the stuff know SOMEHOW. Decipher script just seems like you've paid skill points to be his punchline.

I'd suggest allowing people with Profession skill ranks to actually use them to *do* something, rather than making it even worse. But you and I've had *that* discussion before ...

It's a very, very fine line between 'profession lets you do something' and 'profession lets you do everything'.

+2 synergy bonus is on the side of the line that I'm comfortable.

In short guys, I think apart from a very small core of skills, the skills you get to use are entirely dependent on whether your DM lets you use them or not. If every monster is hostile (regardless of it's current situation) and every useful NPC will give you info regardless of your diplomacy check, then diplomacy is useless.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Yeah, but a real, actual use? Lets face it, if the DM thinks of something humerous like that, he's going to let the PC eating the stuff know SOMEHOW. Decipher script just seems like you've paid skill points to be his punchline.

Sorry, I was agreeing with you regarding DS ... That the use ended up telling us nothing of any real value, other than comedic relief, was kind of my point.

It's a very, very fine line between 'profession lets you do something' and 'profession lets you do everything'.

I've yet to ever find myself even close to that line.

In short guys, I think apart from a very small core of skills, the skills you get to use are entirely dependent on whether your DM lets you use them or not. If every monster is hostile (regardless of it's current situation) and every useful NPC will give you info regardless of your diplomacy check, then diplomacy is useless.

Exactly.