What skills that EVERY character should have a few ranks in ?

[Zog]

If I were redesigning the system, no Core PC class would have fewer than 4 skill points per level. Give them some points to buy skills cross class, which is otherwise extremely painful.

QFT. Also - House Rule, once you have 5 ranks in a skill, that skill is a class skill, regardless of what class you take.

But to answer the OP question: At least one rank in tumble (unless you wear heavy armor) and Swim. Even if you can breath water, you still can't get anywhere in the water without some swimming.

 

[Deset Gled]

At least one rank in Tumble is key for all characters. With no ranks in tumble, you cannot attempt to move through a square occupied by an enemy. With at least one rank in tumble, you can attempt it, but are subject to an AoO if you fail the skill check.

 

[Kurashu]

But it takes forever to make things. More than a single night.

For most anything good, however, arrows, sling bullets, and regular short/long swords don't take long at all, especially with a +20 to craft checks with metal and stone. The gensai who blow the glass for us had a decent craft check as well. With a high craft check, it's relatively easy to make stuff, especially when you increase the craft DC by 10 or 20. The small stuff, you can crank out several in one night.

The only thing I've ever crafted and kept was a dwarven craft warhammer. That's sad. I'm a horrible dwarf. xD

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

At least one rank in Tumble is key for all characters. With no ranks in tumble, you cannot attempt to move through a square occupied by an enemy. With at least one rank in tumble, you can attempt it, but are subject to an AoO if you fail the skill check.

Good one.

I had a Wizard getting swarmed by Ogres once. I was perfectly happy to suck up ~3 AoOs to get into optimal position to drop the Empowered Fireball, but with 1 Rank and a 14 Dex I only had to roll 12 or better to avoid all AoOs. Sweet.

 

[green slime]

Spot, Listen, and Tumble.

The Ranger with +21 Spot may not be there.

 

[FalcWP]

If I were redesigning the system, no Core PC class would have fewer than 4 skill points per level. Give them some points to buy skills cross class, which is otherwise extremely painful.

This is actually what we've done in a friend's house rule heavy game, and something I'm stealing for my games (whenever I actually get a chance to run one). Every class gets an extra two skill points per level (8 more at level 1). Other skill-based changes include merging listen and spot, as well as hide and move silently and open lock and disable device (the last because he uses very few traps, and ranks in disable device were often wasted - but if nobody had ranks, well, the handful of traps could be nasty). Probably not for every group, but we're a skill-happy bunch, so...

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

QFT. Also - House Rule, once you have 5 ranks in a skill, that skill is a class skill, regardless of what class you take.

But to answer the OP question: At least one rank in tumble (unless you wear heavy armor) and Swim. Even if you can breath water, you still can't get anywhere in the water without some swimming.

I prefer the Iron Heroes approach with Skill Groups. It gets rid of cross class skills, and instead rewards those that take their class-specific skills. (But admittedly, I think most characters also get more skill points).

 

[KarinsDad]

If I were redesigning the system, no Core PC class would have fewer than 4 skill points per level. Give them some points to buy skills cross class, which is otherwise extremely painful.

I added a house rule of +2 skill points per level for PCs. If you had 2 previously, now you have 4. If 6, 8.

In an earlier campaign, I handed out a free rank of Spot, Listen, and Sense Motive every third level (i.e. +1 Spot at level 1, +1 Listen at level 2, +1 Sense Motive at level 3, another +1 Spot at level 4, etc.). But, I changed this to 2 extra skill points for my current campaign. If the player wants to use it for Spot/Listen/Sense Motive, fine. If he wants to use it for something else, that's fine too.

But, the reason I had the house rule in the earlier campaign is that it did not make sense to me that a 15th level Wizard would walk into a cave and not minimally look above him to see if something is there. He's been in several hundred caves in his lifetime and this super intelligent Wizard didn't ever start getting a clue to look around first? Huh?

To me, Spot, Listen, and Sense Motive should go up in the game for various levels, just like saving throws do. In fact, using a saving throw-like mechanic would be about right (e.g. +2 to +12 Spot for classes with Spot as a class skill, +0 to +6 Spot for classes with Spot as a cross class skill, ditto for Listen and Sense Motive). Since these would be ranks in these skills, the character still could not advance the ranks beyond normal (course, there is a way to "break" this, take a level in Monk, take 4 ranks in Spot, then take a level in Rogue, but a rule could be made up for this as well).

 

[Li Shenron]

Two different questions.

What skills in your opinion that EVERY character should have a few ranks in regardless whether they are class or cross-class skills?

None, and it should be obvious.

The skills that you as a player or DM know that it is worth investing that few skill points (or two)...

Listen & Move Silently are on the top of my list.

actually find that Spot and Listen aren't that key for everyone. If there's something to Spot, the Ranger with his +21 will see it, and it doesn't matter if I'm at +1 or +5... those few ranks aren't going to change whether or not we as a party notice something.

This is only true if the party has enough time to be informed by the Ranger and react properly (IMXP about half of the time).

 

[Hypersmurf]

This is only true if the party has enough time to be informed by the Ranger and react properly (IMXP about half of the time).

Well, speaking is a free action that can be taken outside his turn. When can the ranger not inform the party?

-Hyp.