Which of these Skills do you use the least ?

[bwgwl]

i really don't like the Decipher Script skill. i know it's there to mimic an old 1e or 2e rogue ability, but even so, i just don't like it.

if you want to know how to read that ancient elvish text, take Speak Language (ancient elvish)! i just don't get how someone can read something in a language they have no knowledge of.

 

[Skarp Hedin]

My players have never used any of those skills, ever.
Of course.. many of them are very rogue-like skills, and there's no rogue.

Oh wait, I take that back! They used jump, once.

 

[Rashak Mani]

In our group we used only Jump, Disguise, decipher script and craft...

 

[Jeremy]

Craft and Decipher Script.

One because when it does get used (say to make mithral size large full plate non-humanoid armor) it takes forever.

And two because our games unfortunately tend to be railroad plots wherein there is no opportunity or time for downtime craft or item creation.

Decipher script because I don't think anyone has EVER used it.

Read lips came up just last game. Balance I've used to judge efficiency of non-trained sailors (how often they were steady and working) and for slippery floors numerous times. Profession gets used when the PC's are REALLY broke. And Jump gets used constantly (and poorly in my opinion, a DC 25 tumble check is much easier than the typical standing jump out of a bad situation).

 

[LostSoul]

Hmmm.... I'm surprised people don't use Innuendo very much. I've found it to be an invaluable skill when you're trying to pass secret messages along or set up an ambush.

 

[DevoutlyApathetic]

Total lack of Balance...

Definately balance. I still want to know to this day why it doesn't somehow figure into avoiding being tripped.

 

[Rashak Mani]

Since I started this thread I will hijack it as well to vent about the Jump skill...

Even Monks are hard pressed to make big jumps. Afterall a +10 skill is very good in most aspects... yet Jump will give you an extra +10 ft only. Height jumps are as close to pathetic as possible.

To make matters worse Magic Items/Spells that give +10 jump and even +30 jump arent so rare... making wasting skill points even more pathetic.

After watching Crouching Tiger and Sleeping Dragon I felt how un-fantastic the jump skill is for Monks... having or not jump skill becomes of little difference.

 

[Aaron L]

Balance is very rarely used in our games, but when it is usedm its spectacular. In our FR game, my 8th level bladesinger has max ranks in it, and I was a little discouraged when I never got to use it. Then one game, we saw an old enemy across a crowded street in Cormyr, and no one could get to him. I asked the DM if I could jump up and run across the heads of the crowd, he said it would a Balance check DC 30 or so, so I rolled my +16 check (11 ranks, 16 dex, +2 synergy with Jump or Tumble, and took off!

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Hate rope use, never used it and don't know anyone who has. Innuendo and decipher script are ok to have but again never get used.

 

[Gizzard]

> After watching Crouching Tiger and Sleeping Dragon I
> felt how un-fantastic the jump skill is for Monks... having
> or not jump skill becomes of little difference.

Well, having is better than not. I have a Monk and he's used Balance and Jump a couple times, so its not just the Ninja campaigns.

One thing about Balance is that its sort of like the Rogues Disarm Trap skill - see a trap and the party steps back and calls for the Rogue. Similarly, see a spindly bridge or a sloping, wet floor and they call for the Monk. (The same thing happens with Jump, but I am less happy about that since, as you say, the improvement in Jump per rank is "un-fantastic". And its STR based instead of DEX.)

Things like Disguise, Read Lips and Innuendo dont get used much in our campaign. We have no Rogue, but instead have a Bard and a Monk splitting the Rogues duties. Not good from an optimization standpoint, but we're getting by.

[edit->] Rope Use: We use this all the time to tie up prisoners; to tie ropes onto stuff for climbing etc. Not having someone with Rope Use is almost like not having rope. [<-edit]