Would I break D&D if I gave 6 extra skill points to all per level?

[Emirikol]

What would the effect be if I did the following to my game up to level 10:

1) Add skill points per level: Everyone get's 6 extra skill points per level
2) No "cross-class" skill rank penalty
3) 1/2 normal level and loot advancement

Thoughts?

jh

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

What would the effect be if I did the following to my game up to level 10:

1) Add skill points per level: Everyone get's 6 extra skill points per level
2) No "cross-class" skill rank penalty
3) 1/2 normal level and loot advancement

Thoughts?

jh

Well everyone would have maxed out Listen and Spot, and probably Hide and Move Silently too. Int would become a dump stat for many characters, especially since they would have to boost their combat stats as much as possible due to reduced loot.

I'm not sure what you mean by "1/2 normal level". 1/2 XP?

In general, non-combat encounters would become easier. If I got your meaning right about the "1/2 normal level" deal, level-ups would obviously happen 1/2 as often...which may be good or bad depending on your group.

 

[StGabe]

Why take rogue or bard now? A dexterous fighter will be just as good for sneaking, picking locks and pockets, and even better at climb and jump. The wizard will be the best searcher. Etc.

Spot/listen checks will be somewhat ridiculous with everyone maxed out on spot/listen.

Skills will just have less meaning overall in your game because everyone will have them.

...

Conclusion: it's something I'd recommend against but it will only slightly break things by making some classes far less useful/powerful and making intelligence a far less useful stat.

 

[Bagpuss]

IMHO Yes.

Everyone will max Tumble so the AoO's and all the feats, and class abilities that work off AoOs will be rendered weaker. Tactics like Trip become less useful. Bluffing isn't as useful as folks will have Sense Motive, etc. etc.

Some Prestige Classes will become much easier to enter.

Makes one of the Rogue's key abilities much weaker, he use to have four times as many skill points as the fighter, cleric, wizard, etc. Now he doesn't even have double.

That's just a few things off the top of my head.

 

[AbeTheGnome]

I run skills-heavy games. I do everything short of forbidding spells and magic items that invalidate skills. I give two extra skill points to each class, but I don't mess with cross-class skills. They're there for a reason. One of the defining features of any class is its class skills. I do, however, use this rule from d20 Modern:

Each occupation provides a number of additional permanent class skills that the character can select from a list of choices. Once selected, a permanent class skill is always considered to be a class skill for the character. If the skill selected is already a class skill for the character, he or she also gains a one-time competence bonus for that skill.

Each PC chooses a character background from the list and receives that background's skills as permanent class skills.

 

[Spatzimaus]

I do, however, use this rule from d20 Modern:Each PC chooses a character background from the list and receives that background's skills as permanent class skills.

That's not a bad system. IMC, the variant we went with was that the class skills of your level 1 class remain class skills permanently. It's much stronger, but we've also added some multiclassing restrictions to keep people from taking a single level of something at level 1 to pad their skills.

Adding 6 points to all classes would just be ridiculous, and abolishing cross-class skills just makes everyone the same. Every character would pick a half-dozen or so skills (probably including Hide, Move Silently, and possibly Tumble) and max them out. You'd have to add a LOT more limitations just to keep things workable.

 

[szilard]

Here's another option:

All class skills from all character classes are permanent class skills. All characters gain a number of additional class skills equal to their Int modifier.

AND either

Double the number of skill points a character gets from their class levels

OR

Give each character a number of additional skill points per level equal to their highest ability modifier, but note that these skill points must be spent on skills tied to that ability.


-Stuart

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

How about just bumping some of the classes up 2 skill points and using a skill group mechanic like Iron Heroes. That way in a character's favored area those points go a lot farther leaving more for skills they'd sideline otherwise.

 

[Quartz]

One thing I do is have character skills. Any class skill on which you have spent at least one skill point becomes a character skill and stays with you forever. Character skills cost 1/1.

 

[ValhallaGH]

What would the effect be if I did the following to my game up to level 10:

1) Add skill points per level: Everyone get's 6 extra skill points per level
2) No "cross-class" skill rank penalty
3) 1/2 normal level and loot advancement

3 is essentially unrelated to the others. I'm not sure why you've included it here.

1 and 2 means lots more folks invested in all of those tasty combat skills: Hide, Move Silently, Spot, Listen, Sense Motive, Bluff, Tumble, and Use Magic Device. On the other hand, it also means a lot more investment in the sometimes-useful-but-vital-to-the-character skills such as Craft, Knowledge, Perform and Profession.

Since you're not removing Trapfinding (yes, that's an assumption), Rogues, Scouts and Artificers will still be vital to any adventuring company; no loss of niche protection there.

You'll probably see fewer Bards as folks figure out how to do the same thing with Paladins, Clerics and Fighters. I love Bards but they're not the most powerful of classes.

Generally, you'll see a bunch of interestingly rounded and experienced characters as players introduce the fighter-diplomat, the barbarian-scholar and other fun anti-archetypal characters. I think it will be lots of fun, once you get through the munchkin period.

I am curious why you only intend to make these changes for the first 10 levels. Why would you stop using these when the characters hit level 11?