I realised I had some actual mechanical stuff I had meant to post on the D&D forums, but never did. And now it's been Gleemaxed, don't care to. So...
Reposted from my gaming group's wiki (because it's private), this is a skill system variant I made when I heard that 4e was going to have fewer skills. I liked this idea; it might also be argued that there are too
few skills in D&D, but I felt it would be much harder to make a more detailed skill list than to simplify the one there is - and either of those was better than the current level, I felt.
I also folded in some d20 Modern skills as appropriate - engineerng is still engineering regardless of when it took place - so in a way this is also a more modern skills list (our setting is a little bit magepunk, so it's nice for science to have a bit more of a look-in anyway).
Disclamer 1: I am
not aiming for realism. I am aiming for elegance, simplicity and playability. I know that playing the guitar doesn't mean you can play the bassoon worth a damn, but I don't care, because spending skill points on Perform (bassoon) is about as lame as it gets IMO.
Disclamer 2: This was designed for mine (or possibly Talen's) game setting, and thus assumes certain changes from the core (the inclusion of psionics, for example, and the rebalancing of diplomacy). If it needs to be altered in order to fit into your setting/house rules, then alter it.
This is all OGL. If you like it, steal it!
Variant: Condensed Skills
[spoiler]
This is a revised list of skills for use with Dungeons & Dragons 3.5E, based on one of the philosophies said to be behind the new 4th Edition design; a simpler, more abstracted skill list. This particular revision was made by Fox, and also folds some relevant skills from d20Modern into the list.
The D&D core rules include 49 skills, not counting variants of Profession and Perform; this system condenses those, as well as five skills from other sourcebooks and 27 of 31 d20Modern skills, into a final list of 22. Some players may find these changes displeasing; the intent here is not to create a greater sense of realism, as many players desire from the skills system, but rather to increase the cinematic feel and "heriosm" of the game by making skills broader and more abstract. It also hopes to permit for stronger investments in more "flavoursome" skills, such as craft and profession, which are broadly considered "weak" by comparison to other skills.
New Skill List:
Skill | Supercedes |
Acrobatics (dex) | Balance Escape Artist Tumble Ride(1) |
Arcane Lore (int) | Knowledge (Arcana) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) Knowledge (Psionics) Psicraft Spellcraft Use Magic Device Use Psionic Device |
Artistry (int) | Craft (Visual Arts) Craft (Writing) Knowledge (Art) Forgery |
Athletics (str) | Climb Jump Swim |
Business (wis) | Appraise Knowledge (Business) Profession (any) |
Chemistry (int) | Craft (Alchemy Craft (Chemical) Craft (Trapmaking)(2) |
Craft (int) | Craft (Armorsmithing) Craft (Bowmaking) Craft (Weaponsmithing) Repair(3) |
Culture (int) | Knowledge (Civics) Knowledge (History) Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) Knowledge (Religion) Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy)
|
Discipline (con) | Autohypnosis Concentration
|
Engineering (int) | Craft (Mechanical) Craft (Structural) Craft (Trapmaking)(4) Demolitions Disable Device Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) Repair(3)
|
Folklore (wis) | Knowledge (Current Events) Knowledge (Local) Knowledge (Popular Culture) Knowledge (Streetwise) Navigate(5)
|
Investigation (int) | Gather Information Investigate Research Search
|
Legerdemain (dex) | Open Lock Sleight Of Hand Use Rope
|
Linguistics (int) | Decipher Script Read/Write Language Speak Language
|
Medicine (int) | Heal Knowledge (Earth and Life Sciences)(6) Treat Injury
|
Negotiation (cha) | Diplomacy Intimidate Handle Animal
|
Perception (wis) | Knowledge (Behavioural Sciences) Listen Sense Motive Spot
|
Perform (cha) | Perform (all) |
Stealth (dex) | Hide Move Silently
|
Subterfuge (cha) | Bluff Disguise Gamble
|
Tactics (int) | Knowledge (Tactics) Martial Lore (Bo9S)
|
Wild Lore (int) | Knowledge (Dungeoneering) Knowledge (Earth and Life Sciences)(7) Knowledge (Geography) Knowledge (Nature) Navigate(8) Ride(9) Survival
|
(1)To stand or balance on a mount.
(2)For traps which relate to chemical interaction.
(3)Where the damaged item is an item normally made with this skill.
(4)For mechanical traps.
(5)In an urban environment.
(6)For life sciences – biology etc.
(7)For earth sciences – geology etc.
(8)In a natural environment.
(9)To control or guide a mount.
Changing Class Skills
Broadly, the intent here is that a condensed skill will be a class skill for a class if any of the old skills which it "absorbs" were on that class's class skill list. For example, a wizard (who normally has the Spellcraft skill but not the Psicraft skill) would get the Arcane Lore skill.
It's suggested that this should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, however. For example, it might not be appropriate for a barbarian, who would normally have the Initimidate skill on her class list, to have the Negotiate skill under the new system. In this case, it's suggested to give such classes a class ability which gives a bonus to skill check, but only under the appropriate circumstances (e.g., the Barbarian gets a +4 to Negotiate checks made to intimidate the subject). If a feat or prestige class requires a certain number of ranks in that skill, allow this class ability to substitute for half of those ranks - a requirement of eight ranks could instead be four ranks plus the class ability.
This system doesn't require that the number of skills points given to any class be increased or decreased, though GMs who feel the need to restrict skill use may want to lower the skill point baselines, since there are fewer skills under this system.
Reference for Existing Skills
[spoiler]
D&D CORE | |
Skill | Folded Into |
Appraise | Business |
Balance | Acrobatics |
Bluff | Subterfuge |
Climb | Athletics |
Concentration | Discipline |
Craft | |
- Alchemy | Chemistry |
- Armorsmithing | Craft |
- Bowmaking | Craft |
- Weaponsmithing | Craft |
- Trapmaking | Chemistry or Engineering |
Decipher Script | Linguistics |
Diplomacy | Negotiation |
Disable Device | Engineering |
Disguise | Subterfuge |
Escape Artist | Acrobatics |
Forgery | Artistry |
Gather Information | Investigate |
Handle Animal | Negotiate |
Heal | Medicine |
Hide | Stealth |
Intimidate | Negotiation |
Jump | Athletics |
Knowledge | |
- Arcana | Arcane Lore |
- Architecture and engineering | Engineering |
- Dungeoneering | Wild Lore |
- Geography | Wild Lore |
- History | Culture |
- Local | Social Lore |
- Nature | Wild Lore |
- Nobility and Royalty | Culture |
- Religion | Culture |
- The Planes | Arcane Lore |
Listen | Perception |
Move Silently | Stealth |
Open Lock | Legerdemain |
Perform (any) | Perform |
Profession | Business |
Ride | Wild Lore or Acrobatics |
Search | Investigate |
Sense Motive | Perception |
Sleight Of Hand | Legerdemain |
Speak Language | Linguistics |
Spellcraft | Arcane Lore |
Spot | Perception |
Survival | Wild Lore |
Swim | Athletics |
Tumble | Acrobatics |
Use Magic Device | Arcane Lore |
Use Rope | Legerdemain |
D&D OTHER | |
Skill | Folded Into |
Autohypnosis | Discipline |
Knowledge (Psionics) | Arcane Lore |
Martial Lore | Tactics |
Psicraft | Arcane Lore |
Use Psionic Device | Arcane Lore |
d20MODERN | |
Skill | Folded Into |
Computer Use | [not included] |
Craft | |
- Chemical | Chemistry |
- Electronic | [not included] |
- Mechanical | Engineering |
- Pharmaceutical | Medicine |
- Structural | Engineering |
- Visual arts | Artistry |
- Writing | Artistry |
Demolitions | Engineering |
Drive | [not included] |
Gamble | Subterfuge |
Investigate | Investigation |
Knowledge | |
- Arcane Lore | Arcane Lore |
- Art | Artistry |
- Behavioral Sciences | Perception |
- Business | Business |
- Civics | Culture |
- Current Events | Social Lore |
- Earth and Life Sciences | Wild Lore |
- Physical Sciences | Engineering |
- Popular Culture | Social Lore |
- Streetwise | Social Lore |
- Tactics | Tactics |
- Technology | [not included] |
- Theology and Philosophy | Culture |
Navigate | Wild Lore or Social Lore |
Pilot | [not included] |
Read/Write Language | Linguistics |
Repair | Engineering or Craft |
Research | Investigate |
Treat Injury | Medicine |
[/spoiler]
[/spoiler]