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DaTedinator
2010-12-02, 12:23 PM
Check Yourself


If at first you don't succeed, try, try again, though a success doesn’t cancel the effect of a previous failure, such as the loss of a spell you were casting or the disruption of a spell you were concentrating on.

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Potpourri Creation Contest V: Skill Checks

The contest begins with the posting of this thread and will run through 11:59 EST of January 1st.

Soon after a poll will be opened for voting that will last through January 16th.

Rules

1) You will be creating at least three 'original' skill checks, complete with DCs and descriptions. Note that you are making original checks with existing skills, not original skills. They may all be for the same skill, or they may be for a multitude of skills, but they should follow some sort of a common theme.

2) Entries must include DCs and complete crunch, and a description of the actions involved. Incomplete entries at the deadline will be disqualified.


2.5) Note that you're using pre-existing skills. You can get obscure if you want (like including new checks for Iaijutsu Focus, from Oriental Adventures), but you can't change already existing things; no turning Speak Language into a typical skill, for example.

3) Entries must be 3.5, and should probably be using the standard format below. The format isn't required, but it makes everybody's life easier, especially voters.

4) Post all entries in this thread. Post all conversation, questions, etc in the chat thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151136).

5) Maximum of one entry per participant.

6) Entries must be your own work, and must not be copied for other places. Only new work may submitted; no previously posted work will be accepted. Such entries will be disqualified.

7) No reserving posts. Feel free to tweak your creation, but the initial post must include the basics.

Voting

There will be three categories for voting: Playground Favorite, That Should Be Core, and Wish I'd Thought of That! Entrants are allowed to vote for themselves, but that's usually poor form, and you're encouraged not to unless you truly believe yours is far and away superior. In the event of a tie in any or all categories, I will cast the deciding vote.

Playground Favorite: This is the basic one. Any member of the playground who wishes to will vote for whichever entry they like the best.

That Should Be Core: For this category, voters are to vote for whichever entry they think is balanced enough, and fills a niche that should have already been filled, that it should have been included in the original skill in the first place. You're encouraged, but not required, to specify a specific check or two out of the entry.

Wish I'd Thought of That!: Only the entrants are allowed to vote in this category. Entrants will PM me their vote for whichever entry they wish they had made themselves. Maybe you really liked the fluff behind it and wish you'd thought it up; maybe you think the fluff is dumb, but one of the mechanics really caught your fancy and you wish you could've used it in your own creation. Whatever! Pick the one you most wish you'd thought of!


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DaTedinator
2010-12-02, 12:34 PM
SKILL CHECK FORMAT

Skill Name (Key Ability)

Check
An overview of all your new applications for the skill, explaining when they're used and what they do.

First New Check
Description of the first new check you've created.

Second New Check
Lather, rinse, repeat.

Task|[Skill Name] DC
Answer the question|42
Question the answer|9,001

Action
How long does it take to use the skill in all your different ways?

Try Again
Yes or No, with further explanation if needed (it's probably needed).

Special
Any additional notes.

Synergy
Just in case you need it.

Glimbur
2010-12-02, 10:54 PM
So, some folks have various skills. Some people like to kill people. When there's overlap... this is where you realize that knowledge is power.


Sense Motive (Wis)

Scout Power Level
Skilled warriors hold themselves in certain ways. Archmages tend to radiate power in certain styles.
As a free action which can be done once a round, make a Sense Motive check against an opponent within your line of sight. The DC is 10 plus the hit dice of your opponent. If you succeed, you learn either one of the highest level spells your opponent has ready to use (determine randomly) or one of their feats (your choice between learning spell or feat). For every 5 you beat the DC by, learn another spell or another feat. If you run out of feats, you start learning base saves in the order Fort, Ref, Will. If you get through those too, you may gain a +2 insight bonus to hit this person or a +2 insight bonus to AC versus this person. Further increments of 5 above the DC have no effect besides bragging rights.

Zen Foe Read
People fall in to habits. Habits can be read.
As a swift action, make a Sense Motive check against an opponent within Line of Sight with a DC of 15 plus their hit dice. If you succeed, your opponent's player must tell you a list of three possible actions. That character's next action must be one of those three actions if possible. "Cast a spell" is too vague, but "cast fireball" is fine, "cast fireball at the orphans" is more specific than necessary. In general, targets do not need to be specified but actions do.

Task|Sense Motive DC
Scout Power Level|10+
Zen Foe Read|15+

Action
Free or Swift action, depending.

Try Again
Go for it. No penalty besides the spent action.

Special
Yes, you are.

Synergy
No.

Gather Information(Cha)

Some people are important. Their fights are discussed around the taverns, their feats are the stuff of legends. This can be a double edged sword.

Loose Lips

You may make a special Gather Information check targeting a specific person. The DC is 30 minus the hit dice of your opponent. If you succeed, you learn either one of the highest level spells your opponent generally* has ready to use (determine randomly) or one of their feats (your choice between learning spell or feat). For every 5 you beat the DC by, learn another spell or another feat. If you run out of feats, you start learning base saves in the order Fort, Ref, Will. If you get through those too... well done.

*DM's, please let this generally work unless there's a good plot reason for a spellcaster to have a long-running gag order on what they can cast or serious deception. For an archmage, of course all the spells won't be valid but some of the high level ones at least should be accurate. PC's are less vulnerable to this, but whatever.

Task|Gather Information DC
Loose Lips|30-

Action
Takes 1d4+1 hours, like a a standard gather information check.

Try Again
Go for it.

Special
Unless you take a -20 to your check, the target of the search finds out in about 24 hours.
You get a +5 bonus if you have personally observed the target of your investigation in combat.

Synergy
+2 from 5 ranks in Knowledge (Local)

I made another skill use which doesn't fit the theme I have, but I don't want to just throw it out. Sorry if someone wanted to do this.

Sleight of Hand(Dex)
Task|[Skill Name] DC
Sabotage Armor|10+

As it turns out, armor is a big deal. If someone were to, say, slip a rock in here, twist this strap, etc... it becomes less good.

As a swift action, make a Sleight of Hand check against an opponent within your reach with a DC of 15 plus your opponent's BAB. If you succeed, reduce their armor bonus to AC by 1. For every 5 points by which you beat the DC, reduce their armor bonus by another one. The reduction lasts until the end of the encounter and stacks with itself. For each successful use of this ability against an opponent, the DC to use it again increases by two. Armor bonuses cannot be dropped below 0.

Hyooz
2010-12-03, 02:23 AM
Intimidate (Cha)

Interrogate
Sometimes, you just need to get information out of someone, and sometimes, they just aren't being cooperative. That's when you need to scare a little sense into them.

Interrogating a creature is a full round action. You must be threatening the creature, and you can ask one question per check. You must share a language with the creature you are interrogating. You can reroll on a failed check, but the creature gets a +3 bonus to their check every time you fail.

Interrogation is an opposed skill check against their Bluff or Sense Motive skill.

If the creature is shaken, you get a +3 bonus to your roll. If they are frightened, you get a +5 bonus. If they are panicked, you get a +10 bonus.

If the creature is helpless, you get a +3 bonus to your roll.

You can also attempt to boost your chances by attacking the creature, but this is a risky endeavor. By inflicting at least a quarter of their remaining HP in damage, you will grant either yourself or the creature a +5 bonus to their skill check. Flip a coin to determine who gets the bonus. Attacking someone you're interrogating carries the risk of boosting their resolve to keep information out of the hands of someone so desperate and violent.

The information you get from the creature depends on the success or failure of the opposed roll. Use the table below to determine what the creature communicates to you.
Roll Difference|Information Acquired
+3|General information (as a Gather Information check)
+5|Specific Information (Not particularly secretive or damaging to the person or his allies)
+10|Specific Information (Something they might prefer not to tell you, but have no stake in you knowing)
+15|Specific Information (Damaging information to themselves and their associates)
+20|Any information they know
-3|Simple refusal to answer the question
-5|Misleading, but not necessarily untrue information
-10|Outright Lies (you still think they may be lying, and the information is just unhelpful)
-15|Outright Lies (you consider it the truth, and the information may be damaging if followed as truth)
-20|You are entirely convinced of the truth of whatever they tell you, which is likely leading you into a deathtrap

Appraise (Int)

Size Up
The clever adventurer knows to never go into a fight he can't handle. Most adventurers aren't too clever. Taking a little time to size up the creature you're about to attack, though, can help you live longer.

The DC for this check depends on the HD of the creature you are attempting to size up. The information you learn depends both on the result of the roll and the amount of time you spend trying to size them up.

Add the numbers in the table below to the HD of the creature to determine the DC to learn that particular information. You do not have to decide before making the check what you hope to learn - what you learn is solely dependent on the result of the check.

Action Taken | Basic Occupation | HD | Classes | Level Distribution | Full Description
Swift | +0 | +5 | +8 | +10 | +20
Standard | -3 | +0 | +5 | +10 | +18
Full Round | -5 | -3 | +0 | +8 | +15
One Minute | -8 | -5 | -3 | +5 | +12
Five Minutes | -10 | -8 | -5 | +3 | +10

Basic Occupation reveals what the person likely does day-to-day. He might be a farmer or a soldier or a pastor, but that's all you glean.

HD reveals the number of HD the creature has.

Classes reveals the classes the creature has levels in, but not how many levels in each.

Level Distribution reveals the level-by-level makeup of the creature's classes as well as the feats it possesses.

Full Description reveals everything there is to know about the creature, mechanically. Any equipment the creature is not actively hiding (or in a satchel or something) is revealed. Mental characteristic, such as spells prepared or maneuvers readied, are not revealed.

Failing this check (by some miracle) means you think the creature is overpoweringly more powerful than you, no matter what its actual strength might be.

Try Again
You cannot try again, per se, but you can spend additional time sizing the creature up to try to improve what you learn from your result.

Synergy
+2 for 5 ranks in Spot

zagan
2010-12-04, 05:34 PM
SKILL USES FOR CONSTRUCT AND ANIMAL

The following new way to use the craft and handle animal skill are designed to allow you to improved the effectiveness of some of your unusual ally, Improve Virtual Construct augment the resistance of the construct you can summon, Adapt Weapon allow you to give weapon to creature normally unable to wield them and Retrain can make your animal ally more specialized toward a specific role.

Craft (Int)
When summoning a construct to fight by your side, you’ve often like for them to have more hit point because their nonexistent constitution score often mean that they have less than what’s need for a creature that’s suppose to serve a your protector. By carefully visualizing how the construct will look like you can make them more resistant.

Improve Virtual Construct
When using a spell, power, spell-like abilities, psi-like abilities or supernatural ability with the Creation descriptor that summon or create a construct (such as the astral construct power or the summon midnight construct spell) you can make a Craft (sculpting) check with a DC of 20 to grant the construct 2 additional hit point. For every 5 you beat the DC by, you grant 2 more hit point to the construct. If the ability you used summon more than one construct at the same time only one of them can gain the benefit.

--------------------------------

The druid animal companion, the paladin special mount, even the wizard familiar commonly participate in combat striking with the weapon that nature has given them. But sometimes it’s not enough, the enemy hide may be only vulnerable to a specific type of material for example. In response to that some people have begun making weapon adapted to creature who can not normally wield them.

Adapt Weapon
Adapting a weapon is done the same way as creating a masterwork version of a weapon, and both can be done on the same weapon, only melee and ranged weapon can be adapted this way not throw weapon. The adapt component has its own price (150gp for a melee weapon, 200gp for ranged weapon, 300gp for double weapon) and a Craft DC of 20. Once all component, standard, adapt and perhaps masterwork, the weapon is finished. The weapon is adapt to a specific creature, you must have spent at least some time studying the creature for which you are adapting that weapon to be able to create a weapon for this creature. Once create the weapon can only effectively be used by this creature or a creature sharing the same body type. See the sidebar for more information on weapon for non-humanoid.
Note: The cost you pay for the adapt component is one-third of the given amount, just as it is for the cost in raw materials.

Task|Craft Skill| Craft DC|Try again
Improve Virtual Construct|Craft (Sculpting)|20|No

Adapt Weapon|Craft (Weaponsmithing or Bowmaking or other)|20|Yes


Action
Improving a construct is made as part of another action.
An Adapt Weapon is create the same way as a normal weapon, by the week or by the day.

Try Again
Improving a construct can only be done once as part of the action made to summon or create the construct.
Adapting a weapon follow all the normal rule for crafting a weapon, each time you miss the DC by 5 or more you ruin half the raw materials and have to pay half the original raw material cost again.

Special
If you posses the craft construct feat you gain a +2 bonus on craft check make to improve virtual construct.
When adapting a weapon for a creature link to you in some way, such as a animal companion or familiar you gain a +2 bonus on the craft check, this bonus apply only to adapt component.

Synergy
If you have 5 ranks in the knowledge skill related to the creature you are adapting the weapon for, such a nature for animal, get a +2 bonus on the craft check to make the adapt component.

Sidebar: Adapted Weapon

Adapted weapon are weapon specifically made to be used by creature without prehensile limb. They can take multiple shape depending on what weapon is concerned and what creature is supposed to used it. For example a shortsword made for horse could be affixed on the horse forehead like an horn and an handaxe could be affixed to the side of a cat paw. Adapted weapon generally include some sort of spring system to deploy and retract them so as to not hinder the creature using them. Affixing an adapted weapon to a creature is a full-round action that provoke attack of opportunity.
Throw weapon can’t be made into adapted weapon because once affixed to the creature it can’t be throw anymore. Ranged weapon can be adapted but normally the creature as no way to reload them. Unless the weapon as a mean to reload itself, the weapon must reload by another creature. Double weapon can be adapted as well but the creature wielding it can only used one end of the weapon, designated when the weapon is affixed to the creature, if the creature want to use the other end another creature need to change the weapon position, a full-round action that provoke attack of opportunity.
Adapted weapon interact with a creature natural weapon in very specific way, if the creature posses at least one primary natural weapon it lose the use of that weapon, chosen when affixing the weapon if the creature posses more than one, when making a full attack the creature can make as many iterative attack as it’s base attack bonus allow plus any secondary attack with other natural weapon. If the creature posses only secondary natural weapon it lose the use of one of them and can attack with any other as secondary. Finally if the creature does not posses any natural weapon then it can only attack with the adapted weapon but get one less iterative attack than what is base attack bonus would allow, minimum one.
A creature must still become proficient to effectively use an adapted weapon, generally by taking the appropriate feat.
As normal an adapted weapon can be enhance if it’s of masterwork quality, the only difference is that some creature may not be able to activate some property that necessitate a command word.
Lastly because they are affixed to the body of the creature adapted weapon granted a +2 bonus on check made to avoid being disarmed.
Adapated weapon incur an additional cost as follow:
{table=head]Weapon type|Cost
Melee|+150gp
Ranged|+200gp
Double|+300gp
[/table]


Handle Animal (Cha)
Animal of the same specie all have the same abilities in common, abilities that come from their instinct. It’s only afterward that you can train them in specific way, but they are way to override these common abilities and replace them with abilities more suited to the lifestyle you intend for them.

Retraining Feat
You can chose to make an animal lose access to any one feat, except a bonus feat, and make it gain another one in exchange. The lost feat mustn’t have been a prerequisite for anything and the animal must met the prerequisite not only at the time of the retraining but also when the first was first gained. For example you could make an Ape lose the alertness feat and train him in the weapon focus (claw) feat but not the improve critical feat. Retraining a feat take two week of training, someone who as access to the feat that the animal will learn must be present during all this period. At the end of the two weeks period make a Handle animal check with a DC of 25 if you succeed the animal lose his old feat and learn the new one in it’s place.
Note: The DM as final say on what feat an animal can learn even if he technically met the prerequisite. For this purpose reasonable feat are feat that provide basic constant benefit such as alertness, skill focus or weapon focus, feat that allow an animal to make new action such as armor proficiency (light) or combat reflexes are also fine. Complex feat like tactical feat are probably not appropriate. Exalted feat aren’t really appropriate either because they require a moral choice on the animal part.

Retraining Skill
You can also choose to reassign some of the skill point of the animal. Subtracts up to 4 skills point from one skill and add an equal number of rank in any other class skill. As with feat the subtracts skill must not serve as prerequisite for anything and the animal can’t have more rank in a skill than is hit dice would normally allow (HD+3). The process take only one week, someone with a least 5 ranks in the skill that you wish to train the animal in must be present during the entire period. At the end of the week make a Handle animal check with a DC of 20 if you succeed the animal new skill allotment is confirmed. The list of skill in which an animal can put skill point into is fairly limit, is class skill if you will, as follow: Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str) and Tumble (Dex)
Note: As an animal gain only one skill point per level, four for the first hit dice. It’s important to figure out where those skill point have been invest before using retraining skill. Calculate the animal modifier in each skill indicated in his stat block by taking into account it’s ability modifier, racial bonus, synergy bonus and feat bonus if any, compare those result with the animal stat block, the difference come from it’s skill rank. As always the DM as final say on what is allowed or not.

Retraining Trick
Finally you can choose to change the trick an animal know. This is simpler just chose a trick that the animal know and that doesn’t serve as the prerequisite for anything and teach it another in in its place. At the end of the week make a Handle animal check with a DC of 15 to make the animal forget the old trick and a second one at the new trick DC +5. If you fall the first check the week is wasted and the animal didn’t forget the old trick, nor learn the new one. If you fail the second check the animal simply forget one trick but didn’t learn a new one to replace it.

Task| DC
Retraining Feat|25

Retraining Skill|20

Retraining Trick|15 / +5


Action
At least 3 hours per day with the animal during the retraining period.

Try Again
Yes, if you fail you’ve simply lost some time.

Special
As normal for Handle animal you can use those option with creature with an int of 1 or 2 even if it’s not animal but the DC of any such check increases by 5

Synergy
None

DaTedinator
2010-12-24, 03:30 PM
Bump for more entries. Keep 'em coming!

DaTedinator
2011-01-03, 01:09 PM
Contest closed. Voting thread is up (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10088309)!