Ziegander
2011-05-27, 06:16 PM
SKILLS INDEX
Arcana
Athletics
Concentration
Deception
Diplomacy
Dungeoneering
Nature
Perception
Religion
Stealth
Streetwise
SKILL USES
Arcana
The Arcana skill represents your character's general knowledge of and expertise with all things relating to arcane magic. An arcane spellcaster is not required to maintain ranks in this skill. On the contrary, a character unable to cast arcane spells might have many ranks in this skill. Your character may use this skill to identify arcane creatures, items, or spells, or to craft or dismantle items based in arcane magic.
Athletics
The Athletics skill represents your character's general aptitude and conditioning with a wide variety of sporting exploits. This skill is for characters that are highly coordinated and enables your character more flexible and effective movement options. Your character may use this skill to endure the hardships of marathon exertion, to climb rugged cliffs, to swim through dangerous waters, to leap great distances, or to maintain one's balance.
Concentration
The Concentration skill represents your character's ability to focus his mind and body to any given task. By ignoring distractions of the mind and body one can achieve results of precision and purity. Your character may use this skill to stave off debilitating conditions, to ignore pain or fear, and to redouble one's efforts for a variety of purposes.
Deception
The Deception skill represents your character's talent in fooling all of the people some of the time or fooling some of the people all the time. This skill is for cunning and charming characters with a penchant for theatrics and a flair for intrigue. Your character may use this skill to act convincingly, to lie, to cheat, to disguise one's self, to fabricate documents, or to steal items of value.
Diplomacy
The Diplomacy skill represents your character's understanding of and skill with the powers of conversation and persuasion. One does not need to be a diplomat to hold several ranks in this skill, characters from a noble knight to a fast-talking street thief are masters of Diplomacy. Your character may use this skill to gather information, to argue a point, or to make a deal.
Dungeoneering
The Dungeoneering skill represents your character's general knowledge of and expertise with all things relating to the ubiquitous dungeon. While not all dungeons are the same, nor do they all house the same threats, many common threads can be linked together. Your character may use this skill to identify abberations, oozes, and vermin, to craft and disable traps, or to solve ancient puzzles and mysteries.
Nature
The Nature skill represents your character's general knowledge of and expertise with all things relating to the natural or primal world. A forest warden need not maintain ranks in this skill to use his powers. On the contrary, a so-called city slicker may indeed make his living on his mastery of nature. Your character may use this skill to identify and survive natural locations and creatures, to commune with nature, or to craft and disable items of primal magic power.
Perception
The Perception skill represents your character's ability to perceive the world for what it truly is and to detect hidden or obscure or subtle things. Though a hawk may have keen eyesight it may still lack very much in true Perception. Your character may use this skill to listen, to spot, to search, even to sense things through means that may seem to be esoteric or supernatural by some.
Religion
The Religion skill represents your character's general knowledge of and expertise with all things of religious importance. An divine spellcaster is not required to maintain ranks in this skill. On the contrary, a character unable to cast divine spells might have many ranks in this skill. Your character may use this skill to identify and survive planar locations and creatures as well as the undead, to identify divine items or spells, or to craft or dismantle items based in divine magic.
Stealth
The Stealth skill represents your character's ability to move behind the scenes, unseen, and unheard. This skill is for nimble characters whose chosen professions often leave them at odds with the established order or sentries. Your character may use this skill to hide, to move silently, or to perform other tasks beyond the notice of others.
Streetwise
The Streetwise skill represents your character's general knowledge of and expertise with all things urban. An elected city official is not required to maintain ranks in this skill. On the contrary, a so-called uncivilized character might have many ranks in this skill. Your character may use this skill to identify and survive urban locations and creatures, to identify urban items, or to craft or dismantle items designed for urban living.
==============================================
So, there you have it, there's the groundwork for a new set of skills, and a new system of skill uses, DCs, synergies, the works. As you can see many things have been removed and/or diffused throughout the new skill set. With a grand total of 11 skills some changes will have to be made with the way skill points are handed out to characters and how they are spent by characters. With this new system in place I propose there should be no lists of class skills, and no notion of cross-class skills either. Each skill has a wide variety of uses, and each skill will have level-appropriate uses as well. As you can see, crafting has been split up into several different skills. This is to allow a fighter to make "magical" weapons based on his knowledge of Arcana or Religion or whathaveyou.
If you think I've missed a key skill, or if you're wondering what my plans are for one of the above skills, let me know. Any comments will surely help me hammer out problems and shape this project up.
Arcana
Athletics
Concentration
Deception
Diplomacy
Dungeoneering
Nature
Perception
Religion
Stealth
Streetwise
SKILL USES
Arcana
The Arcana skill represents your character's general knowledge of and expertise with all things relating to arcane magic. An arcane spellcaster is not required to maintain ranks in this skill. On the contrary, a character unable to cast arcane spells might have many ranks in this skill. Your character may use this skill to identify arcane creatures, items, or spells, or to craft or dismantle items based in arcane magic.
Athletics
The Athletics skill represents your character's general aptitude and conditioning with a wide variety of sporting exploits. This skill is for characters that are highly coordinated and enables your character more flexible and effective movement options. Your character may use this skill to endure the hardships of marathon exertion, to climb rugged cliffs, to swim through dangerous waters, to leap great distances, or to maintain one's balance.
Concentration
The Concentration skill represents your character's ability to focus his mind and body to any given task. By ignoring distractions of the mind and body one can achieve results of precision and purity. Your character may use this skill to stave off debilitating conditions, to ignore pain or fear, and to redouble one's efforts for a variety of purposes.
Deception
The Deception skill represents your character's talent in fooling all of the people some of the time or fooling some of the people all the time. This skill is for cunning and charming characters with a penchant for theatrics and a flair for intrigue. Your character may use this skill to act convincingly, to lie, to cheat, to disguise one's self, to fabricate documents, or to steal items of value.
Diplomacy
The Diplomacy skill represents your character's understanding of and skill with the powers of conversation and persuasion. One does not need to be a diplomat to hold several ranks in this skill, characters from a noble knight to a fast-talking street thief are masters of Diplomacy. Your character may use this skill to gather information, to argue a point, or to make a deal.
Dungeoneering
The Dungeoneering skill represents your character's general knowledge of and expertise with all things relating to the ubiquitous dungeon. While not all dungeons are the same, nor do they all house the same threats, many common threads can be linked together. Your character may use this skill to identify abberations, oozes, and vermin, to craft and disable traps, or to solve ancient puzzles and mysteries.
Nature
The Nature skill represents your character's general knowledge of and expertise with all things relating to the natural or primal world. A forest warden need not maintain ranks in this skill to use his powers. On the contrary, a so-called city slicker may indeed make his living on his mastery of nature. Your character may use this skill to identify and survive natural locations and creatures, to commune with nature, or to craft and disable items of primal magic power.
Perception
The Perception skill represents your character's ability to perceive the world for what it truly is and to detect hidden or obscure or subtle things. Though a hawk may have keen eyesight it may still lack very much in true Perception. Your character may use this skill to listen, to spot, to search, even to sense things through means that may seem to be esoteric or supernatural by some.
Religion
The Religion skill represents your character's general knowledge of and expertise with all things of religious importance. An divine spellcaster is not required to maintain ranks in this skill. On the contrary, a character unable to cast divine spells might have many ranks in this skill. Your character may use this skill to identify and survive planar locations and creatures as well as the undead, to identify divine items or spells, or to craft or dismantle items based in divine magic.
Stealth
The Stealth skill represents your character's ability to move behind the scenes, unseen, and unheard. This skill is for nimble characters whose chosen professions often leave them at odds with the established order or sentries. Your character may use this skill to hide, to move silently, or to perform other tasks beyond the notice of others.
Streetwise
The Streetwise skill represents your character's general knowledge of and expertise with all things urban. An elected city official is not required to maintain ranks in this skill. On the contrary, a so-called uncivilized character might have many ranks in this skill. Your character may use this skill to identify and survive urban locations and creatures, to identify urban items, or to craft or dismantle items designed for urban living.
==============================================
So, there you have it, there's the groundwork for a new set of skills, and a new system of skill uses, DCs, synergies, the works. As you can see many things have been removed and/or diffused throughout the new skill set. With a grand total of 11 skills some changes will have to be made with the way skill points are handed out to characters and how they are spent by characters. With this new system in place I propose there should be no lists of class skills, and no notion of cross-class skills either. Each skill has a wide variety of uses, and each skill will have level-appropriate uses as well. As you can see, crafting has been split up into several different skills. This is to allow a fighter to make "magical" weapons based on his knowledge of Arcana or Religion or whathaveyou.
If you think I've missed a key skill, or if you're wondering what my plans are for one of the above skills, let me know. Any comments will surely help me hammer out problems and shape this project up.