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Raging_Pacifist
2008-02-04, 07:41 PM
For my campaigns I usually add my own skills such as: Smell (wis) and things like that. Anyone want to add to the list? Yes I know this is kinda dumb.

mikeejimbo
2008-02-04, 07:56 PM
It's not really dumb, different people have different Tastes (Wis) and some people prefer a more detailed game, where one person's Smelling might be good, but their Spotting atrocious.

My group has lately been collapsing skills rather than adding them, though. Spot and Listen become Detection, and Hide and Move Silently become Stealth. (I believe this is precedented in d20 modern?)

I think another interesting topic would be new synergies. Do Perform (Dance) and Tumble synergize at all? If so, which way? I'd imagine a +2 to Tumble for ranks in Perform (Dance) would be more useful.

Let's see... most of the things I can think of are covered with different uses of Profession, Craft, Perform, and Knowledge.

Magnor Criol
2008-02-04, 09:03 PM
I'm with the skills compression team, here. I like combining Spot and Listen; I think Green Ronin's True20 system does that, dubbing it the "Notice" skill. I might even throw Search into that mix, or at least rename it and differentiate it a little better (Spot/Listen for animate things, whatever Search becomes for inanimate things).

Combining Hide and Move Silently into one category along the lines of "Stealth" is very logical and straightforward. Open Lock and Disable Device are often called upon for consolidation, as well.

And in any instance where you combine skills but want one aspect to shine (for example, you make a "Notice" or "Detection" skill but want something to be good at scent but not sight) you simply state that that character or creature can only use a certain skill or only gets a given bonus with a condition (for example, "X receives a penalty when making sight-based Detection checks, and a bonus when making smell-based Detection checks"). They do it plenty of times already in the rules, anyhow.

Peregrine
2008-02-04, 09:53 PM
For my campaigns I usually add my own skills such as: Smell (wis) and things like that. Anyone want to add to the list? Yes I know this is kinda dumb.

Not to me it's not. I had the same idea some time ago, but never got around to posting a writeup :smallsmile: Sight is a skill (Spot). Hearing is a skill (Listen). Why should smell be a one-size-fits-all special quality (Scent), a +2 racial bonus to Craft (Alchemy), or else not present at all?

The senses of smell and taste are very closely linked, so I chose to put them together as a single skill, Scent/Taste (name not necessarily permanent). Any creature who has the Scent special quality can use the Scent/Taste skill for purposes like locating and tracking creatures. Anyone without it has to sniff or taste substances rather than pick scents out of the air, unless they're really strong -- sort of like how you need the Track feat to follow tracks with a DC over 10.

Now you can build a professional wine taster! Recognise the smell of unwashed orcs before they ambush you! It synergises with Profession (Cook)! :smallbiggrin:

Orzel
2008-02-05, 08:56 AM
I created a Combo (skill) before. It allowed you to perform combo like the 2d fighter games of the mid-late 90's.

It's fun to jump in, do a special, and cancel into a super art vs dragon.

Raging_Pacifist
2008-02-06, 01:52 AM
Thank you guys, these are all pretty good ideas.

averagejoe
2008-02-06, 02:44 AM
(I believe this is precedented in d20 modern?)

I believe it was Star Wars: Saga Edition, actually.

I always liked to move open lock into disable divice, because there's no real reason why locks are the only sort of device that should get their own skill. Also, I like the idea of scent as a skill.

Ethrael
2008-02-06, 12:29 PM
Yeh I was thinking about this a while ago, I've only been playing D&D for a little while, but even when I started, having only one page of skills is a bit little, in theory you could come up with loads, but then I realised most were covered by the Stats.
But the smell one has stayed with me for a while and was wondering if that was a good idea.