[3.5] Skill Variant

[AgentPaper]

This is just something I kinda thought of randomly, but it really seems like a cool idea, if not perfect. Basically, instead of getting X+int skill points to spend on whatever skills you want, you instead get to choose a number of skills equal to ALL of your ability modifiers, which the caveat that you can only spend those skill points on skills that are based off of the ability modifier you got them from. So, for example, if you're a fighter with 18 strength, you get 16 skill points at first level to spend on any skills that are based off of strength, such as swim, climb, jump, etc. Skill points that come from classes, on the other hand, can only be spent on class skills, but are otherwise not limited.

The main problems with this are, for one, that it gives players a lot more skill points. This is somewhat countered by forcing you to spend them only on certain areas, but it's still a lot of points to spend. Of course, this could very well be a good thing to many people. Second, there's only one skill for constitution, which is Concentration, which means almost everyone is going to have that skill by default, and anyone with more than 13 con is going to have a bunch of extra skill points that they can't spend.

[Zaydos]

What about Speak Language? It has no ability score so would it be a feat? Or would you be able to use any ability score for it? Or would it be considered Int or Cha based? If you can spend any ability score for it... Con based polyglot go!

[Golden-Esque]

I'd say your best bet would be to add Concentration to Intelligence if you were going to do this. It makes sense, and that way you can just say that Constitution generates no skill points.

You could also choose to throw away X number of Intelligence skill points to learn a new language.

[Kroy]

I recommend increasing the caps for skills by 2 and adding a second ability mod. For example, let's take swim. At 1st level, a level 1 fighter with 18 str & 14 Con has 16 Str skill points, and 8 Con points. He puts 4 Str (the max for str) into swim, and then puts 3 Con into it. He now has a total of 7 ranks in swim, and a +6 ability mod. This would require increase in DC, but it might work.

[AgentPaper]

Giving all the skills another abilty modifier would be a lot more work than I'm looking to do here. Rolling Concentration into Int would probably be a good way of doing it, and it makes more sense anyways. Con gives you HP anyways, which is important enough for everyone that they'll probably take it anyways.

Languages are probably something you'd spend Int points on, though getting a few languages as a feat would also work.

[DragoonWraith]

Languages are probably something you'd spend Int points on, though getting a few languages as a feat would also work.

There's a feat to just know all languages, and it's still a pretty weak feat. I don't think you'd have many people taking it, and those who did (for PrC qualification or similar) probably wouldn't be happy about it.

[Ashtagon]

How many skills run off each ability score?

Str - 3
Con - 1
Dex - 9
Int - 8 (plus Knowledge and Craft have many variations)
Wis - 6 (plus Profession has many variations)
Cha - 8 (plus Perform has many variations)

This approach would end up with characters having very high strength-based skills, and everything else low to middling. Oh, and massive Concentration skills for everyone unless you move it to another ability.

It also devalues Intelligence, which is already a low-value ability score for non-wizards.

[Rainbownaga]

It also devalues Intelligence, which is already a low-value ability score for non-wizards.

I've always wondered why people worry so much about this. Without the effect on intelligence bonuses it already gives extra languages, which is more than charisma deals. All characters have to let some abilities slip, so the only ones you're really hurting are the wizards and beguilers, who are already more powerful than their charisma based equivalents, the sorcerers and warblades.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

The variant that I use is that at 1st level, characters get a number of skill points equal to their ability score bonus (if positive) to add to skills based on that score, and 4 x base + 2 x INT adjustment.
Each level after that, you get your base + prime requisite bonus.

The prme requisite of a class is the ability score that the class depends on most. That's easy to determine for casters. I assigned STR to Fighters, WIS to Paladins and Monks, DEX to Rogues and Rangers, CON to Barbarians - but those are just my choices. You might want to do something else.
Of course, this means that all classes end up with more skill points.

Any use to you?

[Ashtagon]

I've always wondered why people worry so much about this. Without the effect on intelligence bonuses it already gives extra languages, which is more than charisma deals. All characters have to let some abilities slip, so the only ones you're really hurting are the wizards and beguilers, who are already more powerful than their charisma based equivalents, the sorcerers and warblades.

Conversely, my feeling is that, while all characters should have valid reasons for choosing one stat to be higher than another, all characters should also have a valid reason for wanting to have at least some points in every stat.

In 3e, Int gives bonus languages and bonus skill points. Languages is a an extreme corner-case in terms of how often it gets used in any game (and rendered obsolete by a 1st level spell anyway). Skill points is really all it has going for it for a non-wizard. If there was a reasonable extra benefit for Int, I'd consider shifting the skill point bonus, but I've never seen any such proposals.