Altair_the_Vexed
2009-10-20, 02:29 PM
It seems to me that the d20 system's elegance of setting all DCs essentially at the same level (or to look at it another way, setting the cost-per-rank the same for all cross-class and class skills) creates an inequality in skill usefulness.
By the RAW, it takes the same number of skill points for a bard to become perfectly proficient with writing and a speaking a language as it does for him to create the most rudimentary of crafted items.
Other games systems set different cost multipliers on harder skills, or different DCs for tasks. It would ruin d20's elegance top change the DCs... but I think there's a case for making some skills cost more to learn than a 1-for-1 points to ranks cost.
There'd need to be some way of factoring in the class-vs-cross-class bonus. Alternity (in many way a clear precursor of d20 Modern) set the cost profession skills (the equivalent of class skills) at 1 point less. Different skills cost between 1 and 4 points per rank (with the Feat-equivalent "broad skills" costing between 5 and 7 per rank).
Setting the cost multipliers would be quite a task - how to balance the realism of "difficulty to learn" with the usefulness of skills?
Such a system would obviously change D&D and d20 games a fair bit. Classes would probably need a few more skill points per level to be effective.
Anyway, these are just some ideas that have been rattling about in my head. I'm sure there's a good argument to leave it all alone, but I'm curious - could it be made to work, and what benefits might it bring?
By the RAW, it takes the same number of skill points for a bard to become perfectly proficient with writing and a speaking a language as it does for him to create the most rudimentary of crafted items.
Other games systems set different cost multipliers on harder skills, or different DCs for tasks. It would ruin d20's elegance top change the DCs... but I think there's a case for making some skills cost more to learn than a 1-for-1 points to ranks cost.
There'd need to be some way of factoring in the class-vs-cross-class bonus. Alternity (in many way a clear precursor of d20 Modern) set the cost profession skills (the equivalent of class skills) at 1 point less. Different skills cost between 1 and 4 points per rank (with the Feat-equivalent "broad skills" costing between 5 and 7 per rank).
Setting the cost multipliers would be quite a task - how to balance the realism of "difficulty to learn" with the usefulness of skills?
Such a system would obviously change D&D and d20 games a fair bit. Classes would probably need a few more skill points per level to be effective.
Anyway, these are just some ideas that have been rattling about in my head. I'm sure there's a good argument to leave it all alone, but I'm curious - could it be made to work, and what benefits might it bring?