[D&D3.5/PF] New Skill: Tactics (Any), PEACH

[Ialdabaoth]

Tactics (Any) is a collection of Wisdom-based skills, much as Profession (Any) and Knowledge (Any) are collections of skills. However, Tactics skills have profound battlefield effects.

The Fighter and Ranger classes may choose Tactics as a class skill; for all other classes, Tactics is a non-class skill.

Tactical styles
Each military unit, adventuring party, or bandit band has its own tactical style. For example, if you are part of Johen's Ironwolves, you may develop and use the Tactics (Johen's Ironwolves) Skill. If you are a regular in the Ithanian Militia, you will undoubtably be tought Tactics (Ithanian Militia).

Some tactical styles are descended from other styles; for example, if Johen was a member of the Ithanian Militia before forming his Ironwolves party, then Tactics (Johen's Ironwolves) will likely share some similarities with Tactics (Ithanian Militia). Whenever a tactical style shares a lineage with another style, the DM may decide to allow players who know the related style to use it at half rank. When learning a new style, if you already know a related style at a higher rank, you may learn the new style as if it was a class skill.

Use in Combat
As a standard action, any character with a Tactics skill may declare that they are using that skill to command the unit. They do not make a dice roll; instead, they may make any of the following adjustments to themselves, or any friendly unit within line of sight who can see or hear them:

- Apply a penalty to one unit's Initiative, in order to provide an equal bonus to another unit's Initiative, AC, or saving throw.

- Apply a penalty to one unit's base attack bonus, in order to provide an equal bonus to another unit's base attack bonus, so long as both units are engaging the same target.

These bonuses and penalties last until the commanding character's next action.

Limits
No character may receive a total bonus or penalty greater than that character's relevant Tactics skill rank, and the total number of bonuses provided may not exceed the commanding character's total Tactics skill bonus (including their Wisdom modifier).

[Vadskye]

Why are you applying bonuses and penalties to "base attack bonus" instead of to attack bonus?

Why is Tactics never rolled? Surely there is some variability in tactical skill.

Why is Tactics Wisdom-based? There are definitely intelligence-based tacticians and tacticians who command through leadership/Charisma. As it stands, bards are bad tacticians, but druids can be are really good at it. Also, rangers are generally better tacticians than fighters. That's weird.

[Lord of Shadows]

Just curious, how would this fit with the Pathfinder "Combat" and "Teamwork" Feats? They seem to have melee nailed down pretty good. This needs to be.. Different.

Also, while the standard rules do have a single Attribute assigned to each Skill, I can envision a Homebrew skill that uses multiple Attributes. Take this "Tactics," for example, maybe different variations could each use a certain attribute. Or, a single "Tactics" skill whose usage depends on one of several attributes, chosen for the situation. Wisdom, Intelligence and Charisma would have different uses. Something like:

Tactics (Battlefield Movement) - Wisdom helps knowing when to move, Intelligence helps knowing where to move, and Charisma helps in directing the movement.

[Xuldarinar]

While this is an interesting idea, I don't believe it is practical. Also, as stated previously, wisdom doesn't seem like the logical choice to govern the skill. I can see tactical ability being a part of a class feature or feat, but to me even then that is a stretch. Like strategy, tactics are up for the player. How people chain abilities together and function on the battlefield to attain a certain result. A skill poorly simulates this. Yes, there are problems with this in how it is. If a player is smarter than their character, if they intend to role-play even in combat they cannot do anything that their character wouldn't do or wouldn't think of. Conversely, if you have a character smarter than the player, the character's strategies and tactics are limited by what the player can come up with. I applaud the attempt and your effort, but I just don't see this as something reasonable. You can lead people, tell them what to do or not do, in battle and before battle. I don't believe there should be a skill, without rolls no less, that gives these bonuses in combat. That is my honest opinion.

[Vadskye]

Also, while the standard rules do have a single Attribute assigned to each Skill, I can envision a Homebrew skill that uses multiple Attributes. Take this "Tactics," for example, maybe different variations could each use a certain attribute. Or, a single "Tactics" skill whose usage depends on one of several attributes, chosen for the situation. Wisdom, Intelligence and Charisma would have different uses. Something like:

Tactics (Battlefield Movement) - Wisdom helps knowing when to move, Intelligence helps knowing where to move, and Charisma helps in directing the movement.
I'd go simpler than that; just have each Tactics subskill use a different attribute. Maybe Tactics (Ithanian Militia) is Int-based, while the more barbaric tribes of Cohenia use Charisma-based Tactics (Cohenian).

[JBPuffin]

This is a good idea...but not so good of an interpretation.

I'm going to go against the common opinion here and say go with the Wis-base; after all, Wisdom needs a skill tree, seeing s how Int has 2 and Cha has 1 already. Beyond that, though, I say that this needs to be something for a class to use (Bard variant replacing Peform, anyone?) as a requirement to do certain things; people do want Warlords back-ported, after all...