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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Skill System - Homebrew Skillset Variant: All Input Appreciated!



Maralais
2014-12-23, 06:11 PM
Hello everyone! So far I'm loving the 5th Edition and really think it's a much better edition to introduce newcomers to D&D compared to previous editions. However, I can't help but feel that some aspects of the designs are too dumbed down, sometimes to the point of limiting what you can do compared to previous editions. Skill system is namely one of these aspects. Sure, 3.5 had a terribly complicated system of skill points, class skills, cross-class skills and so many other stuff... However these were also useful to add interesting bits of flavour to characters. Some unrelated cross-class skill could represent a character's minor hobby, help their personalisation, the point system could help you decide some class skill areas where you excelled and others where you somewhat lagged behind your peers, etc. Right now either you're really good at something and get full proficiency bonus (due to it being a part of your background or your class) or you've no clue, only adding your ability modifier.
I thought I could somewhat remedy this lack of customisation with an inspiration from Strange FATE, FATE system's Kerberos Club variant. Namely, I took inspiration from the skill trapping system that allowed you to built skills that covered various sub-skills, thus becoming an archetype of sorts. In theory, this system can be used alongside the regular skill system, but I haven't had the chance to playtest it yet.

Skill Variant: Major and Minor Skillset

This optional rule replaces the skill proficiencies you would normally receive from your character's Background choice and your class. Instead of simply choosing skills you are proficient in according to your background and class proficiencies, you build two unique skillsets - one major, signifying areas that you truly master, and one minor, signifying your secondary capabilities.
Your major skillset is based on, but not limited to your class' capabilities. When using skills that belong in your major skillset, you add your full proficiency bonus to the skill check alongside your ability modifier. Your minor skillset allows you to further define your character. When using a minor skill, you receive only half of your proficiency bonus, rounded down, alongside your ability modifier.
To build your skillsets, you choose skills within the Skill Map (http://i.imgur.com/9s1ntRb.png). You pick a number of skills equal to the number allotted by your class as your major skillset. You can start from any skill that's listed in your class description. You can either select another skill that's listed in your class description, or you can select any skill that's directly linked to a skill you have already taken. Your major skillset must be thematically coherent, and you can name it however you want, as long as it relates to your class.
You also choose, within the same map, four skills as your minor skillset. You can select the skills listed in Backgrounds, or you can choose any four skills, as long as you can justify them within a thematic for the minor skillset. Your minor skillset must be thematically coherent, and you can name it however you want. You can use skills part of your minor skillset as connections when choosing skills for your major skillset.
All feats and features that add extra skill proficiencies to a character add skills to her major skillset.

Example Skillset Construction: Maralais the Wizard

Maralais is an Tiefling wizard who is about to start his career in adventuring. As a Wizard, he gets to choose between Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine and Religion as starting points for his major skillset. Somewhat an amateur investigator, he chooses Investigation as his starting point. This means he can either choose another class skill as his second skill in major skillset, or one among Perception, Cosmology, Religion, Dungeoneering, Engineering, Geography, Nature, Local, Nobility as they are directly adjacent to Investigation.
However, he decides to first decide on his Minor Skillset. According to his backstory, he was an envoy of his Mages Guild to a Ranger Circle for a short while. He found himself defusing minor conflicts betweem the two factions, and often used minor details that caught his eye to gain an upper hand against the usually pompous rangers. He chooses Persuasion, Perception, Intimidate and Survival as his minor skillset, and calls it "Envoy to the Rangers".
Now that he can use his minor skillset as access points to other skills, he returns to his second skill within the major skillset. Having gained Survival as a minor skill, he can use it to access Medicine, which he chooses. He combines it with Investigation, and calls his major skillset "Amateur Detective".
Maralais' skillsets are thus as follows:
Major Skillset: Amateur Detective - Investigation, Medicine.
Minor Skillset: Envoy to the Rangers - Persuasion, Perception, Intimidate, Survival.
Now, in game, should he choose to use Medicine as a Level 1 Wizard, he will roll 1d20 + 2 + Wisdom modifier. However, should he wish to roll Intimidate, he will roll 1d20 + 1 + Charisma modifier.

mictrepanier
2014-12-27, 09:58 PM
Now, in game, should he choose to use Medicine as a Level 1 Wizard, he will roll 1d20 + 2 + Wisdom modifier. However, should he wish to roll Intimidate, he will roll 1d20 + 1 + Charisma modifier.

At level 5, as proficiency is up +1, the major skillset is at +3 and the minor remains at +1 (1/2 the proficiency round down ) ?

Maralais
2014-12-28, 03:30 AM
At level 5, as proficiency is up +1, the major skillset is at +3 and the minor remains at +1 (1/2 the proficiency round down ) ?

Pretty much.

Kane0
2014-12-28, 06:09 AM
Seems a solid variant, nice work.

Question: do more skilled classes such as the bard amd rogue get more primary skill choices, or does everyone get the 2/4 split?
Also, how do bonus skill proficiemcies like for half elves work?

Maralais
2014-12-28, 06:18 AM
Seems a solid variant, nice work.

Question: do more skilled classes such as the bard amd rogue get more primary skill choices, or does everyone get the 2/4 split?
Also, how do bonus skill proficiemcies like for half elves work?

Bards effectively gain everything as their minor skillset following 2nd level thanks to Jack of All Trades. Rogues gain an extra layer of Expert skillset, for which their proficiency bonus is doubled when making the roll. The number of skills within this skillset increase following Expertise class feature (two skills at level 1, four skills at level 6). Features that would add extra skill proficiencies (Human, Half-Elf etc. racial traits, Skilled) with the old system add more skills to a major skillset, the number of which is determined by the feature in question.