Naanomi
2015-05-24, 12:18 PM
While playing, a few of my players had minor complaints about the skill system, particularly as it regards the 'expertise' mechanic. In particular, they had three areas of difficulty:
1) To become a 'true expert' in something, you needed levels in Rogue, Bard, or (maybe) Knowledge Cleric... a Wizard who dabbled in Roguery would know more about Arcana than a dedicated wizard
2) Partially because the mechanic was bound to certain classes, there was almost no mechanical reason to take Expertise in several skills
3) There was no way to get Expertise in Tools/Etc
We addressed this issue with two houserules, which we have been playtesting for a while now.
1) To address #3, someone can train 'expertise' in a tool/misc proficiency; the process takes ten times the cost and time as becoming proficient in the normal way via downtime training; and the trainer must themselves be an 'expert'
2) Every class, at level 5, was given Expertise in a skill. The skills were chosen to be 'less useful' skills that thematically worked with the class. Classes that already have an Expertise mechanic were given more useful skills to choose from, so as to lessen the 'devaluing' of their mechanic. If a character had no skills they qualified for, the benefit was lost (though we played with the idea of just getting the proficiency instead); but if they later picked up the proficiency they would gain the Expertise 'retroactively'
Anyways, I just wanted to post to say that the system has worked out fairly well; our skill monkeys have not felt devalued by the change and while it rarely comes up in play the changes 'feel right' over all
Barbarian: Survival
-Totem: or Nature
-Frenzy: or Intimidation
Bard: Performance
-Lore: or Investigation
-War: or Acrobatics
Cleric: Religion
-Death: or Intimidation
-Knowledge: or Investigation
-Life: or Medicine
-Light: or Arcane
-Nature, Tempest: or Nature
-Trickery: or Sleight of Hand
-War: or History
Druid: Nature
-Land: or Animal Handling
-Moon: or Survival
Fighter: Intimidation
-Battlemaster: or History
-Champion: or two Tools of Choice
-Eldritch Knight: or Arcana
Monk: Acrobatics
-Element: or Arcana
-Fist: or Intimidation
-Shadow: or Sleight of Hand
Paladin: Religion
-Devotion: or Insight
-Ancients: or Nature
-Vengeance: or Intimidation
-Oathbreaker: (Whatever they had before)
Ranger: Survival
-Hunter: or Navigation + one Tool of Choice
-Beastmaster: or Animal Handling
Rogue: Sleight of Hand
-Assassin: or Disguise Kit + Forgery Kit
-Thief: or Thief Tools + one Tool of Choice
-Arcane Trickster: or Deception
Sorcerer: Arcana
-Dragon: or Intimidation
-Wild: or One Gaming Set of Choice + one Tool of Choice
Warlock: Arcana
-Fiend: or Intimidation
-Fey: or Nature
-Old One: or Investigation
Wizard; Arcana
-Abjuration: or Insight
-Conjurer: or History
-Diviner: or Investigation
-Enchanter: or Persuasion
-Evoker: or Intimidation
-Illusion: or Sleight of Hand
-Necromancer: or Medicine
-Transmuter: or Alchemy Tools + one Tool of Choice
1) To become a 'true expert' in something, you needed levels in Rogue, Bard, or (maybe) Knowledge Cleric... a Wizard who dabbled in Roguery would know more about Arcana than a dedicated wizard
2) Partially because the mechanic was bound to certain classes, there was almost no mechanical reason to take Expertise in several skills
3) There was no way to get Expertise in Tools/Etc
We addressed this issue with two houserules, which we have been playtesting for a while now.
1) To address #3, someone can train 'expertise' in a tool/misc proficiency; the process takes ten times the cost and time as becoming proficient in the normal way via downtime training; and the trainer must themselves be an 'expert'
2) Every class, at level 5, was given Expertise in a skill. The skills were chosen to be 'less useful' skills that thematically worked with the class. Classes that already have an Expertise mechanic were given more useful skills to choose from, so as to lessen the 'devaluing' of their mechanic. If a character had no skills they qualified for, the benefit was lost (though we played with the idea of just getting the proficiency instead); but if they later picked up the proficiency they would gain the Expertise 'retroactively'
Anyways, I just wanted to post to say that the system has worked out fairly well; our skill monkeys have not felt devalued by the change and while it rarely comes up in play the changes 'feel right' over all
Barbarian: Survival
-Totem: or Nature
-Frenzy: or Intimidation
Bard: Performance
-Lore: or Investigation
-War: or Acrobatics
Cleric: Religion
-Death: or Intimidation
-Knowledge: or Investigation
-Life: or Medicine
-Light: or Arcane
-Nature, Tempest: or Nature
-Trickery: or Sleight of Hand
-War: or History
Druid: Nature
-Land: or Animal Handling
-Moon: or Survival
Fighter: Intimidation
-Battlemaster: or History
-Champion: or two Tools of Choice
-Eldritch Knight: or Arcana
Monk: Acrobatics
-Element: or Arcana
-Fist: or Intimidation
-Shadow: or Sleight of Hand
Paladin: Religion
-Devotion: or Insight
-Ancients: or Nature
-Vengeance: or Intimidation
-Oathbreaker: (Whatever they had before)
Ranger: Survival
-Hunter: or Navigation + one Tool of Choice
-Beastmaster: or Animal Handling
Rogue: Sleight of Hand
-Assassin: or Disguise Kit + Forgery Kit
-Thief: or Thief Tools + one Tool of Choice
-Arcane Trickster: or Deception
Sorcerer: Arcana
-Dragon: or Intimidation
-Wild: or One Gaming Set of Choice + one Tool of Choice
Warlock: Arcana
-Fiend: or Intimidation
-Fey: or Nature
-Old One: or Investigation
Wizard; Arcana
-Abjuration: or Insight
-Conjurer: or History
-Diviner: or Investigation
-Enchanter: or Persuasion
-Evoker: or Intimidation
-Illusion: or Sleight of Hand
-Necromancer: or Medicine
-Transmuter: or Alchemy Tools + one Tool of Choice