jqavins
2017-07-18, 02:49 PM
I went looking for comments on Spot vs. Search (for reasons that don't matter here) and the thread I found had a tangent on giving characters more skill points and more flexibility in using them.
Disclaimer: all numbers are thumbsketch examples only. I roll this around in my head all the time, but I've never come up with a detailed plan.
For starters, the template of pre selected class skills is generally not something I'm satisfied with. While there's an extent to which this would just allow more min maxing, I play 3.5 because I like very customizable characters. There are far too few ACFs that trade/add/swap class skills. I think what skills are class skills are something you should be able to customize for your character to some extent. IE, fighter picks 8 class skills, rogue picks 15 class skills. Maybe add a few exclusions, IE, non-magic users can't pick spellcraft as a class skill, and a limit on which knowledge skills you can pick.
Then you simply need to give people more skill points. No class should have 2+int imo, because it hamstrings you anytime you see something with pre reqs. A higher baseline (perhaps 4 or 5) needs to be picked, I'd even support bumping rogues up to 10.
I also think it would be a good idea to halve the cost of the first 5 ranks in each skill. So for the first 5 ranks, 1 rank would cost half a point for class skills, and 1 rank would cost a full point for cross-class skills. That way a character with 10 int and the baseline of 4 or 5 skill ranks per level can get a little diversification thanks to the discount toward early ranks, and then stick to 4 or 5 maxed skills if desired. This would also have the effect of making pre reqs for feats and prcs much less murderous.
This reminded me about a house rule I've been intending to use the next time I'm running a campaign, and wondering if playgrounders have any thoughts.
I would make nearly all skills purchased at one skill point per rank for all classes. I would have a really small number (probably no more than three) of class skills that would be purchased at 1/2 point per rank, and a similar number of anti-class skills purchased at 2 points per rank. (I don't like the term "cross class" for this because of the established meaning that has of "everything except the class skills," which is not how it would be with my method.) I haven't got the lists, but just for example Move Silently would be a class skill for rouges and Use Poison would be anti-class for paladins.
I was thinking along these lines for a while before an example came up in a game that hammered it home. I created a fighter who made a living between adventures as a high priced body guard. I wanted her to have Profession (bodyguard) but Profession is cross-class for fighters. WHAT!?! How about Profession (mercenary) or Profession (thug)? Of course, the DM (being a reasonable DM and then some) allowed the exception, but it shouldn't be an exception.
The poster in the other thread also favors more points across the board, which I would consider, though I'm not sure it's needed when points go further than in RAW.
Opinions?
Disclaimer: all numbers are thumbsketch examples only. I roll this around in my head all the time, but I've never come up with a detailed plan.
For starters, the template of pre selected class skills is generally not something I'm satisfied with. While there's an extent to which this would just allow more min maxing, I play 3.5 because I like very customizable characters. There are far too few ACFs that trade/add/swap class skills. I think what skills are class skills are something you should be able to customize for your character to some extent. IE, fighter picks 8 class skills, rogue picks 15 class skills. Maybe add a few exclusions, IE, non-magic users can't pick spellcraft as a class skill, and a limit on which knowledge skills you can pick.
Then you simply need to give people more skill points. No class should have 2+int imo, because it hamstrings you anytime you see something with pre reqs. A higher baseline (perhaps 4 or 5) needs to be picked, I'd even support bumping rogues up to 10.
I also think it would be a good idea to halve the cost of the first 5 ranks in each skill. So for the first 5 ranks, 1 rank would cost half a point for class skills, and 1 rank would cost a full point for cross-class skills. That way a character with 10 int and the baseline of 4 or 5 skill ranks per level can get a little diversification thanks to the discount toward early ranks, and then stick to 4 or 5 maxed skills if desired. This would also have the effect of making pre reqs for feats and prcs much less murderous.
This reminded me about a house rule I've been intending to use the next time I'm running a campaign, and wondering if playgrounders have any thoughts.
I would make nearly all skills purchased at one skill point per rank for all classes. I would have a really small number (probably no more than three) of class skills that would be purchased at 1/2 point per rank, and a similar number of anti-class skills purchased at 2 points per rank. (I don't like the term "cross class" for this because of the established meaning that has of "everything except the class skills," which is not how it would be with my method.) I haven't got the lists, but just for example Move Silently would be a class skill for rouges and Use Poison would be anti-class for paladins.
I was thinking along these lines for a while before an example came up in a game that hammered it home. I created a fighter who made a living between adventures as a high priced body guard. I wanted her to have Profession (bodyguard) but Profession is cross-class for fighters. WHAT!?! How about Profession (mercenary) or Profession (thug)? Of course, the DM (being a reasonable DM and then some) allowed the exception, but it shouldn't be an exception.
The poster in the other thread also favors more points across the board, which I would consider, though I'm not sure it's needed when points go further than in RAW.
Opinions?