How to make Skills more 3.5-like

[Asmotherion]

I want to make skills more customasable and give them a 3.5 feel.

The target result is, during level up, there will be downtime, were the PCs will use an amount of time to invest point from a Total Pool aquired at each Level (instead of Automatic skills by proficiency bonus+modifier).

Proficiency with Kits will give more points to specific skills I guess?

This way, there will be more variable skill ranks, and more RP in aquiring them.

Any suggestion?

[Cybren]

I feel like if I wanted to do this I would have four skill levels: Untrained, Half-Proficiency (maybe called "familiarity" or "trained" or something), Proficiency, and Double-Proficiency (What expertise is now), and I might consider expanding the size of the skill list in some way (which is already sort of what tool proficiency does). As far as downtime goes, I'd just let people learn skills the same way the rules currently let them learn tools and languages.

[Pex]

Use the 3E skill DC tables. Subtract 5 from all DCs. Let players initiate Take 10/Take 20. When a 5E class ability provides a minimal roll, that instead allows the character to use Take 10 in combat for that thing.

[Unoriginal]

I want to make skills more customasable and give them a 3.5 feel.

Why?



and more RP in aquiring them.

Doesn't sound particularly 3.X



Any suggestion?

5e uses an Ability check system for a reason. If you want 3.5 skills, just remove the whole 5e ability system and use the 3.5 one.

[DanyBallon]

Just don’t

Joke aside, I would go with Cybren comment about splitting skills in categories; untrained, trained, and expertise.

Just say that untrained checks have disadvantage on their roll, while trained and expertise don’t.

As for «half proficiency» skills, like fir the Jack of all trafe feature, then the roll will be with disadvantage, yet you have better chance of success from the half proficiency bonus you add to your roll.

Downtime, will let you train in a skill, which would remove the disadvantage. And you could add a feat that let you pick a skill you are trained with and get expertise in it (you can take this feat only X time, and it apply to a different skill everytime).

[Asmotherion]

Why?




Doesn't sound particularly 3.X



5e uses an Ability check system for a reason. If you want 3.5 skills, just remove the whole 5e ability system and use the 3.5 one.
Well, mostly to make them into an interesting dawntime activity.

And, that's kinda my experiance with 3.5 skills, at least with some DMs. Nothing would Rank Up automatically, we would go about some Dawntime and invest ranks in our skills. It played out quite well.

[King of Nowhere]

if you want them to be like 3.5, just import the whole 3.5 skill system. It doesn't affect anything else in the game.

if you want to give more ranks, do it. Cybren's suggestion is a good one.

[JackPhoenix]

Well, mostly to make them into an interesting dawntime activity.

And, that's kinda my experiance with 3.5 skills, at least with some DMs. Nothing would Rank Up automatically, we would go about some Dawntime and invest ranks in our skills. It played out quite well.

It's also not how 3.5 skills actually work, though. You get skillpoints and distribute them when you level up.