Worst skill in D&D?

[Saph]

I was tempted to do a 'best skill' poll as well, but there are just too many choices. Don't think it's too hard to narrow down candidates for the worst skill, though. So, out of the core SRD skills, which do you think is the biggest waste of skill points?

My nominations:


Decipher Script: Made completely redundant by the 1st-level spell Comprehend Languages.

Forgery: Has anyone seen this used, ever? I never have.

Gather Information: Every PC I've ever seen just does this one untrained and then uses Bluff or Diplomacy after the initial search.

Open Lock: It's cool at low level, but at higher levels what's the point when someone can just use the knock spell?

Profession: It's a fluff skill, but if you want a fluff skill Craft is better in all ways. Craft lets you make stuff as well as earn money, while Profession seems to have no use except for earning a living. Now if you were allowed to pick something like Profession: Adventuring . . .

Use Rope: again, it's a skill which is so specific I've never seen it taken.


Extra nominations and disagreements with the above choices welcome (see if you can come up with good uses for them!)

- Saph

[Khantalas]

I've never had anyone with ranks in Decipher Script, let alone it being used, so, that.

Oh, Open Lock is useful. Especially when you introduce a lock in a damned dead magic area.

Use Rope is used quite often in my games. I don't know why, we just think it's kinky.

Gather Information and Forgery are useful. At least when you have a game like mine, set in Calimshan Royal Palace.

Profession? Well, not really used, but at least I know people that take ranks in it.

[Darrin]

I'd like to nominate Intimidate.

In every situation where I've seen someone contemplate its use, a demonstration in losing HPs wound up being tremendously more effective.

[ampcptlogic]

I vote for Profession. It is fluff. But my current character is a performer, so he can't really take a Craft to represent his skill for his non-adventuring day job

[Bears With Lasers]

He could take, um, Perform...

[Kyrsis]

I had to vote profession. All it seems like to me is a way to measure how good you are at your job, not necessarily something rolled.
I've used all the others, and actually often.
Decipher script and open lock CAN be useless, however what happens when you are alone and a non caster, in a dead zone, your caster is out of them or even more fun, you're in a party that doesn't always work together? (not in an OOC clashing way but the fun IC inner party conflict type way). The other ones I do use a lot, depending on what character I'm playing

[Wolf53226]

I actually put ranks in decipher script as a MU once, so I didn't have to waste time casting comprehend languages or scribe it.

Open Locks is always useful, if I'm not mistaken Knock can make a ton of noise, so if you are trying to be sneaky...

Use Rope is the best, always need at least one party member with this to tie up the bad guys for later interrogation, to throw the climing rope, to lasso stuff....

Forgery, I don't think we are allowed to take this anymore by our GM, he got very mad at us in one campaign.

Profession, you're right, purely fluff, but I almost never make a character without one, it can help with various knowledge skills, plus, what's my character doing with his down time if he isn't a MU scribing or creating stuff.

Gather Info is what I voted, simply because we NEVER use this, we RP this out with out rolling.

[Khantalas]

Knock makes sound? Since when? When did I miss THAT one?

[clarkvalentine]

I use Gather Info and Intimidate in every session. I use Decipher Script fairly frequently as well.


Profession is a terribly wasted opportunity for a great "catchall" skill, but as written it's nearly useless.

[Orzel]

Decipher Script should be incorparated into UMD and Speak Languages already.

"This letter from the mayor states that must give me the sword, Blacksmith." -Forgery is awsome.

"Don't tell me... the lock is made of ropes and vines."- Open Lock is great.

[Jensik]

The only practical use I've ever seen for Gather Information was for the Urban Ranger variant. Other than that one time I had an Urban Ranger, the GI skill just collected proverbial dust.

The others I use. Granted not often but they do pop up from time to time and that's usualy when things get interesting.

[Vik]

The point of Decipher Script is not at all the same that the one of Comprehend languages - the first one is there to break codes, the second one to understand foreign languages.

Also, Gather Information shouldn't be replaced by a Diplomacy / Bluff, nor only RP, as the skill is meant to take a while (1d4+1 hours), and is reflecting the knowledge of where to find informations and the skill to notice people that have valuable ones. A character with only a very good skill in Diplomacy might be very skilled to get info from a given NPC, but he won't be able to Diplomacy check for evey NPC until he find the one that will be useful - not to mention the fact that people will know what he is after.

Edit : I voted Forgery. I like Profession and takes it a lot with my characters, even if at only 1 or 2 ranks. That's fluff, but it can also be used - just like Profession - Cook will help to notice the poison in your food (what other skill ?).

[Telonius]

Profession, with Forgery a very close second. Profession is fluff. It can earn you a couple gold a week, which could be nice at level 1 or 2. After that, useless. Forgery is the riskiest skill in the list. An unsuccessful forgery check will probably land your characters in the city jail.

I'd second the "Intimidate" nomination. I've never seen a successful Intimidate check made in combat, and it's usually unhelpful in social situations.

Open Lock allows your wizard to prepare another Glitterdust or Blindness spell instead of Knock; so it's not completely useless.

My rogues always put 5 ranks in Decipher Script. It's kind of useless on its own, but that +2 synergy to UMD on scrolls is worth it.

I've never had a campaign where we didn't use the Use Rope skill at least a few times. If you're ever trying to tie somebody up, it's good.

Gather Information became useful with the existence of the Urban Ranger variant. Otherwise, not so much.

[Person_Man]

I voted for Forgery. In all the years I've played and DM'd every edition of D&D, I've never once been a player or seen a player who needed or wanted to forge something. And I've played plenty of Evil and/or Chaotic campaigns.

Decipher Script and Profession are also pretty useless. As is Craft, in my opinion.

Gather Information and Use Rope are pretty darn important in some games I've played. It's pretty common for me to have large maps with numerous towns/castles/ruins/etc that the PC's can navigate at will. Without Gather Information, they're pretty much just wandering around blind. Use Rope is critical whenever they take a prisoner, which is also somewhat common. It's also critical for Justicar builds.

You're right about Open Locks as well. But the same could be argued for Hide and Move Silently (Invisibility and Silence). Sometimes its just a lot easier to have ranks in the Skill, especially if your Wizard doesn't feel like memorizing nothing but toolbox spells. Large dungeons, as well as any place a PC wants to rob, will often have numerous locks, traps, and roaming enemies. You can get past them with a bunch of spells, but practically its much more effective to have ranks in the appropriate Skills.

[Abardam]

I'd vote for Appraise, actually. But maybe that's just me.

[Khantalas]

Oh, yeah. UMD is pretty useless in my games.

Seriously, no one cares enough, because there are not enough magic items that require those checks (you know, wands, staffs and scrolls, among other things).

I'll introduce a door that opens with UMD checks sometime.

[pestilenceawaits]

Of this list I would have to say profession. but depending on the campaign any skill can be worthless if you never have the option to use it.

[ampcptlogic]

He could take, um, Perform...

He already has that, twice, making Profession extra useless.

[Fax Celestis]

I have never actually seen Decipher Script be used.

[Wolf53226]

Knock makes sound? Since when? When did I miss THAT one?

Well, it has a voice component, and I know that I have argued with people on this board how loud that is to be a strong voice. But more than that, I have always had this picture in my head, I think it is from one of the 2nd edition books, of a mage speaking loudly and the door busting open, much like it had been bashed only without damage to the door. Then again, that just seems to be just a painting/picture and not what the spell says happens, so I might need to change the picture in my mind.

[Saph]

The thing about Open Lock is that for it to be really useful, you have to not have access to knock AND you have to be in a situation where stealth is necessary. Otherwise the fighter will 'open the lock' for you. It's a running joke in our group that whenever we want a door opened, we ask the dwarf with his huge axe if he can 'open the lock' for us.

Decipher Script and Profession are also pretty useless. As is Craft, in my opinion.

I've never seen Decipher Script or Profession used. I've got a character with Craft (drawing), though, and I've used it quite a bit. Not powerful, but fun. It gives me something entertaining to do while I'm hanging around, like sketching portraits or caricatures of the PCs when they're spending too much time arguing. :)

- Saph

[Khantalas]

Silent Knock. Problem solved.

What is this, psionics? Next you'll argue that meteor swarm has an exploding boom.

[Bears With Lasers]

Craft(drawing) is used for the Create Magic Tattoo spell, which can boost your CL by 1 if you cast it at CL... 12, I think; costs 100 gp, lasts 24 hours (48, extended). Good deal.

I once had a character with a very epic Craft(painting) check. He used to whip up entire landscapes and portraits in a matter of rounds, just because he could.

[Woot Spitum]

I'd vote for Appraise, actually. But maybe that's just me.

I second that.

Profession can be useless or crucial, depending on the type of campaign you're running. If you spend a significant amount of time at sea, Profession:Sailor is very useful.

[Bears With Lasers]

That's only if you use Profession to do stuff while sailing. That's a common house rule. In actuality,

"A single check generally represents a week of work."

and determines how much money you make performing said work. That's absolutely all it does.

You can think of Profession:Adventuring as off-screening low-level quests. Cleaning rats out of cellars for a handful of GP, that sort of thing.

[Lial Swiftlight]

Almost all of those skills are handy in the right situation. It's just a case of what kind of campaign you're playing. For instance, if you were playing a campaign set in a desert, swim would likely top the useless skills list. If it were a pirate campaign instead, swim could be one of the most useful skills.

Of all the skills listed, the one I've seen come least often is profession. I see it as an NPC skill, really. I could rig a situation where a PC would need it if I had to (they've just hijacked a ship and need a profession check to sail it, for instance), but 9 times out of 10 you can pay a bunch of NPCs a few silver to get the job done for you.

[Bears With Lasers]

I'd say that Decipher Script takes the cake for me. I have never seen it used. Ever. Everything else, even profession, has been, even if just for kicks.
"I appraise the barmaid. What? Not like *that*."

[Saph]

I'd vote for Appraise, actually. But maybe that's just me.

I've used that one quite often, though - like whenever we get some gems in our treasure haul. It's got a trained/untrained aspect, too. If I was making a rogue, I'd probably put one rank in it.

Intimidate has always seemed worthless to me, but some PCs like being scary (or trying to be).

- Saph

[Orzel]

I remember one time my party got stuck because Knock doesn't work on barred gates and ropes and the party rogue was captured. We couldn't unlock the rope based gate on a treasure chest.

[pestilenceawaits]

Intimidate is awesome with the variant skill use from the Tome of battle you basically have a stare down before battle and get certain benefits from it. It is cool.