Inclusive Skill System for d20

[malak]

After some lurking, I thought I'd present my idea for a skill system to the critical eyes of the den. Please form an orderly line, everyone will get his turn for the savage beating to follow.


So: The goal of the system is to allow all players to participate in any skill checks, and have a reasonably fair chance. Its more important for me to include everyone than to reward the specialists. Every player can choose a number of skills where he's an expert. In 3.5, this might depend on the class (gimped classes getting more), in 4e it's just the same number for everyone.


skill check = level + d20 + min( ability modifier, 4 ) + 4 expert-bonus.


I add the level only so that the numbers rise when the players increase in level, because people seem to like that. I'm assuming that all players are on the same level or very close, a reasonable assumption in my experience.

Using this system, a player with a -2 as relevant ability mod who is not an expert in the skill has 50% of the rng range against him compared to an expert with +4 ability bonus. So 'expert' gives 20%, max ability bonus gives 20%, and most people will probably be somewhere in between. A skill DC for something that is impossible for the 'worst-case' player still requires a very good roll from an expert to succeed. Since the level adjustment is just facade, it's very easy to set DCs for simple, medium, hard and nigh-impossible tasks.


That's it...what do you think?

[RobbyPants]

So, basically your level + the 4 point expert bonus is supposed to represent max ranks (well, one higher) for a class skill? If you're not an expert, you just add your level (without the bonus), which makes it better than a class skill.

Also, it looks like you cap the ability score adjustment at 4 points.

Well, I think this system does exactly what you stated in your design goals. It doesn't reward specialization (other than the 4-point boost), but getting +eleventy billion to an ability score will still cap you at an effective 18.

All in all, this seems pretty simple, straight-forward, and decent.


My only concern is if any class can take any skill (if I read this right), then pretty much everyone is going to be running around with the equivalent of max-ranks-plus-one on Use Magic Device. I'm assuming you'd have to address that skill as well.

[ubernoob]

This is fairly similar to what I did in my rules light game. Since I didn't want to make the players fiddle with skill ranks and masterwork tools or anything, I just told them that if a skill is in theme for their character to be good at, they make skill checks with a modifier of level+10 or so. If it's not in theme for them to be good at, they make checks at +level. Since it's more of a social gathering than a competitive game, people totally do choose to say "My character is not good at this, but is going to try anyways" and we sometimes have comical failures.

TL:DR; I'm doing something even more rules light with my players and it works out pretty well, so no objections to your system.

[PoliteNewb]

2 suggestions:

1.) Revamp your skill list, and don't include things that everyone is going to choose if you allow them. For example, if you allow Spot and Listen in a 3.5 game, pretty much everyone is going to take them (since your survival can depend on it). And if everyone is going to choose them, it's a false choice...you may as well just give that to them for free.

2.) Along with #1, you probably want to think about setting active, game-changing skills on a separate track from background/fluff skills. It can be cool for your character to know how to make horseshoes or make a perfect martini, but those skills really aren't on par with how to sneak up on fools with a dagger in your teeth, or how to convince the king's treasurer to loan you a couple of grand.
This can vary depending on your campaign, so think carefully about how important each skill really is. If your campaign takes place primarily in a desert, knowing how to swim or sail a ship are pretty much background, whereas in a pirate campaign those are (or at least can be) key skills.

[malak]

RobbyPants: You are right about the UMD-abuse potential. However, I think such a problem is with the skill and not with the skill system itself. And I have no problem if a melee char wants to buff himself with UMD, and if they really want to spend all their loot on wands, that's their choice...


Ubernoob: Yeah, I'd disallow or at least request a very good explanation IC if a character wants to be an expert in a skill that doesn't fit their theme.


PoliteNewb: I don't think it's a problem with spot/listen, because the system doesn't grow out of the RNG, so even without expert bonus and non-max ability mod they still have a fair chance. The problem that got me started was that in 3.5, if I want to set a DC so that chars with maxxed skill ranks have a 50% chance to succeed, all others fail automatically.

[For Valor]

what I'm thinking of is this:

You've got a party with a 50% chance to spot and a 50% chance to listen (per person). That means there's a 93.75% chance of the player's spotting the threat, and a 93.75% chance of the player's hearing the threat and a 99.91% of then doing either.

I mean, if spot/listen checks apply to being in the surprise round, I suppose it's fine, but if the party is standing around and trying to find an opponent who's sneaking through the room, they WILL find him.