Crissa wrote:CatharzGodfoot wrote:If you want to give out skills at lower bonuses, do it at 1 + level. That makes the difference significant while retaining usefulness for the skill.
The problem was that the final 'solution' had nothing to do with the initial question. And I have no idea what the comment about bonuses was about.
Of course two skills is the best, it's in the middle..
I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about.
Crissa wrote:So I'll try the question again.
- Are these good options, flavorwise, balancewise:
- Five skills at competent (none are skill vs skills)
- Two skills at level appropriate (some may be skill vs skills)
- One skill at level appropriate, plus a bonus
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That gets me away from 'must spend resources to access the bonus', and there will be some variance based upon stats. I am using the pips version of the skills (Zero being untrained, one being competent, two being level-maxed, three-plus being only allowed if it's a special skill like survival or perform).
No, they aren't balanced. If 'using the pip system' means what I think it does, giving out 'five skills at one pip' is very different from saying 'the character always has a minimum of 5 ranks. With pips you just sink 5 more pips in and you've got 5 maxed skills. In normal D&D it's much more messy.
Remember that even Knowledge skills can be active (for example, as an archivist).
Anyway, IMO the pips you're using make it much more clean. Give the character a fixed number of pips (say, 3), and it's as balanced as D&D ever needs to be. With the exception of particularly good or useless skills.
Crissa wrote:And how much should the bonus be?
Plus three of four seems a good number. As much as you get at low levels from your best attribute. I'm assuming you means for 3 pip skills, since you've already shrugged off the idea of max -3.
Crissa wrote:Is two skills too much?
Not if you keep things balanced pip-wise.
Crissa wrote: Is one skill that you get to choose equal to one skill you don't
That depends entirely on if you would have chosen to take the skill you're forced to take anyway. Because of the ease of Min/Maxing in D&D, I'd say that at the very least one selectable skill is
not worth two predecided ones unless the skills are particularly shitty (use rope, open locks).