LeadPal
19th of July, 2006, 05:46
For all those expressing concern over how one-dimensional D&D characters tend to be, I designed this system to help out.
Naturally, if you use this system, you'll want to put a little more emphasis on everyone's background abilities, but especially Knowledge skills, which get slightly devalued because of how common they become. Even then, however, the level limit is still in place, so it shouldn't be a real issue.
Theoretically, someone could utilize this system to gain all the skills necessary to get into a PrC more easily, but I sincerely doubt anything actually unbalanced could result because of this.
I'm also considering changing the system so that instead of (2+int mod)x4 skill points, everyone gains (4+int mod)x2 points. This would help out low intelligence characters more, while keeping high-intelligence characters from knowing a little about everything and having a half-dozen careers in their life.
LIFE SKILLS SYSTEM
Add Life Skills to the process of selecting skills at level 1. Remove Illiteracy from the list of barbarian class features.
At level 1, all characters receive a select number of skills that represent the life they lead before the game begins. Every character receives an additional (2 + Intelligence modifier) x 4 skill points at level 1 (minimum 4). The exception to this rule is barbarians, who receive only (2 + Intelligence modifier) x 2 skill points (minimum 2). However, these skill points must be spent in either Craft (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), or Speak Language.
All of these are considered class skills for the purposes of this system.
All characters start able to speak (but not read) their racial language. (Half-breed characters such as half-elves, half-orcs, and others such as half-dragons can choose from which side their racial language is.) To gain the ability to speak a language, a character must spend a skill point on Speak Language, as normal. However, this does not automatically grant literacy; this can only be gained by spending an additional skill point learning to read and write.
Monsters follow the normal rules for Life Skills, except that their starting intelligence may be lower (at the DM's discretion, or as in Savage Species). Creatures with intelligence scores of 2 or lower do not gain life skills.
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Example 1:
A newly created 1st level elven fighter with an intelligence of 13 is choosing his Life Skills. He receives 12 skill points for his bonuses. He starts off with his racial language, elven, and chooses to spend an extra skill point to become literate. He also spends an extra 2 points to learn Common and Sylvan, but chooses not to become literate in either language. He puts 2 ranks in Craft (weaponsmithing), since his father was a master swordsmith, as well as 3 ranks in Knowledge (history) and 2 ranks in Knowledge (local) and (nature), as his education and long lifespan have taught him much about the world. His total skills and languages are:
Elven (Literate)
Common (Illiterate)
Sylvan (Illiterate)
Craft (Weaponsmithing), 2 ranks
Knowledge (History), 3 ranks
Knowledge (Local), 2 ranks
Knowledge (Nature), 2 ranks
From there, he can take his ‘ordinary’ skills, and might even increase several skills, although most would be considered cross-class.
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Example 2:
A 1st level half-elf barbarian with an intelligence of 9 begins choosing his Life Skills. He receives only 2 skill points to spend, the minimum he can receive. He decides that his character will have been raised by a tribe of elves in the desert, and chooses the Elven language over Common. As he has a limited skill budget, he does not take any other languages or literacy‘s, instead opting to take two ranks of Craft (leatherworking). This was the role he served in the tribe before going off to adventure. In total, his skills and languages are:
Elven (Illiterate)
Craft (leatherworking) 2 ranks
He can now select his normal skills.
Naturally, if you use this system, you'll want to put a little more emphasis on everyone's background abilities, but especially Knowledge skills, which get slightly devalued because of how common they become. Even then, however, the level limit is still in place, so it shouldn't be a real issue.
Theoretically, someone could utilize this system to gain all the skills necessary to get into a PrC more easily, but I sincerely doubt anything actually unbalanced could result because of this.
I'm also considering changing the system so that instead of (2+int mod)x4 skill points, everyone gains (4+int mod)x2 points. This would help out low intelligence characters more, while keeping high-intelligence characters from knowing a little about everything and having a half-dozen careers in their life.
LIFE SKILLS SYSTEM
Add Life Skills to the process of selecting skills at level 1. Remove Illiteracy from the list of barbarian class features.
At level 1, all characters receive a select number of skills that represent the life they lead before the game begins. Every character receives an additional (2 + Intelligence modifier) x 4 skill points at level 1 (minimum 4). The exception to this rule is barbarians, who receive only (2 + Intelligence modifier) x 2 skill points (minimum 2). However, these skill points must be spent in either Craft (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), or Speak Language.
All of these are considered class skills for the purposes of this system.
All characters start able to speak (but not read) their racial language. (Half-breed characters such as half-elves, half-orcs, and others such as half-dragons can choose from which side their racial language is.) To gain the ability to speak a language, a character must spend a skill point on Speak Language, as normal. However, this does not automatically grant literacy; this can only be gained by spending an additional skill point learning to read and write.
Monsters follow the normal rules for Life Skills, except that their starting intelligence may be lower (at the DM's discretion, or as in Savage Species). Creatures with intelligence scores of 2 or lower do not gain life skills.
________________________________________
Example 1:
A newly created 1st level elven fighter with an intelligence of 13 is choosing his Life Skills. He receives 12 skill points for his bonuses. He starts off with his racial language, elven, and chooses to spend an extra skill point to become literate. He also spends an extra 2 points to learn Common and Sylvan, but chooses not to become literate in either language. He puts 2 ranks in Craft (weaponsmithing), since his father was a master swordsmith, as well as 3 ranks in Knowledge (history) and 2 ranks in Knowledge (local) and (nature), as his education and long lifespan have taught him much about the world. His total skills and languages are:
Elven (Literate)
Common (Illiterate)
Sylvan (Illiterate)
Craft (Weaponsmithing), 2 ranks
Knowledge (History), 3 ranks
Knowledge (Local), 2 ranks
Knowledge (Nature), 2 ranks
From there, he can take his ‘ordinary’ skills, and might even increase several skills, although most would be considered cross-class.
________________________________________
Example 2:
A 1st level half-elf barbarian with an intelligence of 9 begins choosing his Life Skills. He receives only 2 skill points to spend, the minimum he can receive. He decides that his character will have been raised by a tribe of elves in the desert, and chooses the Elven language over Common. As he has a limited skill budget, he does not take any other languages or literacy‘s, instead opting to take two ranks of Craft (leatherworking). This was the role he served in the tribe before going off to adventure. In total, his skills and languages are:
Elven (Illiterate)
Craft (leatherworking) 2 ranks
He can now select his normal skills.