Skills Overhaul:

Deleted Skills: the following skills will not be recognized in my game: Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Geography), Knowledge (Nobility), Knowledge (Dungeoneering) and Knowledge (the Planes).  If you want history, cultural lore (nobility) or geography, take knowledge (academics).  If an understanding of caves and rock formations is what you desire, take knowledge (nature), or if you need to know how to tie ropes for spelunking, try “use rope.”  Knowledge of the planes is a high DC roll for knowledge (arcane).

Combined Skills: The following skills have been combined into one.  For more information, check the specific skill entry below.

Climbing + Jumping = Athletics

Balance + Tumbling = Acrobatics

Know (History) + Know (Geography) + Know (Nobility) = Know (Academics)

Listen + Spot = Notice

Synergistic Skills: For every 5 full ranks (without bonuses) that you possess in one skill, you gain a +2 bonus to some other skill’s roll.  This is cumulative.

·         Knowledge (Academics) - INT, This includes an extensive knowledge of literature (written in the languages you speak), modern culture, foreign cultures, the history of your country and its neighbors, world geography, research and basic mathematics and science.  Classes - Bards, Monks, Wizards.  Gives a +2/5 point synergistic bonus to Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (Local), Diplomacy and Perform (the last two should be considered situational, when academic knowledge could enhance the skill).

·         Knowledge (Xenology) - INT, This is the study of all non “human” races, as well as their habitats and possibly even home dimension.  This includes all creatures considered Undead, Outsiders, Aberrants, Abominations, etc. as well as some more mundane creatures such as Giants and Beasts.  With a successful roll, one can tell something of the creature’s habits and ecology as well as the creature’s advantages and weaknesses.  The more exotic the creature, the more difficult the roll, and the higher the success, the more information is gleaned.  Class – Wizard, Bard.

·         Perform (CHR): is no longer a telescoping skill.  For every two skill points one puts into perform, one is allowed an additional type of performance, at the level of your Perform skill rank.  This includes stringed instruments, percussion instruments, singing, beat-boxing, wind instruments, brass instruments, storytelling, comedy, acting, oratory (speech giving, circus barking, poetry reading), juggling, dancing, etc.  In general, Perform is used to entertain others.

·         Acrobatics (DEX): Comprises both the “tumbling” and “balance” skills.  Acrobatics may be used in place of the Bluff skill when performing the “feint” combat maneuver.  This is a class skill for Barbarians, Fighters, Monks, Rangers, Rogues and Bards.

·         Athletics (STR): contains both “Climb” and “Jump” skills and may be used for contest of speed and or strength.  Swimming is still a separate skill because it is typically trained separately (not everyone knows how to swim etc.).  All classes which previously had both Climb and Jump now have Athletics instead.

·         Notice: contains both the “Listen” and “Spot” skills.  This skill also pertains to the other senses, such as touch and spell.  Anytime a perception check is made, use this skill.  All classes which previously had Spot and Listen, now have Notice instead.

·         Disable Device (INT): also available to Wizards as a class skill.

·         Meditation (WIS):  This skill allows you to meditate in place of sleep and is especially helpful for spell casters.  When a character makes a successful meditation check, they enter a trance like state, and yet are still mostly aware of what is going on around them (perception is reduced to their immediate area, but they are still allowed Notice checks to avoid being surprised with a +2 difficulty).  Meditation is able to replace sleep on a one to one basis with the following exception - you can only replace half of your normal sleep time with meditation.  The biggest bonus of meditate is that casters, both arcane and divine, are able to retrieve lost spells through use of this skill.  For every success above your target number you are able to retrieve one level of spells, with all spells counting as their appropriate level +1.  This can be attempted once per hour of mediation.  Example - Mialee is a 5th level wizard with a +5 meditation skill.  She and her friends have been in the woods and have just been through a nasty skirmish with some gnolls.  She wishes to regain some spells which she has cast earlier (0 level Ray of Frost, 1st level Magic Missile, and 3rd level Fireball).  She spends the next hour in quiet contemplation of her spell book and (having been undisturbed for this time) rolls a 9 (+5 for her skill level).  This gives Mialee a 14 total -10 for the DC of being in the woods, so she receives 4 spell levels to use (which would cover the ray of frost and the magic missile).  DC: 5  - undisturbed, with appropriate props (religious artifacts for divine as well as incense etc. spell book for arcane casters) and in a safe place where you feel at home (perhaps a church or library),  DC: 10 - some mild distractions (animals, insects, conversation etc.) in a protected area where you are not completely at home (camping in the woods or sitting in a shop).  DC: 15 - meditating in a dangerous area where you are still undisturbed but are forced to worry occasionally for your own safety (your party is attacked in the woods, but you continue to meditate or simply attempting to meditate inside of a dungeon or enemy’s castle or keep where you MAY be attacked at any minute).  DC: 20 - Disturbed while meditating where you are either attacked or must cease meditation momentarily to deal with potential threats.  DC: 25 - Meditation while being tortured or while you are in great physical pain.  Concentration is a Synergistic skill giving +2/5 points.  Classes: Wizard, Sorcerer, Cleric, Druid, Shaman, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Shadow Knight.

A Note on Craft Skills - the following are craft skills I will accept.  I feel the Craft skills are far too specific and perhaps not as worthwhile for a character who might take another listed skill which is broader based.   In addition, I require that anyone creating a magic item must play some part in the item’s creation.  This means that either you craft the item yourself, or assist in the crafting.

Craft – Alchemy: as detailed in the PHB under Craft.

Craft  - Brewer: allows you to create all forms of tasty beverages, as well as inks, perfumes etc.  This gives a synergistic bonus to Alchemy. 

Craft - Tailor/Weaver:  includes making clothing, making alterations to clothing, and weaving textiles.

Craft - Leather Worker:  includes tanning leather, making items out of tanned hides/leather.

Craft - Jeweler: includes ability to cut gems, silver smith, etc.

Craft - Cooking - includes baking, cooking, planning for and preparation of a meal etc. 

Craft - Armorer: includes ability to make armor and shields and repair damaged ones.

Craft - Weapon Smith: includes ability to make all metal weapons and repair damaged weapons.

Craft - Bowyer: includes ability to make bows and arrows.

Craft - Carpenter: includes ability to make structures out of wood, and repair damaged wooden structures.
Craft - Black Smith: includes ability to make and repair all general purpose metal items, including locks.

Craft - Stone Mason: includes ability to make structures out of stone, cobbling, brick work, carving, etc.

Craft - Crafter:  includes basket weaving, pottery, glass blowing, candle making etc.

Craft - Artist: includes ability to draw, paint, sculpt and make salable wares with your talent.

Craft – Author: allows you to create poetry, prose or lyrics.

Craft - Scribe: ability to make paper, draw maps or calligraphy.

Craft – Tinker: allows the ability to craft both simple and complex machines as well as draft plans for such as a modern engineer would.  Knowledge (Academics) gives a synergistic skill bonus.

A Note on Profession Skills - the following are Profession skills I will accept.  I feel that Profession skills, as listed in the 3rd Edition PHB are far too specific and perhaps not as worthwhile for a character who might take another listed skill which is broader based. 

·         Profession - Financier:  This gives the skill user a full knowledge of investment, banking and finance.  Use this skill to make a good return on your investment, rolling before you determine your investments.  Given correct facts and figures, this skill would also assist one in determining a safe risk for a loan.  Financier gives a synergistic skill bonus to Sense Motive when determining the interests of business partners etc.

·         Profession - Business:  Characters possessing this skill are able to manage, market and make a profit off of their own business.  This does not mean that you are skilled in a craft, but rather that you know how to make a profit off of merchandise produced by Craft or any other marketable skill.  You are entitled to a synergistic bonus from this skill when using other skills related to your business, examples: sense motive to determine whether your employees are cheating you, appraise of new goods or materials for your craft, using bluff to promote your business, negotiating payment through diplomacy etc.

·         Profession - Bureaucrat:  This skill allows you to cut through red tape using your intellect, weave red tape wherever it may be wove in a bureaucratic system and to do all of the duties that a professional paper pusher might be required to do.  Bureaucrat skill gives a synergistic bonus to Bluff, Intimidate and Diplomacy checks when dealing with or within a bureaucratic the system.

·         Profession - Foreman:  You understand how to work people and how to work with people to get the job done.  Having the foreman skill does not extend any particular craft, but rather, allows you to increase production, to meet deadlines, and to plan out large scale tasks that could take quite some time to complete.  Foreman gives a +2/5 point synergistic skill bonus to Intimidation and Bluff rolls made to motivate others.

·         Profession - Nobility:  This skill gives you an understanding of and ability to perform the burden of noble rule.  It allows proper etiquette in court and the ability to do all the things which must be done by a member of nobility.  With a successful skill roll, this skill may be used in a way similar to the Augury spell.  A user may ascertain answers to certain situations specific to their current position as a leader.   Of course, knowing the right course of action and being able to properly pursue that course of action are two entirely separate things.

·         Profession – Soldier: As a professional military man, you are able to assess the size and general ability of enemy troupes, determine tactics that might best give your troupes an advantage, and gain a +2/5 ranks synergistic bonus on notice checks when you are “on guard,” expecting trouble and not at ease.  This skill is most often possessed by military officers and or those who aspire to be officers in the military.  To assess enemy troupes, you must be able to observe the troupes en masse for at least one minute.  This does not reveal hidden combatants or the actual size of the enemy’s forces, but merely what you can see at the time of your assessment.  The GM will set a difficulty for your roll, but a small group (25 or less) of easily observed troupes would be DC10.  The further off you are, the harder it is to make a proper assessment and the larger the group is, the more difficult it is to assess their ability (green, trained, well trained).  Determining tactical advantage is a full round action and requires that you take a quick survey of the surrounding area.  Success returns information (if any) that could give you an advantage over opposing troupes, for example: higher ground (+1 to attacks made by your troupes, initially), possible ambush areas, good cover for missile fire, etc.).  This also allows the user to determine where an enemy might want to take advantage of his own troupes.

·         Profession – Gambler: You are well skilled at games of chance.  You are able to make a living through your gambles and you know when to cut your losses and move on.  Through use of this skill, you are able to determine when a game is rigged, and if you should choose to continue play, how badly the odds of winning look.  This skill does not replace skills such as Bluff, Sense Motive, or Sleight of Hand, all of which may come into play when you gamble, but rather, it adds a synergistic bonus to those skills specifically when you gamble.  Quick Gambling (Poker or other card games):  roll 1d10 for each player to represent the cards they are dealt, if necessary, roll an additional d4 or d6 to represent additional cards or cards traded to the dealer during the game.  Add this result to each player’s Profession (Gambler) roll and the person with the highest total wins.

·         Profession – Teacher: You are a skilled instructor and you are able to teach others what you know in a fashion which is more conducive to learning than those who do not possess this skill.  To teach one student for one month is a DC of 10.  To teach in one week what you would teach in a month raises the DC by 5 and to teach in one day what you would be able to teach in that month raises the DC an additional 10.  Teaching more than one student raises the difficult by 5 for a small group (less than four students), 10 for a full class (less than 25 students) and 15 for a large class (more than 20 but less than 100).  In game terms, when you teach a student, you are able to save them skill points and time.  If you require training in your campaign, an appropriate teacher who makes their instruction roll should be able to train their student in much less time than they would normally require for training.  Some DM’s will even require that the student find a trainer before they are able to advance in levels or to do certain things like improve their skills or learn a new feat.  Optionally, once per experience level, a character may be trained by someone with the Teaching Profession to gain a free skill point in a pre-specified skill.  The teacher must of course, possess this skill at a higher rank than the pupil, and make a successful Profession roll.

Other Professions - most other professions are easily simulated with existing skills, but could gain a synergistic bonus (helpful but unnecessary) from a profession.  Examples include - Guide: survival and knowledge (local),  Miner:  Knowledge (nature) and possibly Knowledge (science), Baker - Craft (cooking) and Profession (Business), Sailor: Swimming, Knowledge (nature) and possibly Craft (Carpentry), and Craft (tailoring), Scribe - Knowledge (academics), Knowledge (religion), at least one other Knowledge skill, and Profession (Cartographer).