Tome of Prowess (3.5e Sourcebook)/Running a Skilled Game

Running Skillful Monsters

There are a lot of new abilities in these pages, and that's a lot of extra stuff for a DM to worry about applying to every creature in the world. And you will need to remember it with respect to NPCs, since a substantial portion of their power now comes from these skills. Monsters are a different problem, and while you may be tempted to just use the same ranks based system with them you absolutely should not. Seriously, don't do it. There are a number of issues that apply to monsters but do not apply to characters because of the different constraints on their creation, and these constraints limit which skill abilities they even have access to.

But before we get to that, it's important to note that you can probably just give them the rank 4 and below abilities and not even worry about anything else. Most monsters already have abilities relevant for their CR, and adding additional abilities based on skills adds complexity and depth but not necessarily substantial combat ability. Most monsters played at an appropriate level before this was written, and most of them will continue to do so without utilizing it fully. So if you don't want to worry about tracking all of these extra tricks, just don't do it.

Monsters and Skill Abilities

For characters and most NPCs, their level is equal to their hit dice is equal to their CR. This statement is not true for the majority of monsters. They don't always have levels, and their hit dice often exceeds their CR. While this leads to some odd but manageable behavior in saves and attack bonuses, it is absolutely unworkable with these skill abilities. A creature with humanoid hit dice, for example, gains 1 CR for every 4 hit dice that it possesses. This means that a CR 1 humanoid has 4 hit dice and up to 7 ranks in and "class" skills. It would have access to the skill abilities of a 4th level character if there weren't additional rules governing their access for monsters. And that problem just gets worse as they scale up. A CR 4 humanoid has 16 hit dice, up to 19 ranks in any "class" skills, and the same skill abilities as a 16th level character. This is pretty much unworkable.

While putting every monster on a "hit die equals CR" growth schedule would fix this problem nicely, it would also require a rewrite of a substantial portion of the monster manuals and make using original material problematic. So that solution is right out. Instead we're just going to wield a kludge at the problem and toss an extra rule on. A monster that has non-class based hit dice is limited to skill abilities with a rank requirement of less than their CR + 3 in any "class" skill, regardless of how many ranks they actually have. They are limited to abilities with a requirement of half their CR + 3 for any "cross-class" skills they possess, regardless of how many ranks they actually have. They still get their full bonuses and all of the skill related abilities as well, but this doesn't allow them to access abilities any sooner than an opposing PC would. It just allows them to succeed at these abilities substantially more and more effectively than players. Which isn't even a big deal since most monsters a pile of arbitrary numbers with some fluff stitched on anyway, and as such aren't supposed to be as balanced in a party as the PCs are.

Setting DCs When Abilities Are Used On Monsters

The job of a DM is a busy one, and in the middle of combat it's not always convenient or even worthwhile to look up the attribute adjustments of a monster. And in this system, that can happen as often as your players feel like using particular skill abilities. Thankfully, you don't have to be particularly rigorous here.

If you don't feel like being particularly rigorous regarding a monsters attribute adjustments when determining the DC for a skill ability being used against them, you can use the following shortcut. If you assume that their modifier is +3, with an additional +1 per 3 CR, you'll generally have a reasonable estimate. You can also add or subtract 2 from this number, for creatures who would have an above average or below average attribute.

Yes, this really boils down to "just make up something appropriate if you can't be bothered to look it up", and that's actually fine. If you stick to this range, apply the bonuses or penalties fairly and evenly, and do it often enough for things to average out your players will still succeed on their abilities as often as expected over the long run.

Running a Skilled City

There are a number of ways that having fantastic skills affects players, but these skills also impact the way the world functions. This is a list of the ways that the world looks different (while still somehow staying the same) when everyone has access to the fantastic.

Affability

Villains, the likable ones anyway, generally get to explain their master plans without PCs jumping the gun and murdering them. Let's not be hasty works just as well on the heroes as it does on the villain's henchmen.

Bluff

Villains, the ones who are good at lying, actually get to escape to fight another day once in a while. Combat distraction can often provide all the time that you need to start your escape unseen, which is often the difference between making it out alive and having you head posted on a spike at the nearby tavern while the heroes celebrate your demise.

Disguise

It is not uncommon for seamstresses to have ranks in disguise so that they can capitalize upon the weight reduction and shaping techniques. Indeed, fetching "disguises" in the form of body sculpting and weight eliminating gowns, dresses, and lingerie are quite common among women at balls and other gala events. And while it does not take long to put one of them on, there is the chance that a party-goer might see through the innocent ruse if one does not make certain that everything is correctly applied. So yes, it really takes nobles forever to get ready for a party because they are taking 20 on their disguise checks.

Apothecaries with skill in disguise (or skilled suppliers) tend to carry Fire Walker Paint. This relatively inexpensive cream comes in every color of the rainbow, though red, orange, black, and gold are the most common. When applied to a person, it provides just enough fire resistance (6, for reference) for a performer to dance among the flames themselves. And at the right kind of parties, that's all that is applied to the performer. These ointments are also available in varieties that protect against lightning, acid, and cold, but those parties are out of fashion or just difficult to arrange in many locales.