Skill Groups (3.5e Variant Rule)
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Contents
Skill Groups[edit]
D&D has a lot of fucking skills. And those range from the absolutely bullshit game breaking such as Diplomacy and UMD, to the essential such as Spot, Listen, Spellcraft, to the absolutely fucking worthless such as Craft, Forgery, and Appraise. To be precise, it has 36 fucking skills even before getting into things like Knowledge and Craft being 10 different skills, or Autohypnosis. Meanwhile characters may have somewhere between 1 and maybe 10 skills they can put ranks in. Unsurprisingly, appraise is rarely even given the time of day.
So this system 1) Gives people more skills. 2) Gives them skills distributed across different groups, so that the main change isn't that people that already had Spot and Listen add Spellcraft to their list.
You should probably use something like the Pathfinder, Class skills get +3 ranks at level 1, and non class skills have a cap equal to Character Level, but everything is one for one, because people are probably going to be putting a lot of ranks into non class skills. Or you could plausibly give everyone all skills as class skills, though it might make the results more samey.
Level 1 Skills[edit]
At level 1 you either get four times the number to put into each skill group like you always would as a 3.5 character, or you get a +3 training bonus to each skill you train at level 1. Adjust skill prereqs for classes if you do so.
Class skills[edit]
You should just assume that everyone has the same class skills, but that you either don't get the +3 training in things that are not class skills but can have the same ranks and cost the same, or you can have the non class skills have a cap three less than the class skills, and cost the same.
Skills on level up[edit]
The first thing to do is half their class based skill points, so Rogues go from 8 to 4, Bards from 6 to 3, Druids from 4 to 2, and Wizards drop to 1. This new number is then the number of skill ranks to get on level up in every single skill group.
After you have made your choices based on skill group, you then move on to Int based skill points, which are flexible across skill groups. If you have an Int penalty, find one or more skills you just put ranks in, and get rid of that(those) rank(s). If you have an Int bonus, you can assign those skill points to any skills, ignoring the skill groups.
This makes int penalties much less penalizing, because if the main disadvantage to having an Int of 6 is that you don't have any ranks in appraise or Craft or survival, you are going to care very little. On the other hand, Int bonuses remain important, because very few people can get ranks in Listen, Spot, and Spellcraft without an Int bonus.
The skill groups are as follows:
Perception[edit]
Hide, Move Silently, Spot, Listen, Spellcraft, Search, Sense Motive
Knowledge[edit]
All knowledge skills, taken individually.
Skulduggery[edit]
Sleight of Hand, Use Rope, Open Lock, Disable Device, Bluff, Disguise
Interaction[edit]
Sense Motive, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Heal, Intimidate, Speak Language
Physical Fitness[edit]
Balance, Concentration, Climb, Escape Artist, Jump, Ride, Tumble, Swim
Wilderness[edit]
Handle Animal, Survival, Ride, Swim, Climb, Jump, Heal
Civilization[edit]
Appraise, Craft (all skills taken individually), Decipher Script, Forgery, Perform (However you want to use Perform), Profession (all skills taken individually)
Not a skill group[edit]
Use Magic Device
That's right, if you want UMD, better spend a precious Int bonus point on it.
Sample Characters[edit]
Wizard the Wizard[edit]
He is a filthy Grey Elf Wizard with an 20 Int at level 1, I apply retroactive skill points because I don't feel like doing math. At level 8 he has an Int of 22 inherent. Assuming you still care about class skills, but use a pathfinderish system he has the following ranks:
Spellcraft 11, Knowledge Arcana 11, Disguise 8, Speaks either 5 or 8 additional languages, Concentration 11, Ride 8, Craft (Alchemy) 11
One from each skillgroup.
Then, From his Int Bonus: Knowledge Religion 11, Knowledge Planes 11, Knowledge Nature 11, Knowledge Dungeoneering 11, Spot 8, Listen 8
Druid the Druid[edit]
He is an Anthopomorphic Bat Druid, or something else, it doesn't matter. He has an Int of 14, because he doesn't care about Str or Dex, because he is a Druid. He probably also has a Cha of 14, because again, why not, so he is more prone to Cha based checks than Mr. Wizard. He is level 10.
Assuming Pathfinderish system, he has ranks from class of:
Spot 13, Listen 13, Knowledge Nature 13, Knowledge Geography 10, Disguise 10, Bluff 10, Diplomacy 13, Sense Motive 10, Concentration 13, Escape Artist 10, Handle Animal 13, Survival 13, Craft Arms and Armor 13 (two different skills)
Then from Int: Spellcraft 13, MS 10.
Rogue the Rogue[edit]
He is a rogue, so he doesn't really have a lot in the way of spare points to put in Int, but he makes room for a 14, because fucking UMD and Spellcraft bby. He is level 15 because why not.
Perception: Hide 18, MS 18, Spot 18, Search 18 Knowledge: Local 18, History 15, Architecture 10, Planes 15, Arcana 5 Skulduggery: Disguise 18, Bluff 18, Disable Device 18, Sleight of Hand 18 Interaction: Gather Information 18, Diplomacy 18, Sense Motive 18, and All The Languages. Physical Fitness: Escape Artist 18, Tumble 18, Balance 18, Climb 18 Wilderness: Ride 15, Swim 18, Survival 15, Handle Animal 15 Civilization: Appraise 18, Forgery 18, Decipher Script 18, Craft Traps 18 From Int: Spellcraft 15, UMD 18
Calculator[edit]
Use this link: https://radthemad4.github.io./Kaelik_Skill_Groups.html
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