Author Topic: Combining Skills  (Read 3098 times)

Offline Stratovarius

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Combining Skills
« on: September 03, 2014, 10:22:16 AM »
I'm planning on combining several useless (or rarely used) skills together, in order to make them more useful and reduce the skill bloat that has happened a little in Arhosa.

Current plans:
Decipher Script + Forgery -> Chirography
Escape Artist + Sleight of Hand + Use Rope -> Thievery
Disable Device + Open Lock -> Device Manipulation
Appraise + Gather Information -> Analysis

Thoughts?

Offline sirpercival

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Re: Combining Skills
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2014, 10:24:30 AM »
I don't like the thematic combination for Analysis. Two /very/ different skillsets for those two.

Also, Use Rope is way more widely used than just thieves. Personally I like SoH + OL = Thievery, Disable Device + Craft = Engineering.
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Offline Stratovarius

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Re: Combining Skills
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2014, 10:33:52 AM »
I don't think I've seen anyone use Use Rope, which was one of the reasons I rolled it in. It also lowers the skill burden on Gallants a fair bit, and means people can actually dabble in being a thief, rather than having to spend a ton of cross-class points.

Craft can't be combined in Arhosa - it replaced all of the Crafting feats, so it's wildly different from the normal version. Like so.

Appraise could be rolled into Craft, but that makes what is now a close to must-have skill even more so. Just wasn't sure where else to put it that wasn't Craft, and Gather Information seemed the best "weak" skill.

Was also debating what to do with Swim and Ride, since they're also rarely used (unless someone is going for a mount build).

Offline sirpercival

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Re: Combining Skills
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2014, 10:35:45 AM »
I don't think I've seen anyone use Use Rope, which was one of the reasons I rolled it in. It also lowers the skill burden on Gallants a fair bit, and means people can actually dabble in being a thief, rather than having to spend a ton of cross-class points.

Craft can't be combined in Arhosa - it replaced all of the Crafting feats, so it's wildly different from the normal version. Like so.

Appraise could be rolled into Craft, but that makes what is now a close to must-have skill even more so. Just wasn't sure where else to put it that wasn't Craft, and Gather Information seemed the best "weak" skill.

Was also debating what to do with Swim and Ride, since they're also rarely used (unless someone is going for a mount build).
Swim + Climb + Jump = Athletics.
Ride + Handle Animal = Animal Affinity.
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Offline Stratovarius

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Re: Combining Skills
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2014, 10:49:36 AM »
Right, so that means Arhosa is at 29 skills (not counting the various Knowledges as separate ones).

Acrobatics (Balance + Tumble)
Activate Gateway (Unfinished, new skill)
Analysis (Appraise + Gather Information)
Animal Affinity (Ride + Handle)
Animalism (New skill)
Athletics (Climb, Swim, Jump)
Autohypnosis
Bluff
Chirography (Decipher Script + Forgery)
Concentration
Craft (New skill)
Device Manipulation (Disable Device + Open Lock)
Diplomacy
Disguise
Heal
Intimidate
Knowledge (Partial new, Chronomancy and Rituals)
Perception (Spot + Listen)
Perform
Profession (Removed)
Search
Sense Motive
Speak Language
Spellbond (New skill)
Spellcraft
Spellsong (New skill)
Stealth (Hide + Move Silently)
Survival
Thievery (Escape Artist + Sleight of Hand + Use Rope)
Use Magic Device (Removed)
« Last Edit: September 03, 2014, 11:02:55 AM by Stratovarius »

Offline Stratovarius

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Re: Combining Skills
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2014, 02:00:26 PM »
Thinking of combining Intimidate + Diplomacy and Bluff + either Disguise or Sense Motive next... Which will more or less do me for the skill shrinkage for now.

Offline Gazzien

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Re: Combining Skills
« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2014, 02:11:52 PM »
I would do Bluff & Disguise, possibly as "Act" or something - one is the visual side, one is the social side. Like Hide & Move Silently, or Spot & Listen. Diplomacy & Intimidate makes sense to me as well - it's just a matter of making them pleased or angry with you.

Offline Nanshork

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Re: Combining Skills
« Reply #7 on: September 03, 2014, 02:12:44 PM »
Sirp has a mostly decent skill combo list here from one of his systems.

Offline Stratovarius

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Re: Combining Skills
« Reply #8 on: September 03, 2014, 09:57:11 PM »
Yeah, he linked me to that earlier on IRC. Doesn't quite fit the way I'm doing things here, but definitely gives me some ideas as to how to combine the remaining skills together.

Offline Stratovarius

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Re: Combining Skills
« Reply #9 on: August 03, 2016, 07:36:38 AM »
Finally gotten around to updating the list again. Cut it down to 34, despite the addition of my new skills. Also rebalanced Knowledge skills to be more useful.

Acrobatics (Balance + Tumble)
Activate Gateway (New skill)
Analysis (Appraise + Gather Information)
Animal Affinity (Ride + Handle)
Animalism (New skill)
Athletics (Climb, Swim, Jump)
Mentalism (Autohypnosis + Concentration)
Pretenses (Bluff + Disguise + Sense Motive)
Chirography (Decipher Script + Forgery + Speak Language)
Craft (New skill)
Device Manipulation (Disable Device + Open Lock)
Diplomacy - Replaced with GiantITP Diplomacy.
Heal
Intimidate
Knowledge (Arcana) - Constructs, Dragons, Magical Beasts
Knowledge (Chronomancy) - Temporal subtype
Knowledge (Dungeoneering + Engineering) - Aberrations, Oozes
Knowledge (History + Nobility) - Giants, Monstrous Humanoids
Knowledge (Local + Geography) - Humanoids
Knowledge (Nature) - Animals, Plants, Vermin
Knowledge (Religion) - Undead
Knowledge (Rituals) - Ritual subtype
Knowledge (The Planes) - Outsiders, Elementals
Perception (Spot + Listen)
Perform
Profession (Removed)
Search
Spellbond (New skill)
Spellcraft
Spellsong (New skill)
Stealth (Hide + Move Silently)
Survival
Thievery (Escape Artist + Sleight of Hand + Use Rope)
Use Magic Device (Removed)
Warcraft (New skill)

Offline Stratovarius

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Re: Combining Skills
« Reply #10 on: August 03, 2016, 12:59:11 PM »
After yet more fiddling (Note that the Knowledge skills apply to different monsters now):

Combined Skills
Acrobatics (Balance + Tumble)
Acting (Bluff + Disguise)
Animal Affinity (Ride + Handle)
Athletics (Climb, Swim, Jump)
Chirography (Decipher Script + Forgery + Speak Language)
Device Manipulation (Disable Device + Open Lock)
Heal
Intimidate
Investigation (Gather Information + Sense Motive)
Knowledge (Arcana) - Constructs, Dragons, Magical Beasts
Knowledge (Chronomancy) - Temporal subtype
Knowledge (Dungeoneering + Engineering) - Aberrations, Oozes, Search (for secret doors)
Knowledge (History + Nobility) - Giants, Monstrous Humanoids
Knowledge (Local + Geography + Appraise) - Humanoids
Knowledge (Nature + Survival) - Animals, Plants, Vermin, Survival
Knowledge (Religion) - Undead
Knowledge (Rituals) - Ritual subtype
Knowledge (The Planes) - Outsiders, Elementals
Mentalism (Autohypnosis + Concentration)
Perception (Spot + Listen + Search (for traps))
Perform
Spellcraft
Stealth (Hide + Move Silently)
Thievery (Escape Artist + Sleight of Hand + Use Rope)

New Skills
Activate Gateway (New skill)
Animalism (New skill)
Craft (New skill)
Diplomacy - Replaced with GiantITP Diplomacy.
Spellbond (New skill)
Spellsong (New skill)
Warcraft (New skill)

Removed Skills
Profession (Removed)
Knowledge (Psionics) (not applicable)
Psicraft (not applicable)
Use Psionic Device (not applicable)
Use Magic Device (Removed)