Author Topic: The Skill Handbook Discussion Thread (Read 10462 times)

vaz · « **on:** June 29, 2014, 08:25:02 PM »

Any suggestions for this thread would be appreciated.

Goals;

Primary;
-- List of all classes by Skill Points
-- List of all classes by Class Skills

Secondary
-- Add ACF's to list of Classes by Skill Points
-- Add ACF's to list of Classes by Class Skills
-- Add PrC's to list of Classes by Skill Points
-- Add PrC's to list of Classes by Class Skills
-- Updated list of what Skills can do, including later editions.
-- Updated list of Alternative Ways to get Class Skills
-- List of Synergies
-- List of abilities which modify skills (i.e make Climb Dex based etc)
-- List of spells which provide boosts to Skills/Ability Scores
-- Anything else related to skills - please make suggestions

Some are obviously going to be easier than others to do. PrC's will probably be the last thing (although certain ones will be made aware of, e.g Exemplar).

Books done so far;

PHB 1+2, XPH, Completes Adv, Arc, Div, Psi and War

kitep · « **Reply #1 on:** June 30, 2014, 08:15:17 AM »

Do you know about the website dndtools.eu? It has a database of most of D&D and I'm pretty sure it has all the skills down.

To find which classes have 8+int skill points per level
- go to dndtools.eu
- hover the mouse over "character options" which should make a submenu appear, then click on "classes"
- click on "Filter: {+}"
- on the line where it says "skill points/level (range)", that label is followed by a blank box, then "<= value <=", then another blank box. Enter "8" into both boxes
- click on the "Filter button" (the one below the "hit die" line, not "filter: {+}"

It will then give you a list of character classes, whether or not it's a PRC, and the sourcebook.

The screen should look like this

If you click on the class name, it will take you to the class description.

Alas, the class description does give a list of class skills, but it's in a table format which makes cut & paste more difficult than just typing them in by hand.

Though I do think their database is just a sequel file and that there's a way to query it to get the class skills, but I don't know where this is done at.

Good luck!

vaz · « **Reply #2 on:** June 30, 2014, 10:20:30 AM »

Yep =). However its accuracy isn't always perfect, and doesn't always include FAQ, as well as some being missing. I'd rather take it from source material rather than second handing it, as I've had several occasions when making entries for Iron Chef challenges on GitP that I've noticed discrepenacies between somethings on the site and on the forums.

wotmaniac · « **Reply #3 on:** July 01, 2014, 10:31:41 AM »

Factotum (Dungeonscape) gets 6 skill points/level; class skills = all.

You gonna try to tackle PrCs as well?

Captnq · « **Reply #4 on:** July 01, 2014, 02:26:32 PM »

How about talk about the skills themselves, like which one suck?

Maybe a big spreadsheet of all the skills and which classes have them CC and In Class.

Balance: If you must, 5 ranks allow you to retain your Dexterity bonus while balancing and is a good cut-off point.

Climb: Haul out a knotted rope and climb that. Anyone can generally make a DC 5 check while taking 10.

Disguise: Just use magic

Hide/Move Silently: If you are going to buy it, buy all of it.

Perform: Leave entertainment to the bards.

Profession: Your profession is adventurer. You kill things and take their treasure.

Ride: You can stay in the saddle well enough as long as you have a decent Dexterity and a military saddle.

Use Rope: Sucker!

One-Point Wonders:
Appraise, Craft (Alchemy), Decipher Script, Disable Device, Jump, Open Lock, Sleight of Hand, Tumble, Use Magic Device

That sort of thing.

vaz · « **Reply #5 on:** July 06, 2014, 06:53:02 PM »

Eventually. I've seen an option for tables, that seems the easiest cross reference to include as well - anyway to do vertical text to help it all fit in one? A Downloadable spreadsheet may be helpful as well.

Indeed - I'll be making note of usages of the skills, with regards to things like Synergies, or cut off points - like you say Balance 5 ranks, or Profession Executioner not needing more than an 18 to autokill anything helpless that's not the Tarrasque, along with a list of feats and Classes's which require certain ranks (whether it's for qualification, or for use of abilities, re. Bardic Music). From then, I hope to include Prestige Classes.

In addition to one point wonders - My favourite optimizing trick with that is to change shape into a Visilight (MM3) and gain it's Charisma Drain supernatural ability (favourite being Neraph Ardent 3+Practised Manifester+Metamorphic Transfer), adding on Marshal (taking Ardent 4 for access to PsyRef is good as well) for Motivate Charisma. Drain charisma from grappled targets, max it out, put 1 rank in all "trained only" skills, and proceed to add your Cha Mod (skyhigh, because you've been draining 30+ cha from average humans or highly optimized point buy magicblooded unseelie venerable lesser aasimar binders every day for the last 245234242 years on an ageless fast time plane) to all such skills.

I will make aware of certain skills "uselessness", but I do want to account for niche uses, or possible abilities.

Captnq · « **Reply #6 on:** July 06, 2014, 06:57:10 PM »

Actually, You got me thinking about this so I started slapping together a bunch of stuff. I noticed there's no real dedicated handbook to just Skills, Skill tricks, and teamwork benefits. When I finish the rough draft, I'll toss it up in the EVD and you can go over it, adding your comments as you wish.

vaz · « **Reply #7 on:** July 07, 2014, 07:40:45 PM »

Fantastic, two people working on the same project works wonders, can spot things which one person missed etc. Looking forward to the new EVD update.

kitep · « **Reply #8 on:** July 10, 2014, 01:48:23 PM »

Vaz - I sent you a PM.

Basically, it says I went through dndtools and did a data dump on skills. I have a file that you can easily compare to the books to catch anything that's wrong. I just need an email to send it to.

Captnq · « **Reply #9 on:** July 11, 2014, 06:33:03 PM »

Alphabetically, I'm up to Heal.

Unfortunately, that still leaves me 103 pages of raw data to sort. I need a break.

Things I'm skipping over, because they are so vast they need their own handbook:
Alchemy
Trapmaking

vaz · « **Reply #10 on:** July 13, 2014, 06:14:09 PM »

Whoa, you move quick Capt. Um, between football, work and all sorts of other related shenanigans I've had to put a temporary halt to working on it, but when I get life back on the rails, I'll be sure to keep that up. Thanks for the link as well kitep

.

Captnq · « **Reply #11 on:** July 13, 2014, 09:40:29 PM »

Things that need their own handbook (Craft: Alchemy, Siege Engines, Trapmaking)

Up to knowledge, which is giving me a headache. Do you have ANY idea how many oddballs got stuck in out of the way places? Knowledge (law). Craft (Origami). Perform (Tea Ceremony)

Min/maxing basketweaving was fun, however.
I want to make a halfling wizard called the Wicker Avenger.
It's like having access to that sand that can turn into any useful object.
But everything is made of wicker.
And not as useful.
Or as many things.
Or as quiet.

WICKER AVENGER!
Is that Porch Furniture, or the wicker avenger?

YOU'LL NEVER KNOW UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE!!!

zook1shoe · « **Reply #12 on:** August 03, 2014, 08:12:54 PM »

Would you plan on adding all the uses of each skill?
Ex. Hide Another in Epic Level Handbook or options in Complete Adventurer?

Captnq · « **Reply #13 on:** August 04, 2014, 12:06:06 AM »

I would, if I had not dropped my laptop and crashed my hard drive. The last backup was half way through the skill handbook. I lost all my notes on everything after Ride. I'm working on it, but progress is going to be way slow.

I mean, I got the raw unedited info file dump, of course, but it's hardly coherent.

zook1shoe · « **Reply #14 on:** August 04, 2014, 11:54:58 AM »

ouch!

Captnq · « **Reply #15 on:** August 07, 2014, 06:15:19 PM »

Pushed ahead and recovered some old files. Not my best work, but it's good enough.

Skill Handbook v1.01
Includes:
All Skills
All Skill Tricks
All Teamwork Benefits

Now I've got to devote my time to other problems. Feel free to chop it up any way you want to fit your skill handbook.

vaz · « **Reply #16 on:** August 09, 2014, 07:30:52 AM »

:O this is amazing, you are a machine. I know im not the fastest, but i'm possibly going to be a bit slower. Managed to have a car drive into my pelvis at reallyfast mph. It hurt a bit and im kind of bedridden for a bit. Getting a laptop soon which should help thongs speed up

Craiconn · « **Reply #17 on:** August 09, 2014, 01:00:30 PM »

( nevermind )

awaken_D_M_golem · « **Reply #18 on:** August 09, 2014, 03:48:47 PM »

Quote from: vaz on August 09, 2014, 07:30:52 AM

:O this is amazing, you are a machine. I know im not the fastest, but i'm possibly going to be a bit slower. Managed to have a car drive into my pelvis at reallyfast mph. It hurt a bit and im kind of bedridden for a bit. Getting a laptop soon

Ouch ...

... get well soon.

Quote

... which should help thongs speed up

Now wait-a-minute, friends don't let friends go "Thong" on minmax ; except for Orcs, 'cause that's some funny sh!t right there.

Captnq · « **Reply #19 on:** August 11, 2014, 07:31:37 PM »

Heh. Sorry to hear about that.

I got my foot stuck in my mouth and agreed to "fix" a driveway for a mere 1,000 dollars. I know, Thousand bucks, sounds like a lot. Took 3 weeks, the final push was this past week end. I took a total of 18 bags of 80 lbs concrete, 4 bags of 94 lbs portland cement, 6 50 lbs pounds of sand, and I ran out of protective gloves. You know cement is rather caustic stuff. I had no idea it caused chemical burns so easily. I am not getting paid enough. Now I see why the companies they talked to had a low bid of 5,500 dollars.

BTW, my hands feel like they are on fire. I cannot feel with the tips of my fingers, and every joint hurts.

It's sort of why I'm "washing my hands" of handbooks for a while. Typing is rather painful. So, no rush here. I've been sleeping for 32 hours, and I think I'm going to go to bed soon.

News:

Author Topic: The Skill Handbook Discussion Thread (Read 10462 times)