Skills: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 16:17, 22 June 2023

In most role-playing games, skills are abilities that represent the training or knowledge your character has gained throughout his or her life and career. In most systems, there is an explicit list of skills a character can take, representing actions that the designers thought were important or common in to play.

In a stat-based system, skills often provide a bonus to the attribute that "governs" the skill. In these systems, the skill acts as bonus to the base given by the governing stat. For example, having points in the Climb skill will improve your chances of succeeding at a Strength check to climb a surface.

Don't worry, I don't need aircraft proficiency.

When a game system calls a skill a "proficiency," it means the skill's purpose isn't to give a bonus to attempting an action, but cancels out a penalty that anyone else would have when making an attempt.

Certain games use a "cascade" system, where skills can be used as poor-quality replacements for other skills, or some skills are prerequisites for others. The "Pilot" skill in a sci-fi setting can cascade to "shuttlecraft," "fighters," "frigates," capital ships," etc.

Skills and D&D[edit | edit source]

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Dungeons & Dragons has made use of skills throughout its lifespan. Originally, they were a semi-optional system called "Nonweapon Proficiencies", before becoming a mandatory, mainstream part of the game in 3rd edition. 4th and 5th editions have the smallest list of skills of any edition, which particularly in 4th edition's case has led to them being denounced as not properly supporting roleplay or being too combat-focused.

BECMI Non-Weapon Proficiencies[edit | edit source]

AD&D Non-Weapon Proficiencies[edit | edit source]

3e Skills[edit | edit source]

Appraise
Balance
Bluff
Climb
Concentration
Craft
Decipher Script
Diplomacy
Disable Device
Disguise
Escape Artist
Forgery
Gather Information
Handle Animal
Heal
Hide
Intimidate
Jump
Knowledge
Listen
Move Silently
Open Lock
Perform
Profession
Ride
Search
Sense Motive
Sleight of Hand
Spellcraft
Spot
Survival
Swim
Tumble
Use Magic Device
Use Rope

4e Skills[edit | edit source]

Acrobatics
Arcana
Athletics
Bluff
Diplomacy
Dungeoneering
Endurance
Heal
History
Insight
Intimidate
Nature
Perception
Religion
Stealth
Streetwise
Thievery

5e Skills[edit | edit source]

Acrobatics (Dex)
Animal Handling (Wis)
Arcana (Int)
Athletics (Str)
Deception (Cha)
History (Int)
Insight (Wis)
Intimidation (Cha)
Investigation (Int)
Medicine (Wis)
Nature (Int)
Perception (Wis)
Performance (Cha)
Persuasion (Cha)
Religion (Int)
Sleight of Hand (Dex)
Stealth (Dex)
Survival (Wis)

Skills and Pathfinder[edit | edit source]

Of course, being based off of 3.X, Pathfinder and Starfinder would also make use of the skills system in a similar way. However, the second edition would radically change how skills are trained and the bonuses gotten for training them.

PF1e Skills[edit | edit source]

Appraise
Acrobatics
Bluff
Climb
Craft
Diplomacy
Disable Device
Disguise
Escape Artist
Fly
Handle Animal
Heal
Intimidate
Knowledge
Lore
Perception
Performance
Profession
Ride
Sense Motive
Sleight of Hand
Spellcraft
Stealth
Survival
Swim
Use Magic Device

SF Skills[edit | edit source]

Acrobatics
Athletics
Bluff
Computers
Culture
Craft
Diplomacy
Disguise
Engineering
Intimidate
Life Science
Medicine
Mysticism
Perception
Physical Science
Piloting
Profession
Sense Motive
Sleight of Hand
Stealth
Survival

PF2e Skills[edit | edit source]

Acrobatics
Arcana
Athletics
Craft
Deception
Diplomacy
Disable Device
Disguise
Intimidate
Lore
Nature
Occult
Perception^{Not exactly a skill that can be trained, but classes do give varying levels of proficiency for it}
Performance
Religion
Society
Stealth
Survival
Thievery

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Skills]] are features of a character description that not every character has (attributes), and cannot be taken away from your character (inventory)(at least not without severe trauma).
+In most [[role-playing games]], '''skills''' are abilities that represent the training or [[Bear Lore|knowledge]] your character has gained throughout his or her life and career. In most systems, there is an explicit list of skills a character can take, representing actions that the designers thought were important or common in to play.
-Skills are most often used to represent of training or [[Bear Lore|knowledge]] your character has gained through his or her life. In most systems, there is an explicit list of skills a character can have, representing actions that the designers thought were important or common in to play.
+In a stat-based system, skills often provide a bonus to the [[stats|attribute]] that "governs" the skill. In these systems, the skill acts as bonus to the base given by the governing stat. For example, having points in the Climb skill will improve your chances of succeeding at a Strength check to climb a surface.
-In a stat based system, skills often provide a bonus to the [[stats|attribute]] that "governs" the skill.  In these systems, the skill acts as bonus to the dice roll in addition to the base given by the governing stat.  i.e. a character's Strength is consulted when climbing difficult surfaces in [[Dungeons & Dragons|DnD]], and having points in the Climb skill will improve your chances of not becoming pork stew at the bottom.
 [[Image:planecrash.jpg|thumb|right|Don't worry, I don't need aircraft proficiency.]]
-When a game system calls a skill a 'proficiency,' it means the skill's purpose isn't to give a bonus to attempting an action, but cancels out a penalty that anyone else would have when making an attempt.  i.e. Using an unfamiliar weapon, trying to move freely wearing unfamiliar armour, reading a tome of ancient scripture.
+When a game system calls a skill a "proficiency," it means the skill's purpose isn't to give a bonus to attempting an action, but cancels out a penalty that anyone else would have when making an attempt.
 <br clear=all>
 [[Image:GURPS_spellcharts.makingbreakingspells.png|thumb|right|Getting the spell skill for Shrink Object is dead easy.]]
-Certain games use a "cascade" system, where skills can be used as poor-quality replacements for other skills, or some skills are prerequisites for others.  i.e.: "Pilot" skill in a sci-fi setting can cascade to "shuttlecraft", "fighters", "frigates", capital ships", etc.  [[GURPS]] is the most (in)famous of these systems, where it's normal to consult flowcharts.
+Certain games use a "cascade" system, where skills can be used as poor-quality replacements for other skills, or some skills are prerequisites for others. The "Pilot" skill in a sci-fi setting can cascade to "shuttlecraft," "fighters," "frigates," capital ships," etc.
 <br clear=all>
+==Skills and D&D==
+{{dnd-stub}}
+[[Dungeons & Dragons]] has made use of skills throughout its lifespan. Originally, they were a semi-optional system called "Nonweapon Proficiencies", before becoming a mandatory, mainstream part of the game in 3rd edition. 4th and 5th editions have the smallest list of skills of any edition, which particularly in 4th edition's case has led to them being denounced as not properly supporting roleplay or being too combat-focused.
+===BECMI Non-Weapon Proficiencies===
+===AD&D Non-Weapon Proficiencies===
+===3e Skills===
+* Appraise
+* Balance
+* Bluff
+* Climb
+* Concentration
+* Craft
+* Decipher Script
+* Diplomacy
+* Disable Device
+* Disguise
+* Escape Artist
+* Forgery
+* Gather Information
+* Handle Animal
+* Heal
+* Hide
+* Intimidate
+* Jump
+* Knowledge
+* Listen
+* Move Silently
+* Open Lock
+* Perform
+* Profession
+* Ride
+* Search
+* Sense Motive
+* Sleight of Hand
+* Spellcraft
+* Spot
+* Survival
+* Swim
+* Tumble
+* Use Magic Device
+* Use Rope
+===4e Skills===
+* Acrobatics
+* Arcana
+* Athletics
+* Bluff
+* Diplomacy
+* Dungeoneering
+* Endurance
+* Heal
+* History
+* Insight
+* Intimidate
+* Nature
+* Perception
+* Religion
+* Stealth
+* Streetwise
+* Thievery
+===5e Skills===
+* Acrobatics (Dex)
+* Animal Handling (Wis)
+* Arcana (Int)
+* Athletics (Str)
+* Deception (Cha)
+* History (Int)
+* Insight (Wis)
+* Intimidation (Cha)
+* Investigation (Int)
+* Medicine (Wis)
+* Nature (Int)
+* Perception (Wis)
+* Performance (Cha)
+* Persuasion (Cha)
+* Religion (Int)
+* Sleight of Hand (Dex)
+* Stealth (Dex)
+* Survival (Wis)
+==Skills and Pathfinder==
+Of course, being based off of 3.X, [[Pathfinder Roleplaying Game|Pathfinder]] and [[Starfinder]] would also make use of the skills system in a similar way. However, the second edition would radically change how skills are trained and the bonuses gotten for training them.
+===PF1e Skills===
+* Appraise
+* Acrobatics
+* Bluff
+* Climb
+* Craft
+* Diplomacy
+* Disable Device
+* Disguise
+* Escape Artist
+* Fly
+* Handle Animal
+* Heal
+* Intimidate
+* Knowledge
+* Lore
+* Perception
+* Performance
+* Profession
+* Ride
+* Sense Motive
+* Sleight of Hand
+* Spellcraft
+* Stealth
+* Survival
+* Swim
+* Use Magic Device
+===SF Skills===
+* Acrobatics
+* Athletics
+* Bluff
+* Computers
+* Culture
+* Craft
+* Diplomacy
+* Disguise
+* Engineering
+* Intimidate
+* Life Science
+* Medicine
+* Mysticism
+* Perception
+* Physical Science
+* Piloting
+* Profession
+* Sense Motive
+* Sleight of Hand
+* Stealth
+* Survival
+===PF2e Skills===
+* Acrobatics
+* Arcana
+* Athletics
+* Craft
+* Deception
+* Diplomacy
+* Disable Device
+* Disguise
+* Intimidate
+* Lore
+* Nature
+* Occult
+* Perception<sup>Not exactly a skill that can be trained, but classes do give varying levels of proficiency for it</sup>
+* Performance
+* Religion
+* Society
+* Stealth
+* Survival
+* Thievery
 [[Category:Game Mechanics]]
+[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Mechanics]]