But that's not what has me really excited. Y'see, I started reading through some articles that were posted recently by Sarah Darkmagic and Mike Mearls .They discuss some of the issues with the Skill System that's in place and it really reminded me of why I enjoy Story Based games.
So, in short, I've decided to try this system out with my new group!
The New Check on the Block
I plan on borrowing heavily from Mike's article in order to see if this is a good fit for my party. I really like the storytelling aspect this build brings on. Of course, this will require a bit of DM Fiat as well as some leeway on the part of the players, but that's what playtesting is for, eh?
Below you will find my rough list of how the skill ranks work and how the rules interact with them.
- Untrained -- This does not appear on your class skill list
- Novice -- This appears on your class skill list but did not select it
- Journeyman -- You are trained in this skill
- Expert -- You are trained in this skill and you have taken the applicable Skill Focus feat
- Master -- An expert in the Paragon Tier
- Grandmaster -- An Expert in the Epic Tier
- Impossible -- A feat deemeed unable to be done by the fiction
You succeed at all skills made below your rank.
To succeed at a Skill Check one rank above your rank, the DC is 20.
You fail at all skills made two ranks above your level.
To make a Skill Check, roll a d20 and add your ability modifier and any racial, class, feat or item bonuses/penalties.
To succeed at a Skill Check on your rank, the DC is 15. To succeed at a Skill Check one rank above your rank, the DC is 20.
You fail at all skills made two ranks above your level.
The DM should determine a skills difficulty, but allow the player to assist with the fiction. In Mike Mearl's example of a Tightrope Walker (TW) walking on a tightrope, we find an Expert performing a Journeyman task. Simple, right?
However, the TW's rival has greased the rope, bumping the difficulty up to Expert. Oh, and now there's an Earthquake. Now we're looking at a Master level of Difficulty or a DC 20. The DM should allow either the player or his allies to assist with certain situations before the check is made. Let's say the TW is able to reach down and grasp the rope with his hands and can now use his Monkey Grip Gloves, bumping the check down a level back to Expert. Or the party's monk tosses his staff up to the TW which he could now use as a balancing pole, bumping the check down.
This gives the players ways to assist their characters and their allies in ways that are true to the fiction, not the mechanics.
Armor Check Penalties and Opposed Skill Checks
What this system doesn't address is Armor Check Penalties. I would assume that any armor with a -2 Check Penalty or higher would cause you to work at one Rank below normal when wearing the armor. Any penalties would still be used for when you actually roll for a Skill Check.
As for Opposed Skill Checks, I like them as written. Mike Mearls' second article very cleanly explains how it would be done and I think I'm going to use it verbatim for my game. Yay, immersion!
I have Playtesting at Journeyman, so...
Let me know what you guys think about these rules, and any suggestions you may have. I plan on letting all of you know just how it goes!
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