Skills & Abilities

What skills are absolutely essential?
How many skills are too many?
What's the perfect list of proficiencies?
Which skills are included in the game you're currently running?
What system did the best job with skills, attributes and abilities?

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  1. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >What skills are absolutely essential?
    Depends on the game, the type of adventures you are supposed to have and what tasks the characters supposedly are about to do.
    >How many skills are too many?
    If you are on triple digests you might want to start cutting them down.
    >What's the perfect list of proficiencies?
    Depends on the game. Some games are more focused on certain types of adventures (for instance, dungeon crawling) while others are a lot broader in their approach, with skills for crafting, art, to various kinds of knowledge or even just doing your job and earning money.
    >What system did the best job with skills, attributes and abilities?
    I like WFRP's approach. A good mix between fluffy and varying degrees of usefulness.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >What skills are absolutely essential?
      >How many skills are too many?
      >What's the perfect list of proficiencies?
      This always depends on the setting and the system. Sorry for giving you a vague response, but it's the only correct answer to a vague question. Based on that list, it looks something like GURPS, maybe Dungeon Fantasy?

      >What system did the best job with skills, attributes and abilities?
      Best for what purpose?

      >What skills are absolutely essential?
      None.
      >How many skills are too many?
      Depends on the game. One skill can be too many in some cases. But even in a game where skills are neccesary anything that can be roleplayed should not have a skill to cheapen or replace that roleplaying.

      You may need a skill to pilot a spaceship or operate a forklift truck, you should not have a skill for searching a room or TALKING.

      If not stated otherwise always assume a fantasy setting with osr rules

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Except that:
        1, OP is asking a design question to which “it depends” is a serious answer
        2. OP posted a skill list from what appears to be one of the WotC editions of D&D
        3.OSR games usually don’t have skill lists.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          >2. OP posted a skill list from what appears to be one of the WotC editions of D&D

          You're not only wrong, but a homosexual. Weird how those usually go hand in hand. Hell, you're wrong on all three of your points.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            Where is it from then?

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              It’s at least heavily inspired by 3rd edition, since “Rope Use” is a skill.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            Whoops. I thought I saw “Arcana” on there.

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >What skills are absolutely essential?
    >How many skills are too many?
    >What's the perfect list of proficiencies?
    This always depends on the setting and the system. Sorry for giving you a vague response, but it's the only correct answer to a vague question. Based on that list, it looks something like GURPS, maybe Dungeon Fantasy?

    >What system did the best job with skills, attributes and abilities?
    Best for what purpose?

  3. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    A skill is essential if both of the following are true:
    1. It is reasonably likely to come up in the setting and genre
    2. Characters can be competent/fit for purpose while still being bad at it.

  4. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I like the Trudvang Chronicles take on them.

  5. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    But it's not like you care about answer, you just want to shit up /tg/, solely for le ebin funny maymay of raiding a board with a bot spam.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      I mean, this is a pretty good topic for RPG design-related discussion. Sure, setting and genre matter, but there’s still multiple valid design philosophies.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Total schitzoposting. Take your meds.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        I'm afraid this guy hasn't taken his meds for a long time pal. He's been shitting up every non-general thread on /tg/ for quite a while now.

  6. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    This is an important question.

    My answer is granular skills are terrible for roleplaying cause they move the game into mechanics where narration would be both more challenging and more interesting.

    I think it if not overly audacious to claim granular skills are the worst single step in the evolution of TTRPGs.
    That said; my own system has 5.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      I have 20 broad attribute/skill hybrids. For example if you want to have more HP and do physical things for long time, you put points into Condition. You pick Dexterity if you want to hit things with swords or perform acrobatic things. Same skill is used picking locks and repairing cars etc.

      Basically I agree with

  7. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >What skills are absolutely essential?
    None.
    >How many skills are too many?
    Depends on the game. One skill can be too many in some cases. But even in a game where skills are neccesary anything that can be roleplayed should not have a skill to cheapen or replace that roleplaying.

    You may need a skill to pilot a spaceship or operate a forklift truck, you should not have a skill for searching a room or TALKING.

  8. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Skills should represent umbrellas when possible (Science, Economics/Finance, Technology) and allow for specialization within similar to how real life degrees work. I don't need a ''Biology'' skill in my game, but if you're a Biologist it makes sense that you would be generally skilled in Science but have a bonus towards Biology. Skill systems like this are one of the good things about World of Darkness properties, though they often go full moron on Attributes to balance out the quality.

  9. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I like Backgrounds. My background is Cop, I’m good at doing cop things. But I’ll never say “I roll Cop to stop the thief”, I actually need to describe my characters actions and the Background Cop can be used to judge how much training I have regarding these actions.

  10. 1 year ago
    Best skill system

    No skills. Every player gets 4 d12. If you want to do something you throw them. There is a target number of at least sixes on the every die. If you get it you succeed at task, if you don't you get transported to another dimension and you can roll again.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >Everyone is equally good at everthing
      I’d prefer not to

      • 1 year ago
        Best skill system

        Well I won't have classes, but if you're Rogue you can get additional d6 if you're picking a lock or something

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          Way too handwavy for me tbh. I don‘t think i‘d enjoy playing a game like that.

          • 1 year ago
            Best skill system

            But it's fast and you get to throw a lot of dice, so you feel powerful

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Stop

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Well I won't have classes, but if you're Rogue you can get additional d6 if you're picking a lock or something

      But it's fast and you get to throw a lot of dice, so you feel powerful

      Stopping parents from shaking babies was a bad idea.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Nah, shaking babies is how you get the brain damage to create a “system” like that.
        …assuming it isn’t either parody or specifically for a game about slipping between alternate universes, of course.

  11. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Abbreviated ranking of skill systems

    >Attributes and backgrounds (WoDu)
    >Just attributes, no skills (OD&D)
    >freeform descriptors (FATE)
    >Moves (PbtA)
    >...
    >attributes and brief skill lists (5e)
    >attributes and very long exhaustive skill lists, from Horseback Riding to Microwave Usage (I don't know, GURPS has this right? Also FATAL)

    I'm sure I forgot plenty.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      To be clear, OD&D does have "skills"; but it doesn't have a skill SYSTEM.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        What‘s the difference? Asking for a friend

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