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I would consolidate more of the skills. Here is how my playtesting group did it.
Note: 3.75 has combined various similar skills for ease of game play and elininated skill synergies.
Acrobatics: consolidates Balance, Escape Artist, and Tumble
Athletics: consolidates Climb, Jump, and Swim
Craft: applied ability to appraise,and detect forgeries withregards to your area of expertise. A chosen Craft skill is considered one skill – other applications are considered separate)
Deception: consolidates Bluff, Disguise, Forgery
Disable Device: consolidates Disable Device, and Open Lock
EnduranceL: replaces the feat of same name, as well as Run, and certain functions of Swim
Knowledge (all): applied ability to appraise,and detect forgeries with regards to your area of expertise.
Knowledge (arcana): know (arcana), Spellcraft (arcane), use magic device)
Knowledge (local): know (local)
Knowledge (nature): know (nature)
Knowledge (religion): know (religion), Spellcraft (divine), use magic device)
Language: Read & Speak, Decipher Script
Perception: connsolidates Listen, Search, Spot, and Sense Motive),
Perform: applied ability to appraise,and detect forgeries with regards to your area of expertise. A chosen Perform skill is considered one skill – other applications are considered separate)
Persuasion: consolidates Diplomacy, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Intimidate. Further play testing might move Gasther Information to Knowledge (Local)
Profession: applied ability to appraise,and detect forgeries with regards to your area of expertise. A chosen Profession is considered one skill – other applications are considered separate
Sneak: consolidates Hide, Move Silently, and Sleight of Hand
Any skills not consolidated or listed remained unchanged. The following are new skills, which I can mostly thank Star Wars Saga for creating. They tested really well.
Endurance (CON)
Armor Check Penalty
You can push yourself beyond your normal physical limits.
Force March: Each hour of walking after 8 hours requires you to attempt a DC 10 Endurance check (+2 per hour after the first). If you fail, you move –1 persistent step along the condition track (see Conditions). You can only remove this persistent condition with 8 hours of rest.
Hold Breath: You can hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution score. After this period of time, you must succeed a DC 10 Endurance check to continue holding your breath. The DC increases by +2 per additional round. If you fail, you must breathe or you move –1 step on the condition track. If you reach the bottom of the condition track, you fall unconscious. If you are still unable to breathe on your next turn after falling unconscious, you die.
Ignore Hunger: You can go without food for a number of days equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum 1 day). After this time, you must succeed on a DC 10 Endurance check each day or move –1 persistent step along the condition track. You can only remove this persistent condition by eating a nutritious meal. The DC increases by +2 each day after.
Ignore Thirst: You can go without water for a number of hours equal to three times your Constitution modifier. After this time, you must succeed on a DC 10 Endurance check each day or move –1 persistent step along the condition track. You can only remove this persistent condition by drinking at least a gallon of water; for creatures that are not Medium size, multiply the water required by 10 for every size category above Medium or divide it by 10 for every size category below Medium. The DC increases by +2 each day after.
Run: You can run as a full-round action. When you run, you can move up to four times your normal speed in a straight line (or three times your speed if you are wearing heavy armor or carrying a heavy load).
Sleep in Armor: You can sleep while wearing armor by succeeding at an Endurance check (DC 10 for light armor, DC 15 for medium armor, and DC 20 for heavy armor). If you fail, you don’t sleep and move –1 persistent step along the condition track. You can only remove this persistent condition by sleeping 8 hours.
Swim/Tread Water: Each hour that you swim, you must succeed on a DC 15 Endurance check or move –1 persistent step along the condition track. You can only remove this persistent condition by resting for the same length of time spent swimming. Each consecutive hour of swimming increases to DC by +2. If you are only treading water, reduce the DC by 5.
Initiative (DEX)
Armor Check Penalty
Use this skill to gain advantage in combat.
Start Battle: An Initiative check sets the order of combat when a fight starts. Each character that is aware of the fight (not surprised) makes an Initiative check and goes in order from the highest to the lowest.
Avoid Feint: When an opponent attempts to feint in combat, you oppose his Deception check with an Initiative check. If you meet or beat his result, his feint fails.
Language (INT)
Common Languages: You start play knowing Common and your native language plus an additional number of known languages equal to your starting Intelligence bonus. For every 5 ranks in this skill, a character can add an additional known language. A character is not required to make skill checks with a known language. A character is considered literate in any known language (with the exception of the Barbarian class; they must spend an additional 2 ranks in this skill to be considered literate).
Decipher Language (Trained Only): You can attempt to communicate with a target whose language is not known by you. The difficulty varies depending on the complexity of the idea or concept you are trying to communicate. The base DC is 15 for simple messages, while a more complex idea may be DC 30. If the check succeeds, you are able to briefly communicate with the target.
Decipher Script (Trained Only): You can decipher writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written in an incomplete or archaic form. The base DC is 20 for the simplest messages, 25 for standard texts, and 30 or higher for intricate, exotic, or very old writing.
If the check succeeds, you understand the general content of a piece of writing about one page long (or the equivalent). If the check fails, make a DC 5 Wisdom check to see if you avoid drawing a false conclusion about the text. (Success means that you do not draw a false conclusion; failure means that you do.) Both the Decipher Script check and (if necessary) the Wisdom check are made secretly, so that you can’t tell whether the conclusion you draw is true or false. Deciphering the equivalent of a single page of script takes 1 minute (ten consecutive full-round actions).
And finally, we used a different system for certain skill applications.
Instead of certain skills being trained or untrained only, we decided that a character with 5 ranks or more is considered skilled; a character with less (such as by a cross-class skill cap) is untrained. An untrained character cannot use the applications that require a character to be trained. The following is an example.
Ride (DEX)
You can ride a mount, be it a horst, riding dog, griffon, dragon, or some other creature suitable for riding
Ride Mount: Typical riding actions don’t require checks. You can saddle, mount, ride, and dismount from a mount without a problem. Mounting or dismounting normally is a move action. Other checks are considered a move action, or a free action. If you attempt to ride a creature that is ill suited as a mount, you take a –5 penalty on your Ride checks. Typical riding actions don’t require checks.
Guide with Knees (Trained only – DC 5): You can react instantly to guide your mount with your knees so that you can use both hands in combat. Make your Ride check at the start of your turn. If you fail, you can use only one hand this round because you need to use the other to control your mount.
Stay in Saddle (DC 5): You can react instantly to try to avoid falling when your mount rears or bolts unexpectedly or when you take damage. This usage does not take an action.
Fight with Warhorse (Trained only – DC 10): If you direct your war-trained mount to attack in battle, you can still make your own attack or attacks normally. This usage is a free action.
Cover (Trained only – DC 15): You can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside your mount, using it as cover. You can’t attack or cast spells while using your mount as cover. If you fail your Ride check, you don’t get the cover benefit. This usage does not take an action.
Soft Fall (Trained only – DC 15): You can react instantly to try to take no damage when you fall off a mount—when it is killed or when it falls, for example. If you fail your Ride check, you take 1d6 points of falling damage. This usage does not take an action.
Leap (DC 15): You can get your mount to leap obstacles as part of its movement. Use your Ride modifier or the mount’s Jump modifier, whichever is lower, to see how far the creature can jump. If you fail your Ride check, you fall off the mount when it leaps and take the appropriate falling damage (at least 1d6 points). This usage does not take an action, but is part of the mount’s movement.
Spur Mount(DC 15): You can spur your mount to greater speed with a move action. A successful Ride check increases the mount’s speed by 10 feet for 1 round but deals 1 point of damage to the creature. You can use this ability every round, but each consecutive round of additional speed deals twice as much damage to the mount as the previous round (2 points, 4 points, 8 points, and so on).
Control Mount in Battle (Trained only – DC 20): As a move action, you can attempt to control a light horse, pony, heavy horse, or other mount not trained for combat riding while in battle. If you fail the Ride check, you can do nothing else in that round. You do not need to roll for warhorses or warponies.
Fast Mount or Dismount (Trained only – DC 20 + armor check penalty): You can attempt to mount or dismount from a mount of up to one size category larger than yourself as a free action, provided that you still have a move action available that round. If you fail the Ride check, mounting or dismounting is a move action. You can’t use fast mount or dismount on a mount more than one size category larger than yourself.
Any thoughts?