Someone did this not long ago with feats, starting a thread for new Feats, and in doing so a lot of GREAT ideas were gathered. So, this is my attempt at furthering skills' in-game use.
Please post here any other in-game use you give skills on your gaming table. Just as the Feats thread did, this thread is for gathering ideas, not to criticize posters on how broken their Special suggestions might sound.
Acrobatics
Special: You gain a +1 enhancement bonus on Reflex saving throws for every 5 ranks in the Acrobatics skill.
Am I the only one who sees a bit strange that a Fighter that has enough acrobatic training to be a Power Ranger (10 ranks) still barely amounts to a pathetic +3 on Reflex saves?
Craft
Special: If you are proficient with the Craft skill, your Sunder attacks can bypass a number of hardness points from the target object equal to half your ranks in Craft, provided the target's material is directly related to your craft (weapons for blacksmithing, rock for sculpting, and so on).
Seriously, how many crafters have you seen on your gaming tables?
Perform
Special: If you are proficient with the Perform skill, you gain a cumulative +1 bonus to Diplomacy checks for each day of consecutive, succesful performances as long as the Performance check was Enjoyable or higher. Failures to attain this minimum reduce the performer's cumulative bonus by 2 each to a minimum of zero.
Special: A Great or better Performance check improves the attitudes of everyone in the audience to Friendly towards the performer for the rest of the day. Exceptions at the GM's discretion.
Not all celebrities are Bards
Profession
Special: If you are proficient in the Profession(Merchant) skill, you can attempt to sell crafted items at their full market value. The DC depending on the item:
Item.....................DC
Everyday-use.............10
Adventuring gear.........15
Magic Items..............20
Note that magic items are hot commodities that can usually only be sold in large cities with a fluent economy. In addition, some loot can be considered as "stolen goods" in some cities (that holy avenger you found in the dragon's hoard came from someplace you know), and impose a -5 to the check for selling it at full price. You can haggle with a customer in order to push a sale, this gives you a +5 on the Profession check, but in doing so you aggree to drop the item's price 1d4x10%.
To hell with "to keep things balanced"! Why can't my crafter make a honest living between adventures? When rules enforce context or logic that's great, but when they deny common-sense...
Swim
Special: You gain a +1 enhancement bonus to Fortitude saves for every 5 ranks you have in the Swim skill.
Swimming is one of the most complete forms of excercise. Feel free to ask anyone who practices swimming for sport in a serious way.
Insert Flames after the dotted line
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this came to mind a few days ago
what is perform about? perform is about looking great and make a good show, even if is oratory and comedy, you keep your people entertained, motivated, exited, in suspension, laughting their pants of, etc... the point is you move hearts...
ok the bard already does this... with "magic" lets not forget her powers work as magical abilities... but where is left the performer who has no bard skills? just get a few coins and that is all, that is all the skill worth at all, instead of hert, the performer moves coins, meaning perform is just an excuse for having street performers, and maybe artist, but where is left the orator or the tragic artist... forgotten of course
what happens when you hear someone sing or express such confidence in her ideas that you have no other option than to agree, and not because its magic... but becuase her words or her song or her music or her dance moved you.
we can keep the half a dozens performs if you want... but i would like to see the above estatement reflected in mechanics... when you see someone perform something happens:
a) its so horrible you would not want to hear it ever again, an abyssmal fail should make the chartacter a paria, or at least the fun of the town for a few weeks... ("damn Godefroy is comming... talk of somethiung, anything, but not about dwarfs, he loves to tell jokes about dwarves but sucks at it..." -2 in diplomacy rolls for a while
b) mediocre, no effect at all, people don't aclaim, they don't applaud and the critics are little, no one cared at all, no mechanics affected
c) good!... people liked what they saw, you convinced a few of them or made the crowd cheer and applaud a bit... +2 in diplomacy rolls for the night
d) excelent!! people loved it, cheared for it, you convinced many of them of what you said... people will remember you for a while... +2 to diplomacy for a week or +4 for the night
e) superb (high DC or natural 20)! people where actually standing to see who applauded the hardest, you were loved, the crowd was moved, you won hearts and maybe a few other things, this night would be long in the memroy of the poeple +4 to diplomacy for the night and +2 for a month (or +4 for a week)
why this? easy, people remmeber you, they will talk about you, and seek you, and many will try to earn your favor
of course this makes hiding and disguising a bit more difficult, but i suppose it would depend on circumstances... -2 to both rolls for the time your diplomacy is affected.
*****
in the same tone professions and crafts should give something else
for example profession(bureacrat) with a good roll coudl give +2 to diplomacy or intimidation dealing with the goverment and or the poeple
craft: smithing should mix weaponsmith and armorsmithing, and maybe some of blacksmith, you can do this, but can also give maintainance to equipment in a high roll or a natural 20 your equipment earn a TEMPORAL bonus earning a +1 to attacks, or -1 to armor penalties, and +2 to saving throw vs Sundering
etc, this are just 2 quick examples that come to mind.