In the process of making my own D&D 3.75, I revisited the 3rd edition skill system.
Under this system, skills are grouped in categories. These categories automatically progress like saving throws (each according to its good or poor progression) while individual skills are treated as specialties in which the player can purchase ranks. More details on Skills can be found here.
One of these categories regroups fine motor/manual skills and include the following skills:
- Open Lock
- Sleight of Hands
- Use Ropes
Finesse Skills category
I insist on having (a minimum) of three skills per category, but I don't have much use for Use Ropes.
I know a fair deal about ropes and knots; enough to understand how essential this skill would be for an adventurer in a fantasy world. But mechanically speaking, the system has very few uses for Use Ropes, most of it is flavour or folded into other skills (like climbing or profession-sailor). Pathfinder dropped the skill altogether and I don't think many people are missing it...
I thought of splitting Sleight of Hands in two skills; one pick-pocket-oriented and the other more entertainer-oriented, but I'm afraid I'd create yet another useless skill in doing so.
Is there another skill that could replace Use Ropes with more pertinent uses within the system?
'findel
I know a fair deal about ropes and knots, enough to understand how essential this skill would be for an adventurer in a fantasy world, but mechanically speaking, the system has very few uses for Use Ropes. Pathfinder dropped the skill and I don't think many people are missing it...
I don't miss the stand-alone skill, but I don't like the way that PFRPG handles it either (as a subset of grappling).
Maybe you could roll it in with Survival, which is already a catchall of various miscellaneous adventurer skills.
knowledge: knots :)
profession: sailor ?
I don't miss the skill (actually haven't noticed it missing)
climb could replace use ropes. just like sailors, someone who climbs should know a lot about ropes.
Yeah, I could go with Climb. Sailors are always climbing in the rigging, aren't they?
At the moment, folding rope use into something else isn't the issue: what I need is another (ideally useful) skill to replace it as a Finesse Skill.
I also though of making Craft an finesse skill, but then it would mean that good thieves are good craftsmen and good craftsmen are good thieves... It would also narrows the Craft skill to the *making* part and forget about the wisdom or intelligence part of running a business (I'm not sure if that would be worst than denying the manual dexterity part of the Craft if based on Int or Wis).