Skill rank as an earned reward?

[Marvin Ghey]

Recently my players hired on as crewmembers with a ship making a week-plus voyage. None of the PC's have sailing as a skill, and they're basically trading their services in exchange for passage and being taught the ropes of sailing. I was thinking about, based on their immediate, practical experience, awarding them each a skill rank in the sailing profession in return for their voyage. As a freebie. It's nothing on which I think they'll ever expand, so I figure it can't hurt anything--but I'm not the swooftest, so I thought I'd seek advice. Sound kosher?

[Jericho Graves]

I do this all the time. Sometimes I give skill ranks for free if someone rolls natural 20s twice or three times in a row, to signify a sudden burst of insight and epiphany.

E.G.

PC decides to spend a year between adventures working for his blacksmith brother, he can take armor, weapon, or blacksmithing and add a rank.

PC rolls three Knowledge Planes checks during an adventure and actually gets a natural 20 on the dice, he earns a skill rank in Knowledge Planes for a deeper understanding he never had before.

[Quorlox]

I have done it as well.

[dragonhunterq]

skill specialisation is another option. It's in the Pathfinder Society field guide, but the link grants the essence of it.

[hiiamtom]

I usually give a skill feat instead. It's not like anyone takes them under normal circumstances and the benefit upgrades with investment anyways.

Skill ranks still kinda need to be capped at character level so it's hard to give ranks out always.

I might also give a new class skill as a reward too.

[Cyrad]

Don't give them free skill ranks. Many game mechanics work based on how many skill ranks you have. Instead, give them a free trait that gives them a trait bonus to Profession (sailing). Traits were originally designed for a GM to hand out in situations like this.

[Marvin Ghey]

Ah, a trait's not a bad idea.

Many thanks, everyone.

[Ciaran Barnes]

Give them a +2 circumstance bonus to Profession (sailor) that goes away when they become trained in the skill.

[Raltus]

I like the Trait idea, there is also the accomplishment feats, you could try making up some of your own.

[LazarX]

Marvin Ghey wrote:

Recently my players hired on as crewmembers with a ship making a week-plus voyage. None of the PC's have sailing as a skill, and they're basically trading their services in exchange for passage and being taught the ropes of sailing. I was thinking about, based on their immediate, practical experience, awarding them each a skill rank in the sailing profession in return for their voyage. As a freebie. It's nothing on which I think they'll ever expand, so I figure it can't hurt anything--but I'm not the swooftest, so I thought I'd seek advice. Sound kosher?

I don't see anything wrong with it, as long as you made the characters WORK for that freebie.

[Ruggs]

I've let players earn ranks in what are usually considered "flavor" skills: craft, profession, and even perform.

However, with one addition: craft and profession may be used as knowledge and social skills within their specific niche. The idea there is a wheelwright's skill at his or own profession can represent their ability to interact also with their direct peers, as well as knowledge of the craft.

This has worked fairly well, and doesn't touch the "big skills" (perception, acrobatics, stealth, spellcraft).

It has the side benefit of enabling classic tropes like the dwarven weaponsmith who is respected and knowledgeable among his own trade, but not really anywhere/anyone else.

[Weirdo]

Cyrad wrote:

Don't give them free skill ranks. Many game mechanics work based on how many skill ranks you have. Instead, give them a free trait that gives them a trait bonus to Profession (sailing). Traits were originally designed for a GM to hand out in situations like this.

What mechanics are you worried about being abused with one rank in a less-used skill? My group has used skill ranks as rewards for quite some time with no problems.

Trait's not a bad idea in general, but in this case there's a problem - you can't use Profession untrained, so the bonus from the trait is meaningless unless the PCs spend at least one rank on Profession (sailor). If one or more of your PCs is very short on skill points (typically a fighter, cleric, sorcerer, or paladin) they may not bother.