Different option to make skill specialization matter


Skills, Feats, Equipment & Spells

Grand Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I have been reading several threads about skills and how the trained, expert, master, and legendary bonuses are not enough. I tend to agree but going with a -3, 0 +2, +4, +6 bonus across the whole game would not work well so this is an option I think might work.

First off, signature skills don't really have much of an impact. A wizard with a legendary arcana skill would only have a +2 over a rogue that picked it up to expert with all other things being equal. If a rogue wants to put that much into Int and the skill that's fine but I still think a wizard that is studying arcana all the time should be better at it than a rogue that is studying it part-time. I think one of the things the different classes should excel at is their signature skills.

So how about using the -3, 0, +2, +4, +6 bonus for only signature skills and then adding a signiture skill into the backgrounds. That way if you want and acrobatic wizard that can be legendary in acrobatics they can have an acrobat background. Maybe your party doesn't have a rogue so your bard takes criminal and they now have thievery as a signature skill. Right now the only class that can disable a trap or open a locked door is a rogue. I know that is what the class is for but having another option would be good.

Background - Signature Skill.
Acolyte - Religion
Acrobat - Acrobatics
Animal Whisperer - Nature
Barkeep - Society
Blacksmith - Crafting
Criminal - Thievery
Entertainer - Performance
Farmhand - Athletics
Gladiator - Intimidation
Hunter - Survival
Laborer - Athletics
Merchant - Diplomacy
Noble - Society
Nomad - Medicine
Sailor - Acrobatics
Scholar - Arcane, Nature, Occultism or Religion (Whichever Assurance you pick)
Scout - Stealth
Street Urchin - Deception
Warrior - Athletics

This can allow for more customization for the classes and make the class skills be a little more meaningful.

I think reworking the existing signature skills would also be good. I don't know why performance is a sig. skill for rogues. That should be a Bard only unless you want to invest a background for it. I also think a Wizard should have more sig. skills and points (maybe all the 'knowledge' skills).

That is just my take on the 'skills problem'.

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