Skills Choice [Archive] - Wizards Community

Skills Choice [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
JCP
09-24-06, 03:45 AM Being very new to the RPGA and LG, I'm making a character from scratch and am wondering on the general utility of skills for skill choices.

Are there a decent number of situations likely to arise where having ranks in hide or move silently as a monk would be useful or would I be better off putting those ranks into sense motive, climb, swim, etc?

I've decided to max spot, listen, and tumble. Its the other 8 points I'm debating on.

Thanks.
Puggle Halfwine
09-24-06, 09:46 AM It's been my experience that hide and move silently do not function well in Living Greyhawk. Typically, the sneaking character either gets too far ahead of the rest of the party or too far behind- they trigger an event in the module which typically ends badly. For instance:

1) Entering a room causes the big bad NPC to drop the helpless innocents into the volcano two rounds after the PCs enter the room. If you're on your own and he spots you, your NPCs will be toast before the rest of the party can get there (assuming you can't save them yourself, that is, and it's never that easy).

2) Entering a room causes you to fight a combat intended for a whole party of characters. You die.

3) You're left behind the group, missing combats and contributing nothing to the game.

That said, they're not impossible to make work- just far more difficult.
ezreal2001
09-24-06, 07:42 PM It's been my experience that hide and move silently do not function well in Living Greyhawk. Typically, the sneaking character either gets too far ahead of the rest of the party or too far behind- they trigger an event in the module which typically ends badly. For instance:

1) Entering a room causes the big bad NPC to drop the helpless innocents into the volcano two rounds after the PCs enter the room. If you're on your own and he spots you, your NPCs will be toast before the rest of the party can get there (assuming you can't save them yourself, that is, and it's never that easy).

2) Entering a room causes you to fight a combat intended for a whole party of characters. You die.

3) You're left behind the group, missing combats and contributing nothing to the game.

That said, they're not impossible to make work- just far more difficult.

Yup.

And whats truely infruriating is that the intro boiler plate instructs the gm to modify the mod the suit the circumstances... gotta love the process bound studity displayed by some.

Now returning to the original topic.

Different skills will have different utility for different people.

If you're playing a sociall sort of PC the following skills are quite usefull:

Bluff
Diplomancy
GAther Infomation
Sense Motive

If you don't want your PC to be surprised the following skills are quite usefull:

listen
spot

If you want your PC to protect the party from traps or hel find stuff the following skills are quite usefull:

disable device
search (and be prepared to argue the hows and whys of trap detection with your gm:/)

If you want your PC to be mobile the following skills are quite usefull:

balance (5 ranks aviods being flat footed )
climb (not so usefull once everyone can levitate/fly/spider climb)
escape artist()
jump (same as climb, but 5 ranks provides a synergy for tumble)
tumble(beat the DC, avoid movement AoOs)

Knowledge skills (inc Spell Craft, Healing) all have their uses just find the context...

Overall no skill is completely useless, what you need to is work out your PC does then look at each skill to see how that skill can assist your PC.

[Edit]
Just rereading the original post, max out Sense Motive if you've got it - it may not be all that usefull - bu t you could use it to reflect a sort of "Seeking the truth" kind of mystic insight.

And if you really stuck for something to spend your points on cross class into Perform(Wind Instrument).
amnuxoll
09-25-06, 01:47 PM If your motivation is to pick the skill that will get the most/best use then I agree with the advice to max Sense Motive. (Just remember to *use* it when you're in a roleplaying encounter.)

But truthfully, none of these skills is that much more useful than another. If it were me, I'd make it a roleplaying choice not a twinky choice.

:AMN:
Timlagor
09-26-06, 01:25 PM Sense Motive is supposed to be a reactive check most of the time (whenever anyone tries a bluff against you) but some DMs don't understand this.
UMiskatonic
09-28-06, 02:22 PM Personally, I like hide and move silently a lot. You'll need to know two things to get good use out of them.

1) If they know you are coming, don't bother. Sneaking ahead into the guard post who is alert with sentries and traps is just dumb.

2) If you do run into something, GET BACK TO THE GROUP. Your job is to provide information about what's ahead. Your job is NOT to fight the bad guy force single-handedly for five rounds until the guys moving at 20' catch up to you.

It's a good idea to take spot as well. It's better to see and be seen, than to sneak past the ambushers and shout "All clear" to the party.
Genghis Cohen
09-30-06, 01:10 PM I've found that just one rank in Profession: Sailer or Marine can be useful. It depends on the mod, but more than once its allowed characters to not have to make balance checks while on board a ship.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
JCP 09-24-06, 03:45 AM	Being very new to the RPGA and LG, I'm making a character from scratch and am wondering on the general utility of skills for skill choices. Are there a decent number of situations likely to arise where having ranks in hide or move silently as a monk would be useful or would I be better off putting those ranks into sense motive, climb, swim, etc? I've decided to max spot, listen, and tumble. Its the other 8 points I'm debating on. Thanks.
Puggle Halfwine 09-24-06, 09:46 AM	It's been my experience that hide and move silently do not function well in Living Greyhawk. Typically, the sneaking character either gets too far ahead of the rest of the party or too far behind- they trigger an event in the module which typically ends badly. For instance: 1) Entering a room causes the big bad NPC to drop the helpless innocents into the volcano two rounds after the PCs enter the room. If you're on your own and he spots you, your NPCs will be toast before the rest of the party can get there (assuming you can't save them yourself, that is, and it's never that easy). 2) Entering a room causes you to fight a combat intended for a whole party of characters. You die. 3) You're left behind the group, missing combats and contributing nothing to the game. That said, they're not impossible to make work- just far more difficult.
ezreal2001 09-24-06, 07:42 PM	It's been my experience that hide and move silently do not function well in Living Greyhawk. Typically, the sneaking character either gets too far ahead of the rest of the party or too far behind- they trigger an event in the module which typically ends badly. For instance: 1) Entering a room causes the big bad NPC to drop the helpless innocents into the volcano two rounds after the PCs enter the room. If you're on your own and he spots you, your NPCs will be toast before the rest of the party can get there (assuming you can't save them yourself, that is, and it's never that easy). 2) Entering a room causes you to fight a combat intended for a whole party of characters. You die. 3) You're left behind the group, missing combats and contributing nothing to the game. That said, they're not impossible to make work- just far more difficult. Yup. And whats truely infruriating is that the intro boiler plate instructs the gm to modify the mod the suit the circumstances... gotta love the process bound studity displayed by some. Now returning to the original topic. Different skills will have different utility for different people. If you're playing a sociall sort of PC the following skills are quite usefull: Bluff Diplomancy GAther Infomation Sense Motive If you don't want your PC to be surprised the following skills are quite usefull: listen spot If you want your PC to protect the party from traps or hel find stuff the following skills are quite usefull: disable device search (and be prepared to argue the hows and whys of trap detection with your gm:/) If you want your PC to be mobile the following skills are quite usefull: balance (5 ranks aviods being flat footed ) climb (not so usefull once everyone can levitate/fly/spider climb) escape artist() jump (same as climb, but 5 ranks provides a synergy for tumble) tumble(beat the DC, avoid movement AoOs) Knowledge skills (inc Spell Craft, Healing) all have their uses just find the context... Overall no skill is completely useless, what you need to is work out your PC does then look at each skill to see how that skill can assist your PC. [Edit] Just rereading the original post, max out Sense Motive if you've got it - it may not be all that usefull - bu t you could use it to reflect a sort of "Seeking the truth" kind of mystic insight. And if you really stuck for something to spend your points on cross class into Perform(Wind Instrument).
amnuxoll 09-25-06, 01:47 PM	If your motivation is to pick the skill that will get the most/best use then I agree with the advice to max Sense Motive. (Just remember to use it when you're in a roleplaying encounter.) But truthfully, none of these skills is that much more useful than another. If it were me, I'd make it a roleplaying choice not a twinky choice. :AMN:
Timlagor 09-26-06, 01:25 PM	Sense Motive is supposed to be a reactive check most of the time (whenever anyone tries a bluff against you) but some DMs don't understand this.
UMiskatonic 09-28-06, 02:22 PM	Personally, I like hide and move silently a lot. You'll need to know two things to get good use out of them. 1) If they know you are coming, don't bother. Sneaking ahead into the guard post who is alert with sentries and traps is just dumb. 2) If you do run into something, GET BACK TO THE GROUP. Your job is to provide information about what's ahead. Your job is NOT to fight the bad guy force single-handedly for five rounds until the guys moving at 20' catch up to you. It's a good idea to take spot as well. It's better to see and be seen, than to sneak past the ambushers and shout "All clear" to the party.
Genghis Cohen 09-30-06, 01:10 PM	I've found that just one rank in Profession: Sailer or Marine can be useful. It depends on the mod, but more than once its allowed characters to not have to make balance checks while on board a ship.