Scent skill? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Scent skill? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Prime32
12-27-07, 01:28 PM I was thinking - there's Spot and Listen, why not Scent?

The skill covers both smell and taste, and can be used to track by scent (the DC is high, and creatures with the Scent ability receive a large bonus). It has other uses, such as detecting poisons.

I was thinking of working this into a Naruto d20 ruleset (yes, I know there's a few already, but my system does things a bit differently) - it could be useful to members of the Inuzuka clan (the dog guys).
1 ton ghost
12-27-07, 02:24 PM i wouldn't go messing w/ it IMO.
it's a feat and elligible, grudgingly w/ DM's approval to Gnomes and 1/2 Orc's.
failing that, i think there's a spell out there for it too.
when you start making very specific abilities available to the masses you get an overcrowded market (like w/ everything in the States) and then you have to redo/reconsider skills, etc. having an Olfactory skill, to me, seems off...
Vloorshad
12-30-07, 11:44 PM i wouldn't go messing w/ it IMO.
it's a feat and elligible, grudgingly w/ DM's approval to Gnomes and 1/2 Orc's.
failing that, i think there's a spell out there for it too.
when you start making very specific abilities available to the masses you get an overcrowded market (like w/ everything in the States) and then you have to redo/reconsider skills, etc. having an Olfactory skill, to me, seems off...

Still, some people are blessed with sensitive noses. It wouldn't be unreasonable to allow there to be a [Heritage] or [Regional] feat that would allow access to a Scent skill. Afterall, it makes just as much sense as somebody burning points to hear or see better.
slwoyach
12-31-07, 01:03 AM It seems like a good idea at first glance, but even humans with great senses of smell have horrible senses of smell. It would be useful for knowing when the pies are ready, but not much else. Dogs and such would have to get like a +50 bonus just to represent the huge difference in our senses.
Saiyamantis
01-01-08, 12:14 AM Scent as written already locates creatures within a set radius automatically. There's not much a Scent skill can add to that, unless you're also introducing a Cover Scent skill (which is just silly).

If anything, I'd give scent a tactical feat that provides eidetic memory for scent, the ability to turn scent into temporary blindsight, and maybe a couple of other things.
Prime32
01-01-08, 09:24 AM Scent as written already locates creatures within a set radius automatically. There's not much a Scent skill can add to that, unless you're also introducing a Cover Scent skill (which is just silly).

If doing so is, say, a DC 50 check, a creature with the scent ability gains a +40 bonus, and succeeds automatically by taking 10. You could detect things in a higher radius with higher DCs - someone with a low Scent skill might be able to detect creatures in adjacent squares.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Prime32 12-27-07, 01:28 PM	I was thinking - there's Spot and Listen, why not Scent? The skill covers both smell and taste, and can be used to track by scent (the DC is high, and creatures with the Scent ability receive a large bonus). It has other uses, such as detecting poisons. I was thinking of working this into a Naruto d20 ruleset (yes, I know there's a few already, but my system does things a bit differently) - it could be useful to members of the Inuzuka clan (the dog guys).
1 ton ghost 12-27-07, 02:24 PM	i wouldn't go messing w/ it IMO. it's a feat and elligible, grudgingly w/ DM's approval to Gnomes and 1/2 Orc's. failing that, i think there's a spell out there for it too. when you start making very specific abilities available to the masses you get an overcrowded market (like w/ everything in the States) and then you have to redo/reconsider skills, etc. having an Olfactory skill, to me, seems off...
Vloorshad 12-30-07, 11:44 PM	i wouldn't go messing w/ it IMO. it's a feat and elligible, grudgingly w/ DM's approval to Gnomes and 1/2 Orc's. failing that, i think there's a spell out there for it too. when you start making very specific abilities available to the masses you get an overcrowded market (like w/ everything in the States) and then you have to redo/reconsider skills, etc. having an Olfactory skill, to me, seems off... Still, some people are blessed with sensitive noses. It wouldn't be unreasonable to allow there to be a [Heritage] or [Regional] feat that would allow access to a Scent skill. Afterall, it makes just as much sense as somebody burning points to hear or see better.
slwoyach 12-31-07, 01:03 AM	It seems like a good idea at first glance, but even humans with great senses of smell have horrible senses of smell. It would be useful for knowing when the pies are ready, but not much else. Dogs and such would have to get like a +50 bonus just to represent the huge difference in our senses.
Saiyamantis 01-01-08, 12:14 AM	Scent as written already locates creatures within a set radius automatically. There's not much a Scent skill can add to that, unless you're also introducing a Cover Scent skill (which is just silly). If anything, I'd give scent a tactical feat that provides eidetic memory for scent, the ability to turn scent into temporary blindsight, and maybe a couple of other things.
Prime32 01-01-08, 09:24 AM	Scent as written already locates creatures within a set radius automatically. There's not much a Scent skill can add to that, unless you're also introducing a Cover Scent skill (which is just silly). If doing so is, say, a DC 50 check, a creature with the scent ability gains a +40 bonus, and succeeds automatically by taking 10. You could detect things in a higher radius with higher DCs - someone with a low Scent skill might be able to detect creatures in adjacent squares.