Topic: Skill most in need for PC's

[markc]

 I was wondering what skill in RMSS/FRP do you think PC's need the most but do not take as part of their starting character?


  I do have some ideas of my own but I do not want to taint the pool of skills?
MDC

[arakish]

First Aid.

Other helpfuls: Herb Lore, Preparing Herbs, Using Herbs.

Some not required but are kind of helpful: Locate Shelter, Build Shelter, Fire Starting, Hunting, Foraging, Trap Building, Skinning, General Cooking.

Oh, did I mention First Aid?

rmfr

[Ynglaur]

Navigation

[Grinnen Baeritt]

Common Sense.

Ohh I see, ...

You meant what skills players should choose when choosing their PC skills.... not what the Players lack when choosing skills or what the player-characters wish that their players had chosen... Ahhh.

Yep. First Aid, and as an alternative.......

Poetic Improvisation for those who are required to come up with something eloquent and tuneful at the funerals of those parties that didn't.

[intothatdarkness]

Depends on the composition of the party, honestly. Design of the world also factors in. I kept low-level healing herbs common enough that characters didn't usually need First Aid. They did tend to obsess on Herb Lore and the like once they found out what grew wild around them.

I've found Perception (oddly) is often overlooked. Swimming is also overlooked at times...at least until the first time the party has to cross a river at flood stage and someone falls in. Too often players jump for the obscure skills they think will give them an edge of some sort and miss the basic stuff.

[Cory Magel]

Probably depends on both the party and, maybe more importantly, how the GM works.

But I think, as arakish mentions, First Aid would be up there.

I think think a good amount of players neglect Alertness due to the small returns it give, you really have to consistently develop it over time (will have all the players randomly roll for alertness - then when there's something one of them in particular needs to notice I just have them all roll and they are, mostly, none the wiser to what they might have missed).

Attunement is a possible one depending on the GM.  It's costly for non-spell types, but might be REALLY handy if the GM requires you to attune to magic items.

[jdale]

Probably depends on both the party and, maybe more importantly, how the GM works.

But I think, as arakish mentions, First Aid would be up there.

I think think a good amount of players neglect Alertness due to the small returns it give, you really have to consistently develop it over time (will have all the players randomly roll for alertness - then when there's something one of them in particular needs to notice I just have them all roll and they are, mostly, none the wiser to what they might have missed).

Attunement is a possible one depending on the GM.  It's costly for non-spell types, but might be REALLY handy if the GM requires you to attune to magic items.

Meditation is a good substitute for a few ranks of Attunement. You want the first rank of Attunement to get rid of the penalties, but Meditation is easy (+50 just for taking lots of time) and gets you +25 on the Attunement roll. That's as good as 5 ranks of Attunement and Power Awareness, for (often) a much lower cost.

I agree about Alertness. You don't miss having bought it until you've skipped it for 5-10 levels, but then it's too late...

Personally, I found the absence of First Aid contributed to a great character-defining moment, but I suppose most PCs don't start with 29 Empathy....

[yammahoper]

Survival: (which includes finding or building shelter imo and foraging limited to just enough food to live on).  I think this skill is seriously over looked.

Basic Math: addition, subtraction and multiplication, essential skills for the educated.

Mingling: I use the skill to move and deal with a crowd without "finding trouble."  Obviously, a skill only required by urban types.

Swimming: 70% of your fantasy world is probably water too. 

Religion: pretty obvious.  Philosophy could replace this.

First Aid: as previously stated.

Body Dev: hits DO kill.

Culture Lore (own):  covered in every adolescent table, so no biggie.

Languages: Literacy is not necessary.

Alertness (and Detect Ambush) strike me as redundant.  I have stricken them from my game and measure default alertness with number of ranks in observation (providing a bonus of +1 per rank instead of +3).

[RandalThor]

I've found Perception (oddly) is often overlooked. Swimming is also overlooked at times...at least until the first time the party has to cross a river at flood stage and someone falls in. Too often players jump for the obscure skills they think will give them an edge of some sort and miss the basic stuff.

Me too.

But beyond Perception skills, outdoor skills tend to get overlooked - unless they are specifically playing a druid/ranger type character. For some reason players just don't seem to think that the only "survival" skills they will need are combat related ones. Like knowing how to swing a sword is going to keep you from getting lost. Sheesh!

[intothatdarkness]

But beyond Perception skills, outdoor skills tend to get overlooked - unless they are specifically playing a druid/ranger type character. For some reason players just don't seem to think that the only "survival" skills they will need are combat related ones. Like knowing how to swing a sword is going to keep you from getting lost. Sheesh!

I agree, but also note that some of that gets down to GM and game flavor. I've known GMs who tended to skimp on some of the survival stuff but were absolute death if you tried to tie a knot without the proper Rope skill. When I modified RM2 for my game world and went to "basic training" packages for cultures and professions, I factored in a rank or two of the stuff that they'd need to survive in my world (Perception, Riding, Foraging, and so on). Some took the hint and developed those further...others still didn't get it. But at least they were "covered" and could make a general skill roll without the negative modifier for not having the skill. We also reorganized the skill lists so that some Secondary skills became Primary and stripped out stuff that wasn't strictly needed.

[VladD]

Weapon skills and/ or spell lists... never leave home without them...

[yammahoper]

Animal Handling skills really are a must in a setting were horses and basic farm animals dominate the landscape.  Of course, a farm raised mage will have more skill ranks in these skills than a Noble fighter.

I'm well past relying on the rule set to define characters.  I prefer conception to rules lawyering, and if I have to give out 35 free ranks in skill to meet conception, so be it.

[RandalThor]

I'm well past relying on the rule set to define characters.  I prefer conception to rules lawyering, and if I have to give out 35 free ranks in skill to meet conception, so be it.

Agreed!

[Cory Magel]

I'm going to be starting a game that will have a good amount of Sea-going and I've told the players don't bother to develop those skills as I'll be assigning various nautical skill ranks based on their background.

[markc]

 The main skill I was thinking about was some form or hand to hand combat. But I also agree with all of the skills listed above, and the fact that it is very important for the GM to provide the players with the info they need to build the right PC.
MDC

[TimC]

Sprinting.  I use this during Snap Action Phase to move around opponent and to gain a flank bonus on my opponent.

[markc]

I agree sprinting comes in very handy.


tcrush11,
 Welcome to the ICE Forums.
MDC

[Athelstaine]

Survival: (which includes finding or building shelter imo and foraging limited to just enough food to live on).  I think this skill is seriously over looked.

Basic Math: addition, subtraction and multiplication, essential skills for the educated.

Mingling: I use the skill to move and deal with a crowd without "finding trouble."  Obviously, a skill only required by urban types.

Swimming: 70% of your fantasy world is probably water too. 

Religion: pretty obvious.  Philosophy could replace this.

First Aid: as previously stated.

Body Dev: hits DO kill.

Culture Lore (own):  covered in every adolescent table, so no biggie.

Languages: Literacy is not necessary.

Alertness (and Detect Ambush) strike me as redundant.  I have stricken them from my game and measure default alertness with number of ranks in observation (providing a bonus of +1 per rank instead of +3).

This requires an idea point. I really like the solution of combining Alertness/Observation. I have been looking for ways to get rid of skill bloat.

[markc]

BTW, Detect Ambush skill reduces the Ambush rank bonus of someone trying to use the Ambush Skill on you.
MDC

[mtpnj]

The skill my players tend to overlook is movement in armor.  Then when they try to climb, tumble, swim or jump they are shocked at how big their penalties are.  I do not apply the penalty against combat as I know some have said that is a maneuvering skill also.