Posted May 16, 2018
I've thought about it, but I'm more interested in Paranoia and other systems.
I've also been looking at getting a polyset.
I've also been looking at getting a polyset.
dnovraD
2023-08-14: Remember the Spaces!
Registered: Jul 2012
From United States
HunchBluntley
language geek
Registered: Jul 2014
From United States
Posted May 16, 2018
Or a basic level of common knowledge could be set. Like usually spoken languages had to be a filled up non-combat skill slot, other than your racial language or Common, and reading and writing had to be another skill slot. But a campaign could be run where everyone automatically knows how to read and write and speak to everyone. Nobody wants to play a hero who sounds like a primary school dropout just because he's a fighter with intelligence 9 who never picked up a reading skill instead of a wizard with intelligence 18 and reading and writing multiple languages comes naturally to him. Exceptions could be made for barbarian races, solitary races who guard their knowledge, the language of the gods, or even the "bad guy races"(unless you play as one). Or concerning the lighting a fire bit, it could be assumed that every adventurer has basic survival skills. So no "rolling to check if you succeed" for fire lighting or even for a day of hunting, unless you're hunting the king's deer, in which case you'd roll to see if you got caught. Or the local Adventurer's Guild's Hero Starter Pack could have a magic artifact that starts fires automatically. LOL.
- Anyone (with levels in a PC class, at least) who can speak a language can read and write that language (except barbarians, who have Illiteracy as a class feature until they either gain a level in another class, or spend one or two skill points [I forget which] to become literate).
- Every race (and some classes) has a small number of languages that they automatically know, and a (usually) somewhat larger pool of appropriate "bonus" languages that they can choose from if they have an Intelligence bonus. (Additionally, any character can spend skill points to learn any [non-secret] languages -- and all languages, no matter how one comes to know them, are considered "pass/fail": you either know a language, or you don't.)
- For mundane stuff like lighting a fire, as long as they've got a flint and steel, it's assumed that most any character would be able to start a fire eventually. Only if there were some sort of time pressure (or an absence of proper equipment) would a skill check normally be called for. (Hunting would still require a Survival check, though.)
- Addressing something that muttly13 mentioned: The only type of rations in the 3.5 PHb are called something like "trail rations", and they're composed of mostly dried and/or heavily cured foods which don't require cooking, and can be eaten while in transit, if necessary. Basically, unless someone in the party went hunting (and was successful), everyone just decrements one day's worth of rations at the end of their day.
I'm sure that 4th and 5th Editions (and probably Pathfinder, to some extent) have introduced further streamlinings, but I don't think tracking something like food (at least in a generic way) is unreasonable in a game where the characters are basically nomads traveling through the wilderness constantly.
On a side note: I'm pretty sure a score of 10 has represented the (human) average for every ability/attribute in all editions of D&D, so an Intelligence of 9 really wouldn't be too bad (especially for a fighter), and certainly wouldn't qualify one for the Special Olympics. ;P
Post edited May 16, 2018 by HunchBluntley
muttly13
I must break you
Registered: Aug 2011
From United States
RangerSolo
Ranger Lord Solo
Registered: Nov 2010
From Japan
Posted May 21, 2018
https://www.coolstuffinc.com/p/236939
"Ralidum" was bad enough, and plastic almost made me turn in my humanity card. But pre-painted? In the words of Rocket Raccoon "You just wanna suck the joy outta everything."