Skills: What To Do When Not Beating on Orcs

As I mentioned in the first post on this blog, I really didn't like the combat-only focus of the original AD&D rules. The original skill system offered in the Survival Guides was really basic and not usable for anything aside from the most simplistic of tasks.

I've taken the skill format from 4th edition D&D and added many more skills to boot. Each character class offers many different skill types as basic training. Characters such as Thieves and Assassins will now be able to customize their advancement in the skills that they find interesting, while downplaying those that they may not choose to use as much. Now anyone with Perception can attempt to spot a trap, but only those with Traps skill can disarm them. Anyone can attempt to be sneaky with Stealth, but the traditionally sneaky classes will be the most effective at it.

As a result, characters will be defined by their skills as much or more so than the weapons they use.