Skills for modern/future?

[Flobby]

Maybe this doesn't belong in the 4E forums but... I was thinking what the skills would look like when they get around to the next incarnation of d20 Modern. I was thinking of something like this... Any thoughts?

Acrobatics (Dex)
Athletics (Str)
Bluff (Cha)
Bureaucracy (Int)
Computers (Int)
Diplomacy (Cha)
Endurance (Con)
Heal (Wis)
History (Int)
Insight (Wis)
Intimidate (Cha)
Nature (Wis)
Mechanics (Int)
Perception (Wis)
Pilot (Dex)
Science (Int)
Stealth (Dex)
Streetwise (Cha)

 

[Dunamin]

Not bad. I take it "Pilot" should encompass driving skills as well?

 

[Flobby]

Yeah that's what I was thinking.

 

[katahn]

Nah, piloting and driving should be seperate skills I think. They're sufficiently different, and thematically different, that combining them seems unjustified to me. Consider the number of examples of modern heroic fiction where someone knows how to drive but doesn't know how to fly (ie. the tower talks them through an emergency landing).

My list, things I add in bold and things removed in italics

Acrobatics (Dex)
Athletics (Str)
Bluff (Cha)
Bureaucracy (Int)
Computers (Int) (Hacking would be available to those with skill training in computers)
Diplomacy (Cha)
Driving (Dex or Int)
Endurance (Con) (I never understood this skill... constitution covers "endurance" and fitness training doesn't give one endurance skill but more constitution IMHO)
Heal (Wis)
History (Int)
Insight (Wis)
Intimidate (Cha or Str ) (because being large and muscled can help)
Nature (Wis)
Mechanics (Int)
Occult (Int) (Modern "Arcana")
Perception (Wis)
Pilot (Dex)
Religion (Int) (As in theology)
Science (Int)
Stealth (Dex)
Streetwise (Cha)
Thievery (Dex)

 

[Ashardalon]

Yeah that's what I was thinking.

I'd call it Vehicles in that case.

Lets see - Demolitions, Gamble, and Research, along existed in d20 Modern. I'm not sure if there's a good fit for Demolitions in your list. Research could be under Science. Gamble is probably not needed.

Knowledge Skills in d20 Modern
Arcane Lore -> (Arcana)
Art -> History
Behavioral Sciences -> Insight
Business -> Bureaucracy
Civics -> Bureaucracy
Current Events
Earth and Life Sciences -> Nature/Science
History -> History
Physical Sciences -> Science
Popular Culture
Streetwise -> Streetwise
Tactics -> History?
Technology -> Computers/Mechanics
Theology and philosophy -> (Religion/Theology)

Current Events and Popular Culture would be combined if they were to exist. They might fit under History conceptually, but that would be weird. News?

And yeah, Thievery.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

make Flying a feat...

 

[Atlatl Jones]

Nah, piloting and driving should be seperate skills I think. They're sufficiently different, and thematically different, that combining them seems unjustified to me. Consider the number of examples of modern heroic fiction where someone knows how to drive but doesn't know how to fly (ie. the tower talks them through an emergency landing).

Most of those people would be untrained in driving though, just average joes. Piloting a plane would have to be a trained-only use of the skill.


My list, things I add in bold and things removed in italics

Bureaucracy (Int)
Endurance (Con) (I never understood this skill... constitution covers "endurance" and fitness training doesn't give one endurance skill but more constitution IMHO)
Intimidate (Cha or Str ) (because being large and muscled can help)
Occult (Int) (Modern "Arcana")
Religion (Int) (As in theology)
Science (Int)
Thievery (Dex)

I agree about Endurance, especially in a modern game.

Why a Bureaucracy skill? I don't see how that would come up very often at all.

Occult would be neccessary in a modern game that has real magic & monsters. Otherwise, not so much.

I wonder if History is too narrow for a modern game. Maybe Academics would be a better fit.

I don't think Religion is at all neccessary, unless it's a very strange game where gods & spellcasting priests are as common as they are in D&D fantasy. Otherwise, everything would be under either Occult or History/Academics.

I agree about Thievery. A modern game needs a skill for breaking into houses, palming objects, and picking pockets.

 

[Mallus]

Why a Bureaucracy skill? I don't see how that would come up very often at all.

If you played it fast and loose, as a way to deal with sticky quasi-legal situations modern PC invariable get involved in, it could be both useful and entertaining.

"This is the third time this week you've been admitted to this hospital with gunshot wounds Mr. Jones."
"Are you suggestion my insurance doesn't cover it? Shall I contact office manager or lawyer?" <rolls Bureaucracy>

"You're applying for a license for what?!"
"Well you see...." <rolls Bureaucracy>

It's kinda like Bluff/Diplomacy that specifically cuts through the red tape that impedes, or more likely leads to the imprisonment of modern-day PC's.

 

[katahn]

Bureaucracy skill is to red tape, offices, government agencies like the DMV, and so forth what street wise is to gangs, procuring contraband, and so forth. In shadowrun terms it could be considered a form of "corporate etiquette". So yeah, I see it as fine.

I can see the point about driving/piloting and flying a plane being a trained-only portion of a common skill... but thematically it still does bother me. I can understand combining moving silently, hiding in shadows, picking locks, and so forth into "thievery" as they have a common theme, but driving a car and flying a plane are simply too different for me to be comfortable with it. It would be like saying a highly trained racecar driver would automatically be a good at flying a plane... that fails the "does it make sense to me" test but someone else might see it differently I guess.

 

[Sadrik]

Add Science, Technology, Pilot/Drive.
Remove Dungeoneering.

And that is it. The crafting angle is another missing element but it is missing from D&D too. If you wanted to add that back in I might suggest finery for (art, gemcutting, forgery etc), build (for building most things), Technology (from above) for building tech stuff.