Was a bit disappointed since I was hoping this was on physical size. But no biggie, I love skills too!

One of my favorite games, ADOM, has a great skill system you might be interested in. It's d100, and one of my favorite aspects is that as you go higher in skill level, you get to roll multiple times. So someone with 80 points in a skill would multiple times and take the highest result. I adapted that rule to my own game and made a rule where anyone with 16 skill ranks would allow them to get to roll 3d20s. You couldn't get the benefit if you had the bonus from raw stats. Just skill ranks. One's skills were determined by race and class, but you could learn more.

Will skills let you get bonuses to combat stuff? ADOM also does that:

Alertness: Slightly increases Dodge chance and also heavily increases your chance to dodge "Combat Magic", aka Ray type spells like Death Ray, Lightning Bolt, magic missiles, etc. Also
allowed you to detect traps.
Athletics: Increases the rate you improve your physical skills as well as provides a tiny speed boost (since it was a Roguelike, this meant you got to take actions more often).
Dodge: Self explanatory.
Archery: Also self explanatory. Archers got improved bonuses from the skill.
Backstabbing: Sneak attack damage bonuses.
Find Weakness: Increased Critical Hit Rate.
Courage: Lowered the penalties for fighting multiple enemies.
Tactics: Improved stat changes from Tactics; basically fighting aggressively/berserking, fighting defensively/running.

A MUD I've been thinking of lately had combat skills too. Stuff like Bashing, Blindfighting, Kicking, etc.

Quote from: PsyXypher on December 02, 2021, 12:21:09 AM
Was a bit disappointed since I was hoping this was on physical size. But no biggie, I love skills too!

One of my favorite games, ADOM, has a great skill system you might be interested in. It's d100, and one of my favorite aspects is that as you go higher in skill level, you get to roll multiple times. So someone with 80 points in a skill would multiple times and take the highest result. I adapted that rule to my own game and made a rule where anyone with 16 skill ranks would allow them to get to roll 3d20s. You couldn't get the benefit if you had the bonus from raw stats. Just skill ranks. One's skills were determined by race and class, but you could learn more.

Will skills let you get bonuses to combat stuff? ADOM also does that:

Alertness: Slightly increases Dodge chance and also heavily increases your chance to dodge "Combat Magic", aka Ray type spells like Death Ray, Lightning Bolt, magic missiles, etc. Also
allowed you to detect traps.
Athletics: Increases the rate you improve your physical skills as well as provides a tiny speed boost (since it was a Roguelike, this meant you got to take actions more often).
Dodge: Self explanatory.
Archery: Also self explanatory. Archers got improved bonuses from the skill.
Backstabbing: Sneak attack damage bonuses.
Find Weakness: Increased Critical Hit Rate.
Courage: Lowered the penalties for fighting multiple enemies.
Tactics: Improved stat changes from Tactics; basically fighting aggressively/berserking, fighting defensively/running.

A MUD I've been thinking of lately had combat skills too. Stuff like Bashing, Blindfighting, Kicking, etc.

You want it in pdf?

Some of those feel more like feats or class features.

But to answer your question it's up to the GM to decide if a particular skill affects something, but I would guess being trained in a weapon would have some effect in combat.

Not bad.
Though there are big jumps in certain point, so I wonder if your original... seven ranks would not be bit more naturally granular. But then there may be not enough levels for it.

Quote from: Wrath of God on December 02, 2021, 05:54:38 AM
Not bad.
Though there are big jumps in certain point, so I wonder if your original... seven ranks would not be bit more naturally granular. But then there may be not enough levels for it.

It could work with 7 ranks but only (I think) with a d100 and then buying a new skill should be every level not every other level.

Think I'll make the Thief/Rogue/Expert start with 6 skill points at 1st level. Or maybe not since it's the class with more skills by default.

But why with d100.
I mean d20 is abridged d100 anyway.

IIRC you roll d20 under/equal level of skill?

UNTRAINED 1
ROOKIE 4
NOVICE 7
VERSED 10
EXPERT 13
MASTER 16 
LEGEND 19

Something like that's let's say. Of course with Attribute modificator.

And then rather than giving advances per se you can give Skill Points with rising costs to apply - easy to learn, hard to master idea.
2 points for Untrained, 3 for Rookie, 4 for Novice, 5 for Versed and so on.

You spend points each time you have mid-level resting time to train and so on.

If you wanna be really brutal you can make them roll for Skill Points each level

Quote from: Wrath of God on December 02, 2021, 11:44:16 AM
But why with d100.
I mean d20 is abridged d100 anyway.

IIRC you roll d20 under/equal level of skill?

UNTRAINED 1
ROOKIE 4
NOVICE 7
VERSED 10
EXPERT 13
MASTER 16 
LEGEND 19

Something like that's let's say. Of course with Attribute modificator.

And then rather than giving advances per se you can give Skill Points with rising costs to apply - easy to learn, hard to master idea.
2 points for Untrained, 3 for Rookie, 4 for Novice, 5 for Versed and so on.

You spend points each time you have mid-level resting time to train and so on.

If you wanna be really brutal you can make them roll for Skill Points each level

No, it's d20 + modifiers roll equal or above the target number. At least on the d20 version, but that's easy to fix, just invert the target numbers.

Care to expand? I'm not sure I'm groking what you're saying.

Are those the costs of a rank? or the points they get?

If those are the rank prices how many points do they get? Or do they have to spend coin?

QuoteNo, it's d20 + modifiers roll equal or above the target number. At least on the d20 version, but that's easy to fix, just invert the target numbers.

Ah, ok d20 variant, I thought you went with older D&D forms where you rolled under skill like in Warhammer.
In this case - rather than named ranks, just have... dunno just numbers, bonus value. From 0 to dunno 10 or smth (depends what's scope of skill challenge you plan for your game).

What I was thinking is like that:

UNTRAINED _
ROOKIE _ _ _
NOVICE _ _ _ _ _
VERSED _ _ _ _ _ _ _
EXPERT _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
MASTER _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
LEGEND _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

For each skill point spend you mark one box on a graph. Each level you have to spend all level-points, this is in-life decision what skills you decided to train.
You can give option for some extra point here and there - for instance downtime rules of Warhammer 4e gives you ability to take 1 to 3 endeavours per each inter-adventure break. You can make some money from business for instance, get more supporters or contacts, or... pay trainer to get extra skill point beyond your class/level.

Now to know how many points give for level you gonna croak the maths and decide - how skilled in those general skills you want your PC's be - let's say as 20 lvl Epic World-Known Heroes.
And then adjust skill per level.

0e way of handling things explained for newbs:

OK but how Action Roll in D&D 0e worked?

Quote from: Wrath of God on December 02, 2021, 06:38:56 PM
OK but how Action Roll in D&D 0e worked?

LOL, roll under your attribute.

Quote from: GeekyBugle on November 30, 2021, 07:46:12 PM
But I don't want the characters to grow just because, and "buying" the skill (training) is always something done off screen so why bother?

I think it was a B/X blog, I can't recall, but they had a mini-system which was something like:

• You try to do something - Open Doors, Pick Locks, Bake Bread, whatever you like
• Write it down, and write down "E X P E R T" next to that thing.
• Throw 1d6, if you get 6+ you succeed
• If successful, cross off one letter of the word "expert."
• Once you have crossed out every letter of the word, you are now an expert in that skill, you get +1 to it.
• Now write down "M A S T E R" next to the skill and repeat this process, this will become a +2.

Quote from: Kyle Aaron on December 02, 2021, 10:24:01 PM

Quote from: GeekyBugle on November 30, 2021, 07:46:12 PM
But I don't want the characters to grow just because, and "buying" the skill (training) is always something done off screen so why bother?

I think it was a B/X blog, I can't recall, but they had a mini-system which was something like:

• You try to do something - Open Doors, Pick Locks, Bake Bread, whatever you like
• Write it down, and write down "E X P E R T" next to that thing.
• Throw 1d6, if you get 6+ you succeed
• If successful, cross off one letter of the word "expert."
• Once you have crossed out every letter of the word, you are now an expert in that skill, you get +1 to it.
• Now write down "M A S T E R" next to the skill and repeat this process, this will become a +2.

I think that could work.