Quote Originally Posted by Ignimortis View Post
The more I think about skill systems in D&D and D&D-likes, the more I come to the conclusion that while the core idea isn't that bad, having a "skill class" certainly is. Even if your skills are developed enough to be useful in combat (mostly looking at PF2 here), your action economy doesn't support using more than 2 or 3, often with overlapping purposes with other skills.
I was thinking along these lines while walking this morning. I'm already going full bore on Ability Check proficiency as outlined in the 2014 DMG. The issue I'd been having is how to specialize in those cases where a character should have a specialized skill (or set). Where a Strength check is sufficient for your every day climb or jump check - roll a d20, add some modifier and get a result, it doesn't really capture the essence of someone who's an amazing climber.

So, my working solution (and by working, I mean currently back of the napkin math) is two fold. First, Ability Checks: Your proficiency in Saves mirrors your proficiency in checks. Yes, this means Rogues eventually get Wisdom Check proficiency, and Monks eventually get proficiency in all Ability Checks. This makes sense to me. It also means Resilient provides an additional benefit. Still fine. No, Aura of Protection does not provide a boon to Ability Checks.

All Ability Checks are base DC 16. 10 and less is failure. 11-15 is success with drawback. 16 to 20 is standard success. 21+ is critical success. Ability Checks are also for rather generic checks; Strength Checks to jump, climb, swim, push heavy things, etc. Int checks to know basic information, with the higher the roll granting additional information, and a success with drawback would be something like 2 truths and 1 lie. Wis checks would be perception and insight; Cha checks for persuasion and deceit. - I'm hoping to generate 3 basic checks for each attribute that aren't too esoteric. Constitution would probably overlap a bit with strength; using endurance for swimming against a current type things. Muscles help, but being able to tread for time is better. Other 'feats of endurance' might be running in a chase scene, withstanding being hugged to death (cute puppies, giant octopus, whatever), things like that.

Then you have Specializations, or Skills, or something named like that, and they're generally stuff you don't roll. If you're specialized in climbing, you can climb anything that would be below a DC 25 skill check without having to roll. If you're specialized in Arcane Lore, you know pretty much everything that isn't super specialized knowledge when it comes to the arcane. These specializations allow characters to really be 'the best' for their area of expertise. A Wizard with proficiency in Intelligence Checks has a decent chance to know if a mushroom is poisonous. A Druid with specialization in Nature just knows, unless that mushroom is someone's science experiment that has been done in the strictest super secret lab or something.

I'm currently thinking of just using the number of Skills provided in each classes description, but open the selection to any - since these specializations are less what a class is granting and more what the player wants their character to excel at.

Expertise will work a little differently, since they apply to Ability Checks. Each instance of Expertise would allow the PC to either double the PB for a specific Ability Check, or grant proficiency to another Ability. So, a Rogue, with Dex and Int, might choose to put one Expertise on Dex, granting a higher chance of success on their Ability Checks for Dexterity, and their second Expertise in Charisma, granting them the normal PB to Charisma Checks. This way, even if a 1st level Rogue picks Wisdom, they'll get their double PB bonus at 14th, so the attribute isn't 'wasted'.

I'd also love to bring back skill tricks for Rogues; I think Rogues should be force multipliers for the other members of the party. This would (hopefully) remove the desire for Rogues to be 'lone wolves' which works about as well as PVP in a co-op game, while simultaneously making an 'all rogue party' less of an incentive.
So, as a force multiplier, the new Cunning Strike is a great start, but I'd go farther, using Skill Tricks to open up tactical opportunities that other classes could exploit.