Jendezel the Wizard cursed himself. He knew that his world was being overrun by horrific undead, but he simply couldn’t recall what the name of this type was. He’d spent so much time studying religion that he could tell any particular god’s symbol without the tiniest difficulty, but this damn undead in front of him was something he’d overlooked. Ah well, I’m sure it wouldn’t be too difficult to handle, he thought, as he realized that it’s disgusting tongue was lashing out of its mouth right at him…
I’m the kind of DM who likes to keep a tight lid on things, and I generally feel that allowing variants and non-core material only brings more work and trouble to a table without adding much benefit in the process. However, there are times when a variant rule can add a new level of depth to a role-playing game by offering players and the DM a chance to individualize characters in a way that allows them to stand out as special instead of falling into the same classical roles. These rules are often simple, common-sense additions with few new mechanics and many different uses. The variant rule presented here falls into that category; the new mechanics are simple to understand and the application is nearly infinite.
Skills are highly generalized categories of tasks that range from the mundane to the highly technical, and yet the d20 system has produced no system for dealing with characters who wish to specialize their knowledge in some way. This variant rule offers DMs a simple way to allow their PCs to specialize within a skill without becoming ridiculously overpowered.
Skill specialization works quite simply. Once a character has five ranks in a skill, he may choose within that skill a single application in which to specialize. In the future, he will be allowed to spend a single skill rank and gain two ranks in his chosen specialization.
The limitations are significant; the total number of skill points spent in a skill still cannot exceed the normal limit based on class levels (Level + 3), and the ranks in the specialization cannot exceed one-half of the “regular” ranks. In addition, I highly recommend that DMs enforce some type of role playing prerequisite.
For example, let’s say Jendezel from before survives his encounter with the mohrg and decides it’s in his best interest to study undead a little more carefully. He is currently level 10 and has 8 ranks in the Knowledge (religion) skill. At his next level, he decides to spend 2 of his skill points and specialize his Knowledge (religion) into K(religion) <undead>. He keeps the original 8 ranks and adds 4 ranks to his specialization. The next time he encounters a new undead, he’ll add +12 to his rolls (plus whatever intelligence and other relevant modifiers). He couldn’t put any more than 2 skill points into his specialization this level because he couldn’t have his specialization bonus more than +4, which is one-half of his total bonus, +8. To allow the specialization, the DM requires that Jendezel locate and become friendly with a cleric who also specializes in undead.
On the other hand, meet Devon, a level 15 rogue with 18 ranks in Tumble. Devon isn’t the kind of rogue who likes getting into a lot of combat, so he’s decided to specialize in Tumble <escaping threatened areas>. His DM requires that he purchase or construct an obstacle course to practice escaping from dangerous areas before he can specialize, and Devon does so. At his next level, Devon puts as many points into his Tumble specialization as he can: one. Because his normal cap at level 16 for skill points in a skill is 19, he can only put one skill point into his specialization at this level, giving him a +20 total to his specialization.
A final example: Murlo, a fighter, realizes that he doesn’t have many skills to choose from, so he might as well be really good at one or two things. He’s level five now and is heading for level six. He’s taken Swim and Jump so far, but he’s more afraid of water than heights, so he decides he wants to specialize in swimming, in which he currently has seven ranks. He wants to specialize in Swim <staying afloat>. His DM tells him that he’s going to have to practice doing so in his armor for at least ten minutes a day until he levels up. When he hits level six, he spends both his skill points in swimming. However, he can’t use both to specialize because that would give him a +4, which is more than one-half of +7. Instead, he spends one point in his specialization and one point in the regular skill, giving him a +8 in ranks and +2 in specialization. This also brings Murlo to his current level cap.
As a DM who makes it harder to get a prestige class by beefing up prerequisites or requiring applications and interviews, I wouldn’t ever want this system to be abused. The few examples of specialization prerequisites I mentioned above shouldn’t constitute a limit on difficulty or cost. I applaud any DM who makes getting a prestige class or a skill specialization so difficult that the PC actually stops to consider taking one instead of automatically opting to do so.
Included here is a list of potential specializations, a few for each skill. Nothing makes me happier than players choosing mechanical improvements based on role-playing decisions, like a player who chooses Track not because it’s that beneficial, but because they’ve spent a lot of time hunting particular NPCs, and I suggest that DMs work with their players to come up with logical, appropriate specializations instead of power-gaming nonsense.
Here are some possible examples, but players and DMs are encouraged to come up with their own specializations as fit the campaign in which they play:
Appraise: Gems, Metals, Weapons and Armor, Artwork
Balance: Slippery Surfaces, Narrow Walkways
Bluff: Feinting, Telling Lies, Creating a Diversion, Creating Innuendo
Climb: Walls, Vegetation, Catching Yourself when Falling, Ropes
Concentration: Casting on the Defensive, Taking Damage while Casting, Casting while Distracted
Craft: The possibilities are endless—Craft (weaponmaking) <Bastard Swords>, for example
Decipher Script: Codes, Ciphers, Unknown Languages
Diplomacy: Etiquette, Saying the Right Thing, Wooing the Opposite Sex
Disable Device: Mundane Traps, Magical Traps, Resetting Traps
Disguise: Any humanoid race, gender, or age category could be a specialization
Escape Artist: Ropes, Manacles, Grapples
Forgery: Documents, Money, Signatures
Gather Information: News, Personas, Vendors
Handle Animal: Any animal type, Pushing an Animal, Training an Animal
Heal: Identifying or treating Diseases, Identifying or treating Poisons, Long term Care
Hide: Using Darkness, Using Cover, Sniping
Intimidate: Veiled Threats, Physical Violence, Demoralizing
Jump: Jumping down, Long jumping, High jumping, Standing Jumps
Knowledge: Really anything. Really.
Listen: Attentiveness, Eavesdropping, Hearing Sneaking Opponents
Move Silently: Underbrush, Hard Surfaces, Armored
Open Lock: Doors, Chests, Padlocks
Perform: See the Knowledge skill
Profession: See Craft
Ride: Any specific Animal, Dismounting, Mounting, Acrobatic Feats
Search: Traps, Secret Doors/Compartments, Riffling, Concealed Weapons
Sense Motive: Detecting Lies, Hunches, Sensing Enchantments, Receiving Innuendo
Sleight of Hand: Pick-pocketing, Legerdemain, Concealing Weapons
Spellcraft: Identifying cast spells, Identifying ongoing spell effects, Identifying Auras
Spot: Noticing details, locating enemies, reading lips
Survival: Not getting Lost, tracking, Finding food
Swim: Staying Afloat, Moving from place to place, Extremely Rough Water
Tumble: Escaping Threatened Areas, Moving Through Enemy’s Squares, Falling
Use Magic Device: Wands, Arcane Scrolls, Divine Scrolls, Faking Ability Scores
Use Rope: Securing Ropes for Climbing, Restraining Enemies, Splicing
Last, I’d like to put out a strong word of warning. Though mentioned generally above, this new system holds a powerful ability to become overpowered if not monitored carefully and correctly. Individual DMs must be willing to work with and stand up to their players if they wish to incorporate some form of skill specializations. With that in mind, each individual DM should consider specializations and decide which are appropriate for his game and which would be inappropriate due to power or content. I feel, though, that making these decisions are a simple problem that any dedicated DM can overcome with only a small effort, and, in turn, introduce into his game an awarding new system that will help more greatly differentiate his PCs, NPCs, and game environment. Good gaming!
