Using D20 Modern for T20: The Skills

[tjoneslo]

Skills
If you are starting with D20 Modern and D20 Future the big change is the introduction of the Technical skill. This cascade skill encompasses a number of skills in D20 Modern. In particular it replaces and expands upon Computer Use, Disable Device, Repair, and Treat Injury. Technical also incorporates some aspects of the Craft skill. Technical is a cascade skill, meaning you must pick one of 13 sub-skills when selecting the skill. The second largest change is Profession is now a cascade skill, with six sub-skills. I added Leader from the D20 SRD (and T20), and the new skills of Forward Observer, Gunnery, and Use Alien Device from the THB. The Knowledge (Arcane Lore) has been changed to Knowledge (Psionics) to better reflect the arcane lore in Traveller. There is a new Knowledge (Ancients Lore) skill.

If you are starting from T20 the biggest change is the cascade skills (Craft, Knowledge, Entertain, Professional, Technical) have a fixed list of broad sub-skills, which you are discouraged from adding to. The Ancients Lore skill has become a Knowledge skill. The Appraise skill has been incorporated into the Knowledge skill. The Animal Empathy skill has been subsumed into the Handle Animal skill. The Diplomacy skill takes the functions of the Bribery, Liaison, and Recruiting skills. The Entertain skill has been renamed back to Perform and given a specific list of broad categories. The Innuendo and Intuit Direction skills have been removed.

In addition to the changes to support D20 Modern skill set, I've made other changes. The Combat Engineering skill has been incorporated into the Technical skill, specifically the Technical (Structural). The Navigation skill has been renamed Navigate (as in D20 Modern) and incorporates the T/Astrogation skill. The P/Prospecting and P/Survey are now Technical skills. The P/Hunting skill has been removed, the tracking is part of Survival, and administration is part of the Profession (Administration) skill. The Trader and Broker skills are incorporated into Profession (Sales) skill.

Complete Skill List
Balance (Dex)
Bluff (Cha)
Climb (Str)
Concentration (Wis)
Craft (Int) (Chemical, Electronic, Mechanical, Structural, Pharmaceutical, Visual Arts, Writing)
Decipher Script (Int)
Demolitions (Int)
Diplomacy (Cha)
Disguise (Cha)
Drive (Dex)
Escape Artist (Dex)
Forgery (Int)
Forward Observer (Int) (T20)
Gamble (Wis)
Gather Information (Cha)
Gunnery (Wis) (T20)
Handle Animal (Cha)
Hide (Dex)
Intimidate (Cha)
Investigate (Int)
Jump (Str)
Knowledge (Int)(Ancients Lore, Art, Behavioral Sciences, Business, Civics, Current Events, Earth and Life Sciences, History, Physical Sciences, Popular Culture, Psionics, Streetwise, Tactics, Technology, Theology and Philosophy)
Leader (Int/Cha) (T20)
Listen (Wis)
Move Silently (Dex)
Navigate (Int)
Perform (Cha) (Act, Dance, Keyboards, Percussion Instruments, Sing, Stand-up, String Instruments, Wind Instruments)
Pilot (Dex)
Profession (Wis) (Art, Administration, Civics, Education, Manufacturing, Sales)
Read/Write Language (None)
Research (Int)
Ride (Dex)
Search (Int)
Sense Motive (Wis)
Sleight of Hand (Dex)
Speak Language (None)
Spot (Wis)
Survival (Wis)
Swim (Str)
Technical (Edu) (Chemical, Communications, Computer, Electronics, Engineering, Gravitics, Mechanical, Medical, Pharmaceutical, Prospecting, Structural, Sensors, Survey) (T20)
Tumble (Dex)
Use Alien Device (Wis) (T20)

 

[Spinward Scout]

The thing that always bothered me with the Knowledge skill is that in a highly advanced society like the Traveller universe, there is nothing taking into account for generic schooling. I think there should be a General Knowledge skill to reflect what everyone might learn along the way. Kinda like Jack-of-all-Trades. Did I go to college for History? No, but I know a lot of it, because I had a great history teacher in High School. That type of thing. Something that would give me an edge playing Traveller Trivial Pursuit, but not help me fix a JumpDrive.

Any ideas?

Scout

 

[mike wightman]

Just use an Education based saving throw to remember schooling.
Or possibly add EDU and INT bonuses.

In CT I used to have characters roll against EDU in order to remember basic science, maths, etc. if it was ever relevant.

 

[tjoneslo]

As Sigg says, that's what Education (or Intelligence) is for, the Knowlege skill can be used untrained. The d20 Modern Knowledge sub-skills are broad enough that one or two skill ranks in each ought to cover a general education. I would suggest that 4 skill ranks in Current Events and Popular Culture would make you a killer Trivial Pursuit player.

 

[TKalbfus]

I think it is a curious notion that a Soc Ability score is affixed to a character rather than the society that regards the character. For instance a technically advanced group of PCs might be worshipped as gods on a primitive planet since from the primitive point of view, they can work magic and so therefore must be gods. On that planet each one of the PCs would have a high SOC score, but on another planet they would be regarded as mothing special.

 

[tjoneslo]

The Soc score is supposed to be attached to the society, just the society it is attached to is the Imperium. You are correct that if you are dealing with multiple independent societies, you should have a different SOC score for each one, but oh the book keeping requirements...

 

[Kirth]

I have a question.

Why didn't you just replace the craft skill with the Technical skill?

Other than that, I think you did an awesome job.
Thanks.

 

[tjoneslo]

Because Visual Arts and Writing are both Crafts, not Technical skills. I decided if I'm going to leave part of the cascade skill, I might as well leave the whole thing.

You are correct, the Technical skill largely replaces the Craft skill, and therefore Craft should largely go away. But not entirely.

 

[Kevin Livingston]

I just want to add to the praises of tjoneslo. Great Job!

 

[Kevin Livingston]

:::BUMP:::

 

[Kirth]

Was there any thought to using any of this in 2320AD?

 

[tjoneslo]

As far as I can tell, the 2320AD project was largely through the playtest when I start posting here. I wasn't involved in the 2320AD playtest so didn't feel a dumping a large half baked idea to restructure the entire character creation system was in good form.

 

[Kirth]

ok

 

[BrennanHawkwood]

Originally posted by tjoneslo:

Craft (Int) (Chemical, Electronic, Mechanical, Structural, Pharmaceutical, Visual Arts, Writing)

Technical (Edu) (Chemical, Communications, Computer, Electronics, Engineering, Gravitics, Mechanical, Medical, Pharmaceutical, Prospecting, Structural, Sensors, Survey) (T20)

What are you considering the difference between Craft(Chemical) and Technical(Chemical) to be? The same question applies to Electronic/Electronics, Mechanical and Pharmaceutical.

 

[tjoneslo]

Essentially, none. I really should get rid of the Craft (Chemical, Electronic, Mechanical, Structural, Phramaceutical) skills. But as I said above, I have no place to move the Craft (Visual Arts, Writing) skills. So rather than destroy the Craft skill, I decided to leave it untouched. I could come up with a subtle set of differences but that goes against the idea of using very generic skills.

Given you are the second person to bring this up, I'll remove the duplicate craft skills.

 

[loconius]

why not dump the technical skill? every skill in its field can be expanded in another of d20 modern/future's skills already present.

craft(Chemical), , Computer use, craft(Electronics), knowledge(Engineering), knowledge or craft(Gravitics), craft(Mechanical), , craft(Pharmaceutical), profession(Prospecting), craft(Structural) , profession(Survey)

Communications, Medical, Sensors are really covered by other skills (computer use, treat injury, and computer use) but you could make them profession skills...?

i like what you did with the other skills though, good job!

 

[tjoneslo]

Using the Technical skill is a game design decision about where and how I want the players to focus their character's abilites.

I don't like the way Computer use, Disable Device, and Repair are these incredibly broad skills.

The Computer Use skill as written in the D20 Future book covers the abilities of programming, hacking, and using about a dozen or more devices which may or may not require a computer. This works ok if the "Computer" is a godlike AI (cf Star Trek) of whom you need to simply ask the right question.

The reason to have (for example) Technical (Electronics), is becaue would replace the Craft (Electronics) (build electronics), Repair (Fix electronics and everthing else), Disable Device (Break electronics and everything else), Profession (Electronics) (make money with electronics), and provide a different focus for the way skills are used.

I've tried to make it clear in the document (not yet posted) that if you want to have a more powers oriented game, you can switch the skills back to the original. But I feel Traveller needs a broader set of more technical skills.

 

[loconius]

i think i understand what your saying, where as computer use and disable device are broad in a gaming mechanics kind of view, Technical(electronics) is broad in a more game world perspective. my initial qualm with changing things was that with a select number of skill points, you don't wanna have players wasting points on very specific skills. but from your last post, they aren't necessarily more specific, just focused differently...

 

[loconius]

i just don't like the idea of technical(sensors)... that is an entire skill used to do one thing!! you should some up technical (sensors) and acouple other one use skills under technical(electronics)

 

[tjoneslo]

How's this for an idea:
T/Communication goes into T/Electronics.
T/Sensors goes into T/Survey
T/Gravtics goes into T/Engineering
T/Pharm goes into both T/Medical and T/Chemical
T/Prospecting goes into T/Survey.

This reduces the Technical skill count from 13 to 8. Broader skills, but still focused on the game world perspective rather than the game effects.