4 meta skills

[rabindranath72]

If you had to abstract the skill system (including combat) to just 4 meta skills, which categories would you use? These would also replace ability scores, so they would be quite "horizontal" and definitely application-oriented.
For example, I was thinking about (each of these sets has a different focus):
- Fighting, Prowess, Lore, Communication.
- Fighting, Exploration, Lore, Leadership
- Fighting, Thieving, Surviving, Commanding

 

[Spectator]

Not sure that Fighting was ever a skill, how would it be applied?
I see the point you make w/ survival/ leadership/ thieving/ etc..
But I always thought combat is pure ability, which is why fighters don't need/ get skill points really.

In anycase, you know how I feel on the whole Conan/ d20 skill issue.
Who needs them?

 

[rabindranath72]

Not sure that Fighting was ever a skill, how would it be applied?
I see the point you make w/ survival/ leadership/ thieving/ etc..
But I always thought combat is pure ability, which is why fighters don't need/ get skill points really.

In anycase, you know how I feel on the whole Conan/ d20 skill issue.
Who needs them?

I am working on a S&S rpg, which will be quite far from the d20 system, both in philosophy and execution. I am completely dispensing from abilities and skills in the d20 sense. The aim is to arrive at a minimal set of "abilities" which would be used to convey the dynamics of S&S yarns, i.e. focused on action and the broad expertise of characters. So Conan in this system would have high fighting ability, pretty good exploring skills etc. The old TSR Conan game or the Marvel Super heroes game are examples of this idea, though I would abstract things even more.

 

[Jotenbjorn]

I'd go with Combat, Mana, Lore, and Leadership.