Skills & intelligence?

[Sedric the Hero]

I was skimming through 'The Players guide to the Hyborian Age" when i found this line "One of the high points of Conan the Roleplaying Game is the way bonus skill points for high intelligence is handled. Bonus points may be spent on any skill as if they were class skills, including rank caps."

This line stunned me because i didn't know this...i've searched the 2e rule book and can NOT find where this is spelled out...it certainly isn't at the beginning of the book where the Intelligence stat is described.

Can anyone help me tell me where this is spelled out?

 

[Hervé]

2nd EditionRulebook p.86, first page of the Skills Chapter:

For this reason, although all characters have to worry about class and cross-class skills when allocating skill points gained from their class, any bonus skill points gained through a high Intelligence are more flexible. These bonus skill points may be spent on any skill without penalty. In effect, all skills are treated as class skills for the various skill points gained through having a high Intelligence. This applies both at 1st level and at subsequent levels.

First page of the Skills chapter, first paragraph. You didn't search a lot, did you? :wink:

 

[Sedric the Hero]

It doesn't exactly clearly SPELL IT OUT in that paragraph..it kind of backwardly tells you that by saying "If you buy skills not of your class (cross class skills) with the skill points you gain from class, as opposed to bonus skill points from high intelligence, you must spend 2 skill points to get one rank."

It's a very awkward way of saying this...the smart thing would be to clearly spell this out in an additional sentence..ie "If you buy skills not of your class (cross class skills) with the skill points you gain from class, you must spend 2 skill points to get one rank. Note that cross class skills purchased with skill points derived from high intelligence only cost 1 skill point per rank" or something similar.

I completely missed this particular detail mostly i think cuz i'm used to playing 3.5 D&D and the wording probably confused my tiny brain :?

 

[VincentDarlage]

Which is one reason why I clarified it a bit in the Player's Guide. I think a lot of people who are used to 3.5 don't realize this rule exists. I suspect most 3.x players don't even bother reading the rules in the skills section and just assume the rules are the same.

 

[Garet]

We actually use this in our 3.5 game also. Its great for a fighter character so he can get a few odd skills with very few points.

I took sense motive and even at few points it really has been nice.

 

[VincentDarlage]

I do too. The rule definitely allows for a massive difference in the abilities of an intelligent warrior vs. the dumb brute. This rule causes players to think twice about using Intelligence as a throw-away stat for fighters.

 

[Sutek]

It's pretty explicit in the Atlantean Edition too...and I point it out every chance I get! (lol) It's a real great way around the "problem" of cross class skills given that characters with high INT won't suffer from the 2:1 penalty as badly so a really smart soldier can be a great Survavalist...or whatever...

 

[cbrunish]

I think that it also makes it easier to have a character one really appreciates. For example a soldier takes the noble feat and uses his bonus skills towards diplomacy, sense motive, and knowlege (nobility). Just one example of what you can do with a character. All my characters have at least a 12 in Int for that reason. Bravo to Mongoose for that rule!!!

 

[jolt]

I had missed it too until I played in a game this past GenCon and the GM happened to mention it. Coming from 3.5, even if you read the book cover to cover, you tend to subconsciously read only looking for the differences and skim over areas that appear identical (even if they're not).

I also like the rule and would use it if I ever play a straight 3.5 game again. It's a boon to any class that has a poor class skill list (even the mage!).

jolt

 

[Sutek]

It wasn't really written as well as it could have been to express the flexibility as it could have been, and I'm going solely by Atlanrean edition here. I don't know how it's written in 2nd.

It's easy to miss though.

Coupled with the ability to try 'trained only' skills without training, COnan has one of the best variations of the skills system under 2.X OGL, as far as I'm concerned.