Using stats as bonus to exp rolls

[weasel_fierce]

One option to reduce the feeling that your stats arent terribly important after you make your character, is to use them as a bonus to your exp rolls.

If you roll to improve a skill, add its governing stat (or half the stat or whatnot) to the experience roll.
If it uses two stats, add them together and divide by 2 (or 4).

It makes it a bit easier to progress, which Im okay with, and slightly increases the benefit of stats, without making it too D&D

 

[Quintus]

I like it...also provides a chance to progress beyond 75%, without wasting 3/4 of your Improvement Rolls on them. As a matter of fact, did not the old system have something similar...my memory eludes me. But I like it...

I also decided to either add another stat, or add a generic +10% to all skills that have only 1 stat and no bonus for it (most skills). Riding for example, has Dex + Pow. Why? Persistance has a +10...why? All races are more Persistant? Or only some...no idea what methedology they used to figure out their skill system..very odd. Don't understand their reasons. Young adults wrestle, fight fist battles etc before they learn weapon craft, if at all. Yet they know how to ride better, never having ever seen a horse, or whatever.

Odd...

Q...

 

[weasel_fierce]

A few of them are kinda quirky, but I dont worry too much about that. For the ones that are "stat+10", I figure they just wanted higher base chances than normal.

 

[zanshin]

I allow players to add their intelligence to the experience roll

It both makes sense (if you are clever you learn stuff quicker) and make INT a more important stat.

 

[algauble]

Elsewhere and earlier there was discussion of using RQ3-style Skill Categories with a different base % determined by Category, so all Agility skills might be DEX + STR, all Perception skills might be INT + 1/2 CON + 1/2 POW. I think when this idea gets brought up, there usually follow discussions about what would be the right mix of stats and categories, along the lines of "I think Perception should be INT + CON instead" or "Perception should be a skill and not a category" or "Using STR for Agility skills makes elephants too agile and cats not agile enough". As we've seen, the current set-up doesn't avoid this problem, either, anyway.
I think Mongoose went with skill-specific base %'s to allow for greater customization of skills. Instead of shoe-horning all skills into one of 7 or 8 categories, you can choose the best combo of stats for that skill.
The use of 10+POW and similar I think is meant to stand in for two stats where only one seems to be a good fit. The could have used POWx2 just as well.
As for those skills that just use one stat without the +10? I think they're meant to be more difficult skills.
Does that sound about right?