Basic Fantasy RPG Forums

Post your comments here for the Secondary Skills Supplement.

https://www.basicfantasy.org/downloads. ... daryskills

When performing a skill check, is the level of the skill or the character level looked up at the ability roll table? Like when a level 10 character performs a skill check with a skill that's also level 10, is the target a 12, because the skill is level 10 or is the target a 2 because the character is level 10 and he gets a +10 bonus because of the skill being level 10(attribute modifier ignored in this example)?

Also do the PCs get all the general skills and their class skills at level 1 or do they have to spent 1 skill point to get them to level 1?

Hope those question aren't to stupid, i just didn't fully understand the explanation.

P.S. on every even page there is written "New Spells" in the header

Here's a proposed R2. Fixed the header as noted by Elouin, and a few other small corrections.
Edit: now on the Downloads page

(FYI: I just noticed there was an r2 for this supplement. The downloads page only lists v1.)

Does a starting character start at level 1 for every skill within the General skills list and their specific class list, or is there a set number of skill levels awarded at first level? It looks to be the former, but I wanted to be sure.

Also, I suggest instead of referencing the optional Ability Rolls Chart from the core rules just state that skills at level zero (the non class skills) have a target of 20, level 1 skills target at 17, and thereafter the target drops by 1 for every two skill levels after 1. Thus, levels 2-3 have a target of 16, levels 4-5 have a target of 15, and so on down to a target of 7 for a level 20 skill.

Announcing!

Secondary Skills Supplement, Release 2 -- August 02, 2021
James Lemon has provided this updated version of the Secondary Skills supplement.

https://basicfantasy.org/downloads.html#secondaryskills

I am confused on the mechanics of this supplement. Is the intention similar to 3.5?

Skill modifier = skill rank + ability modifier + miscellaneous modifiers

So if I have a skill such as Spellcraft with INT as the ability and I have 12 Intelligence and am a third level magic user with three levels (the max for my level) of Spellcraft I roll d20 + 3 skill rank + 1 ability + 0 misc (in this example) vs. a target of 16 from the optional rules chart?

I think I've figured it out, but the mechanic is ambiguously worded.

Usually the target number for an ability roll is determined by character level and a roll is made against that number with the ability modifier added. With this supplement, however, you choose the target number according to skill level (ignoring character level) and roll against that number adding the modifier of the parent ability.

The supplement needs a rework on how the rules work, specially because it causes confusion when using the Ability Roll Chart.

Another issue that I see is that the Ability Roll Chart improves by 1 every 2 levels causing that using points on skills not always results in an improvement, plus, having 1 rank in a non-ranked class skill or general skill has the same targets as having 1 rank in them.

The supplement says that the roll is modified by the Ability Score, it should be "modifier" or "bonus".

Finally, the supplement says that "all the character's skill starts at level 1" but it does not says how to determine starting skills.

I suggest some changes like these:

I've been trying to wrap my head around this supplement and failing, the wording of this section confuses me (and actually covers gaining and using skills mashed together)

All of the character's skills start at level 1 and use the target number on the ability roll chart. When the player performs a skill action he or she rolls the d20, modified by the ability score of the skill. The roll must be greater than or equal to the target number on the Ability Rolls chart in
the Optional Rules section of the Basic Fantasy RPG Core Rules. Every level after 1st, the character gets 3 skill level points that he or she can apply to any skill or skills as sees fit, so long as the skill level does not exceed his or her character level.

I'm thinking splitting it into separate paragraphs worded a little more clearly, I also think the wording for gaining skills is both confusing and gives too much? it sounds like it actually gives you every skill at level 1, I would suggest something like;

A character begins at unskilled with all secondary skills, but starting at level 1 and every level from then on they receive 3 skill level points that he or she can apply to any skill or skills from the General or their appropriate class list, so long as the skill level does not exceed his or her
character level.

as for the using of secondary skills, to keep it simple and use existing rules even if they are optional...

When the player performs a skill action he or she rolls 1d20 and adds his or her Ability Bonus as indicated in the skill description and also adds the skill level, as well as any situational bonus or penalty the GM assigns. The adjusted roll must be greater than or equal to the target number on the Ability Rolls chart in the Optional Rules section of the Basic Fantasy RPG Core Rules.

and to keep the mechanic closer aligned to the ability roll mechanic in the core rules;

All skills on another class list are considered non-skilled. These skills cannot be raised through the use of skill level points. Using a nonskilled skill from the general list, your character's class, or another classes skill is a straight Ability Roll as per the optional rules section of the Basic Fantasy RPG Core Rules.

If you want to keep non class skills less useable by other classes you could add a blanket -3 situational modifier on them.

One last thing, Thieves seem to have a lot of Class Skills and the Knowledge (rumors around town) skill doesn't really seem to fit in a class skill list to me, I would move it into the General Skills Knowledge skill list.

Sorry for being the new guy throwing all these suggestions about, but this has been the only supplement or rules section I've found confusing and felt had extra complexity it didn't need.

Here's the start of r3. I've included some of Dimirag's and Boggo's items, but this definitely needs more work before a new version is put on Downloads.