Skill Changes

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Overview


TDN has many custom changes and additions to skills. Below is a summary on what has been adjusted.


  • Skill points cannot be banked between levels - all of them must be spent during each level gained
  • A system that links two skills for the same investment as one, see the "Skillsets" section below
  • A system that assigns two bonus skill points per level, see the "Bonus Social Skill" section below
  • Skills renamed:
    • Diplomacy, previously Persuade
    • Sleight of Hand, previously Pickpocket
    • Knowledge: Arcana, previously Lore
  • Skills added:
    • Linguistics
    • Sense Motive
    • Knowledge: World
    • Knowledge: Religion
    • Knowledge: Sciences
    • Knowledge; Nature
  • Skills removed:
    • Craft Armor
    • Craft Weapon
    • Parry
  • The Lore skill has been split into 5 Knowledge skills
  • All Knowledges have mechanical uses, either in the examine system or through PoI (Points of Interest)
  • The following skills have been made available for all classes:
    • Bluff
    • Diplomacy (Previously Persuade)
    • Intimidate
    • Taunt
    • Perform
    • Sense Motive (New)
    • Linguistics (New)
    • Knowledge: Arcane (Previously Lore)
    • Knowledge: World (New)
    • Knowledge: Nature (New)
    • Knowledge: Religion (New)







Bonus Social Skills

TDN has a system of bonus skill point that can be allocated to a set number of skills. They are provided after levelling up in a separate NUI Window, see example below.

The following skills are eligible for bonus skill points:
  • Knowledge: World
  • Knowledge: Religion
  • Knowledge: Sciences
  • Knowledge: Nature
  • Diplomacy

Characters receive 2 points per level to distribute to any of the above skills, for a total of 36 points at level 18.

Despite TDN 11 limiting most skills to 14, these skills may be raised to 21, the maximum at level 18.

Note that due to how NWN level-up works, you may be able to exceed the skill point cap in these skills during level up. If that happens, the skill will be returned to the level-appropriate value and the points spent will be refunded as bonus skill points.

The bonus skill points remain even if they are not selected right away, and they can be accessed at any time by using the !bonusskill or !bskill commands.


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Skillsets

TDN has introduced the combination of two previously separate skills into single ones known as "Skillsets." Each point spent into a skillset will add one point each to both linked skills. The linked skills affected by a skillset are visible but inaccessible during level-up/character creation, and the points are applied to the linked skills after completion of level-up.
  • "Handle Trap" will raise both Disable Trap and Set Trap.
  • "Stealth" will raise both Hide and Move Silently.
  • "Perception" will raise both Spot and Listen.

Item & spell bonuses are unaffected, meaning that spells and item bonuses do not affect the skillset but the individual skills. There are currently no plans to add item affixes that add bonuses to both linked skills.

It is not possible to Skill Focus a Skillset. Skill Focus only affects individual skills.

In many cases, if a class had one of the skills in a skillset as a class skill, the skillset has been marked as a class skill.





Skill Changes



Barter
Functions the same as vanilla appraise, but is now modified by charisma.



Concentration
Besides its classic use of continuing a the casting of a spell while sustaining damage, the Concentration skill has been improved to give it the ability to impact threat generation via melee attacks.

For every 5 (soft) ranks of Concentration, a character can generate equivalent threat to one additional hostile target near them. This additional threat generation is applied with every attack, essentially functioning as an AoE threat as long as the character fights.

Example: 10 Concentration = 3 total targets (main + 2 additional) receive the threat of a single melee attack.

Important: This is automatically disabled and can be enabled with the !cthreat command. A setting can be enabled in the player menu (!menu) so the enabled status of this command is remembered through resets.

Note that this mode is mutually exclusive with the Intimidate threat mode. They cannot be combined.



Craft Armor & Craft Weapons
These skills have been removed. A custom crafting system is in the works.




Diplomacy
The character can change others' attitudes with a successful check. In negotiations, participants roll opposed Diplomacy checks to see who gains the advantage. Opposed checks also resolve cases when two advocates or diplomats plead opposite cases in a hearing before a third party.

Note that this is primarily a PvE (PoI) and DM event skill.



Intimidate
Besides its social use, the Intimidate skill has been improved to give it the ability to impact threat generation via melee attacks.

For every 5 (soft) ranks of Intimidate, a character can generate equivalent threat to one additional hostile target near them. This additional threat generation is applied with every attack, essentially functioning as an AoE threat as long as the character fights.

Example: 10 Intimidate = 3 total targets (main + 2 additional) receive the threat of a single melee attack.

Important: This is automatically disabled and can be enabled with the !ithreat command. A setting can be enabled in the player menu (!menu) so the enabled status of this command is remembered through resets.

Note that this mode is mutually exclusive with the Concentration threat mode. They cannot be combined.



Linguistics
This skill represents a character's skill with language, both in its spoken and written forms. It is not a class skill for any class and needs to be purchased for double points.

Linguistics is used by the language system, which is still under development. See the Languages page and discord news for more up-to-date information.


Deciphering scripts with a DM:

A character can attempt deciphering writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written in an incomplete or archaic form. As a guideline, the base DC may be 20 for the simplest messages, 25 for standard texts and 30 or higher for intricate, exotic, or very old writing.
If the check succeeds, the character understands the general content of a piece of writing about one page long.
If the check fails, a DM may roll a hidden Wisdom check for the player to see if the character draws false conclusions about the text.
Note that deciphering script is rarely swift. The time needed may range from a few minutes of study and contemplation to days, weeks or even months of concentrated work.



Lore & Knowledge Skills

To allow characters to be more well-rounded in terms of what they are familiar with, TDN has split up the Lore skill into five.

  • Knowledge: Arcana
    • Used to Identify Magical Items the same way as lore previously.
    • Ancient mysteries, magic traditions, arcane symbols, cryptic phrases, constructs, dragons, magical beasts.

  • Knowledge: Nature
    • Animals, fey, giants, monstrous humanoids, plants, seasons and cycles, weather, vermin.
    • Knowledge: Dungeoneering (aberrations, caverns, oozes, spelunking)
    • Knowledge: Geography (lands, terrain, climate, people)
    • In addition to being a Knowledge skill, this skill also acts as the PnP equivalent of Survival.

  • Knowledge: World
    • Political Information (countries, important cities and trade routes, current sociopolitical climates)
    • History (royalty, wars, colonies, migrations, founding of cities)
    • Local (legends, personalities, inhabitants, laws, customs, traditions, humanoids) - Note that this can be local either to Amn or to a character's home region.
    • Nobility and Royalty (lineages, heraldry, family trees, mottoes, personalities)

  • Knowledge: Religion
    • Knowledge: The Planes (the Inner Planes, the Outer Planes, the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, outsiders, elementals, magic related to the planes)
    • Gods and goddesses, mythic history, ecclesiastic tradition, holy symbols, undead.
    • Clerics and other divine followers are entitled to a bonus of +10 regarding their particular deity.

  • Knowledge: Sciences
Scientific knowledge combines the disciplines listed below, as well as other technical and academic pursuits.
  • Mathematics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Engineering
  • Architecture
  • Dungeoneering

Use of knowledge skills serves primarily to recall important information in DM events, provide interesting tidbits at Points of Interest and to learn about creatures and monsters in character.


Identifying Items
This is an automatic Knowledge: Arcana check when you examine an unidentified item. Knowledge: Arcana has replaced the vanilla Lore skill.

Points of Interest
A hidden roll is made automatically when a character is in the proximity of a PoI (Point of Interest). If the check passes, an informative message will appear in the combat log.

Creature Information
Upon examining a creature in game, a character who passes the appropriate knowledge check will both be able to identify it as well as a bit of useful information about that creature. In general, the DC of such checks equals 10 + the monster’s HD. This roll is made automatically when examining a compatible monster and the knowledge gained will show up on the examine window in green.
Note that creature names are considered meta information and should not be used to identify creatures in-character that a character hasn't seen before. Some liberty can be taken with this in regards to animals common to a character's background.

DM Interaction
A player can ask a DM what their character may know about a situation based on their knowledge skill.


If you know more than your character and like to utilize knowledge rolls to see what your character would know, a general guideline for DCs would be 10 for easy questions or commonly known information, 15 for basic questions and moderately accessible information and 20 to 40 for difficult questions and more obscure knowledge. Note that all rolls between players are voluntary and not enforced by staff.


On TDN, a character's points in knowledge skills are meant to represent a focus on something within a field rather than the whole of it. This is to encourage knowledge diversity between characters in game, Players are encouraged to choose something that fits their character from the list above.



Parry
This skill has been removed.



Sense Motive
Mechanically, Sense Motive plays a part in the Disguise system. An examiner who succeeds in the Sense Motive check will receive a notification that “something is amiss” with the individual they are examining.

You can also use this skill socially with other players to assess someone's trustworthiness and to avoid being bluffed.

Note, however, that all social rolls between players are meant to be completely voluntary and are not enforced by staff. The only time social rolls would be enforced is when a DM prompts them in an event.



Sleight of Hand
Sleight of Hand has replaced Pickpocket as a skill.

Roleplay information:
  • A DC 10 Sleight of Hand check lets you palm a coin-sized, unattended object. Performing a minor feat of legerdemain, such as making a coin disappear, also has a DC of 10 unless an observer is determined to note where the item went.
  • When you use this skill under close observation, your skill check is opposed by the observer’s Spot check. The observer’s success doesn’t prevent you from performing the action, just from doing it unnoticed.
  • You can hide a small object (including a light weapon or an easily concealed ranged weapon, such as a dart, sling, or hand crossbow) on your body. Your Sleight of Hand check is opposed by the Spot check of anyone observing you or the Search check of anyone frisking you. In the latter case, the searcher gains a +4 bonus on the Search check, since it’s generally easier to find such an object than to hide it. A dagger is easier to hide than most light weapons, and grants you a +2 bonus on your Sleight of Hand check to conceal it. An extraordinarily small object, such as a coin, shuriken, or ring, grants you a +4 bonus on your Sleight of Hand check to conceal it, and heavy or baggy clothing (such as a cloak) grants you a +2 bonus on the check.

Mechanical Use:
  • Sleight of Hand has been reworked to focus entirely on silver (money) theft from the target. Calculation: d20 + Sleight of Hand vs d20 + Spot
  • Possible silver amount to steal: 1d10.
  • Will not work on targets with less than 50 silver, or those that are not humanoid/civilized (no orcs/goblins etc).
  • The skill can only be used to pick a pocket once per hour.


Spellcraft
Spellcraft grants +1 to saving throws against spells every 7 ranks, instead of every 5 ranks.

The Spellcraft DC for successfully identifying a cast spell has been increased to 25 + spell level.



Taunt
Taunt has been reworked from base-game mechanics. Taunt will now function as a single-target threat boost, does not impact the target's AC and no longer fires an animation. This is intended to allow players an opportunity to peel enemies away from vulnerable party members. Note that Taunt does not work in PvP.

Threat calculation: d20 + Taunt Skill rank (soft)

Cooldown: 120 seconds



Tumble
This skill is used to avoid Attacks of Opportunity (DC 15).

It also increases AC Dodge by +1 for every 5 ranks.

A character wearing Heavy Armor of Tower Shields will have their extra AC Dodge disabled, though they can still roll to avoid Attacks of Opportunity.



Use Magic Device
This skill has seen a number of changes. Most notably, a character using a wand or scroll with a spell that they are not of a high enough level to cast naturally must succeed a UMD check even if the spell appears on the spell list of one of the character's classes. This skill uses soft ranks for calculations.

More details can be found here.
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