What About Skills? A Wide and Wieldy System

 "Froken Selmer" from Codex Agea

"Skills" are a dirty-word in OSR circles, not for what they represent, but because of how they so-often work in RPGs. 

Often, every character has a list of the same 10 or so skills with a particular numerical bonus tied to an Ability Score and how many points of training they put into that skill during character creation.

During the game, a challenge is presented and the table goes around asking "Who has the highest skill in this?" And then that person will make a roll. It's fine, I suppose, but a tad boring.

Worse yet, if the first character fails, every other character attempts the challenge in descending order, until the untrained individual somehow rolls a Critical, proving that "book-learning isn't everything". The skilled character wonders why they spent so long in university when they could have been boozing and shooting darts.

Some of this comes down to GMing methods, but a lot of it is reflective of the systems we use.

Because of my distaste for the above, I've tended to use a very simple, frankly under-developed, skill system. I favor giving characters useful things from class features or adventuring.

That said, it's the practice of the GLoG to give every class an array of skills from which to pick or roll during character creation, and the question often comes up, "What can I actually do with this?"

Here, dear reader, are some options.

Using Skills

Skills are useful for:

• Knowing Information
• Performing Complex Tasks
• Crafting Items
• Earning an Income

Knowing Information

A character with a practical skill knows everything about common tasks related to that skill, and knows the common myths and lore of that skill. For rarer information related to the skill, there's a 3-in-6 chance of knowing, rolled by the PC.

A character with a knowledge-based skill has studied the topic in-depth. They may simply know a monster's weakness, the medicinal uses of local botany, the whereabouts of legendary items, or the whispered secrets of political on-goings. Generally they should not need to roll to know information related to their skill, except for the most carefully guarded secrets, and even then, they'll know where to start asking.

Performing Complex Tasks

For a long time, this was the bulk of my "Skill System". While it's technically enough, I've found that having a handful of more interesting options creates interesting gameplay choices.

If a skilled character attempts an action related to their skill which an unskilled character could roll for, they simply succeed.

If the task is ruled particularly difficult by the GM for any reason, they gain an appropriate bonus such as Advantage or +4.

Crafting Items

A character with a skill related to crafting needs a Workshop, Materials, and Time in order to craft an item related to that skill. Items that can be purchased in town can be crafted at a lower cost. Rarer items can be crafted by gaining recipes through adventuring or Study (a downtime activity).

• WORKSHOPS may be rented for 10 GP per week if necessary. If a PC is in good standing with a character or faction that has access to a workshop, they need not pay the fee.
• MATERIALS: Crafting typically allows PCs to make common items at a fraction of the cost compared to purchasing them pre-made. The exact material cost depends on the item made, but typically ranges from 25-75% of a finished item. Items with a low material cost tend to have a higher time-cost, and vice versa.
• TIME: The GM decides how long it takes to craft a particular item, choosing from 10-minutes, an hour, a day, a week, or two weeks.
• RECIPES allow PCs to create items not typically purchasable in towns. They often require rare ingredients that can only be found by adventuring. These ingredients are not necessarily specific (E.G. "A Red Dragon's Heart"), but tied to a particular trait (E.G. A Source of Magical Fire). 
• MASTERWORKS: Whenever a player crafts an item using this skill system, there is a 1-in-6 chance that the item produced is a Masterwork. These items gain a +1 bonus or similar effect.

A Note on Hot Meals: A character with a "Cooking" skill may prepare a Hearty Meal if they have 1 Bulk each of Meat and Veggies. This meal feeds up to 6 characters, and allows them to regain an extra d8 HP, or a similar bonus depending on system, such as a free re-roll on the following day, a temporary max HP bonus, etc. 

Earning an Income

As a downtime activity (i.e. by working in a town for a full week) a character may earn an income depending on who is willing to pay them for their efforts.  PCs may seek out employment with a specific individual or group, or allow the GM to tell them who's hiring. Typically an interview is a short RP scene, which may or may not require a roll. Alternatively, the GM may roll a d20 to determine who hires you, perhaps with a bonus from Charisma.

• 1-5: No One is Hiring
• 6-10: Peasants: They pay you in warm (if bland) meals, and a place to sleep (as Flophouse).
• 11-14: Clergy: You earn food, lodging, and 2d4 GP per week.
• 15-17: Merchants: You earn 2d6 GP per week, after room and board.
• 18-19: Nobility (Minor): You earn 2d12 GP per week, after room and board.
• 20: Nobility (Major): You earn 2d20 GP per week, after room and board.

Characters not earning an income must pay for their lodgings, unless they are taken on as guests of a faction or individual with whom they have good standing, though staying too long may lower a PC's standing.

• Survival: You live in the wilds off whatever you can catch. You cannot have less than 2 fatigue until you sleep in a real bed, unless you are a Druid, Ranger, or similar.
• Flophouse: 3 GP / Week. The meals are hot, even if it's a bit crowded in the bunk-room. There is a 1-in-20 chance of catching some kind of disease each week. 5-in-20 during winter.
• Inn: 10 GP / Week. You get your own room, good meals, and a view looking down on the common folk.

Bonus: A Few Simple Diseases

Contagions: While infected with any of the following diseases, characters who spend the day near you have an X-in-20 chance of becoming infected, where X is the number of hours they were in the same room as you.

1. The Common Cold: Your head feels swollen, and mucus drips from your nose. While infected with a cold, you cannot have less than 2 Fatigue. Roll a save each morning to recover.
2. The Flu: You are incapacitated by vomiting, headache, and nausea. You move at 1/2 speed, and cannot have less than 3 fatigue. If you attempt to take any major action, there is a 3-in-6 chance that you vomit instead. Roll a save each morning to recover, removing after two successful saves. 
3. The Speckles: Your skin is covered in softly glowing blue specks. You gain Fatigue equal to your max MD, and whenever you cast a spell, you gain 1 fatigue. Magic Users who touch you are instantaneously infected. Roll a save each morning to recover.

Gaining a New Skill

A character may spend 50 GP and an entire week of downtime to study a new skill if a teacher is available. Roll 1d20+INT (Or similar, depending on System), and add the result to progress toward the skill. When progress reaches 50, the skill is learned. A character may have 1+INT skills, minimum 1. 

Reading a relevant book grants d10+INT progress, and can be done over a week of downtime, or a day if a character is exceptionally literate.

Wizards may craft spells using this process. Crafted spells must be GM approved.