Manual Skill Roll Guide


  • Council of Moradin

    Edit by Dorakhan: Deprecated.

    All credit to X-Kal and others who contributed to the original list. Contained herein is all of their posts with revisions by me. These are not exactly set in stone so if you find errors or need clarification, feel free to post.

    Original posts can be found at these links:
    http://www.narfell.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=17194

    http://www.narfell.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=15586

    If the skill is not built into the Emote Wand, do the following:

    1. use the emote wand to roll a d20
    2. add your modifier (might want to ask the DM what to use)
    3. type ((#roll# + #modifier# = X for #skill#)) so the people around you know or just tell them DM.

    So a 10 roll with a +8 mod you have for the skill = 18 and you can let everyone and the DM know it was an 18 by typing:
    ((10+8=18 for Animal Empathy to keep the badger from chewing my toe off))

    The DM can then figure out if 18 is good enough to keep the badger from chewing your toe off.

    @86e92f38c8:

    Difficulty Class Examples

    Difficulty (DC)
    Very Easy (0)
    Easy (5)
    Average (10)
    Tough (15)
    Challenging (20)
    Formidable (25)
    Heroic (30)
    Nearly Impossible (40)

    @86e92f38c8:

    Example Ability Checks
    Task

    Breaking open a jammed or locked door (Strength)
    Threading a needle (Dexterity)
    Holding one's breath (Constitution)
    Navigating a maze (Intelligence)
    Recognizing a stranger you've met before (Wisdom)
    Getting oneself singled out in a crowd (Charisma)



  • Is that possible to add the lvl of ranger in the total roll in survival as the level represents the experiences gained in the wilderness.


    The zealot priest of Moradin, kelinar Thund


  • The Halfling Defence League

    I would say it's lore, personally. Though…I'm no DM, so...

    shrugs



  • Uh, a question: Can I, if so how do I roll for knowledge? A scenario: IRL me knows trying to put out an oil fire with water is sheer madness, I want to check if my character knows this too. Do I roll INT for this, and what would be the DC?


  • Council of Moradin

    Thanks for the find Foarch

    Given the age of this write up, the rules regarding any of the Persuade skills and Intimidate may no longer be needed. I could also be convinced to do rebuilds (for these skills only) to make this wacky skills-as-you-go system work a bit more smooth.

    Balance (Dex)
    @a160803521:

    We lack this skill, so use dex in it's place.

    @a160803521:

    Narrow Surface Balance DC (1) Diffcult surface Balance DC(1)
    7-12 inches wide 10 Uneven flagstone 10
    2-6 inches wide 15 Hewn stone floor 10
    Less than 2 inches wide 20 Sloped or angled floor 10

    add modifiers from narrow surface modifiers as appropriate

    @a160803521:

    Narrow surface modifiers
    Surface DC Modifier
    Lightly obstructed (scree, light rubble) +2
    Severly obstructed (natural cavern floor, dense rubble) +5
    Lightly slippery (wet floor) +2
    Severly slippery (ice sheet) +5
    Sloped or angled +2

    These modifiers STACK.

    Bluff (Persuade, Bluff, Chr)
    Bluff is opposed by sense motive.

    Climb (Strength, modified by Armor Penalty)

    @a160803521:

    Check: With a successful Climb check, you can advance up, down, or across a slope, a wall, or some other steep incline (or even a ceiling with handholds) at one-quarter your normal speed. A slope is considered to be any incline at an angle measuring less than 60 degrees; a wall is any incline at an angle measuring 60 degrees or more.
    A Climb check that fails by 4 or less means that you make no progress, and one that fails by 5 or more means that you fall from whatever height you have already attained.
    A climber's kit gives you a +2 circumstance bonus on Climb checks.
    The DC of the check depends on the conditions of the climb. Compare the task with those on the following table to determine an appropriate DC.

    Climb DC Example Surface or Activity
    0 A slope too steep to walk up, or a knotted rope with a wall to brace against.
    5 A rope with a wall to brace against, or a knotted rope, or a rope affected by the rope trick spell.
    10 A surface with ledges to hold on to and stand on, such as a very rough wall or a ship's rigging.
    15 Any surface with adequate handholds and footholds (natural or artificial), such as a very rough natural rock surface or a tree, or an unknotted rope, or pulling yourself up when dangling by your hands.
    20 An uneven surface with some narrow handholds and footholds, such as a typical wall in a dungeon or ruins.
    25 A rough surface, such as a natural rock wall or a brick wall.
    25 An overhang or ceiling with handholds but no footholds.

    • A perfectly smooth, flat, vertical surface cannot be climbed.

    Climb DC Modifier1 Example Surface or Activity
    10 Climbing a chimney (artificial or natural) or other location where you can brace against two opposite walls (reduces DC by 10).
    5 Climbing a corner where you can brace against perpendicular walls (reduces DC by 5).
    +5 Surface is slippery (increases DC by 5).

    These modifiers are cumulative; use any that apply.

    You need both hands free to climb, but you may cling to a wall with one hand while you cast a spell or take some other action that requires only one hand. While climbing, you can't move to avoid a blow, so you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). You also can't use a shield while climbing.
    Any time you take damage while climbing, make a Climb check against the DC of the slope or wall. Failure means you fall from your current height and sustain the appropriate falling damage.
    Accelerated Climbing: You try to climb more quickly than normal. By accepting a -5 penalty, you can move half your speed (instead of one-quarter your speed).
    Making Your Own Handholds and Footholds: You can make your own handholds and footholds by pounding pitons into a wall. Doing so takes 1 minute per piton, and one piton is needed per 3 feet of distance. As with any surface that offers handholds and footholds, a wall with pitons in it has a DC of 15. In the same way, a climber with a handaxe or similar implement can cut handholds in an ice wall.
    Catching Yourself When Falling: It's practically impossible to catch yourself on a wall while falling. Make a Climb check (DC = wall's DC + 20) to do so. It's much easier to catch yourself on a slope (DC = slope's DC + 10).
    Catching a Falling Character While Climbing: If someone climbing above you or adjacent to you falls, you can attempt to catch the falling character if he or she is within your reach. Doing so requires a successful melee touch attack against the falling character (though he or she can voluntarily forego any Dexterity bonus to AC if desired). If you hit, you must immediately attempt a Climb check (DC = wall's DC + 10). Success indicates that you catch the falling character, but his or her total weight, including equipment, cannot exceed your heavy load limit or you automatically fall. If you fail your Climb check by 4 or less, you fail to stop the character's fall but don't lose your grip on the wall. If you fail by 5 or more, you fail to stop the character's fall and begin falling as well.
    Action: Climbing is part of movement, so it's generally part of a move action (and may be combined with other types of movement in a move action). Each move action that includes any climbing requires a separate Climb check. Catching yourself or another falling character doesn't take an action.
    Special: You can use a rope to haul a character upward (or lower a character) through sheer strength. You can lift double your maximum load in this manner.
    A halfling has a +2 racial bonus on Climb checks because halflings are agile and surefooted.
    The master of a lizard familiar gains a +3 bonus on Climb checks.
    If you have the Athletic feat, you get a +2 bonus on Climb checks.
    A creature with a climb speed has a +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks. The creature must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC higher than 0, but it always can choose to take 10, even if rushed or threatened while climbing. If a creature with a climb speed chooses an accelerated climb (see above), it moves at double its climb speed (or at its land speed, whichever is slower) and makes a single Climb check at a -5 penalty. Such a creature retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it. It cannot, however, use the run action while climbing.
    Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Use Rope, you get a +2 bonus on Climb checks made to climb a rope, a knotted rope, or a rope-and-wall combination.

    Decipher Script (Lore, Int)

    Diplomacy (Persuade)

    Disable Device (Pick Lock or Remove Trap)
    Rogues (ONLY) can also use Disable Device (Disable Trap for NWN) to remove magic glyphs. Just watch your fingers. The DC is quite high. 😉

    Disguise (Chr, Perform, or Persuade)

    Escape Artist (Dex, Armor Check Penalty)
    Dex to slip out, Str to break free. DCs are based on materials and method.

    Gather Information (Chr)
    Gather Information is not what you already know (Lore) it is what you can get from random people. Gather Info is a Chr check. If you want to question a specific person, then it is a Diplomany Check (Persuade).

    Handle animal (Animal empathy)
    Handle Animal can be used to teach tricks AND "persuade" an animal. For instance to not eat you. Domesticated animals are a -5 DC to "handle". All other modifiers are the same as with Diplomacy (Persuade).

    Heal (Wis)
    Heal kits cover the actual rolls for healing however the Heal skill can be used for other things. Detecting if a wound is recent, what caused it, could even be used to see if a person who was injured in front of you is undead. (Spot check first of course)

    Intimidate (Chr, Intimidate, taunt)
    Persuade. Again it sucks reusing the same skills 50 times, but it is the closest we have. Or use Taunt. In PnP it is the tough guys who get Intimidate and the same applies to NWN's Taunt Skill. I have no problem with people using Taunt for Intimidate.

    You can change other's behavior with a successful check. The DC is typically 10+ the target's hit dice. Any bonuses the target has to their save vs. Fear can be added.If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff you get a +2 synergy bonus to Intimidate.

    Jump (Str check - Armor Check Penalty)

    Knowledge (Int)
    Lore or another skill at DM's discression.

    Listen (Wis)
    Spot only works on creatures that are not fully covered. If they are around a wall or hiding behind a BIG barrel, you can only know they are there by a Listen Check vs. their Move Silently.

    Move Silently (Dex check - Armor Check Penalty)
    Move Silently also applies to opening doors, windows, etc quietly (stupid but true).

    Perform (Chr, Perform)

    @a160803521:

    10–Routine performance. Trying to earn money by playing in public is essentially begging. You can earn 1d10 cp/day. (yes, copper)

    15--Enjoyable performance. In a properous city, you can earn 1d10 sp/day.

    20--Great Performance. In a prosperous city, you can earn 3d10 sp/day. In time, you may be invited to join a professional troupe and may develop a regional reputation.

    25--Memorable performance. In a prosperous city you can earn 1d6 gp/day. In time, you may come to attention of noble patrons and develop a national repuation.

    30--Extraordinary performance. In a prosperous city, you can earn 3d6 gp/day. In time, you may draw attention from distant potential patrons, or even from extraplanar beings.

    Persuade (Chr)
    Is not a real D&D skill. You want either Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate. Please read further down for information contained on them. It is an uber skill currently as it is the only skill that applies in several PnP Skills.

    Sense Motive
    Use a Will save. Yeah it is kinda silly, but it is for balance.

    Sleight of Hand (Pick Pocket)
    Slight of Hand covers ALOT more than just picking pockets. Slipping a card off the poker table, concealing a weapon/item… all kinds of sneaky stuff. Do not let Penn and Teller stand behing you. 😉

    @a160803521=Player's:

    Sleight of Hand (Dex)
    Trained Only; Armor Penalty
    Check: A check against DC 10 lets a character palm a coinsized,unattended object. Minor feats of sleight of hand, such asmaking a coin disappear, also have a DC of 10 unless anobserver is concentrating on noticing what the character isdoing.

    When a character performs this skill under close observation,the character's skill check is opposed by the observer's Spotcheck. The observer's check doesn't prevent the character fromperforming the action, just from doing it unnoticed.

    A character can use Sleight of Hand to conceal a small weaponor object on his or her body.

    Try Again?: A second Sleight of Hand attempt against the sametarget, or when being watched by the same observer, has a DC10 higher than the first check if the first check failed or if theattempt was noticed.

    Special: A character can take 10 when making a Sleight of Handcheck, but can't take 20.

    A character can make an untrained Sleight of Hand check toconceal a weapon or object, but must always take 10.

    Speak Language
    All characters will have at least 1 base language. You get a bonus language for each + from your Int modifier. You may also get more from racial languages or class languages (Thieve's Cant, Druidic) If you want to argue for having more languages, make your case with a DM or post it in a background info area. I would suggest anyone who wishes to use a language in a DMed event to post an exact list in your character background.

    Only bards have this as a class skill. This means a bard can learn a new language for every point spent in this "skill." Everyone else would have to spend 2 points. Note this is SPEAK language. Most of the other d20 systems have a seperate skill to be able to read and write those languages at the cost of additional skill points. While I will not police this I will assume people can be honest and not go wild and say they speak every language under the sun.

    Last note: You can't just magically learn a language. You will need a teacher of some sort. If you want to learn elven, you probably wouldn't have a hard time finding a teacher. If you are trying to learn Netherese or Abyssal, you might have a harder time.

    Spellcraft (Int)
    A very nice skill I seldom see used.

    @a160803521:

    Spellcraft DC____Task
    13_____________When using read magic, identify a glyph of warding. No action required.

    15+spell level___Identify a spell being cast.(You must see or hear the spell's verbal or somatic components.) No action required. No retry.

    15+spell level___Learn a spell from a spellbook or scroll (wizard only).No retry for that spell until you gain at least 1 rank in spellcraft (even if you find another source to try to learn the spell from). Requires 8 hours.

    15+spell level___Prepare a spell from a borrowed spellbook (wizard only). One try per day. No extra time required.

    15+spell level___When casting detect magic, determine the school of magic involved in the aura of a single item or creature you can see. (If the aura is not a spell effect, the DC is 15 + one-half caster level.) No action required.

    19 ____________When using read magic, identify a symbol. No action required.

    20+spell level___Identify a spell that's already in place and in effect. You must be able to see of detect the effects of the spell. No action required. No retry.

    20+spell level___Identify materials created or shaped by magic, such as noting that an iron wall is the result of a wall of iron spell. No action required. No retry.

    20+spell level___Decipher a written spell (such as a scroll) without using read magic. One try per day. Requires a full-round action.

    25+spell level___After rolling a saving throw against a spell targetted on you, determine what the spell was. No action required. No retry.

    25____________Identify a potion. Requires 1 minute. No retry.

    20____________Draw a diagram to allow dimensional anchor to be cast on a magic circle spell. Requires 10 minutes. No retry. The DM makes this check.

    30 or higher____Understand a strange or unique magical effect, such as the effects of a magic stream. Time required varies. No retry.

    Spot (Wis)
    Spot is only used if the target you are trying to notice is not behind 100% cover. If they are behind 100% cover, you have to use Listen.

    Read lips
    To understand what someone is saying by reading lips, you must be within 30 feet of the speaker, be able to see them speak, and understand the language. The base DC is 15, but it increases for complex speech or an inarticulate speaker. you must maintain line of sight to the lips being read. If your spot check succeeds, you can understand the general content of a minutes worth of speaking, you you usually still miss certain details. If you fail by 4 or less, you cannot make out what is being said, if you fail by 5 or more, you draw smoe incorrect conclusions from the speech. The DM rolls secretly in this case.

    Roll Spot to be able to track the lips and then Int to make out the meaning. Book says Rogue Only for being a class skill and you can't use it untrained. Sorry everyone else. 😉

    Survival (Wis)
    Used to keep from getting lost. If you are a survival type character and are lost in a forest, roll "Survival" (Wisdom) and see if the DM will give you a hint. It also states in the book it will help you avoid natural hazards like quicksand and even allow you to catch and provide food for others. Again - ask your DM for help on these.

    Swim (Str check - Armor Check Penalty)
    Also penalties from gear weight.

    Taunt
    Non PnP skill.

    Tumble (Dex)
    Rolls are calculated by the NWN engine for combat application.

    @a160803521=Player's:

    Trained Only; Armor Penalty

    Check: A character can land softly when he or she falls, tumble
    past opponents in combat, or tumble through opponents.
    Land Softly: The character can make a Tumble check (DC 15)
    when falling. If the check succeeds, treat the fall as if it were 10
    feet shorter when determining damage.

    Tumble through Opponents: With a successful Tumble check
    (DC 20), the character can roll, jump, or dive through squares
    occupied by opponents, moving over, under, or around them as
    if they weren't there. Failure means the character moves as
    planned, but provokes attacks of opportunity as normal.

    A character can take 10 when making a Tumble check, but can't
    take 20.

    Time: A character can try to reduce damage from a fall as a
    reaction once per fall.

    Research (Int)
    Much like Gather Info except you are using libraries and other written materials instead of talking to people. Again - it is not what you know (lore) it is something new you are trying to find out.

    @a160803521=Player's:

    Check: Researching a topic takes time, skill, and some luck. The
    GM determines how obscure a particular topic is (the more
    obscure, the higher the DC) and what kind of information might
    be available depending on where the character is conducting his
    or her research.

    Information ranges from general to protected. Given enough
    time (usually 1d4 hours) and a successful skill check, the
    character gets a general idea about a given topic. This assumes
    that no obvious reasons exist why such information would be
    unavailable, and that the character has a way to acquire
    restricted or protected information.

    The higher the check result, the better and more complete the
    information. If the character wants to discover a specific fact,
    date, map, or similar bit of information, add +5 to +15 to the
    DC.

    Try Again?: Yes.

    Special: A character can take 10 or take 20 on a Research check.

    Time: A Research check takes 1d4 hours.

    If you wish to use the Research skill (as I have told many in the Guild Forums) contact a DM on the given subject and then have them feed you what info you will gain. This is a long process (both IC and OOC) so don't get pissy if you don't get an immediate response.

    I'd also STRONGLY suggest you do your homwwork first. Describe all that you are willing to do to get this info. Who you talk to (Gather Info or Diplomacy), what libraries you visit (Research), if you are willing to bribe people (bonus to Gather Info and Diplomacy), etc.

    Do not expect the DMs to spoon feed you based off a 2 minute thought by a player. If we gotta work, you gotta work. 😉