Skills in C&C (Starsiege style)

[Ronin77]

I really love how skills work in Starsiege.

I had the idea of trying something like it with a C&C.
Rather than having Prime or secondary abilities,
characters have Prime or secondary skill groups.
Skill groups being:

Athletics
Combat
Outdoors
Subterfuge
Craft
Lore
Urban
Magic

Specializations also being allowed, each one giving a flat bonus. For example under combat Axe could be a specialization. tracking or foraging being specializations of Outdoors.

[Treebore]

I've given thought to doing similar. I've just grown so accustomed to the Prime/nonPrime wide open feel of the SIEGE system I really prefer keeping with it now.

[Rigon]

I've actually thought of adding backgroud skills ala DnD Next playtest. When you select a background you get a set number of "skills" that give you a flat +3 to checks. I kind of like that. It gives a little bit of flavor with a slight usefulness at certain checks.

R-

[serleran]

When skills are too broad, they open the door for easy abuse. When they are too specific, they are often times unused or fill such a niche that the DM has to really work to make them worthwhile... so I find it just works overall better to "make assumptions" or maybe have the player decide a pre-adventurer occupation and then allow that character some skill / ability based on that. Even if it was something as "unskilled" as "yeah, my thief guy was a vagrant, begging at the corner of Hope and Haight so he'd sometimes pick up gossip about the clerical orders..."

What you're suggesting might work for you. I personally would not use it. However, I once did convert Morrowwind to C&C as a classless system and it was along these same lines. Maybe I can find that and see if it can help?

[Ronin77]

The Skill groups are not skills, But rather prime/secondary categories. In Starsiege you then have more focused specializations with bonuses.

Not sure how broad skill groups as prime or not could be any more "broken" than having a prime Ability score, Which is WAY more broad. I mean having Combat as a prime is focused when compared to having Dexterity as a prime.