Skills 3.0

In DR3, we've seen an overhaul of our current skill system. In previous iterations of DR, we have had a number of skills that were over-general ('mechanical lore'), which covered a lot of possible applications but were only governed by one skill. On the flip side, there were several skills that were very niche - Skills like Animal Lore and Percussion had few uses, and were largely TDP sinks for players.

Mech Split

Mechanical lore can be split into one or more of the currently existing crafting skills: Forging, Engineering, or Outfitting. To do this, the CONVERT command has been released.

It should be noted that experience can only once ever be moved into a specific skill. Once experience is moved to Engineering, for example, no more may be moved over.

See RESPEC command for details.

Changed Commands

EXPERIENCE has mostly remained the same, though EXPERIENCE SKILL will now list the shorthands for all skills.

Converted or combined skills will accept the previous shorthand, but display the new skill.

EXPERIENCE BONUS will display the state of your bonus pools.

TDPs

Unlike previously announced, the way TDPs are earned will not be changing. However, all TDPs spent on spell slots or learning scrolls will be refunded.

However, because many skills have been combined, some people may experience negative TDPs. To fix this, all players will receive the option to reset their TDPs twice in the first six months post release.

Skills

New Skills

• Defending: Defending indicates your overall ability to defend against attacks, and is in the Armor skillset. It replaces Multiple Opponent's functionality as the skill used when being engaged with multiple foes, and also increases your defensive skills so that they're more effective overall. Defending is best trained by being in combat and successfully defending against an attack.

• Melee and Missile Mastery: The Mastery skills indicate your overall ability with that class of weapon, and are in the Weapon skillset. Having a high Mastery skill gives you a bonus when using that kind of weapon - This is especially helpful during backtraining. The best way to train the Mastery skills is to train multiple weapons of that type. You can mind lock a Mastery skill using just one weapon, but you're better off training multiple weapons. For clarity thrown weapons count as ranged weapons.

• Augmentation: Augmentation is one of the new magic skills, which gauges your ability to successfully augment yourself magically/supernaturally. It is the primary skill taken into account when casting spells that buff yourself or others. See the Magic page for details on how to best train Augmentation.

• Debilitation: Debilitation is one of the new magic skills, which gauges your ability to successfully penalize others without causing direct damage. It is the primary skill taken into account when casting spells that debuff others. See the Magic page for details on how to best train Debilitation.

• Utility: Utility is one of the new magic skills, which gauges your ability to perform miscellaneous magical tasks that don't fit neatly into the other four spell skills. See the Magic page for details on how to best train Utility.

• Warding: Warding is one of the new magic skills, which gauges your ability to successfully use barrier spells and abilities. It is the primary skill taken into account when casting spells like Ethereal Shield, Manifest Force, etc. See the Magic page for details on how to best train Warding.

• Sorcery: Sorcery is another new magic skill, but it behaves very differently than the other four new skills. Your Sorcery skill indicates your ability to use mana types that you're unfamiliar with. This is used instead of your Primary Magic skill to determine if you're able to cast a spell that uses a different mana type. Training this skill is NOT, in and of itself, illegal. However, some spells are still illegal to use in any town, and if you use them you can be charged with Forbidden Practices. The best way to train Sorcery is simply to cast spells from other mana types that you find on scrolls.

• Tactics: Tactics is a new skill in the Lore skillset. It has two current main uses: Applying multiple-opponent penalties to a target (useful for ganging up on people), and using non-damaging brawling moves. The best way to train it is to use tactical maneuvers like WEAVE and BOB against creatures.

General Method for Combining Skills

When two skills are combined, the new skill will be set to the higher of the two skills and the "lost" experience will be placed in an Overflow Pool. Each skillset has a separate pool, and so long as any is left in the pool, all skills learned in that skillset will receive a bonus to the drained bits. This bonus can be combined with RPA and other experience bonuses, though they are additive.

Exceptions

There are two exceptions to the previous rule.

• If Stalking is higher than Hiding, the Stealth skill will only be raised to a maximum of 30% over the Hiding skill.
• Only Bards will have Vocals count toward the Performance skill. All others will have it completely moved to the bonus pool.

List of Combined and Renamed Skills

• Light Armor: Leather armor, Bone armor, and Cloth armor have been combined into the Light Armor skill. This skill determines your ability with all of these kinds of armor.

• Chain Armor: Heavy Chain and Light Chain have been combined into Chain Armor.

• Brigandine Armor: Light Plate armor is now known as Brigandine Armor, and includes armors formed of sewn plates and also what is commonly known as 'banded mail'. This allows for further expansion of this niche.

• Plate Armor: Heavy Plate Armor has been renamed to be simply Plate Armor

• Small Edged: Light Edged and Medium Edged have been combined into the Small Edged skill.

• Small Blunt: Light Blunt and Medium Blunt have been combined into the Small Blunt skill.

• Slings: Slings and Staff Slings have been combined under the Slings skill now.

• Bows: Longbow, Short Bow, and Composite Bows all use the Bows skill now.

• Crossbows: Light and Heavy Crossbows will all use the Crossbows skill now.

• Staves: Short Staff and Quarterstaff weapons will now use the Staves skill.

• Polearms: Halberds and Pikes will now use the Polearms skill. This opens up the opportunity for exotic polearms as well.

• Attunement: Harness and Power Perception have been combined into the Attunement skill. See the Magic page for more details.

• Athletics: Climbing, Swimming, and (contrary to previous GM statements) Escaping have been combined into the Athletics skill.

• Stealth: Hiding and Stalking have been combined into the Stealth skill.

• Locksmithing: Lockpicking and Disarm Traps have been combined into the Locksmithing skill.

• Thievery: Stealing has been renamed Thievery in order to allow for more opportunities to expand on the concepts there.

• Outdoorsmanship: Outdoorsmanship combines Foraging and Animal Lore.

• Performing: Performing includes all of the instrument skills - Percussions, Winds, Strings, and Vocals. However, Vocals will not count toward the new Performing skill unless you're a Bard.

Weapon and Armor Types

It should be noted that the classification of weapons and armor is not changing. There still will exist light edged and medium edged weapons, for example, though they both teach the Small Edges skill.

For most things the distinction is unimportant, but certain abilities such as Backstab still take the difference into account.

Retired Skills

Multiple Opponent:
Multiple Opponent no longer exists, because in its old incarnation it was difficult to train and harder to write fun abilities for. The skill checks that used to depend on MO will mostly now use Defending.

Escaping:
Escaping has been removed because it was too narrowly-defined to be expanded into a useful, widely trainable skill. Most of the skill checks that used to use escaping (notably, webs) will now use Athletics. Some (like escaping from the guards) will use Thievery.

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External Links

• [http: //www.elanthia.org/3.0%20Conversion.xls 3.0 Conversion Spreadsheet]: Calculates your current and future ranks, TDPs, and circle based on the latest information about Skills 3.0.
• [http: //fallenbard.hostoi.com/BonusPoolFun.xls Lore Bonus Pool Spreadsheet]: Estimates how many ranks you can gain in one or more skills until your bonus pool is depleted. (This spreadsheet requires information from the 3.0 Conversion Spreadsheet.)