Hacking 2e: Skills and the Nonweapon Proficiency System – Part 1

Skills are often paraded as a dividing line between old-school play and the modern implementation of D&D. 2nd Edition sits on this line, providing an optional system of skills that encompass everything from trade skills and areas of study to proto-3e feats. These skills were titled ‘Nonweapon Proficiencies’, as they were the non-weapon version of the weapon proficiencies, though the only conclusion I can make as to why they weren’t just called ‘skills’ is likely because a) they didn’t want a skill system even thought they made one anyway, and b) they didn’t want to conflate it with the skill system they already had in the Thief class.

Well, let’s ruin that completely by smashing them into one system.

 

1. The Thief

Skills have been present in the game since the Thief class was imported from Santa Monica. Introduced in 1975’s Greyhawk, the Thief’s skills survived fairly intact to 2nd Edition AD&D.

This is a wonderfully bizarre list, which speaks both to general tropes of thieves and specific fidelity to the thieves of Appendix N. While these skills are ostensibly the sole domain of the Thief, the PHB uses Detect Noise and Climb Walls as the default mechanism that all characters use to listen (15%) and climb (40%). These also both have modified chances for demihumans, so I’ll need to add that to the descriptions in the previous series.

The mechanic for listening is notable: it not only democratizes a Thief skill, it does so with an optional d20 roll! This appearance of ‘roll-under d20 for a heightened ability’ is basically an encapsulation of everything I’ve been doing to these rules for the past few months.

 

1.1. Hacking the Thieving Skills

Based on the above, I think I’d move Detect Noise and Climb Walls out of the Thief class and into a general skills system. Pick Pockets, Open Locks, Find/Remove Traps (FART!), Move Silently, and Hide in Shadows are unique enough that they should remain within the class, or as modified versions within the demihumans. If you want to be good at lockpicking, then be a Thief.

I’m not sure what to do with Read Languages. I get the idea of a rogue that has learned a little bit of everything and can use that to their advantage, but thematically it seems a stretch given the popular perception of rogues. Though I’m sure there’s a Conan or Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser story where that ability came in clutch, it doesn’t seem like something that’s particularly special to the Thief. Also, as a DM running a 2e Campaign with two Thief PCs, my players do not give a single damn about this skill. I lean toward tossing it into the general skills, if I keep it at all.

Though I assume this goes without saying, the entire thing needs conversion to a d20, not only to rid us of another percentile roll, but to align with the Nonweapon Proficiencies and all the demihuman skills I've detailed thus far.

 

2. Nonweapon Proficiencies

I named the blog after this system (which, from here on out, I’ll just abbreviate as “NWP”), simply because I couldn’t think of any term that was more 2nd Edition. I love it for it’s absurd name, and I love it for being a roll-under system, but I also love it for what it represents: a first step into a system that codifies uniqueness in characters, building them beyond their race and class, and crafting a third pillar of PC customization that has remained with the system ever since. They’d been flirting with the concept for years, but here you see it in it’s pupal stage, awaiting its moment to emerge as a creature of beauty or as an abomination, depending on your perspective.

In summary: there are 65 NWPs linked (mostly) to specific Ability Scores and grouped by class. The score for each NWP equals the Ability Score modified by the NWP’s check modifier, which can be increased by investing in the NWP multiple times. You pick NWPs by filling slots provided by your class; most NWPs are one slot, some are two, and Weaponsmithing has the hard gate of three slots. Slot cost is increased by one when selecting NWPs outside of one’s class group. The utility and power of the varied NWPs range from quirky talents to Batman abilities.

 

2.1. Gated Competence

The system is derided for gatekeeping abilities that would normally be available to everyone; this is the idea all characters used to know how to ride a horse and start a fire before 2e came around. This is a fair criticism. A procedure to use NWPs that a PC does not have isn't documented, and some NWPs (such as swimming and reading/writing) clearly indicate that those without the skill cannot attempt it.

I detest this, as I continue to agree with Moldvay: there’s always a chance. I’ve already opined that Ability Checks are a thing and should see use at the table, and I’ll extend that opinion to this skill system. Online consensus appears to agree with this, as many tables allowed use of unchosen NWPs by halving the related Ability Score or by applying a significant modifier. Both of these are great solutions, and I’ve found success with them in my own game.

For the hack, all NWPs should be accessible to all PCs. Here’s my thought: If they haven’t selected the specific skill, then a –5 modifier is applied to an Ability Check for mundane uses of the skill, and a –10 modifier for any challenging use of the skill.

 

2.2. NWPs in Action

The breakdown noted above, between mundane and challenging, is present within the by-the-book rules of NWPs. The intention is that someone with the Rope Use NWP could use ropes without fumbling about (i.e., auto success on mundane uses of the skill), but would require a check if they’re attempting some particularly tricky rope work (i.e., when there’s a chance of failure). There’s an implication here: if having an NWP means not having to roll a check, then not having that NWP means a check would be appropriate on a relevant Ability Score. As noted above, this is not stated in the actual rules.

In any hack of this skill system, this auto-success/check-when-challenging mechanic needs to be explicit in the rules. The challenge is that many NWPs don’t play by these rules. NWPs such as Gaming, Reading Lips, Spellcraft, and many others, require the check to use the skill, offering nothing for free. When we get into the individual NWPs, this will require some work.

 

2.3. Ability Check Modification

Some NWPs start with mods to the Ability Score, which determines the final Proficiency Check required to use that skill. These are all over the place, but most subtract from the score, giving the PC a lessened chance to succeed than an equivalent Ability Check. Since the Proficiency Check is intended to be something you’d only have access to by having the NWP, this makes some sense.

If we’re suggesting that Ability Checks (with penalties) are on the table for all attempts at unchosen skills, then it makes less sense. My preference would be to provide the full Ability Score for the skill, with any penalties occurring only to an unskilled Ability Check.

 

2.4. Slots and Groups

Don't worry about those Weapon Proficiencies.
We'll get to them one day.

2e is stingy with its skills, which I appreciate. You get 3-4 slots to spend on NWPs, you can invest in an NWP multiple times to increase it’s modifier by one, and you pay an extra slot to choose skills outside of your class list. This allows significant customization, but avoids a bloated skill list; you’re good at a few things, or really good at one thing, but never just slightly better at everything like in 3e.

The groupings are a good idea, as they’re a reasonable set of bumpers to keep classes within their lanes. I’m not sold on some of the categorization, but that’s something I’ll hash out once I dig into each NWP.

I’ve suggested earlier that Intelligence should provide a bonus to skill slots, and I’m still of that opinion. Whether these should only be usable on skills that link to Intelligence is something I’m still considering; again, a look at the skills and how they shake out is required before making a call.

 

2.5. Power Imbalance

Blind-fighting and Dancing don’t belong in the same list. One is a unique power that grants mechanical bonuses in combat, essentially acting as an early version of a feat, while the other one is dancing. These need an adjustment to put them on a level playing field. I’ll have to review these individually. As a result, I’ll continue to kick the can to the next post, but I needed to highlight this issue before I moved on.

 

3. Final Thoughts and Next Steps

Skills have permeated everything I’ve done with this hack, and will continue to do so as I move forward. While the original Nonweapon Proficiency system was optional (and should remain so), its extension of the humble Ability Check into a granular tool is a template worth using.

In the text above, I’ve essentially broken skills into three groups.

First, there are skills that every PC will have, even if not using the optional skill system, such as Climbing and Listening. These were already present as universal skills in 2e, so no big change here except that I’m calling them out on the character sheet rather than spreading them over two books and several chapters. There are likely more that can be added to this list. I’m look at you, Swimming.

Second, there are skills that are bestowed only by race and class. I’ve already detailed the Demihuman skills: Magic Malfunction, Dungeon Sense, Find Hidden Doors, and Charm Resistance. (Though, I will likely need to punt “Find Hidden Doors” into the universal category with a different name, as everyone has this ability in 2e on a roll of 1 in 6. They don’t note that in 2e PHB or DMG, but it’s implied in the rules and spelled out in 1e.) For class, Rogues have these built in, but we’ll see what else comes out when I finally tackle the classes. Again, as with universal skills, these are core and not optional.

Third and finally, we have skills chosen by the player directly, which would remain distinctly optional. As noted above, these would be tied to the Ability Score without modification, and be usable by those who haven’t chosen the skill as an Ability Check with a significant penalty. They will likely be subdivided into class groups, and chosen based on an allotment of slots provided by class and Intelligence.

The challenge now is to determine what skills get ported over to this hack. Next time, I’ll dig into each Nonweapon Proficiency to determine what goes, what stays, and what needs to be disassembled and put back together again. The goal will be to ensure that whatever is available to the player doesn’t replace smart play or restrict the PC from reasonable competence. There’s a lot to sift through.