My Skill System Translation Proposal

My proposed conversion from cleric to skill-based character

This idea has been floating around in my head for a long while. I've mentioned it on a few occaisions. Here it is, more formally, so we can talk about the idea and maybe reach a consensus if we are to go forward.

Proposal Details

My wish is to convert my Eternal character to a skills-based character, after gaining 11th level as a cleric (I am only 30,000 away). This would entail, I propose, taking my xp total, at least 675,000 xp at 11th level, and buying skills to replicate my current cleric skills as closely as possible. From there, I would proceed as a skills-based character, most notably, learning new, non-cleric skills, like mage spell casting and moving silently.

My current hope / plan is that my god will reward me (after this current quest I am on -- if I succeed!) with performing the ''miracle'' I would need to switch.

Here is how I propose the numbers would work in making the translation.

skill bxp level initial xp xp post lvl 1 total xp

Attack Skills

Priest Attacks
600 9 300 76800 77100

Hit Dice Skills

Eight-sided Hit Dice
150 9 75 19200 19275

Saving Throw Skills

Priest Saving Throws
200 10 100 51200 51300

Optional Skills

Priest Magic Items
50 9 25 6400 6425

Priest Research
150 9 75 19200 19275

Priest Scrolls
100 10 50 25600 25650

Priest Spell Casting
400 11 200 204800 205000

Priest Spheres / Clerics
400 11 200 204800 205000

Turn Undead
250 10 125 64000 64125

Weapon Skill - Staff
200 1 100 0 100

Weapon Skill - Hammer
200 1 100 0 100

Language, Common
150 1 0 0 0

Language, Elf
150 1 0 0 0

Total 1350 672000 673350

XP needed for Cleric 11 675000

Here are the rules for skill-based characters.

Advantages

New skills. This proposal allows me to start learning a wide range of new skills. The maximum number of skills I could learn would be, as per the rules, not counting languages, 25 for me -- 11 of which I would use in the translation for cleric skills. Naturally, I would learn new skills at level 1. Still, this is a real advantage compared to, for example, being a dual-classed character, for whom the old skills can't be used until the prior level is exceeded. Plus I'm not a human, and only humans can be dual-classed anyway.

Lifting of priest restrictions. As a skill-based character, I would be bound only by restrictions required for each skill, not by my old cleric restrictions. The only one I can think of is that I would no longer be limited to priest weapons. This is balanced by the adoption of restrictions required for certain skills, like no armor for mage spell casting.

''Effective level'' rises. Sometimes, you just have to have a level -- like when breathing in Cloudkill spells, or being hit by a Color Spray, or being Poly O'ed. For skill-based characters, this ''effective level'' is figured by applying all xp earned after gaining 1st level to the Rogue xp table. That would put me at a 13th level equivalent, for purposes that require an overall level.

Disadvantages

Loss of high-level cleric functions. I designed my skills system so that class-based characters need less xp to gain a given package of skills than a skills-based character would need to gain the exact same skill package (the ''package deal'' for characters with classes). I did this to compensate for the skill-based character's advantage of picking and choosing skills and deciding which to improve when. The result, for my translation, is that as a skill-based character, I cannot afford to buy all the skills I had as a class-based character at 11th level. Most notably, as a skill-based character I would have:

Level 9 hit dice and attacks instead of level 11.
Level 10 priest scroll use instead of level 11.
Level 9 magic item use, spell research, and item creation instead of level 11. No researching new 6th level spells; no magic item creation (gained at 11th as per the DMG).
Level 10 undead turning and saves instead of level 11 -- no difference on the tables, so not much of a disadvantage.

A couple others inherent in no longer being a cleric:

No 10 percent xp bonus.
No followers or becoming a ruler over an area -- at least, not with the cleric bonuses.

Difficult advancement to higher levels. I also designed the system to penalize non-human advancement to higher levels (10 and higher). That's reflected in how much xp I have to use to get up to 11th level in spell casting (see above).

Other notes

Special Abilities. My character has a few special abilities: +1 vs. magic, parry, tongues. These are not cleric abilities, so I propose that I retain them unchanged as a skill-based character.

Balance. The obvious question: is it fair or balanced for me to be able to do this? I think Michael and I always intuited that this was a special thing that had to be earned. That's why this whole Quest idea came about. If the general consensus is that the whole thing is still too unbalanced, then perhaps that could be fixed with the loss of a number of magic items, or with the availablity of less xp to make the translation. Eh. I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks.

Site Map | 13 February 99

skill	bxp	level	initial xp	xp post lvl 1	total xp
Attack Skills
Priest Attacks	600	9	300	76800	77100
Hit Dice Skills
Eight-sided Hit Dice	150	9	75	19200	19275
Saving Throw Skills
Priest Saving Throws	200	10	100	51200	51300
Optional Skills
Priest Magic Items	50	9	25	6400	6425
Priest Research	150	9	75	19200	19275
Priest Scrolls	100	10	50	25600	25650
Priest Spell Casting	400	11	200	204800	205000
Priest Spheres / Clerics	400	11	200	204800	205000
Turn Undead	250	10	125	64000	64125
Weapon Skill - Staff	200	1	100	0	100
Weapon Skill - Hammer	200	1	100	0	100
Language, Common	150	1	0	0	0
Language, Elf	150	1	0	0	0
Total			1350	672000	673350
XP needed for Cleric 11					675000