[HOUSERULES] Secondary Skills...

Inspired, in part, by the Dungeon Crawl Classics' "funnel", I'm revisiting my secondary skills table and updating this particular houserule in line with the general Crypts & Things minimalist skills rules.

The player rolls 1d100 to determine what skill he has picked up from his pre-adventuring career or his family, then totals the rolls of three 'average' dice to determine a score between 6 and 15.

This is his Saving Throw when he wishes to call upon this background knowledge - he rolls a D20 and must score equal or higher to succeed (the DM is the final arbiter of the nature of the success, but the general guideline is the bigger the gap between the target number and the dice score, the better the degree of success).

Unlike a character's class-related Saving Throw, his secondary skill save NEVER changes (except under extreme role-playing conditions - ie. he takes six months off adventuring to pursue a career in the family business).

01 Armourer
02 Bowyer/Fletcher
03 Crop Farmer
04 Fishing
05 Forester
06 Gambler
07 Groom
08 Hunter
09 Jeweler
10 Leather worker
11 Painter
12 Mason
13 Navigator
14 Cartographer (a)
15 Fine Art (b)
16 Mathematics
17 Racing Lore (b)
18 Scribe (a)
19 Astronomer
20 Weaver
21 Tailor
22 Embroidery
23 Animal Husbandry
24 Trader
25 Trapper
26 Furrier
27 Carpenter
28 Weaponsmith
29 Blacksmith
30 Gardener
31 Cooking
32 Shipwright
33 Cobbler
34 Song-writer
35 Brewer
36 Poet
37 Dancer
38 Etiquette
39 Heraldry
40 Singer
41 Gladiator Lore (b)
42 Engineer
43 Ancient History
44 Local History
45 Religion (b)
46 Charioteer
47 Play Musical Instrument (c)
48 Survival
49 Mountaineer
50 Prostitute
51 Barman
52 Philiosophy
53 Drug lore (b)
54 Slaver
55 Lawyer (a)
56 Alcohol lore (b)
57 Architect
58 Tax Collector
59 Boardgames (e.g. chess)
60 Food lore (b)
61 Monster lore (b)
62 Card games
63 Seamanship
64 Story-telling
65 Herb lore (b)
66 Teacher
67 Baker
68 Barber
69 Vet
70 Bird trainer
71 Weapon lore (b)
72 Butcher
73 Toymaker
74 Carpet-maker
75 Dyer
76 Glassblower
77 Grocer
78 Perfumer
79 Paper/Ink maker
80 Potter
81 Wine maker
82 Rope/Net maker
83 Accountant
84 Sail maker
85 Wheelwright
86 Uroscopist (divining health through study of urine)
87 Astrologer
88 Prospector
89 Cattle Farmer
90 Animal lore (b)
91 - 98 No skill of any worth
99 choose any one (and minus 2 to skill roll)
100 roll twice more (and minus 2 to first skill roll)

a) These skills grant automatic literacy (unless barbarian character class).
b) These skills are educational, rather than creative, and only help the character with identifying objects in their field - not using or making them.
c) Choose one instrument.

LIFE SKILLS:

Every character also has a RIDING and SWIMMING skill randomly generated on 3d6 (no rerolls or take-backs). As with his secondary skill above, this is a Saving Throw and so a lower score is better.

Upper class characters get an automatic -3 bonus on this dice rolls, while lower class get a +2 penalty. Barbarians and fighters get an additional -1 modifier on the RIDING roll. These skills can never be modified below two or above 19.

A score over 15 indicates that that character is not competent in that particular skill (i.e. cannot ride or swim), although he may learn - see below.

Whenever the Dungeon Master feels that a skill check is called for (e.g. swimming across a strong current or a horse chase) the player must score equal or over his skill with a d20 roll; the Dungeon Master may throw in any environment-specific modifiers he sees fit.

Unlike his secondary skill, a player-character can improve these skills. Ever even number level, he may decrease one of these two skills by one point (never below a score of two).