My take on classic DnD classes for Fate: Skills

I started this blog to document my experiment on adapting Fate to DnD's Eberron. What's not to like in Eberron? It's pulpy, noir, swashbuckly, steampunkish, metro kind of adventure setting. I guess the only thing I don't like about it is that its current system (fourth edition DnD) needs grid maps and minis. Call me old school, but I like my RPGs without grid maps and minis. They are too much of a distraction, and one can never get the right minis and maps to match every situation conceivable. Well, one could, if one has enough time and money. Also, DnD 4e focuses too much on combat and very little of everything else. A single fight or two can take up most of a typical 4 hour RPG session. But I digress. Then came Fate Core, an RPG system that can be adapted to use in any RPG setting. I've used Fate before, running a Spirit of the Century game for my friends, and found it amazingly easy to use. With the new streamlined Fate Core, I will try to adapt my favorite setting into my favorite system. I would not have done this if I had found something exhaustive about this topic in the web. So thank you, lazy Fate Eberron game creators! You have spurred me into writing again!

Ok, first step into adapting the Eberron into Fate is incorporating classes ("professions") and races into Fate. What Fate system toolkit has suggested is that to put skills in predetermined positions in the pyramid, add a class specific aspect or two, and add stunts that are only available to whoever are in that profession. For this post, I will tackle the first four classic DnD classes: fighter, thief, mage, and cleric. I have determined that each should have the following predetermined skills in their pyramids:

Fighter

+4 Fight

+3 Athletics or Physique, 1 other skill

+2 Shoot or Provoke, 2 other skills

+1 any 4 skills

This is a no-brainer. I lifted this from the Fate system toolkit, and it makes sense. The only thing that bothers me is that what if the player wants an archer instead of normal, sword and board, fighter? Perhaps I should try to "stat-up" a ranger next post.

Thief

+4 Burglary or Stealth

+3 Athletics or Deceive, 1 other skill

+2 Fight or Provoke, 2 other skills

+1 any 4 skills

Something from the system toolkit, with some modifications. Did the writers miss the Burglary skill or something?! So I opted to add Burglary on the pyramid top, move Deceive and Provoke down the ladder, and rid Shoot out.

Mage

+4 Lore

+3 Will or Investigate, 1 other skill

+2 Resources or Deceive, 2 other skills

+1 any 4 skills

A bit of a tough mind exercise for me. I can't seem to find enough skills to fill this class pyramid out. I settled for Resources and Deceive at +2 -- wizards should earn a lot, and they would know how to be good deceivers to pull off their craft, neh?

Cleric

+4 Empathy or Rapport

+3 Lore or Investigate, 1 other skill

+2 Contacts or Will, 2 other skills

+1 any 4 skills

Lastly, the ever useful cleric. More literally "priestly" rather than "combat medic-like". Seems odd that there is no Medicine skill; perhaps I should add this skill to my Fate game?