The new skills listed in the 3e conversion should have been done a little
different. Two of them are knowledge skills (arguably all Int skills are
Knowledge skills by another name, and it`s not such a big deal), but
another is blatent skill proliferation and shouldn`t exist.

`Administrate` (stated to be a Wisdom skill on page 23, though listed
correctly as Int in the Noble class for instance) should have been a use
of Knowledge- Nobility, which in standard 3e includes law and government,
and is the relevant skill for barristers and clerks. It`s more general
than just knowledge about the rulers, but also includes knowledge about
the rules and the ruling methods.

This is much more explicit in the Modern version of the rules, where it is
listed as Knowledge- Civics and includes "law, legislation, litigation and
legal rights and obligations. Political and governmental institutions and
processes."

`Lead` is no more than a new use for Bluff and Diplomacy, and occasionally
Intimidate, and there`s no reason to add another Cha skill that people
have to buy. It would be better off as a "new uses for old skills"
listing. This is the worst offender. I`m not going to go into the
arguments against skill proliferation here, they`re easily found
elsewhere, but I will if people have to ask.

`Warcraft` is the same as Knowledge- Tactics, which is in d20 modern and
will probably find its way back into 3.5e.

Other notes from the newer versions are that Appraise is being folded into
Knowledge- Business, Pick Pockets becomes Sleight of Hand, and Wilderness
Lore will be Survival, but those are easy to fix in revision.

If you take out the skill proliferation, the Noble class becomes
redundant. It really already is, since it`s essentially an aristocrat
with two more skill points and some bonus feats. It would be better off
as a listing to the effect "BR encourages playing noblemen, so to make the
aristocrat more playable as a PC class, we suggest adding bonus general
feats at levels w,x,y, and z."

On to the feats.
--
Communication is possible only between equals.
Daniel McSorley- mcsorley@cis.ohio-state.edu

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