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MGT Only: d20 skills in MgT2e

Spinward Scout

Spinward Scout

SOC-14 5K
Baron
So here's a list I made for someone coming from a d20 System (D&D 3.x, Star Wars d20, d20 Modern, Pathfinder, Starfinder, etc...) to Traveller. It has the Traveller skill, then below it has the d20 skill designated by " - ". It's a work in progress, but it's something you can give a new Player.

Let me know if you think I should change any of it.

_____
Admin
- Knowledge

Advocate
- Knowledge
- Listen
- Sense Motive

Animals
- Knowledge
Animals (Handling)
- Handle Animal
- Ride
- Use Rope
Animals (Veterinary)
Animals (Training)
- Ride
- Use Rope

Art
- Appraise
- Craft
- Knowledge
- Repair
- Spot
Art (Performer)
Art (Holography)
Art (Instrument)
Art (Visual Media)
Art (Write)

Astrogation
- Knowledge

Athletics
- Knowledge
Athletics (Dexterity)
- Acrobatics
- Balance
- Escape Artist
- Tumble
Athletics (Endurance)
- Concentration
Athletics (Strength)
- Climb
- Jump
- Swim
- Use Rope

Broker
- Knowledge

Carouse
- Knowledge
- Listen
- Sense Motive
- Spot

Deception
- Bluff
- Disguise
- Forgery
- Knowledge
- Move Silently
- Perform
- Sleight Of Hand

Diplomat
- Diplomacy
- Intimidate
- Knowledge
- Listen
- Sense Motive

Drive
- Knowledge
- Repair
Drive (Hovercraft)
Drive (Mole)
Drive (Track)
Drive (Walker)
Drive (Wheel)

Electronics
- Knowledge
- Repair
Electronics (Comms)
- Listen
Electronics (Computers)
- Computer Use
- Open Lock
Electronics (Remote Ops)
Electronics (Sensors)
- Search
- Spot

Engineer
- Craft
- Disable Device
- Knowledge
- Knowledge (engineering)
- Open Lock
- Repair
Engineer (M-drive)
Engineer (J-drive)
Engineer (Life Support)
Engineer (Power)

Explosives
- Demolitions
- Knowledge

Flyer
- Fly
- Knowledge
- Repair
Flyer (Airship)
Flyer (Grav)
Flyer (Ornithopter)
Flyer (Rotor)
Flyer (Wing)

Gambler
- Bluff
- Gamble
- Knowledge
- Sleight Of Hand
- Spot

Gunner
- Knowledge
- Repair
Gunner (Turret)
Gunner (Ortillery)
Gunner (Screen)
Gunner (Capital)

Gun Combat
- Knowledge
- Repair
Gun Combat (Archaic)
Gun Combat (Energy)
Gun Combat (Slug)

Heavy Weapons
- Knowledge
- Repair
Heavy Weapons (Artillery)
Heavy Weapons (Portable)
Heavy Weapons (Vehicle)

Imperium Knowledge

Investigate
- Gather Information
- Knowledge
- Listen
- Open Lock
- Research
- Search
- Sense Motive
- Spot

Jack-of-All-Trades

Known Space Knowledge

Language
- Listen
- Knowledge
- Read/Write Language
- Speak Language
Language (Anglic)

Leadership
- Intimidate
- Knowledge

Mechanic
- Craft
- Disable Device
- Knowledge
- Open Lock
- Repair

Medic
- Knowledge
- Heal
- Treat Injury

Melee
- Knowledge
- Repair
Melee (Blade)
Melee (Bludgeon)
Melee (Natural)

Navigation
- Knowledge
- Knowledge (Geography)
- Navigate
- Spot
- Survival

Persuade
- Intimidate
- Knowledge

Pilot
- Knowledge
Pilot (Small Craft)
Pilot (Spacecraft)
Pilot (Capital Ships)

Profession
- Appraise
- Escape Artist
- Knowledge
- Open Lock
- Perform
- Profession
- Repair
- Sleight Of Hand
- Spellcraft
- Survival
- Tumble
- Use Magic Device

Recon
- Gather Information
- Knowledge
- Listen
- Open Lock
- Search
- Spot

Science
- Knowledge
- Repair
- Research
Science (Archaeology)
Science (Astronomy)
Science (Biology)
Science (Chemistry)
Science (Cosmology)
Science (Cybernetics)
Science (Economics)
Science (Genetics)
Science (History)
- Knowledge (history)
Science (Linguistics)
- Decipher Script
Science (Philosophy)
- Knowledge (Religion)
Science (Physics)
Science (Planetology)
Science (Psionicology)
Science (Psychology)
- Sense Motive
Science (Robotics)
Science (Sophontology)
Science (Xenology)

Seafarer
- Knowledge
- Repair
- Swim
- Use Rope
Seafarer (Ocean Ships)
Seafarer (Personal)
Seafarer (Sail)
Seafarer (Submarine)

Stealth
- Hide
- Knowledge
- Move Silently

Steward
- Knowledge
- Listen

Streetwise
- Appraise
- Gather Information
- Intimidate
- Knowledge
- Listen
- Open Lock
- Sense Motive
- Sleight Of Hand

Survival
- Knowledge
- Knowledge (Nature)
- Listen
- Move Silently
- Search
- Spot
- Survival
- Use Rope

Tactics
- Knowledge
Tactics (Military)
Tactics (Naval)

Vacc Suit
- Knowledge
- Repair
- Survival
 
Looks pretty good. But its been long enough I no longer have any d20 skill lists memorized. Is there a particular edition or version of d20 you're looking at, or thinking of it as a whole?

A tangent. After years of always starting with a session rolling characters, I think if I got to introduce new players to Traveller now I'd start with pre-gens in a one shot, then roll characters for an ongoing campaign only afterwards. And that first session could be used to introduce concepts like task chains, sometimes more than one skill applies, sometimes a non-standard attribute is paired with a skill, etc.
 
Wouldn't it be easier to just transfer the skills over as is and d6 it if it isn't already a skill in CT? And I would think that there are few skills that would need to be folded into an already existing skill or could just be rolled as an Ability check.

Also, I don't think the Skills are going to be a problem if a player is going from a D20 system to a D6/2D6 system. It's going to be the difference in the Difficulty Check mechanics. I mean they do the same thing, except for one uses a D20 and the other used 2d6 to find out how easy or hard a task is and whether the task is successful or not, plus a few other minor differences.

Another thing is, and it could just be me, I can't help but think the CT skill system is a little easier to use than the D20 system, so some D20 players might take some time to get used to an easier dice check system.
 
I'm not talking about bringing d20 Characters over to Traveller.

Just the Players. This is only to familiarize a new Player, who played d20 games previously, with Traveller skills.

And this is based off the d20 SRD and d20 Star Wars skills.
 
It's not just skills that might be a problem. In CT, having a skill means you can use it on whatever you use it with. In T20 for example, you need a Feat in a vehicle type to use Pilot or Driving Skills. Gunnery Skill can't be used at all unless you have a Feat for the weapon system you want to use.

Jack of all Trades is a Feat instead of a Skill, but works about the same way.

Knowledge is a Cascade Skill, so you would chose a sub skill, like Cars, Famous Vargr Politicians in Core Sector, Aslan hand held energy weapons, card games...

There's a bunch of other differences...

Another thing is every time a Character levels up, the player can improve one or more Skills in the Class they leveled up with. In CT, from what I remember, Skills are rarely improved, unless it's a long campaign and Skills used a lot can be improved, if ok'd by the GM? (I always wondered how you improved skills in CT at the time, as you improved a characters abilities in the other RPG's we were playing after gaining enough experience, which was another thing CT didn't have)

CT '81 was one of the first RPG's I played with my friends in high school, and many years later I got back into Traveller with T20, so I can see how it might be hard for some players to switch from a D20 Skill system to the CT Skill system. For other players, it'll just take a little time to familiarize themselves with the new system and they're good to go. And it's the same for the Skills, there'll be some differences, and unless they're really stubborn, it shouldn't take too long to acclimate to any differences between the Skills of the D20 versus CT. And after looking at the Thread title, aren't the skills about the same between MGT2e and the D20/T20 rule systems? That's the feeling I get looking at the list of skills in the opening post.
 
To answer the CT improvement question, there were a set number of ways to do so.

Most were defined in the two page section Experience in LBB2. Most of them are done by making a dedication roll for following a 4 year term program, passing allows a temp gain for the first terms, doing two terms makes it permanent. You can only do one program at a time.

You could do a round of physical development and up your physical stats by 1 temporarily.

You could take correspondence courses and up your education to a limit equal to your intelligence.

You could do a program of one gun and one blade weapon skill.

You could do a similar program of skill improvement for two skills you have a minimum of Skill-1 in.

You can also do a sabbatical one time for 4 years and Cr70000, and gain a Skill-2 of your choice.

So these work out to effectively one permanent skill per term, or really two skills over two terms. The dedication roll is rough though, so hard to do.

The section concludes with training programs, exotic tech like RNA implants etc as the realm of the referee.

The other mechanic is the Instruction skill from LLB4+.

The Instruction skill requires that the person have both Instruction and the Skill to be taught. The instructor can only teach to a level one below both skills- the example provided is Instruction-4, Demolitions-5 and Recon-3 yields a capability of imparting up to Demolitions-3 and Recon-2.

There are two options, an intense doing nothing else training school period, and more of a school semester or weekends approach over a period of months.

None of these seem to function as learn while doing or skill increase after heroic success.

Using the typical everyone gets two skills plus rank standard, it would appear characters usually develop with service schools imparting the universal skills, effort to dev a skill continues with occasional different training and rank schools adding more.
 
Honestly, I really wasn't thinking about converting Characters at all.

Spinward Scout said:
This isn't for converting Characters.
Click to expand...

O.K., to keep it really simple, why not chose a few skills that are the same in the D20 Systems and MGT2e and show the potential players what the differences look like. For skills that don't have a counterpart in one system or the other, chose a few skills from both to show either possible alternatives, synergies, or just how different the skills lists are.

This way, you don't have to make huge lists like in the OP and gives the players an idea of the differences and similarities of the skills.
 
Spinward Scout said:
I'm not talking about bringing d20 Characters over to Traveller.

Just the Players. This is only to familiarize a new Player, who played d20 games previously, with Traveller skills.

And this is based off the d20 SRD and d20 Star Wars skills.
Click to expand...
Which OLD skill list. d20 SRD? 3.5 or Modern or modern?
Which version of Traveller or Cepheus Engine do you intend to use? RAW or not? The ruleset matters because the descriptions are different.

One big difference for example, MgT1e had Art skill and Athletics skill with specializations. This was a good fit for the d20 Perform and various physical (Balance, Climb, Jump, Swim, etc,) skills. RAW, MgT2E and Cepheus do not. Athletes and Artists do not seem as "cool" to me without them.

Another is Repair Skill. In the d20 Modern SRD descriptions, Craft (Electronic), Craft (Mechanical) and Repair are 3 different Skills, In Traveller there are only 2 bc repairwork is subsumed into the Electronics and Mechanics.
 
Spinward Scout said:
I think the SRD uses D&D 3.5.
Click to expand...
Modern and 3.5 were two related but wholly independent SRD both put out by Wizards. For this Thread, compare the differences in the skills lists. Like religious denominations, the "truth" is there if you know where to dig and what to believe 🤪

WotC d20 System Archive (D&D 3.5 SRD / D20 Modern SRD) at archive.org

Similarly, Mongoose has free a SRD available for MgT1e
Traveller Development Pack (For MgT1E) at archive.org <the latest (or the last one, your call)
but not one per se for MgT2e

For Cepheus Engine there are PWYW of Cepheus (which is MgT1e retro'ed to "feel" a bit more like Classic Traveller). Of these, I personally recommend the Samardan Press ones.
PWYW Cepheus Engine SRDs at DriveThruRPG
 
Nathan Brazil said:
Modern and 3.5 were two related but wholly independent SRD both put out by Wizards. For this Thread, compare the differences in the skills lists. Like religious denominations, the "truth" is there if you know where to dig and what to believe 🤪

WotC d20 System Archive (D&D 3.5 SRD / D20 Modern SRD) at archive.org

Similarly, Mongoose has free a SRD available for MgT1e
Traveller Development Pack (For MgT1E) at archive.org <the latest (or the last one, your call)
but not one per se for MgT2e

For Cepheus Engine there are PWYW of Cepheus (which is MgT1e retro'ed to "feel" a bit more like Classic Traveller). Of these, I personally recommend the Samardan Press ones.
PWYW Cepheus Engine SRDs at DriveThruRPG
Click to expand...
I prefer the Cepheus Deluxe Reference Doc. But the Samardan is very good.
 
Marcatlas said:
I have a T20 Lite OGL PDF. Do you want it?
Click to expand...
Sure.

Send it over, please?

Nathan Brazil said:
Modern and 3.5 were two related but wholly independent SRD both put out by Wizards. For this Thread, compare the differences in the skills lists. Like religious denominations, the "truth" is there if you know where to dig and what to believe
Click to expand...
Thanks for these.
EDIT: The last one doesn't work.
 
Last edited:
Spinward Scout said:
EDIT: The last one doesn't work.
Click to expand...
Try Again?
3.5 Page
d20 Modern Page

The Mongoose link I provided takes you to a direct automatic download of the Traveller Development Pack. Check your download folder for travdevpack.zip If your set up does not allow automatic downloading without clicking my link (I'm on Win 11 with Chrome) change it?
OR
Follow this process:
A. Click the Mongoose Publishing OLD Traveller Product Page
B. At the bottom, you will see the link for the Development Pack. Clicking it triggers the download.

HOWEVER The reason you do not want to do that way is because the file downloaded is an earlier version of the pack from 2011-08-09 at 4264KB. The link I provided is the latest archive.org has stored dated 2016-12-04 at 4250KB which is the last revison and has the Vehicle SRD. The earlier dated zip files do not have it.t.

OR HERE >>> Traveller Development Pack here on COTI! <<< I did all the hard work for you *heavy sigh*
 
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