How Do You Use Resources That Are Not Directly Used In Game?

[Admin Pete]

How do you use resources that are not directly used in game? There are tons of resources of things that we may not want to use directly in our OD&D or other games for one reason or another.

One example is proficiency lists. I do not use non-weapon proficiencies, because I want the players to be willing to try anything and not to think that because they don't have a defined proficiency that they cannot. However, I do use the list as a idea jog to remind me to include a wide variety of opportunities for innovative play by my players. What are other things you would add to this list. Do you have other lists that you use as I do or in some other way?

Here is on such list, that the players never see, that I use solely as a way to generate ideas. These are from online sources and do not reflect my full table. I will edit this post later, as I noted before, I will be posting mine when I have more time to post and am at home where the documents are. (that will not be within the next few days as this is a very busy weekend coming up)


Non-Weapon Proficiencies

Airborne Riding (Mount d6: 1-3 pegasus, 4-5 hippogriff, 6 griffon)
Alertness
Animal Handling
Animal Lore
Animal Noise (identify)
Animal Trainer (d6: 1 bird, 2 horse, 3 pack animal, 4 dog, 5 flying mount, 6 exotic)
Armorer (2)
Blacksmith
Blind Fighting
Boating
Boatwright
Bowyer/Fletcher
Carpenter
Charioteering
Cooper
Coppersmith
Direction Sense
Endurance
Fire Building
Fishing
Foraging
Fungus Identification
Gem Cutter
Goldsmith
Healing
Hunting
Leatherworker
Miner
Mountaineering
Music
Musical Instrument (designate)
Plant Lore
Potter
Read & Write (specify language)
Riding
Rope Use
Running--Sprinting
Running--Distance
Silversmith
Slow Respiration
Smelter
Stonemason
Survival--Cold
Survival--Desert
Survival--Heat
Swimming
Tracking
Weaponsmith
Weather Sense
Weaver

[Necromancer]

Well, I'm used to skill based systems, so I've used that kind of proficiencies quite a lot. However, I must add, the older I get the more inclined I am to go for a "less is more" approach. Nowadays I prefer few but broad skills, as I find overly massive and detailed skill lists to be a nuisance adding only limitation and unneccessary complexity.