Player’s Handbook 3, which is due out next year, will feature a new mechanic called Skill Powers. Skill Powers are previewed in Dragon #379: D&D Insider subscribers (you should be one) can read about it here.

In short, Skill Powers will be Utility Powers available to characters who are trained in certain skills: for example, your 2nd Level character who is trained in Diplomacy could, instead of taking a class-based Utility Power, take the 2nd Level Diplomacy Skill Power, which allows you to increase the hit points your allies recover during a short rest.

Aside from the “crunchy” implications discussed below, I love the idea because it brings a little extra character depth in the form of a mechanic. I love the 4th Edition Skills system in general, and these powers give Skills the potential for more “screen time.” They’ll make Skill-oriented characters more fun and they’re perfect as “finishing touches” for players who like to make very detailed characters.

Effects-wise, I’m not sure that these will stand up next to class-based Utility Powers, especially for very combat-oriented characters: my melee Rogue really relies on Adaptable Flanker to keep my Sneak Attack dice on the table. While any number of the 2nd Level Skill Powers available to him would be nice to have, I just see too much combat in my home campaign and in RPGA adventures to justify the trade-off.

Mine is a niche concern, however, and even melee-centric characters will find some value in the higher level Skill Powers. I’ll leave it to the character optimization specialists to decide how many of these powers qualify as “best options” for a highly-tuned killing machine, but I would be surprised if the potential were there.

In related news, my “obscenely skill-oriented 2nd Edition-style Bard” concept is finally starting to crystallize…

UPDATE: Today’s patch to Character Builder includes Skill Powers, so even those who don’t subscribe to D&D Insider can check out the Level 2 Skill Powers.