Skill Modifiers (CTH)

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Many equipment items detailed below will be stated to give a modifier to the chance for success for a skill check. The skill modifiers should be treated as suggestions only, although for game balance it's probably best not to give bonus modifiers to a thief much greater than those suggested. In any event, a central rule which always operates is that the maximum chance for success after all modifiers are applied (for race, dexterity, conditions, equipment, etc.) is 95%; a "natural" roll of 96-00 on d100 always fails!
You might also wish to allow an analogous 1% chance for successóa natural 01 always succeeds, regardless of modifiers. The poor 1st-level thief trying to pick a masterful-quality lock in the dark with improvised lockpicks rollsó01! He's done it! The lock clicks open . . .
In some cases, different items of equipment may each add to some chance for success when climbing walls, opening locks, etc. In the case of nonmagical items, a general rule should be that no more than a total of +20 can be added to any chance for success in such a skill test, no matter how many items are employed to assist the thief's natural talent. The DM may also not allow additive modifiers if items have a similar function. An obvious case would be the use of climbing daggers and spikes for assisting the climb walls skill; the thief could not add the individual modifiers for these two equipment items together and claim an extra bonus, since they both do the same thing (although they have important, individual, additional uses).