I agree HandEFood that D&D rules would cost too much and doesn't suit DD very well. Instead of directly taking D&D rules, Larian can spend some time to improve the current skill usage.
Also it is a good idea to link some skills to some stats, just like HandEFood wrote. It is more sensible to use stat restrictions instead of level restrictions.
The two, class and gender dependant, free skills at the beginning are useless for some class/gender combination. A good example is "Summon Vermin" of male mage's, just like Rainmaster mentioned. I played a male mage and I don't remember, I ever used it.
To brief; skill system needs a little more working on it. There are some obvious mistake like "Ranger Sight" vs "Elven Sight". Such mistakes should be taken care of and the skill system completely should be revised. However, the skill system in its current condition is not very bad. It allows to develop a character freely. It just need some more development to make it excellent.
Keep going Larian! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />
