Search skillz

Making a change like that to the game basically says to anyone that put points in Search or similar non-combat type skills, “you wasted your skill points.” Much, much better advice would be “don’t put important stuff on the other side of a die roll.”

—The Chapel Perilous, “DM Advice”, Monte Cook

Even better advice: Don’t use a system that requires players to put points in a “search skill” in order to successfully search for stuff.

In my experience, a search skill doesn’t make the game any more fun.

Having a search skill means that there are probably going to be times when a player feels putting points in search was a waste. It could be because the judge let the PCs find something important that was hidden without rolling. It could be because the rules (Take 20) allow the PCs to find something without rolling. If the rolls can’t be circumvented, then it may mean that the PCs can never find something, even if they have very good evidence that it is there.