[Kipi]

The idea of making the use of skills more interactive is IMO very good. Here is how I think it could be done in some skills:

Stealth: The number of the skill determines how well character can avoid making noise in different grounds and how well he can avoid getting spotted in different lights. While sneaking player must select the route himself, and the fact that how dark it is determines how well player can be seen and the ground determines how possible it's that player makes some noise while sneaking. For example, sneaking inside is easier since the floor doesn't make so much noise than for example some areas outside where there could be wood, stones and such things which could cause some noise. Also different floors can make different ammount of noise, like old wooden floor can cause more noise than rock-floor in caves...

Lockpick: I don't know about the minigame in Thief and Oblivion, but somekind of minigame where the the moving of the mouse is used to determine the successing. Player must move his mouse in correct way to success. If the lock is easy to pick, the "route" of mouse is easier and so on. With higher skill in lockpicking the game reacts slower to the mouse, thus making it easier to move the mouse in correct way.

Repair: Minigame where player must connect correct cables and such. Again, if the item is easier to repair, then the minigame is also easier. With higher skill you get better hints to how repair the item.