Inherent bonus to Int and Skill Points.

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I believe that the reason an Int boosting item does not increase skill points is the same reason that an Int drain / damage does not reduce them.

"Ah, yes, you caught the Mindfire disease, eh? Took 2 points of Int damage above and beyond normal healing, eh? Fine. Lose (CharLevel +3) skill points, and recalc your final modifiers - but remember that you spent points cross-class on these three skills, etc."

 

[Lamoni]

Your way, what does happen then when the hat comes off? The skills disappear? You put on the hat and now your a master blacksmith. Take it off. Put it on again and become a master animal handler? Its just goofy.

That is just goofy. That is why it isn't handled that way. When the hat comes off your intelligence goes down. Skills remain the same. What happens when you get ability damage and lost 4 points of intelligence? Your skills remain the same. Of course, to be honest this is house rules territory and it isn't even a house rule that we use... just one that I wouldn't mind using if the group requested it.

Can you think of ways to abuse the ability to give skill points other than to share it among the party members at level-up? I'd like to see how this can be mishandled because if I am convinced that it is overpowered to grant skills then I won't allow the house rule.

Right now I think that I'd implement the following house rule... you must use the item for at least 48 hours for it to affect skill points. That would prevent the pass the hat problem and is similar to the requirement for it to have an affect on bonus spells.

 

[Gwarok]

Again I am not sure why a temporary boost to INT should result in a permanent bonus to the character. The abuse you mentioned of your characters passing the hat is a natural result of that interpretation. Skills are not just some fact of the moment like gear or combat bonuses, they are what your character IS. And if my characters lost INT long term because of some curse or affliction and couldn't redress it, you better bet they are going to recalc their skill totals down when we get a chance.

Anyone ever seen "Flowers for Algernon"?

 

[Lamoni]

And if my characters lost INT long term because of some curse or affliction and couldn't redress it, you better bet they are going to recalc their skill totals down when we get a chance.

Anyone ever seen "Flowers for Algernon"?

Yes I have seen that movie and also read the story. But now it is you that is straying into house rule territory.

 

[Lamoni]

One other thing, just in case you are confused. I am not suggesting that a +4 int item given to a 10th level character give +13 skill points. It would work just like gaining int from leveling up. Any past skills are set in stone, any future ones depend on your int at each level-up. And maybe you see lots of people swap their magic items around all the time, but in every campaign I have been in, people buy magic items to wear them permanently. The wizard wouldn't remove his helm of intellect any more often than the fighter would remove his belt of giant strength or the rogue would remove his gloves of dexterity.

 

[Gwarok]

Skill point reduction with permanent INT loss makes sense to me, even though it is totally a house rule. A Dr. who suffers brain damage and gets reduced to an effective IQ of 60 is probably not going to have the skills to continue practicing medicine. Not that characters can't their hands on a restoration scroll or three...

 

[Trainz]

The skill rules are simplified and don't make exact sense (and neither do I want them to be that exacting... as long as it works, I'm happy. I hate useless complexity).

A rogue with high Int will probably be able to put more slots in his Dex based skills, an unrealistic thing. In fact, a rogue with 10 Dex and 20 Int, will have a lot of maxed skills based on dex, although his stat bonus on those skills will be 0, and a rogue with 20 Dex and 10 Int will only have a few Dex skills, although he will add +5 to those few skills.

Overall, if you add all total Dex skills (ranks + ability mod), the high Int rogue will have more total skill modifiers. Which doesn't make sense because these are strictly physically trained skills, and the high Dex character should prevail over the smart one.

Did I digress ?

I guess I did.

Sorry.

 

[Staffan]

The idea behind Int giving more skill points is that high Int = better learning capacity. Later changes in Int doesn't change how much you learned three years ago, but it does make it easier (or harder) to learn new things, which means old skill points aren't changed, but future ones gained are.

 

[irdeggman]

I let my characters get skill points for INT only if it is permanent. In fact I let them get points retroactively for it.

Must be a house rule entirely since you can't save up skill points to spend later (PHB pg 62). I don't see how this can be an easy process. It would be easy (or easier) the all characters were single class - but since as a game progresses more and more players run multi-class characters this makes things exceptionally difficult. Mostly due having to calculate costs for skills at each level based on class being obtained.

 

[Apuglisi]

Speaking about Int...why is int the only one that gives skill points?

I hated that i wanted a social character and what did I have to do? I had to put a better int to get skills than charisma...sounds a bit odd to me...

We have a house rule about that all the stats give skil points...Each skill has an abbility to be used with and one that you use for training it.

Imagine your char has base skill points of 6 plus abbility...The max will be given by the abbility that has the best mod...Imagine Charisma has a +3 and wis a +2..So you would have a max of 9 skill points.
The base 6 you can use to pay any skill but with the other three you can use 3 to charisma trained skills or 2 to wis trained skills and 1 to charisma trained skill...
This way all the characters can have the the stat they really want and where they really want ithout having to speculate about not having a skill...

Makes it quite more enjoyable to me...