Read Runes

[Waylander]

I'm thinking of adding Read Runes as a cultural feat for my next campaign (cultural feats work in a similar way to regional feats in the Players Guide to Faerun).

It'll be based on the 2nd level Cleric spell, Augury, in terms of the answers given and materials used but will be usable for any event (not just in the next 30 mins). The accuracy of the answer will be a DC of 15 +/- the character's Wisdom modifier. Usable once per day.

In order to balance the power of the feat, I was planning to make each use cost 100 XP (i.e. expensive at early levels and then relatively inexpensive at later levels).

Is the above balanced? Does the usability have to be less frequent? More expensive in XP?

I admit the feat is mainly for flavour, but it's also an attempt to have characters who can be local wise folk without having to have levels in Cleric.

 

[Ilium]

I see several options:

1) Add Augury to the Adept spell list. Your "wise folk" need at least 4 levels in Adept to use it. Probably not what you want.

2) Go with the feat, but put in some good prerequisites and limit it to once per week. Prerequisites could include WIS 13+ and 8 ranks in an appropriate Knowledge skill. This is probably what I would do. I don't think the XP cost is necessary in this case. If you wanted to be nice, make it 5 ranks so a character can use their 3rd-level feat for it.

EDIT: Ok, I guess I only saw two options...

 

[Waylander]

I see several options:

1) Add Augury to the Adept spell list. Your "wise folk" need at least 4 levels in Adept to use it. Probably not what you want.

2) Go with the feat, but put in some good prerequisites and limit it to once per week. Prerequisites could include WIS 13+ and 8 ranks in an appropriate Knowledge skill. This is probably what I would do. I don't think the XP cost is necessary in this case. If you wanted to be nice, make it 5 ranks so a character can use their 3rd-level feat for it.

EDIT: Ok, I guess I only saw two options...

Thanks Iluim!

As you suspected, I think the second option is the one I'm more tempted by. As this is going to be a Cultural/Regional Feat it is one that will have to be chosen at 1st level.

IMHO Regional feats tend to be 1.5x as powerful as a standard feat. As such the maximum prerequisite skill ranks would be 4 (an even then that would limit to certain classes or 2 for it to be available for all classes).

Perhaps having two different skills with minimum ranks so that a character would have to sacrifice the breadth of skill to enable them to have this feat? Knowledge (Arcana) and Knowledge (Religion)?

 

[Ilium]

If you want to make it a regional feat available to all classes you'll have to do one of three things:

1) Make the skill requirement 2 ranks, as you said
2) Drop the skill requirement entirely
3) Keep the requirement at 4 ranks, but make the skill in question class skills for everybody from that region

Apparently I'm into numbered lists, lately.

 

[Waylander]

If you want to make it a regional feat available to all classes you'll have to do one of three things:

1) Make the skill requirement 2 ranks, as you said
2) Drop the skill requirement entirely
3) Keep the requirement at 4 ranks, but make the skill in question class skills for everybody from that region

Apparently I'm into numbered lists, lately.

Thanks for the help Ilium - I suspect making it 2 ranks in two different skills (which is effectively soaking up 4 or 8 skill points for class or cross-class skills) is the way that I'll go.

No harm in numbered lists

Cheers!

 

[Ilium]

Remember that you will effectively make it impossible for fighters, barbarians and other low-skill classes to ever have this feat. They simply won't have the skill points at first level. If that's OK with you, then you're all set.

 

[Waylander]

Remember that you will effectively make it impossible for fighters, barbarians and other low-skill classes to ever have this feat. They simply won't have the skill points at first level. If that's OK with you, then you're all set.

Not sure I understand?

A Fighter (or other class with 2 + Int skill points per level) with an Intelligence of 10 will have 8 skill points at 1st level (i.e. his 2 skill points due to class, + 0 for Int, x 4 at 1st level). For two Knowledge skills, i.e. two cross-class skills, he can spend his 8 points to gain the required two skills with 2 ranks each for the Read Runes feat.

 

[Ilium]

I did bad math and thought he wouldn't have enough, but he just barely does. But then that's ALL his skill points (unless he's a human). Maybe that's your intention, that a fighter would be unlikely to have the feat. If so, you're good.