Altering Skill Focus - Need Feedback

[Psion]

My solution

In my campaign, I have generic rules for handling skill modifier feats.

A feat that enhances two thematically related skills provides +2 to each.

A feat that enhances on skill in any situation provides a +3 (this is your skill focus)

A feat that enhances one skill in one situation provides a +4. This includes things like combat casting as well as things like Green Ronin's secret of spellcraft feat (provides +4 to spellcraft checks when researching spells) and my own improved feint feat (+4 bluff for feinting only).

All such bonuses are competance bonuses if the feat has no prerequisite (and thus do not stack with each other or certain class or magic abilities), or an unnamed bonus if the feat has a prerequisite. This preserves the value of such feats that are provided in books like OA and FRCS.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

(2Kaptain_Kantrip
Well, it was poor wording - luck bonus stack not with other luck bonuses, if I recall correctly. They stack with other named or unnamend bonus, that is true.
And, just for a boring joke: Do you have a divine counter part, "Bootsmann_Orison" or "Flieger_Orison"? )

 

[Steven McRownt]

The problem is: do we have to follow our player character doubts? In my campaign no PC stop to consider the idea of taking a skill focus feat (the orginal version in the core book): give just a +2 is throw away a feat, and for the majority of the classes, a feat is something to choose VERY wisely.

So i've offered them a +3, and Wizard gave them 2 +2 with the guidebooks.

Do u think something is changed? The answer is No. Not at all. Some of the NPC have skill focus (bards, thief, and a ranger), but my group still ignore that feat.

Did I have to boost it up to +4? Don't think so (even if the sorceror in my group actually have it), because the risk to unbalance the game is high. NPC classes can have extremely high skills even at low level, and that can grow in number masterwork wapons and armors in the market... Have u ever thought about that?

No. I prefer to use the +3 bonus. It's a matter of balancing a world, not just be deaf to the requests of my group.

Steven McRownt

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well, Skill Focus is a feat for skills, and most skills are not used in combat. But most feats are used for Combat Abilities.
Ranger, Fighters, Paladins, Barbarians, Druids, Wizards and Sorcerers are no "skill needing" classes.
All these class might have skills that are helpful, bot most of them are not simply the "save the ass" abilities.

Rogues and Bards are the only character classes really having skills where a bonus might be of great use.
I think Use Magic Device, Tumble, Search and Disable Device are best "targets" for Skill Focus, but the mentioned classes do not offer bonus feats, and without feats can become very weak in combat. (Though I don`t know why a bard should want to shine in combat - defense, okay, but you know that it easily can become boring if you always talk about your own achievements? )
And than there is still the factor that most people underestimate the value of some skills (Use Magic Device?).

Mustrum Ridcully