Altering Skill Focus - Need Feedback

[Cheiromancer]

A skill focus IMC gives +3 to one skill.

I also have a feat that offers +2 to two different (but thematically connected) skills.

 

[hong]

A big bonus is more powerful than 2 smaller ones, simply because you can use all of it in one check. This is also why the luck of heroes feat is balanced. I'd hate to see someone take +4 on spellcraft... they'd never have to roll when trying to learn new spells.

Spellcraft isn't such a back-breaker when it comes to the impact of Skill Focus. Most 10th level wizards will have no problem learning new spells: 13 ranks + 4 Int bonus = +17 bonus, so anything up to 3rd level spells are automatic. If the wizard takes 10, that becomes all spells up to and including 9th level.

Where it might become bad is for skills that involve opposed checks, like Move Silently, Hide or Bluff.

 

[Crothian]

Another place it';s bad are spot, listen and search. In every campaign I've played in these are the most common skill rolls and everyone usually needs to roll them.

 

[Cloudgatherer]

+3 is my house rule for it

Making it+4 makes combat casting pretty useless IMO.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

+3 is my house rule for it

Making it+4 makes combat casting pretty useless IMO.

Combat Casting is pretty useless as written in the PHB. Why take it when you can get Skill Focus: Concentration and have your bonus be useful under any and all conditions that call for a Concentration check?

 

[Al]

I think that the Combat Casting thing is a problem.
Consider bumping Combat Casting up to +5 or even +6: most of the time it's pretty useless anyway, as the mage can simply 5' step back and cast the spell there. Casting on the defensive usually only happens when the mage is in a tight spot and/or fighting an opponent with reach.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Combat Casting is a very useful feat.
There are several situations in which stepping 5 feet back is just not enough to avoid a Attack of Oppertunity. You may be surrounded by multiple foes, one or even several foes have reach (weapons) and so on.
+4 nearly negates the effective +5 to the base DC.
Remember, if you get hit by an AOO, you have to beat a DC based also on the Damge (which will soon become more than 5 points, which is the Base DC Difference to Casting on the Defensive), and you roll only to avoid loosing the spell - you suffer damage instead.

Combat Casting and steadily having max Skill Points on Concentration may make you effectively immune to AOOs due to Spellcasting, but if you don`t do that...
Avoiding AOOs is important for a d4 hit diced wizard or sorceror.
Even - or better especially - in the rare circumstances a spellcaster is confronted with AOOs during Casting, he cannot afford losing hit points...

Though, obviously, Combat Casting would lose most of its use when skill focus grants +4 on a skill check. (The Feats stack, I think... Unnamed Bonuses).
With +3 it is fine.

For deciding between +3 and +4 remember the magic items rules.
A +3 is worth slightly more than 2 +2s. (3 x 3 = 9; (2 x 2) x 2 = 8)
So +3 is "in line" with the usual calculation rules for bonus to skills, abilities, and attack rolls.

(Hmm. How about Luck of Heros compared to Iron Will, Great Fortitude and Lightning Reflexes: 3 x 1 = 3; 2 x 2 = 4. Seems to be fine. Hey, Luck of Heroes is even weaker, its a named, notstackable bonus type!)

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

(Hmm. How about Luck of Heros compared to Iron Will, Great Fortitude and Lightning Reflexes: 3 x 1 = 3; 2 x 2 = 4. Seems to be fine. Hey, Luck of Heroes is even weaker, its a named, notstackable bonus type!)

That's actually incorrect. The bonus from Luck of Heroes is a *luck* bonus. Luck bonuses stack. Unnamed/unspecified bonuses stack. The bonus from Luck of Heroes will stack with any other bonuses to your saving throws, making it a useful feat to take; it would be a pretty rotten feat if its bonus didn't stack...

 

[Chacal]

Combat casting is widely use among spellcasters IMC, and for us, skill focus at +4
would be overpowered. Even +3 would make combatcasting questionable.

Skill focus has been
taken two times outside PrC Prereqs. reasons, so it seems to work for us.
I would say option 3, though.

Tougness is another thing...

Chacal

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Skill focus has been
taken two times outside PrC Prereqs. reasons, so it seems to work for us.

Salutations,

That was the final decision that made me bump it up to +4- no one was taking it at +2 or +3(outside of for PrC's).

People are now taking the feat at +4, but everyone isn't taking it.

So, obviously to me, it has found the right power level where it is an actual consideration.

For those who are saying +3 is acceptable while +4 is overpowered, well, err.. I will just bite my tongue.

I guess it is all a matter of perspective.

FD