Pathfinder 1E Bonus languages and int


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Lord Pendragon

First Post
Cool. I do recall reading a dev quote that everything is retroactive and therefore it needn't be stated every time. But then I came across the faq/errata about the headband of int and how it doesn't provide retroactive skill points, because the skill associated with the headband takes the place of that.

Which is weird. Why use that clunky mechanic instead of just having it provide retroactive skill points? *boggle*
 
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paradox42

First Post
Which is weird. Why use that clunky mechanic instead of just having it provide retroactive skill points? *boggle*
Because then you have to answer the question: what happens when you take the Headband off? :) And perhaps more importantly, what happens when you later put it back on? Do you get to retro-spend the skill points all over again, and thus get X skill points to spend on anything you like just for the price of waiting 24 hours (so the Headband can properly retune)?

Of course, the existence of Psychic Reformation in games which use the Psionics rules (originally from 3.5, currently updated to PF by Dreamscarred Press) sort of obviates the Badness of that, since a single use of Reformation is much cheaper in time and money than a Headband. But even so, the questions are there.
 

Lord Pendragon

First Post
Because then you have to answer the question: what happens when you take the Headband off? :) And perhaps more importantly, what happens when you later put it back on? Do you get to retro-spend the skill points all over again, and thus get X skill points to spend on anything you like just for the price of waiting 24 hours (so the Headband can properly retune)?

Odd. It'd never occur to me to game the system to this degree. Sure, I like to optimize my characters but...

*shakes head*

The downside to this attempt to curb the insanity is that it sets up a system where int items receive far less benefit than others. A strength boost always provides everything real strength does.

But an int item doesn't allow you to freely assign the skill points you'd ordinarily get from int and, even worse, if the skill attached to the item is one you already have, you could wind up gaining no skill points at all, as they don't stack. On top of that, random headbands apparently favor knowledge skills, which mean that it's likely you'll lose out on skill points, as a person focusing on int probably chose at least a couple knowledge skills to begin with.

The only option is to always commission new item creation so as to be able to select the attached skill.
 

Squire James

First Post
I let players re-assign skill points previously spent on Headband skills. If the Headband is taken off or destroyed, the character loses all points in those skills (or not, if they didn't reassign the points). When they gain a level, I allow characters to re-assign as many skill points as they gain (so a non-human Fighter with 13 Int gets 3 skill points and can shift 3 more), so they can quickly master a skill if they really want to.
 

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