Do you think this would unbalance the game?

[Mouseferatu]

[Mods: please move to House Rules] Do you think this would unbalance the game?

I'm giving some thought to tweaking some of the skill points gained by several of the classes. I was thinking of raising those who get 2 to 4, those who get 6 to 8, and those who get 8 (rogues) to 12.

(Yes, they're all multiples of four. Yes, there's a reason. It involves some tweaks I'm thinking of making to other aspects of the system, but they won't have any bearing on this particular question.)

Now, because this means most classes are getting more skills, I'm thinking of dropping the x4 you get at 1st level down to x2--or possibly even to no multiplier at all.

By my calculations, this means that most of the classes (again, except those poor folks who were already at 4, but let's leave them out for the time being), will wind up with more skill points over the course of their career--in the case of the rogue, a lot more--but fewer to start with.

This will certainly impact the feel of the characters, but do you all think it would cause major balance problems? Certainly I'll have to tweak down some difficulties at low level, but beyond that... Do you feel that having a larger number of skill points at high level is potentially unbalancing? Or do you just think it's primarily a mood issue, and something I'll need to take into account when designing challenges?

(Oh, if it helps, this campaign has a lower-than-average level of magic, so there are fewer stat-boosting and skill-boosting items; that may help even things out a bit.)

 

[smetzger]

I think this belongs in the House Rule forum. Thats what I think.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I think this belongs in the House Rule forum. Thats what I think.

D'oh!

It was supposed to be. I must have clicked on the wrong forum link, and not been paying attention.

If a mod kindly wants to move it, it would be appreciated.

 

[spunky_mutters]

As long as Max Ranks is still Level+3 then DCs will generally be in line with skills. Players will just have fewer maxed at 1st level, and more at higher levels.

I think this is the line over which things will tend to break. Sure the rogue is going to have a lot more skills, rather than a few focused and a few dabbled, but it shouldn't affect power as much as choice. Now he has more options of equal efficacy, rather than falling back on the same things. This will be especially true at high levels where any opposed skills need to be maxed to be in the ballpark for success.

 

[Mouseferatu]

As long as Max Ranks is still Level+3 then DCs will generally be in line with skills. Players will just have fewer maxed at 1st level, and more at higher levels.

I think this is the line over which things will tend to break. Sure the rogue is going to have a lot more skills, rather than a few focused and a few dabbled, but it shouldn't affect power as much as choice. Now he has more options of equal efficacy, rather than falling back on the same things. This will be especially true at high levels where any opposed skills need to be maxed to be in the ballpark for success.

Yes, I should have specified. I am keeping the maximum of Level +3.

Thanks for the input; it's more or less what I was thinking, but comfirmation is nice.

Anyone else have a thought?

 

[sparxmith]

I like the idea, actually.

There are about 500k posts about skill points and nearly all of them say that everyone takes the same skills...blah blah blah. I don't say blah because I disagree--I agree empatically--this should solve the problem.

I might increase the max to level +4/+5'ish though.


But then again I'm a serious munchkin.

=-)

 

[Varianor Abroad]

That looks like an interesting change. (Though I can already hear the whines about how everyone only increases by 2 and the rogue by 4.) What I like about the concept is that it improves skills for those who lack a high Int, but doesn't penalize those that have it.

My own take on skills so far is that the low-end classes who are dependant on putting stats on the physical side high can be disadvantaged in games which have many roleplaying, mystery-solving and skill-using moments. (That happens to be my style.) So are you planning on rearranging the core class skill lists to expand what is core? Or are you keeping them the same? I've used a houserule that any PC can choose 2 skills that become core (provided that they aren't class-exclusive), but this system changes what you can get and when.

 

[AeroDm]

So ahh... you hinted that you had a reason for choosing multiples of four. Care to share? Oh, and I like the idea but I need to toy with it longer to figure out all the implications. I would for sure leave the max at Level +3 because of synergies at 5 ranks, thus ensuring that people don't have syn at 1st level.

 

[Storminator]

You might run into some oddities. If your rogue has 12x2 skill points at 1st level, he can max out 6 skills. Then at 2nd level, he can keep those 6 maxed, and max another, and start one more skill. At 3rd he can keep his 7 skills maxed, then max his newest skill.

The x4 at 1st level avoids that problem, by keeping the same number of maxed skills at all levels (baring INT raises). Might want to think about that for a bit.

PS

 

[Mouseferatu]

So ahh... you hinted that you had a reason for choosing multiples of four. Care to share? Oh, and I like the idea but I need to toy with it longer to figure out all the implications. I would for sure leave the max at Level +3 because of synergies at 5 ranks, thus ensuring that people don't have syn at 1st level.

Well, it's a bit hard to explain, because I'm still in the process of working it out myself. But it has to do with the fact that I'm playing around with the total number of skills and the number of class skills everyone gets. In essence, I'm dividing the skills up into "blocks" of four and I'd like each class to get one, two, or three "blocks"-worth of points. If this works out, it'll be a real easy way to create generic NPCs, by simply assuming each block of skills is maxed out. (PCs and imporant NPCs, of course, still have the option of divind their points however they like.)

I don't think I'm explaining it very well, especially since, as I said, the idea itself is still in the larval stage.