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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 4669645" data-attributes="member: 7635">Which brings us back to my point.That as it stands, two ranks by itself is useless.Sure, having a +2 to a roll is better than not. But the opportunity cost is what is important.Those two ranks in diplomacy could be used to top off a skill a PC has nearly max ranks in. Which is better, a +2 to a roll you'll seldom make (like a diplomacy check when separated from the bard) or something you'll make regularly (spellcraft for a cleric or disable device for a rogue)? Certainly, its the latter.The opportunity cost of NOT maxing out a skills is certainly not equal to adding a 1-2 point insurance boost to a seldom used skill. Then, can we agree that barring some odd circumstances (that mostly being "when the DM creates a life/death scenario hinging on a single forced skill check") that its better to max out skill than it is to spread 2-3 skill points across multiple skills (IE its better to be good at one thing than suck at many)?Good. Because we're now walking into not granularity, but polarization. Either you're good at something (max ranks) or you didn't bother to waste the points in it (because you placed those points in maxing out something else). Eventually, we create a system that is either all or nothing or on/off. Not much different than Saga/Pathfinder/4e's untrained/trained/focused system, eh?Of course, I'm ignoring the two OTHER uses of skill points, and I'd be reminisced to do so: vanity points and cross-class skills. Vanity points is exactly what those two ranks in diplomacy are: a way of mechanically showing your PC had exposure to, but isn't good at, something. Typical vanity points are spent either in a knowledge (to make it trained thus uncapping the DC beyond 10) or in craft/profession (to show a former trade before adventuring). IMHO, they are a false skill sink. Those knowledge checks, barring the occasional 20, rarely succeed better than that DC 10 and I rarely see a need (or even much opportunity) to see craft/profession checks be made. However, they make the player feel "good" about something since "its written down on their character sheet".The other is C.C. skills: a way to fool people into burning 1/2 their skill points on a skill they cannot possibly trump a trained character at. After most people figure out C.C skills are a skill point diminishing return, all I ever see it used for is meeting PrC requirements.</blockquote>

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