Focused Mind?

[Notmousse]

The feat gives you a +2 when taking 10 or 20 on intelligence or intelligence based checks.

I could have sworn that most if not all Int or Int based checks could not normally use the take 10/20 options.

Am I mistaken, or is this just something for Elves with Skill Mastery?

 

[shilsen]

You are mistaken. You can take 10 on every Int-based skill if the conditions are right, and can take 20 on some of them (Search, for example). And you can take 10 or 20 on ability checks, so you can do so on Int checks too.

 

[Darklone]

Take 20 on search checks? Ok, but don't use it when looking for traps!!!

So perhaps you remembered that example, Notmousse? Usually you can take 20 except in the cases highlighted below. So, e.g. knowledge skills? No problem, it just takes longer.

Taking 20

When you have plenty of time (generally 2 minutes for a skill that can normally be checked in 1 round, one full-round action, or one standard action), you are faced with no threats or distractions, and the skill being attempted carries no penalties for failure, you can take 20. In other words, eventually you will get a 20 on 1d20 if you roll enough times. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, just calculate your result as if you had rolled a 20.

Taking 20 means you are trying until you get it right, and it assumes that you fail many times before succeeding. Taking 20 takes twenty times as long as making a single check would take.

Since taking 20 assumes that the character will fail many times before succeeding, if you did attempt to take 20 on a skill that carries penalties for failure, your character would automatically incur those penalties before he or she could complete the task. Common “take 20” skills include Escape Artist, Open Lock, and Search.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Take 20 on search checks? Ok, but don't use it when looking for traps!!!

Why not?

A failed Search check has no consequences.

 

[shilsen]

Take 20 on search checks? Ok, but don't use it when looking for traps!!!

As Patryn said, Take 20 on Search for traps is perfectly doable and I'd say that's always the smartest thing to do when you have time and a specific object or area you're focusing on (a door, a chest, etc). You can't Take 20 on Disable Device on a trap, but Search is just fine.

 

[Ravellion]

Why not?

A failed Search check has no consequences.

Exactly, it is the disable device check you do not want to miss by 5 or more.

 

[Darklone]

Depends on the trap builder... the trigger has to be where the player is when he's searching

 

[Notmousse]

Given the description of the Knowledge class of skills though, there is no retry, so one would assume no take 20 as it's 'trying till you get it right'. I could have sworn I'd seen something similar about taking 10, but I can not find it.

 

[shilsen]

Given the description of the Knowledge class of skills though, there is no retry, so one would assume no take 20 as it's 'trying till you get it right'.

Right.

I could have sworn I'd seen something similar about taking 10, but I can not find it.

It's not there. Taking 10 on Knowledge skills is just fine.