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<blockquote data-quote="FrogReaver" data-source="post: 7568099" data-attributes="member: 6795602">V.&nbsp; Paladin Analysis (pt2)Skills (Evaluation)I could rank skills here based on class strengths, expected rate of use and impact in game.&nbsp; Such a rating would be near useless IMO.&nbsp; It's simply too campaign and party dependent.&nbsp; Ultimately skills are all about resolving a task and so when it comes to evaluating skills think about them in terms of resolving a random&nbsp; task and consider the following:Consequences of Failure – 1) Is there a consequence for failure?&nbsp; 2) Do you consider that consequence to be major or minor?&nbsp; 3) Does failure harm the group or just your PC?&nbsp; Benefits of success – 4) Is there a benefit for success?&nbsp; 5) Do you consider that benefit to be major or minor?&nbsp; 6) Does success benefit the group or just to your PC?Repeated Attempts – 7) Can multiple players attempt to resolve the task with the same skill?&nbsp; 8) What about with different skills?&nbsp; 9) Can you attempt to resolve the task with different skills?Tasks where the group works together – 10) Does the group fail if even one PC fails?&nbsp; 11)&nbsp; Does the group succeed if even one PC succeeds?&nbsp; 12)&nbsp; Are the group check rules or some variation of them used such that if enough PC's succeed then it's a success or if enough fail then it's a failure?Player Driven – All skills checks are called for by the DM, however players can have their PC's attempt certain actions that tend to result in a skill check being called for by the DM.&nbsp; Skill checks like this are player driven.&nbsp; These skills you have some control over how often you use them.&nbsp; Other skill checks are DM driven.&nbsp; For example when the players have been walking through the forest for hours and the DM calls for a perception check.&nbsp; 13)&nbsp; Is the skill to resolve the task player or DM Driven?Miscellaneous–14) Does this task come up often?&nbsp; 15)&nbsp; Are there other skills you could use to solve this task?&nbsp; 16)&nbsp; Does anyone else have a good modifier to this skill?&nbsp; 17)&nbsp; Are you already extremely bad at the skill?I think a good hypothetical example of using the above questions to help a Paladin player evaluate whether he should choose stealth or history.&nbsp; In his game stealth has major consequences for failure and major benefits for success both of which impact the group.&nbsp; There are no repeated attempts and when the group is being stealthy they fail if even 1 PC fails.&nbsp; Opportunities to use the skill come up quite and there are no other skills that get used in place of stealth for the tasks it's resolving.&nbsp; However, the skill is player driven, the rogue is already great at stealth for the stealth related tasks that don't require the whole group and your Paladin being in plate armor makes him extremely bad at the skill.History related tasks come up fairly often and you are not terrible at the skill.&nbsp; However, History has virtually no consequences for failure and only minor benefits for success.&nbsp; Typically each person in the party can attempt the history check.&nbsp; Many times another skill can result in the same effect but not always.&nbsp; If even one person succeeds at the History related task then the whole group does.&nbsp; The wizard is already fairly good at the skill.&nbsp; So in this hypothetical game where the answers to the questions above were as given then I'd recommend stealth over history simply because it had many more pros and far fewer cons than the history skill.&nbsp; It's important to note again that these evaluations may not apply to your game.&nbsp; Also, if History is essential to your character concept then by all means take it because as you'll soon see, relying on skill checks for almost any given task is a terrible idea (unless you have a massive bonus to the skill needed for that task).&nbsp; Typical skill bonuses a level 1 PC can acquire.[TABLE=&quot;width: 100%&quot;][TR][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DC[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bonus -2[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bonus -1[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bonus 0[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 13%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bonus +1[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bonus +2[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bonus +3[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bonus +4[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 15%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bonus +5[/TD][/TR][TR][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 5[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 70.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 75.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 80.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 13%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 85.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 90.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 95.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 100.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 15%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 100.00%[/TD][/TR][TR][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 10[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 45.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 50.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 55.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 13%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 60.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 65.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 70.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 75.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 15%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 80.00%[/TD][/TR][TR][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 15[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 20.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 25.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 30.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 13%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 35.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 40.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 45.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 50.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 15%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 55.00%[/TD][/TR][TR][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 20[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 5.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 13%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 10.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 15.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 20.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 25.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 15%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 30.00%[/TD][/TR][TR][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 25[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 10%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 13%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 11%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 15%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 5.00%[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]The most important thing we learn from this chart is that we don't want to make skill checks unless we absolutely have to.&nbsp; Our individual chance of success on any given task is fairly low.&nbsp; That means if there's a meaningful consequence for failure that we should be doing everything in our power to avoid having to make a skill check unless absolutely necessary.&nbsp;&nbsp; Even the most specialized Paladin achieves nowhere near guaranteed success on whatever skills he has specialized in.The other things to be aware of in regards to the above chart are: <ol>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">DC&nbsp; &nbsp; 25 checks are nearly impossible for any level 1 PC to make</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">DC&nbsp; &nbsp; 10 and 15 checks are the most common at level 1.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">DC&nbsp; &nbsp; 20 checks at level 1 are more uncommon but not rare.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">DC&nbsp; &nbsp; 5 checks are virtually non existent.</li>
</ol>Skills (Specializations Diversification)Another important consideration about skills is whether you should specialize(which I consider to be when your skill proficiencies and higher stats align) or diversify (placing your skill proficiencies into skills where your stat bonus isn't very high).&nbsp; There's also a third option where you hybrid and get 1-2 specializations and diversify with the rest of your skills.As a Paladin and if you are following the recommendations already made in this guide then you also have a good Charisma bonus and so I'll be evaluation the question of specialization vs diversification specifically in relation to specializing in charisma skills.&nbsp; You get a total of 4 skill proficiencies, 2 from your class and 2 from your background.&nbsp; That means you can specialize in up to 4 skills or be moderate in about 8.&nbsp; To keep that in perspective there are 18 skills total.The benefits of specializationAs an example let's say we have 2 skills which are all equally valued and equally likely to come up.&nbsp; Let's say we have a bonus of +1 inSkill#1.&nbsp; Let's say you have a bonus of +3 in Skill#2.&nbsp; What skill should you place your +2 proficiency in?[TABLE=&quot;width: 100%&quot;][TR][TD=&quot;width: 100%, colspan: 5&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Proficiency Chart for making a single skill&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; check with both Skill#1 and Skill#2.[/TD][/TR][TR][TD=&quot;width: 9%&quot;][/TD][TD=&quot;width: 45%, colspan: 2&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Chance for making both checks[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 46%, colspan: 2&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Chance for making at least 1 check[/TD][/TR][TR][TD=&quot;width: 9%&quot;]DC Check[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]Proficiency in Skill#1
(Diversification)[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]Proficiency in Skill#2
(Specialization)[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]Proficiency in Skill#1(Diversification)[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]Proficiency in Skill#2(Specialization)[/TD][/TR][TR][TD=&quot;width: 9%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DC 10[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 49.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 48.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 91.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 92.00%[/TD][/TR][TR][TD=&quot;width: 9%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DC 15[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 20.25%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 19.25%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 69.75%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 70.75%[/TD][/TR][TR][TD=&quot;width: 9%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DC 20[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 4.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 36.00%[/TD][TD=&quot;width: 23%&quot;]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 37.00%[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]As you can see above, whether you diversify or specialize it makes little difference overall and not just because the % difference is so small.&nbsp; It's also because the 2 tests I used to determine “better” yielded different results.&nbsp; So we can't rely on objective values to show either diversification or specialization is better.Instead I'll be looking at the question subjectively.&nbsp; Specialization tends to let you carve out a niche that you are the best at.&nbsp; It's usually fun being the best at something.&nbsp; It gives you a&nbsp; chance of making higher DC 25 checks which come up more often later and helps make DC20 checks become more&nbsp; 50-50, like DC 15 checks are in the beginning. The downside to specialization is that it's easy for 2 specialists to have exactly the same skills which totally takes away the biggest draw of specialization.&nbsp; To make matters worse, this is a distinct possibility for a charisma Paladin as there are so many classes that rely on having a high charisma.&nbsp; The benefits of diversificationDiversification allows 2 major benefits over specialization.&nbsp; It opens up all the skills to you and not just the ones aligned with your class attributes.&nbsp; This allows you to pick skills that you may evaluate as more important overall than the skills you could specialize in.&nbsp; It also helps you avoid the issue with Charisma class specialization and that's the issue where it's fairly likely someone else will specialize in all the social skills.&nbsp; If you know your other party members in advance then this is less of an issue as you can at least plan around it, but that's not always a luxury we have.That said, there's also one other drawback to specialization that's specific to charisma classes.&nbsp; The charisma skills are typically all simply different ways of succeeding at the same task.&nbsp; For example, you can attempt t persuade the guard, intimidate the guard or deceive the guard.&nbsp; All could potentially be valid options for bypassing a guard.&nbsp; This doesn't happen very often with other skills.My recommendationsGiven all the above, I recommend picking 1-2 skills to specialize in which will leave you 2-3 class stated skills that you are good at but not specialized in.&nbsp; Then I recommend you take proficiencies in 2-3 other skills you evaluate as being important to your specific campaign given the criteria I laid out earlier.&nbsp; This hybrid option to me is the best of both worlds.&nbsp; I personally would choose persuasion and athletics as my skills for my games.&nbsp; I find my DM's tend to give slightly less negative consequences for attempting persuasion and failing than intimidation or deception and failing.&nbsp; I would also choose athletics (assuming I'm a strength Paladin) as quite a few PC's dump strength and so you have a decent chance of being the only person in your party with good athletics. I would avoid perception as I find it over valued.&nbsp; It helps protect the party from a major consequence but it's been recommended for every class in every guide I've ever seen and it's also one of the abilities that typically allow the party multiple chances at success.&nbsp; So as long as a few party members are proficient with it or have a high wisdom then I'm confident that my lack of the perception skill isn't going to be a significant detriment.Instead I would choose something like stealth over perception.&nbsp; For the last skill I would lean toward survival.&nbsp; Those help a lot in the exploration pillar.&nbsp; I would try to keep my int at 10 if possible so I would have a chance of rolling a 20 on any knowledge skill and liberally try to recall information since it's very rare there's a detriment for doing so.&nbsp; Again, all this is for how my games tend to go.&nbsp; It's up to you to evaluate skills for your own games.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FrogReaver, post: 7568099, member: 6795602"] [SIZE=4][B]V. Paladin Analysis (pt2)[/B][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][B]Skills (Evaluation)[/B][/SIZE] [SIZE=3]I could rank skills here based on class strengths, expected rate of use and impact in game. Such a rating would be near useless IMO. It's simply too campaign and party dependent. Ultimately skills are all about resolving a task and so when it comes to evaluating skills think about them in terms of resolving a random task and consider the following:[/SIZE] [SIZE=3][U]Consequences of Failure[/U] – 1) Is there a consequence for failure? 2) Do you consider that consequence to be major or minor? 3) Does failure harm the group or just your PC? [/SIZE] [SIZE=3][U]Benefits of success[/U] – 4) Is there a benefit for success? 5) Do you consider that benefit to be major or minor? 6) Does success benefit the group or just to your PC?[/SIZE] [SIZE=3][U]Repeated Attempts[/U] – 7) Can multiple players attempt to resolve the task with the same skill? 8) What about with different skills? 9) Can you attempt to resolve the task with different skills?[/SIZE] [SIZE=3][U]Tasks where the group works together[/U] – 10) Does the group fail if even one PC fails? 11) Does the group succeed if even one PC succeeds? 12) Are the group check rules or some variation of them used such that if enough PC's succeed then it's a success or if enough fail then it's a failure?[/SIZE] [SIZE=3][U]Player Driven[/U] – All skills checks are called for by the DM, however players can have their PC's attempt certain actions that tend to result in a skill check being called for by the DM. Skill checks like this are player driven. These skills you have some control over how often you use them. Other skill checks are DM driven. For example when the players have been walking through the forest for hours and the DM calls for a perception check. 13) Is the skill to resolve the task player or DM Driven?[/SIZE] [SIZE=3][U]Miscellaneous[/U]–14) Does this task come up often? 15) Are there other skills you could use to solve this task? 16) Does anyone else have a good modifier to this skill? 17) Are you already extremely bad at the skill?[/SIZE] [SIZE=3]I think a good hypothetical example of using the above questions to help a Paladin player evaluate whether he should choose stealth or history. [/SIZE] [SIZE=3]In his game stealth has major consequences for failure and major benefits for success both of which impact the group. There are no repeated attempts and when the group is being stealthy they fail if even 1 PC fails. Opportunities to use the skill come up quite and there are no other skills that get used in place of stealth for the tasks it's resolving. However, the skill is player driven, the rogue is already great at stealth for the stealth related tasks that don't require the whole group and your Paladin being in plate armor makes him extremely bad at the skill.[/SIZE] [SIZE=3]History related tasks come up fairly often and you are not terrible at the skill. However, History has virtually no consequences for failure and only minor benefits for success. Typically each person in the party can attempt the history check. Many times another skill can result in the same effect but not always. If even one person succeeds at the History related task then the whole group does. The wizard is already fairly good at the skill. [/SIZE] [SIZE=3]So in this hypothetical game where the answers to the questions above were as given then I'd recommend stealth over history simply because it had many more pros and far fewer cons than the history skill. It's important to note again that these evaluations may not apply to your game. Also, if History is essential to your character concept then by all means take it because as you'll soon see, relying on skill checks for almost any given task is a terrible idea (unless you have a massive bonus to the skill needed for that task). [/SIZE] [B][SIZE=3]Typical skill bonuses a level 1 PC can acquire.[/SIZE][/B] [TABLE="width: 100%"] [TR] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]DC[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]Bonus -2[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]Bonus -1[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]Bonus 0[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 13%"] [SIZE=3]Bonus +1[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]Bonus +2[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]Bonus +3[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]Bonus +4[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 15%"] [SIZE=3]Bonus +5[/SIZE][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]5[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]70.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]75.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]80.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 13%"] [SIZE=3]85.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]90.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]95.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]100.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 15%"] [SIZE=3]100.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]10[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]45.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]50.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]55.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 13%"] [SIZE=3]60.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]65.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]70.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]75.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 15%"] [SIZE=3]80.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]15[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]20.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]25.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]30.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 13%"] [SIZE=3]35.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]40.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]45.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]50.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 15%"] [SIZE=3]55.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]20[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]0.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]0.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]5.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 13%"] [SIZE=3]10.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]15.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]20.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]25.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 15%"] [SIZE=3]30.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]25[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]0.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]0.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 10%"] [SIZE=3]0.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 13%"] [SIZE=3]0.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]0.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]0.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 11%"] [SIZE=3]0.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 15%"] [SIZE=3]5.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [SIZE=3]The most important thing we learn from this chart is that we don't want to make skill checks unless we absolutely have to. Our individual chance of success on any given task is fairly low. That means if there's a meaningful consequence for failure that we should be doing everything in our power to avoid having to make a skill check unless absolutely necessary. Even the most specialized Paladin achieves nowhere near guaranteed success on whatever skills he has specialized in.[/SIZE] [SIZE=3]The other things to be aware of in regards to the above chart are: [/SIZE] [LIST=1] [*][SIZE=3]DC 25 checks are nearly impossible for any level 1 PC to make[/SIZE] [*][SIZE=3]DC 10 and 15 checks are the most common at level 1.[/SIZE] [*][SIZE=3]DC 20 checks at level 1 are more uncommon but not rare.[/SIZE] [*][SIZE=3]DC 5 checks are virtually non existent.[/SIZE] [/LIST] [SIZE=3][B]Skills (Specializations Diversification)[/B][/SIZE] [SIZE=3]Another important consideration about skills is whether you should specialize(which I consider to be when your skill proficiencies and higher stats align) or diversify (placing your skill proficiencies into skills where your stat bonus isn't very high). There's also a third option where you hybrid and get 1-2 specializations and diversify with the rest of your skills.[/SIZE] [SIZE=3]As a Paladin and if you are following the recommendations already made in this guide then you also have a good Charisma bonus and so I'll be evaluation the question of specialization vs diversification specifically in relation to specializing in charisma skills. You get a total of 4 skill proficiencies, 2 from your class and 2 from your background. That means you can specialize in up to 4 skills or be moderate in about 8. To keep that in perspective there are 18 skills total.[/SIZE] [SIZE=3][U]The benefits of specialization[/U][/SIZE] [SIZE=3]As an example let's say we have 2 skills which are all equally valued and equally likely to come up. Let's say we have a bonus of +1 inSkill#1. Let's say you have a bonus of +3 in Skill#2. What skill should you place your +2 proficiency in?[/SIZE] [TABLE="width: 100%"] [TR] [TD="width: 100%, colspan: 5"] [SIZE=3][B]Proficiency Chart for making a single skill check with both Skill#1 and Skill#2.[/B][/SIZE][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 9%"][/TD] [TD="width: 45%, colspan: 2"] [SIZE=3]Chance for making both checks[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 46%, colspan: 2"] [SIZE=3]Chance for making at least 1 check[/SIZE][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 9%"][LEFT][COLOR=#222222][FONT=Tahoma]DC Check[/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT] [/TD] [TD="width: 23%"][LEFT][COLOR=#222222][FONT=Tahoma]Proficiency in Skill#1[/FONT][/COLOR] [/LEFT] [SIZE=3][LEFT][COLOR=#222222][FONT=Tahoma](Diversification)[/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT] [/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"][LEFT][COLOR=#222222][FONT=Tahoma]Proficiency in Skill#2[/FONT][/COLOR] [/LEFT] [SIZE=3][LEFT][COLOR=#222222][FONT=Tahoma](Specialization)[/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT] [/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"]Proficiency in Skill#1 [SIZE=3][LEFT][COLOR=#222222][FONT=Tahoma](Diversification)[/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT] [/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"]Proficiency in Skill#2 [SIZE=3][LEFT][COLOR=#222222][FONT=Tahoma](Specialization)[/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT] [/SIZE][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 9%"] [SIZE=3]DC 10[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"] [SIZE=3]49.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"] [SIZE=3]48.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"] [SIZE=3]91.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"] [SIZE=3]92.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 9%"] [SIZE=3]DC 15[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"] [SIZE=3]20.25%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"] [SIZE=3]19.25%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"] [SIZE=3]69.75%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"] [SIZE=3]70.75%[/SIZE][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 9%"] [SIZE=3]DC 20[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"] [SIZE=3]4.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"] [SIZE=3]3.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"] [SIZE=3]36.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [TD="width: 23%"] [SIZE=3]37.00%[/SIZE][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [SIZE=3]As you can see above, whether you diversify or specialize it makes little difference overall and not just because the % difference is so small. It's also because the 2 tests I used to determine “better” yielded different results. So we can't rely on objective values to show either diversification or specialization is better.[/SIZE] [SIZE=3]Instead I'll be looking at the question subjectively. Specialization tends to let you carve out a niche that you are the best at. It's usually fun being the best at something. It gives you a chance of making higher DC 25 checks which come up more often later and helps make DC20 checks become more 50-50, like DC 15 checks are in the beginning. The downside to specialization is that it's easy for 2 specialists to have exactly the same skills which totally takes away the biggest draw of specialization. To make matters worse, this is a distinct possibility for a charisma Paladin as there are so many classes that rely on having a high charisma. [/SIZE] [SIZE=3][U]The benefits of diversification[/U][/SIZE] [SIZE=3]Diversification allows 2 major benefits over specialization. It opens up all the skills to you and not just the ones aligned with your class attributes. This allows you to pick skills that you may evaluate as more important overall than the skills you could specialize in. It also helps you avoid the issue with Charisma class specialization and that's the issue where it's fairly likely someone else will specialize in all the social skills. If you know your other party members in advance then this is less of an issue as you can at least plan around it, but that's not always a luxury we have.[/SIZE] [SIZE=3]That said, there's also one other drawback to specialization that's specific to charisma classes. The charisma skills are typically all simply different ways of succeeding at the same task. For example, you can attempt t persuade the guard, intimidate the guard or deceive the guard. All could potentially be valid options for bypassing a guard. This doesn't happen very often with other skills.[/SIZE] [SIZE=3][U]My recommendations[/U][/SIZE] [SIZE=3]Given all the above, I recommend picking 1-2 skills to specialize in which will leave you 2-3 class stated skills that you are good at but not specialized in. Then I recommend you take proficiencies in 2-3 other skills you evaluate as being important to your specific campaign given the criteria I laid out earlier. This hybrid option to me is the best of both worlds. I personally would choose persuasion and athletics as my skills for my games. I find my DM's tend to give slightly less negative consequences for attempting persuasion and failing than intimidation or deception and failing. I would also choose athletics (assuming I'm a strength Paladin) as quite a few PC's dump strength and so you have a decent chance of being the only person in your party with good athletics. [/SIZE] [SIZE=3]I would avoid perception as I find it over valued. It helps protect the party from a major consequence but it's been recommended for every class in every guide I've ever seen and it's also one of the abilities that typically allow the party multiple chances at success. So as long as a few party members are proficient with it or have a high wisdom then I'm confident that my lack of the perception skill isn't going to be a significant detriment.[/SIZE] [SIZE=3]Instead I would choose something like stealth over perception. For the last skill I would lean toward survival. Those help a lot in the exploration pillar. I would try to keep my int at 10 if possible so I would have a chance of rolling a 20 on any knowledge skill and liberally try to recall information since it's very rare there's a detriment for doing so. [/SIZE] [SIZE=3]Again, all this is for how my games tend to go. It's up to you to evaluate skills for your own games.[/SIZE] [/QUOTE]

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