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Message: <blockquote data-quote="delericho" data-source="post: 6258071" data-attributes="member: 22424">One thing to bear in mind is that, in the real world, the more advanced your degree the more specialised the subject. A Doctorate means you're probably the world expert on one tiny tiny aspect of your field. Outside of that field, you probably don't know too much more than people who don't have a Doctorate.By contrast, the d20 skill system is very very granular. The Perform skill gives equal ability with all instruments in a fairly wide field, where I know from personal experience that even a tiny change in one part of an instrument can take hours to get used to. Switching from one wind instrument to another, despite some superficial similarities, is like switching from French to Italian - you might understand the grammar, but without the words it's largely useless.So, really, to model such extremely-specialised characters, there really should be some sort of "Advanced Skill Focus" feat that gives a further +3 to checks but only in that one very-focussed area.In which case, the average person with an Associate or Bachelor's degree is probably a 1st level Expert with slightly above average Int (say 13), maxed ranks in the skill, and the Skill Focus feat - giving a total modifier of +8. The average person with a Master's degree or Doctorate is probably a 1st level Expert with somewhat higher Int (say 15), maxed ranks in the skill, the Skill Focus feat, and our new Advanced Skill Focus feat - giving a total modifier of +9 in general uses of the skill or +12 in their area of expertise.(And Einstein, then, would be a 5th level Expert with Int 19, maxed ranks, and a selection of Skill Focus and Advanced Skill Focus feats.)But, needless to say, the d20 rules make for a poor simulation of reality, here the same as elsewhere. Even at 1st level, it is reasonably easy to build non-magical first level characters who can match, or even beat, world-record performances. So don't try to read it too closely.</blockquote>

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