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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 8642656" data-attributes="member: 87792">The problem is that literally the only thing you have shown is your house rules; Prodigy is a racial feat - but we'll go with your math. And as I have shown a lot of characters don't actually need that +1 or get that much out of it. Remember the standard array has four even numbered stats and the standard racial pack has a +1 so your average character only has one odd numbered stat. So that +1 is in reality not actually that useful except in relative niche cases as most characters built with a standard array have only one odd stat.If you are making the IME extremely counter-factual claim that Skilled is a decently powered feat because it adds such a breadth of skills then Skill Expert only adds one single skill. If on the other hand you take the more normal approach that a strong focus is important then Expertise >> a single skill. Which means that you're comparing a language and a tool proficiency with less than a single skill. And tool proficiencies and language are each worth more than half a skill. Prodigy > Skilled and this is where the imbalance lies. (And thieves tools, for example are worth a full skill).Meanwhile if you take the IMO counter-factual approach that an Expertise is worth less than a skill then Skill Expert is not imbalanced and we can check this mathematically by comparing 2 x skill expert with Skilled + an ASI. The ASI provides two stat points which exactly match the two stat points from the double skill expert. The two skills from Skill Expert are matched with two of the three skills from Skilled. All of which leaves two Expertises up against one skill.So yes Skill Expert is more efficient than skilled. But how much? If an Expertise < an extra skill then it's pretty close to balanced and the power creep is minimal (and IMO needed). Less than half a skill on a feat which is in the "Don't sweat the small stuff" range because there isn't a tweak that could be made to Skill Expert to balance it with Skilled. If an Expertise > an extra skill then Prodigy is broken compared to Skilled.So if Skill Expert was broken with respect to Skilled then so is Prodigy. If Prodigy is fine with respect to Skilled then so is Skill Expert.To most players the ASI is too important - so they will not pick up Skilled or Skill Expert. They'll pick up a full ASI. This is unquestionable. And the players picking skilled are picking it not because it is good (it isn't and is rated as consistently bad) but because without house ruling before Skill Expert it was the only game in town - and even with Skill Expert breadth is a thing.But if it's breadth that interests you I'd argue thatProdigy (which affects four areas) provides more than Skilled (which affects three).90% of all games end at or before 10. Which means that about 90% of characters only ever get two or fewer feats. Given that PCs are meant to race through levels 1 and 2 "the next feat" is literally half the lifetime of a character away. If we're not talking abstract theorycraft this is pretty much irrelevant for normal groups in normal play.Considering Prodigy is explicitly for humans, half-elves, and half-orcs only then this is barely relevant.You had to house rule Prodigy. And Skilled is generally considered a low tier feat. Skill Expert is emphatically not considered a top tier feat.This is the good sort of power creep. Replacing something low tier with something more useful that isn't overwhelmingly powerful.And very little of value is lost. Skill Expert is no Lucky and is hardly tearing up the community. And Prodigy is a poorly written feat given that it needs house ruling for most races.You are making fallacy after fallacy and misjudgement after misjudgemnet right down to pretending the entire game follows your own house rules. Pointing out that you aren't open to convincement after posting such obvious and easy to rebut nonsense says more about you and how deeply you examine your own arguments than anything else.</blockquote>

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