Tessarael
Adventurer
How good is Skill Mastery and which skills is it most useful for? And is my interpretation of when you can take 10 correct?
My thoughts:
If you need to make multiple rolls with a skill, that you can't take 10 on, Skill Mastery becomes very helpful. In 3.5, using Tumble to get past multiple opponents in combat is a good example of this. Otherwise, looking at the odds, Skill Mastery is not better than putting an extra 2 to 3 skill points in the skill.
What skills is Skill Mastery useful for? (Just covering some of the skills here ...)
Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive - if you want to feint in combat, being able to take 10 with Bluff is quite useful. Outside of combat, can you take 10 on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Sense Motive? I assume not, so Skill Mastery can be useful with these skills.
Balance and Climb - I think you can take 10 when balancing or climbing, if not under attack. So Skill Mastery only becomes useful if by taking 10 you can make a check to catch yourself when falling or to catch a falling character.
Disable Device, Open Locks, and Search - you can take 10 (unless you're being attacked etc. while trying to do this) so no need for Skill Mastery.
Escape Artist - you can take 10, and if you have enough time, you can take 20 - unless you're being attacked while trying to escape your bonds. Escape Artist can be used to escape a grapple, which is the only time when Skill Mastery will be helpful with this skill.
Gather Information - you can normally take 10 with this skill, so no need for Skill Mastery
Hide and Move Silently - "when your character is not being threatened or distracted" - well if you haven't yet been seen, it would seem that you can take 10 with these skills, so Skill Mastery is not important. I think it would matter when you try to create a diversion to hide, and possibly when you snipe and try to hide again after taking a shot.
Jump - can you take 10 when trying to jump a chasm or between buildings? If you're not threatened, I guess so ... (same logic as Climb) ... so Skill Mastery is not important here, except when you use Jump in threatening or distracting situations.
Listen and Spot - unless your under duress, it would seem by the rules that you can take 10 on these skills (e.g. when on guard duty), so no major need for Skill Mastery unless you need to see or hear something in a combat situation or similar.
Ride - in combat, Skill Mastery in Ride could be quite useful for many of the ways of using ride (e.g. Leap, Fight with Warhorse).
Sleight of Hand - I assume that you are under duress when trying to pick-pocket someone, so you can't take 10 in that situation. Hence Skill Mastery is useful with Sleight of Hand.
Tumble - you can't take 10 when falling or in combat, and in combat you have to make multiple rolls, so Skill Mastery in Tumble is very useful
Other articles that may be of use when considering which skills you can take 10 or take 20 with:
http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/misc/take20.html
3.5 PHB has rules on page 65 for taking 10 and taking 20.
So what does everyone else think?
My thoughts:
If you need to make multiple rolls with a skill, that you can't take 10 on, Skill Mastery becomes very helpful. In 3.5, using Tumble to get past multiple opponents in combat is a good example of this. Otherwise, looking at the odds, Skill Mastery is not better than putting an extra 2 to 3 skill points in the skill.
What skills is Skill Mastery useful for? (Just covering some of the skills here ...)
Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive - if you want to feint in combat, being able to take 10 with Bluff is quite useful. Outside of combat, can you take 10 on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Sense Motive? I assume not, so Skill Mastery can be useful with these skills.
Balance and Climb - I think you can take 10 when balancing or climbing, if not under attack. So Skill Mastery only becomes useful if by taking 10 you can make a check to catch yourself when falling or to catch a falling character.
Disable Device, Open Locks, and Search - you can take 10 (unless you're being attacked etc. while trying to do this) so no need for Skill Mastery.
Escape Artist - you can take 10, and if you have enough time, you can take 20 - unless you're being attacked while trying to escape your bonds. Escape Artist can be used to escape a grapple, which is the only time when Skill Mastery will be helpful with this skill.
Gather Information - you can normally take 10 with this skill, so no need for Skill Mastery
Hide and Move Silently - "when your character is not being threatened or distracted" - well if you haven't yet been seen, it would seem that you can take 10 with these skills, so Skill Mastery is not important. I think it would matter when you try to create a diversion to hide, and possibly when you snipe and try to hide again after taking a shot.
Jump - can you take 10 when trying to jump a chasm or between buildings? If you're not threatened, I guess so ... (same logic as Climb) ... so Skill Mastery is not important here, except when you use Jump in threatening or distracting situations.
Listen and Spot - unless your under duress, it would seem by the rules that you can take 10 on these skills (e.g. when on guard duty), so no major need for Skill Mastery unless you need to see or hear something in a combat situation or similar.
Ride - in combat, Skill Mastery in Ride could be quite useful for many of the ways of using ride (e.g. Leap, Fight with Warhorse).
Sleight of Hand - I assume that you are under duress when trying to pick-pocket someone, so you can't take 10 in that situation. Hence Skill Mastery is useful with Sleight of Hand.
Tumble - you can't take 10 when falling or in combat, and in combat you have to make multiple rolls, so Skill Mastery in Tumble is very useful
Other articles that may be of use when considering which skills you can take 10 or take 20 with:
http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/misc/take20.html
3.5 PHB has rules on page 65 for taking 10 and taking 20.
So what does everyone else think?
