Near-Epic Skill Results

[Nifft]

I've got a 7th level PC whose character can get up to 36 on Wildereness Lore skill checks -- and he's about to take Skill Focus (Wilderness Lore).

What kind of cool results can I give him for making checks in the high 30s?

Tracking is fairly obvious -- but still, I'm interested in hearing what kind of cool details I can give him for getting really awesome skill check results.

Thanks, -- Nifft

 

[Kahuna Burger]

I've got a 7th level PC whose character can get up to 42 on Wildereness Lore skill checks -- and he's about to take Skill Focus (Wilderness Lore).

What kind of cool results can I give him for making checks in the high 30s?

Tracking is fairly obvious -- but still, I'm interested in hearing what kind of cool details I can give him for getting really awesome skill check results.

well, probably not the answer you want, but I'm not sure there should be any beyond a certain point... results of skill checks have to be grounded in reality unless you consider high skills to be supernatural. If someone walked over a paved road two weeks ago and its rained twice since then and snowed, you just can't track him by normal means. Similarly, you cannot 'hide' in a smooth, bare, brightly lit room, or use diguise to fit an orc in with halflings.

Now, within reason...

if he is tracking a group of people, he could tell how many there were, and possibly something about how they moved - "it seems the one with very small feet (either one of the small races, a child or a traditional japanese woman) was scouting ahead. Those tracks are always doubling back, usually at a point where the whole group then stopped temorarily. The barefoot one is clearly being taken with the group against his or her will based on the scuffing and invariable closeness to the one wearing army boots."

A really good roll might discern the passing of a druid or incoporeal creature even without being able to find her tracks. "there is no sign of passage through the bushes, yet the tracks of small animals and quickly abandoned bird nests clearly show that they were frightened by SOMETHING in the last half hour."

but don't make skills magic unless thats a established part of your game. "This path has had at least 200 sheep driven over it since the person you want to track headed this way" "But I got a 50 on my track check!" "Fine, the last group of sheep had lambs with them, and a limping border collie..."

Kahuna Burger

 

[Ravellion]

Unless you ahve decided that it is completely untrackable, just using the DC modifiers should be enough.

"You blow away the snow, and notive the same little stitching error in the shoe of the man who walked here as you did when you found on the bottom of the mountain three days ago."

That's already quite impressive in my opinion.

How does he get that high a Wilderness Lore though? Custom Magical items?

Rav

 

[Vaxalon]

I see no problem with ascribing near-supernatural effects to high skill rolls.

"He can track a falcon on a cloudy day."

 

[ruleslawyer]

Darn right.

The sad fact is that even absurdly high skill checks still merely grant results that are less impressive than those achieved with minor utility spells. For example, a Balance check result of 120 allows the character to walk on clouds. Great, except that the levitate or fly spells allow far better aerial movement.

Incidentally, the earliest that impressive Wilderness Lore checks grant a significant result, according to the ELH, is a result of 60, which allows someone with the Track feat to identify the race of creatures by their tracks. Not particularly unbalanced, if you ask me.

 

[WayneLigon]

I'd be more interested in how he arrives at that number. At 7th level, he can have a +10 in Wilderness Lore from ranks, and let's say +4 from a really high stat. That's a max of 34. How does he make up the rest?

 

[Zappo]

I like the idea of epic skill level checks to create even supernatural effects. A bit like the real epic tales... Orpheus could sing so well that he could make stones cry, for example. Epic levels in my opinion are the stuff of hyperboles made true.

I don't have the ELH because I'm not interested in actually running that kind of adventures, but I like to think that a DC 100 Track check can let you track a cloud, a DC 100 Jump check can let you jump on it, a DC 100 Balance check can let you run on it, a DC 100 pick pockets can let you steal rain from it, and a DC 100 Diplomacy check can let you persuade it to change its course.

 

[Nifft]

He can get up to 36, not 42. Sorry, confusion on my part. I corrected the original post.

10 (ranks) + 2 (Forrester Feat) + 2 (Wisdom) + 1 (Divine bonus from PrC) + 1 (Luckstone) + 20 (die roll)

Next level he may take Skill Focus (WLore), which I house rule to +3, and he'll get another rank in WLore, for a max roll of 40 -- the start of Epic WLore checks!

Anyway, I can handle Epic (and merely epic) tracking rolls -- especially when the Druid starts casting Scent on him, that'll be fun.

What I'm more interested in is what kind of non-tracking Wilderness Lore fun he can have.

For example:
- What's the DC for hunting & finding food on the Elemental Plane of Fire? In the Abyss?

- What's the DC for finding your way around on a novel terrain? On a "magical" terrain? On a divinely morphic (and morphing) terrain?

- What's the DC for sheltering yourself and your companions from hostile planar effects? Magical weather effects? Evil ("vile") weather effects?

Thanks, -- Nifft

 

[S'mon]

Re: Re: Near-Epic Skill Results

well, probably not the answer you want, but I'm not sure there should be any beyond a certain point... results of skill checks have to be grounded in reality unless you consider high skills to be supernatural. If someone walked over a paved road two weeks ago and its rained twice since then and snowed, you just can't track him by normal means.

Well, on the basis that the man might have left _some_ infitesimal imprint on the road (a disturbed piece of gravel, say), I'd let an Epic skill check potentially succeed here - I'd think 60 or so though, not a mere 36!

I don't mind treating epic skill results as quasi-magical, if the result doesn't violate the laws of physics - eg balancing on a waving treetop ok, balancing on a cloud not ok. A high enough Spot skill can IMC see right through illusions - DC 40 to see right through invisibility spell (which is similar to the default rules).

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Re: Re: Re: Near-Epic Skill Results

I don't mind treating epic skill results as quasi-magical, if the result doesn't violate the laws of physics - eg balancing on a waving treetop ok, balancing on a cloud not ok. A high enough Spot skill can IMC see right through illusions - DC 40 to see right through invisibility spell (which is similar to the default rules).

I'd be more likely to let them spot the presence of something invisible myself (in the swirling dust of the street, you see one spot where it seems to move around something, though nothing is there) but that may be largely a flavor issue. Otherwise I'd say we agree.

(and I have nothing against actual magical results as long as it is clearly established that they ARE magical. If someone casts dispell while your epic monk is walking on clouds, he damn well better fall down...)

Kahuna Burger