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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Michael_R_Proteau" data-source="post: 4133983" data-attributes="member: 48658">Let me ask then, how much differentiation between characters do skill points really make? There are so many other and IMHO better tools (race, class, feat selection, equipment, ability scores, and oh yeah the role-playing of the cplaeyers i.e. personality and how the character is played) already built into the system to provide definition and differention between characters that skill points are in my view a superfluous add on. The difference between 4 ranks and 8 raks in a skill really doesn't differentiate at all between 2 characters who otherwise have identiacal ability scores, race, class, equipment, and feats, and if the toher things are already different, does a difference in number of ranks really matter all that much. As to how to define a character without skill points:-I want a character who is really good at climbing-I take climb (or athletics) as a trained skill, have a good ability modifier, take Skilll Focus and buy a climbing kit. -I want a character who is ok at climbing-I take climb (or athletics) as a trained skill, have a decent key ability modifer and there you go. -I want a character who is not good at climbing-don't take climb (or athletics) as a trained skill. Measuring that one character has 8 ranks, the other 2 ranks and the last 0 ranks just adds bookkeeping without really affecting the end result in a meaningful way, at least not meaningful enough im my estimation to justify all the extra time, bookkeeping, and fiddling with skill points that come with using them. Again, YMMV, but in my experience using skill points don't add enough to the game to justify the time cost of using them. The effects they achieve can be accomplished in other, simpler ways, and I just don't by the argument that you cannot define a character or differentiate between characters without skill points.</blockquote>

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