Pick a skill; maximize it; share ideas here

[FireLance]

Nice, Mistwell, but you're forgetting the -10 penalty for a rushed Diplomacy check (full round action). Unless you can talk to him for a minute, the Dark One finds you amusing and decides to spare your life, but the rest of your party is toast.

Still, throw in a +2 racial bonus for being a half-elf, a +2 synergy bonus for 5 ranks of Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty), and a +3 competence bonus to Charisma checks from a 4,500 gp Circlet of Persuasion, and you might be able to make it on a roll of 12+.

 

[Cedric]

My observation...

Extremely high skill ranks and ratings are rarely of great value. With very rare exception, almost every GM I have run across sets either a conscious or sub-conscious "maximum affect" that you will achieve from skill useage.

Once you reach that maximum affect they've arbitrarily put in place, having another 10-15 points in the skill is only going to earn you style points.

Obviously this is not an all encompassing law of skill use...this is just something I've noticed. Honestly I can't say that I fault the GM's who play the game this way either.

What more information can you really give the Mage who nails a 45 on Knolwedge Arcana after rolling? What more is the rogue going to spot when he rolls a 40 something, that he wouldn't have spotted with a 30 something?

I'm not discouraging people from cranking up a skill or two. If it's your character's concept that he is trying to learn all there is to know about magic and keeps trying to raise his Knowledge Arcana, then go for it.

What I have found is that many GMs less and less often requires a roll at all. He simply informs the mage or rogue or whoever of the results of their efforts.

Now the question...is this how it should be? Or are GM's screwing the players?

Cedric

 

[BVB]

A great joy of the game is rolling one's own dice and asking the DM hopefully, "Does X get the job done?" It's disappointing when the DM skips ahead and tells you, "Dont' bother to roll." I believe you gotta see the dice happen.

My favorite use of the track skill was on the movie, "The Princess Bride" (and probably in the book of the same name as well). Right after the audience is told that iocaine(?) poison is colorless, tasteless and odorless, the evil prince comes upon the scene and declares that iocaine poison was consumed. He had walked through a sword fight scene step by step before that.

Tracking +30, at least.

 

[Piratecat]

At least. It was very impressive.

I think your master poker players (or interrogators!) are maxed out in bluff and sense motive. You can't read them at all, and they know exactly when you're lying.

A PC in my game maxed out sense motive, so that he could take 10 and automatically know if anyone in the group was currently being mind controlled.

 

[Archade]

Another potential 'player trump' are the knowledge skills. No one in my group is high enough level, or powerful enough, but I've seen rolls over 25 in a knowledge skill really lay out the details of a monster that before the roll, was unknown and scary.

Let's say you have a huge knowledge (religion) skill, and you run into some undead...

DM: You shoot it, and it smiles, the arrow sticking from his throat
Cleric: Undead! I use my knowledge (religion) skill ... I roll a 40.
DM: (Opens monster manual). Okay, It's a vampire, has DR 10/magic and silver, the following resistances, powers, weaknesses, etc. etc.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but something a DM should be prepared for ...

 

[Brekki]

I once had a paladin/telepath around lvl 13 with the feats that you can sense lies and a maximized diplomacy and sense motive with some feats to make it better .... I "charmed" my way through lots of would-be small encounters while "simply telling the truth".

A big spot/listen is also very nice ... a deep halfling rogue/dungeon delver of mine (around lvl 9) has both maxed, with quite a few class and item bonusses on top ... just walking around ... I would usually notice enemies far before they noticed me, sneaking up on them or setting a trap

Jump I've used quite often to much success with a psychic warrior with the "speed of thought" feat taken several times, "mental leap" feat, boots of striding & springing, a ring of jumping and the burst power resulted in incredible distances.

 

[BVB]

I know a lot of players here believe the craft or profession skills are very much an NPC flavor issue or only good for background, but I still think it's fun to round out a character with something that doesn't involve hacking and slashing through a dungeon. Has anyone maxed out on craft/profession and used it to remarkable effect?

"You mean you're John 'The Chef' Silverspoon?! My gawd! Everyone has heard about how you used your culinary skills to defeat the goblin hoard down in Rocky Pass. Legendary. Absolutely legendary... Please come in; of course the king will see you now..."

 

[Greybar]

Extremely high skill ranks and ratings are rarely of great value.

Any skill that may be in opposition is a good one to keep pushing. Keep the Spot up to defeat Hide, keep the Bluff up to defeat Sense Motive, etc..

john

 

[Mistwell]

Nice, Mistwell, but you're forgetting the -10 penalty for a rushed Diplomacy check (full round action). Unless you can talk to him for a minute, the Dark One finds you amusing and decides to spare your life, but the rest of your party is toast.

Still, throw in a +2 racial bonus for being a half-elf, a +2 synergy bonus for 5 ranks of Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty), and a +3 competence bonus to Charisma checks from a 4,500 gp Circlet of Persuasion, and you might be able to make it on a roll of 12+.

In AU, there is no such rule of -10 for a rushed check.