Please Help: Diplomacy Checks, Dispel Magic

[bret]

As for not nerfing it, I would say that it is quite the contrary. Due to fixed DCs, by the mid- to high- levels, Diplomacy unqualified becomes very overpowered. A 10th level bard with maxed Diplomacy, Charisma 16 and +4 synergy bonuses from Bluff and Sense Motive can take 10 (Skill Mastery) and automatically avoid combat (Hostile becomes Indifferent), convince skeptics (Unfriendly becomes Friendly) and gain help from any random passer-by (Indifferent+ becomes Helpful). This is all for just a fraction of his skill points.

Skill Mastery is a Rogue Special Ability. Bards can't take it.

Change the description to Rogue and maybe reduce the Charisma a little bit. Then your example works.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Change the description to Rogue and maybe reduce the Charisma a little bit. Then your example works.

To be fair, I play a lot of Rogues with Cha as their prime stat, followed by Int. 16 Cha is just fine for a character built to be a social monster... by 10th level I'd even expect it to be higher.

-Hyp.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Pshawww!!!

Bards and Rogues come in at a distant second at Diplomacy. The real masters of negotiation are Paladins.

Intelligent NPCs recognize that a deal hammered out with a Paladin will stick, so they are much more likely to give an opportunity to talk in the first place. They also more likely to give a fair deal if they know you aren't just blowing hot air.

Who would deal with a rogue? They are such good liars.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Pshawww!!!

Bards and Rogues come in at a distant second at Diplomacy. The real masters of negotiation are Paladins.

Intelligent NPCs recognize that a deal hammered out with a Paladin will stick, so they are much more likely to give an opportunity to talk in the first place. They also more likely to give a fair deal if they know you aren't just blowing hot air.

Who would deal with a rogue? They are such good liars.

That's why the best negotiators are rogues, disguised as Paladins.

Or halflings disguised as lammasu polymorphed into halflings.

-Hyp.