Retraining Feats and skill ranks

[DeZwarteMaan]

Retraining

PHB2 pg192

CLASS FEATURE RETRAINING
THE PROCESS
"...Also, the new choice can't make any of your later choices illegal--though it may automatically change class features acquired later if they are based on the initial choice."

In you example, to get entrance into a PrC, the PC took a feat that allowed him to takes 2 cross-class skills and treat them as class skills. Due to these skills being tied to this feat, and they would make the PrC illegal at the time of retrain, these are not possible.. UNLESS he is rebuilding his PC and removing the PrC as well..."Changing class features acquired".

At the moment he loses the Feat, the skills become cross-classed again and count as 1/2 which then makes him lose his PrC level... unless changing that level to be a legal class, at the time he had taken the first one.

Educated feat: choose 2 knowledge skills and get a +2 bonus to those knowledges. This feat does not apply, nor is it the same. This was from the D20 Modern

The non-homebrew feat that your player should have taken is "Able learner" at 1st level. This allows him to treat ALL skills as class skills Cant retrain this once used. Taknig this with a Flaw, makes things easier for getting wierd PrC skills that are annoying.

A Mage getting hide and bluff for shdaowcrafting, or search and disable device for Geometer. Annoying off-class PreReq's.

 

[Shin Okada]

A slightly more iffy one is Precocious Apprentice (CArc pg 181) as a means of early entry into Mystic Theurge. I know there is debate over whether or not it works in that aspect, but assume that it does. Would you be able to retrain that?

Usually, simply banning that feat is the most trouble-free way to go. That feat is not written in the "Arcane Feats" section but in a separate column in Chapter 7. And that column specifically mentions that "If the DM wants the abilities of 1st-level wizards to reflect their training ..."

 

[the Jester]

Personally, I'd give this a big fat "Hell No" in my game, regardless of the RAW.

 

[Ranes]

Usually, simply banning that feat is the most trouble-free way to go. That feat is not written in the "Arcane Feats" section but in a separate column in Chapter 7. And that column specifically mentions that "If the DM wants the abilities of 1st-level wizards to reflect their training ..."

That's one way to go and it's a perfectly good one. Alternatively, you can ban PrCs. I have done since day one and never regretted it. In the case of the MT, though, the feat isn't a problem. It doesn't qualify you for the PrC. It gives you a second level spell slot when you cannot yet cast second level spells. That's why it says that until you can cast second level spells, you have to make a DC 8 check, which you wouldn't have to do if you could cast second level spells, and you need to be able to do that in order to be an MT.

Back on topic, the OP's home-brew feat sounds reasonable but his player less so. Here's a DM who's constructed a carefully balanced feat solely to assuage a player's impatience with regard to PrC ambitions and now that player wants to do a sleight of hand with the skill point entry requirements.

Hm. I have an occasional player like this. Nice guy, too. I always say no.