'Skill' Feats - How many?

[Shawn Kehoe]

Hello all,

With the wide variety of books available from WotC, there's been a lot of overlap in the "skill feats", i.e those that give +2/+2 to a related set of skills. I'm creating a half-elf bard negotiator and I've found many, many feats that increase the Diplomacy skill. I've already taken Negotiator and intend to take Skill Focus at a later date.

My question: how many such feats should a character be able to take in a given skill? I know that feat bonuses stack (hence why negotiator and skill focus complement each other) but I don't believe that the designers intended so many feats to be available for a single skill.

Thoughts?

-Shawn

 

[CRGreathouse]

Here are the feats I know of that give a bonus to Diplomacy:
Negotiator, Nymph's Kiss, Skill Focus, Epic Skill Focus
FR: Smooth Talk, Courteous Magocracy, Cosmopolitan

I tend to think that stacking FR feats gets a bit excesive, but other than that I have no problems.

 

[Ottergame]

Since it takes a feat to get just a +2 on a skill check, I say it's fine.

A little aside, Alluring and Trustworthy from Song and Silence also add +2 to Diplomacy checks.

 

[Shawn Kehoe]

I was aware of the Song & Silence feats - never heard of Nymph's Kiss though. Which book?

As for the FR feats... that's very much the kind of thing I'm referring to. I suspect Oriental Adventures probably has some as well.

OTOH, the point about only getting one feat per three levels is a good one.

-Shawn

 

[Crothian]

so, that's nine feats for a +19 bonus or something like that. Of course one only gets 7 feats by 18th level, 8 if they are human and use that feat.

This person is a one hit wonder. Sure, they can use Diplomacy very well, but that's not everything.

 

[rowport]

Hmm... My first reaction was that the cost of a Feat for the efficacy of an improved Skill was already balanced enough that it is self-regulating. But, then it occurred to me that some Skills are very useful in combat- such as Bluff. A Rogue maxing his Bluff Skill through several stacking Feats could be incredibly deadly with his Sneak Attacks- possibly unbalancingly so. Thoughts?

 

[Crothian]

well, there really aren't that many feats to boost bluff

 

[green slime]

Feats specifically targetting Diplomacy:

Don't forget the Psychoanalyst feat from the PsiHB...
Great Diplomat is a feat from AO, which is an Phoenix Ancestral feat.
Alluring from S&S requires "Persuasive" and "Trustworthy"
Blood of the Warlord (RoF) affects only orcs.
Cool Head another ancestral OA feat (+3) but Unicorn clan
Courteous Magery from FR
Deformity (BoVD) vs evil
Dragonfriend from Draconomicon
Ear of the Emperor from AEG's Rokugan
Epic Reputation (ELH)
Evil Brand (BoVD once again)
Harem Trained (RoF)
Law of the Heavens (Way of the Samurai)
Nimbus of Light (BoED)
You Don't want Oni's Bane... from OA
Political Manoeuvering may be a good choice (from AEG-Rokugan)
Powerful Voice, an Ancestral feat from OA (Unicorn clan)
Reknown Courtesan from Dragon 315 increases your options.
Sacred Vow from BoED
Silver Tongue (Lion Ancestral, from OA)
Smooth Talk (Dragon Ancestral, OA or FR-regional) (changed hinted in Dragon 315)
Theocrat (RoF)
Trustworthy (S&S)
Virtues of Command (Way of the Samurai)
Vow of Peace (BoED)

These are the ones I have found in books I own, I know there are others: FFG's Traps and Treachery has one, AEG-Dragons has more, but with Draconomicon available and with similar feats...

I'll do a search for Bluff next...

 

[green slime]

Feats targetting Bluff:

Charlatan (S&S)
Cold and Cunning (AEG-Rokugan Ancestral Mantis)
Conceal Weapon (AEG-Dragons)
Dragonthrall (Draconomicon)
Epic Reputation (ELH)
Fast Talker (FFG-Traps and Treachery)
S&F had Feign Weakness
Gusai's Technique (AEG-Rokugan Mantis)
Improved Favoured Enemy (ELH)
Improved Feint (AEG-Evil)
Kage Yakin (AEG-Rokugan, Scorpion secret lore)
Know the School (AEG-Rokugan)
Persuasive (S&S)
Pincers and Tail (AEG-Rokugan)
Psychoanalyst (PsiHB)
Quicker than the Eye (S&S)
Secret Society (Dragon 315)
Silver Palm (FRCS regional)
Silver Tongue (Lion Ancestral, OA)
You do not want Soul of Sincerity from OA
Street Smart (FRCS regional)
The Pincers Hold, the Tail Strikes, AEG-Rokugan scorpion
Twist the Weave (Way of the Samurai)


Also Forgot to mention Dividing the Stars as one of those affecting Diplomacy

 

[Garnfellow]

Another thing to keep in mind with Diplomacy is that it is a huge synergy suck -- it gets a +2 (unnamed, and stackable) bonus if you have 5 ranks in Bluff, Knowledge (nobility and royalty), or Sense Motive. So with a few feats, it's easy to really crank up your score in this skill.