Skill Focus making skill a class skill

[Terath Ninir]

This is a very, very minor change, but I thought I'd run it by y'all anyway.

My idea is that, even at a +3 instead of a +2 bonus, Skill Focus is still a feat you only take as a prerequisite for a prestige class. (Occasionally for other uses -- no warlock should be without SF (Use Magic Device).)

More importantly, though, it seems odd to me that this skill you are so very focused in may not be a class skill for you. So my idea is that if you have Skill Focus in a skill, it is a class skill for you always.

The only downside I've thought of is that certain poorly constructed PrC's are "balanced" by requiring an arbitrary number of ranks in some obscure skill, thus requiring extra levels or mutliclassing to enter them. If the issue comes up, I'll change the PrC as needed.

So -- any other pitfalls I'm not seeing here?

 

[MatthewJHanson]

I made the ability to add class skills a sepearte feat (Which I call Tag Skill in reference to the Fallout CRPGs), and I go back and forth on making Skill Focus a prereq for Tag Skill. I think that allowing something as a class skill is pretty powerful, and that you don't need the extra +3 skill bonus on top of it.

As far as prestege classes, I tend to prefer classes that encourage a number of possible ways to enter the class, so I'm all for loosening the restrictions.

 

[Michael Morris]

Not a bad idea CZ - not bad at all. Skill Focus is one of those feats that bothers me as too narrow to ever be useful and this helps in some circumstances.

 

[Aus_Snow]

I usually suggest that people replace Skill Focus with the regional feat from the FRCS that makes the skill a class skill, and gives a +2 bonus with it.

But then, I'm not particularly attached to regional feats being well, regional - or even FR-based at all. Some may be.

edit: I just looked it up; it's "Cosmopolitan" in the book, but I decided to rename it, so it's more generic. Also, it has to be a non-exclusive skill that's currently cross-class. Makes sense.

Don't know if that's any help.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Interesting. One question: Does this change give the character a choice? What I mean is can the player choose make it so that the character can select a cross class skill to be made into a class skill or can they apply the +3 bonus to a skill that is already a class skill?

 

[Al]

I find Skill Focus fine as it is, especially for opposed skills. For example, if you had an equal modifier to someone and were using an opposed skill, Skill Focus helps you move from a 50/50 chance of success (also assuming the same key ability modifier score) to 66/34, so from winning on a 1-to-1 basis up to a 2-to-1 basis. I'd say that that's worth a feat, particularly on e.g. social skills in an intrigue-heavy campaign.

There is also a separate feat which I use called Cross-Class Learning, which does pretty much what you'd expect it to do.

Incidentally, how does the Skill Focus modification affect the slew of +2/+2 skills? Does one of these become a class skill?

 

[Terath Ninir]

I've used Cosmopolitan in the past, but I found it a bit on the weak side. Much like I find Skill Focus a bit weak.

To clarify, the revised feat would make a skill always be a class skill for you. If it's already a class skill, obviously, that's not really a benefit. However, my characters, as well as those of my players, almost always multiclass, and it would be a benefit more often than not. Especially if you're playing something like a rogue/fighter -- you don't have to worry about your main rogue skill dropping off in usefulness.

As for the +2/+2 feats, I wouldn't give the bonus to those. That would seem too powerful to me. I think what I *would* do is allow unskilled use. So, if you take Magical Aptitude, you can use both Spellcraft and Use Magic Device, even if you don't have ranks in them, but they're cross-class skills unless they're on your class list.

 

[ARandomGod]

I made the ability to add class skills a sepearte feat (Which I call Tag Skill in reference to the Fallout CRPGs), and I go back and forth on making Skill Focus a prereq for Tag Skill. I think that allowing something as a class skill is pretty powerful, and that you don't need the extra +3 skill bonus on top of it.

As far as prestege classes, I tend to prefer classes that encourage a number of possible ways to enter the class, so I'm all for loosening the restrictions.

There's already a feat printed, called Cosmopolitan I think, which makes the chosen skill a class skill.

I personally like the idea of combining these two relatively weak (IMO) feats into one.

I've also seen another custom feat that might very well be overpowered, but I like. It's called Skill Prodigy. Effect: There is no level cap on this skill.
Meaning that at first level you could effectively put ALL your skill points into that skill. For those uberfocused players.

 

[ARandomGod]

As for the +2/+2 feats, I wouldn't give the bonus to those. That would seem too powerful to me. I think what I *would* do is allow unskilled use. So, if you take Magical Aptitude, you can use both Spellcraft and Use Magic Device, even if you don't have ranks in them, but they're cross-class skills unless they're on your class list.

Looks like I was completely beaten to meantioning the Cosmopolitan feat.
Although I agree it seems like a pretty weak feat to me.

I also like the idea of saying that the +2/+2 feat would allow you to use those two skills unskilled ... assuming you were unskilled in one or both of them.

 

[Terath Ninir]

I also like the idea of saying that the +2/+2 feat would allow you to use those two skills unskilled ... assuming you were unskilled in one or both of them.

Yeah. It's a very minor bonus, but I like it. I think it would be fun to play, say, a fighter with Magical Aptitude. It could make for a very interesting character.