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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the_bruiser" data-source="post: 994081" data-attributes="member: 6126">In the campaign I’m currently running, the party rogue wants to expand his role into more of a scholarly / professorial role.  He and I have worked together to make a prestige class in which he can maximize certain skills and, through teaching others, his cohorts and followers.The class below is our second version. The basic trade-off is a slower sneak attack progression and special rogue skills (basically, slightly worse fighting skills) for better skills and followers. A quick note – in the past our groups have focused too much on combat, so I’m more than willing to (over-?) compensate someone who foregoes combat skill for non-combat expertise.Do you think the class is properly balanced?  Is it interesting / worthwhile?  Skill Master Prestige ClassSkill Masters are true Renaissance men, intent on building their skills to higher and higher degrees.  Every peculiar craft, each obscure branch of knowledge, and all skills hold an appeal for these eclectic individuals.  They are as likely to be found knitting as scaling a castle wall, and show respect for artisans of all types.  Their love of learning new skills is matched only by their desire to share them.  With a unique insight and ability to relate a new skill to one already known, they are master teachers and often are found as tutors or professors.  Most also take on full time apprentices.Skills Masters often spend their earlier years as rogues, bards, and occasionally rangers.  Fighters, wizards and priests rarely abandon their studies for such an unfocused life.Hit Die:  d6.RequirementsAlignment:  AnyAbilities:  Int. 13+Feats:  Leadership, Skill FocusSkills: Profession (Teaching): 10 ranks, Diplomacy: 5 ranks, Knowledge (any): 5 ranksOther: Must be introduced to class by a Skill Master of 3rd level or higher.Level    AT            FORT        REF          WILL1st    +0    +0    +2    +2    Tutor, Mentor2nd    +1    +0    +3    +3    Master Skill Focus, Sneak Attack +1d63rd    +2    +1    +3    +3    Leadership +14th    +3    +1    +4    +4    Master Skill Focus, Calm Nerves 85th    +3    +1    +4    +4    Transcendent Skill6th    +4    +2    +5    +5    Master Skill Focus, Sneak Attack +1d6, Leadership +17th    +5    +2    +5    +5    Calm Nerves 138th    +6    +2    +6    +6    Master Skill Focus9th    +6    +3    +6    +6    Leadership +110th    +7    +3    +7    +7    Master Skill Focus, Sneak Attack +1d6, Calm Nerves 18 Class Features:Broken into three categories - rogue (R), teaching (T), and learning (L)Skill Points at Each Level (R): 8 + Int. Modifier Class Skills (R): Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int, exclusive skill), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Innuendo (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge:Any (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Pick Pocket (Dex), Profession (Wis), Read Lips (Int, exclusive skill), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha, exclusive skill), and Use Rope (Dex).Weapon and Armor Proficiency (R): Weapon training focuses on weapons suitable for stealth and sneak attacks. Thus, all Skill Masters are proficient with the crossbow (hand or light), dagger (any type), dart, light mace, sap, shortbow (normal and composite), and short sword. Medium-size Skill Masters are also proficient with certain weapons that are too big for Small characters to use and conceal easily: club, heavy crossbow, heavy mace, morningstar, quarterstaff, and rapier. Skill Masters are proficient with light armor but not with shields.Sneak Attack (R): Any time the character's target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the character flanks the target, the character's attack deals extra damage. Should the character score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can only count as sneak attacks if the target is within 30 feet. The character can't strike with deadly accuracy from beyond that range. Tutor (T): Once per day per class level, the character can train someone in how to perform a particular feat or skill.  To teach a skill, the character makes a Profession: Teaching check, and the recipient gains a temporary number of ranks in that skill equal to rounddown((check-10)/5,0).  Neither the number of temporary ranks granted nor the total effective ranks held by the recipient can exceed the number of ranks held by the teacher.  To teach a feat, the activity is DC25, the teacher must have the feat, and the student must meet all criteria to gain the feat. In either case, the effective temporary ranks or temporary feats gained last for 24 hours. Mentor (T): The cohort of a Skill Master gains an extra skill point per level.Leadership (T): The Skill Master’s reputation for teaching and nurturing becomes more widely known.  At each of the indicated levels, increase the Skill Master’s leadership score by one for purposes of determining number of followers.  These bonuses are cumulative and permanent.Master Skill Focus (L): Skill Masters can take Master Skill Focus in a skill in which they have four or more ranks.  The skills gain a +2 masterful competence bonus and will thereafter be considered a class skill for the character regardless of what future classes are taken by the Skill Master.  This bonus stacks with the Skill Focus feat.Transcendent Skill (L): The Skill Master is not limited in the number of ranks he can apply toward skills for which he has Master Skill Focus.Calm Nerves (L): The Skill Master may take the indicated result rather than rolling a d20 when making skill checks in skills for which he has Master Skill Focus.</blockquote>

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