Skill Pts idea: all gain +2/lvl, all lose -1/lvl after 1st

[GuardianLurker]

Suppose I have 17 ranks in a skill. The next lowest five would reduce me to 12. If I am using a variant rule for a synergy increase every five ranks, then I would (understandably) lose the synergy bonus. The same would be true if I had 7 ranks; the fifth lowest after would be 2 - well beyond the synergetic fifth level. Thus this ruling does not necessarily help.

Also, I don't see anything wrong with losing a synergy bonus. If the character does not use the skills, why should they still have them or gain any bonuses from them?

The next lowest 5 from 17 isn't 12, it's 15. You had said earlier you didn't want to do a whole lot of complicated bookkeeping, and rewinding synergy bonuses would be just that. The "next lowest (multiple of) 5" would prevent the break through.

And I disagree with you on the physical skills; I haven't bowled regularly in years, but put the ball in my hand, and everything comes back.