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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hawken" data-source="post: 5043854" data-attributes="member: 23619">I guess my question should be: Why? Why the rules? Why just for Craft? What are your reasons for this rule and what do you want to accomplish with it? Is it going to make the game easier or more enjoyable? Does it simplify existing crafting rules or resolve some existing issue with them? With Craft, you're learning the FIRST time you do it, only. After that, its just repetition. That's why no one plays NPC classes. No one wants to do basket weaving all day long. Granted, being a blacksmith may be good exercise and result in ogre-like shoulders and forearms, but there's no mechanic for that and after the first or second suit of armor you make...boring. As to the problems with your system: How exactly does the cap work? Where did you get the numbers for the limits? Is it just arbitrary (Oh, +5 llimit sounds good) or did you do a bunch of number crunching? Why can't someone get more than a +5 bonus to a skill just because they're 5th level or less? And why does the cap jump from +5 to +10 just going from 5th to 6th level? A +10 bonus (not counting other modifiers) is just about enough to ensure success on every skill check, so there's really no incentive for going higher than 6th level in your rules. And how do magic items play into this? If I'm 5th level and I have Boots of Striding and Springing that give me +10 to Jump, why can I only use 5 of that +10 bonus? Yes, yes, I know you said crafting, but if you're coming up with general rules like bonus caps and stuff, that would logically have to apply to all skills.I think we talked about it before on different threads.If you're wanting to cap more than just skill ranks, then, maybe instead of limiting the bonus, limit the number of bonuses. Limit the bonuses to maybe 2 types; intrinsic (bonus based on the character, their feats, class abilities, etc.), and an extrinsic bonus (due to masterwork tools, circumstance bonus, magic items, etc.). You could also cap the ability score bonuses (since you're in a 'capping' frame of mind). Maybe limit it to a +1 modifier per 2 or 3 ranks in a skill. A 1st level elf with a 20 Dex and only 4 ranks in Tumble would normally have a +9 modifier, which you might think is too much at 1st level. So, limit his bonus to a +1 mod per 2 ranks, so he gets to apply only +2 of his +5 Dex mod because he's not trained enough in tumbling to have the timing and precision to take full advantage of his natural agility. You could also maybe change the ability scores around. Raistlin may be a genius and have an awesome Int modifier for the Craft skill, but he's not going to have the brawn or stamina to stand around an anvil all day and pound out a piece of metal into a sword. It doesn't take a lot of brains to learn how to make something, but doing it again and again, ad nauseum does require a bit of brawn and stamina.  For the most part, these rules seem largely unnecessary. People don't play D&D to have craftsman characters. They play to become adventurers and go out and do stuff. The only ones who would even remotely benefit from stuff like this would be NPCs and since they are NPCs you don't need to track or provide XP. If you need an 8th level Expert, give yourself an 8th level Expert. No one needs to know how he got there or how he's so good. They just assume he's that good because he's been doing it for a while. Now, every once in a while, you may get a character with ranks in craft that wants to make something, but more often than not, the only time a character has ranks in a money making skill--except Bards who actually need ranks in perform--(craft, perform, or profession) is so they can get a little extra money in between adventures, pretend they wasted the skill points on character development or want to get a discount on a few items. (Paying only 1/3 the cost in adamantite to craft adamantite full plate would be worth some ranks in craft-armorsmith).</blockquote>

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