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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 3100319" data-attributes="member: 3146">Easily augmented by low-level spells and cheap items is the term I'd use. One of my Living Greyhawk characters had a hat of disguise for five levels (so far--I have another who just bought one) and it has come in quite useful on a couple occasions. On both of those occasions, the disguise skill would also have been quite useful and if I'd planned to keep my ruse up for longer than the time it took to approach the enemies and get in a surprise round, I would really have wanted to have the skill as well.The challenge with disguise is that it is more likely to be an adventure creator than a skill useful in just one encounter so if you don't have it, you either get a DM fiat magical disguise (usually far better than the low-level spells) so that you can do that kind of adventure or you simply don't play that kind of adventure. A creative player, however, can make it useful even in non-disguise adventures.Ditto on this one. The challenge of the other uses of escape artist is that only one PC (if any) is likely to have it and using it in adventure settings (to slip through the grate and explore the blocked portion of the sewers, for instance) will usually involve splitting the party. That either divides the game time or presents an unnaceptable risk (or even both) and therefore isn't generally done. It would be a lot more useful in a solo game.This one depends very heavily upon the setting. Some DMs don't want to bother with languages and just assume that everyone speaks English/Common. Other DMs will make the characters get an interpreter who may or may not be trustworthy, etc.I disagree that the spells supercede the skill though. Tongues presents a pretty high opportunity cost and a lot of characters don't want to prep it. Also, casting a spell to speak with strange monsters can often be interpreted as a hostile act and may well serve to start hostilities rather than end them--especially if the NPCs do not have enough spellcraft to recognize the spell. ("He could be casting tongues, or he could be casting Evard's Black Tentacles--I'm not waiting to find out which; let's get him!")</blockquote>

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