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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jer" data-source="post: 3445886" data-attributes="member: 19857">Why?  A newcomer to the game taking 3 weeks to fully flesh out a high-level PC  doesn't sound off to me.  Heck, it still takes us about an hour to create 1st level characters (with most of the time taken for spell selection, feat selection, and skill point allocation) - of course, one of my players is horrible with point-based systems and spends an ungodly length of time dithering over whether he's going to put one point into Perform(The Spoons) or two - and he always plays a Rogue or Bard when he makes a D&D character, so that probably colors my experiences somewhat.**Myself, I can create a high-level NPC in about a half hour if I use the templates in the DMG, about an hour if I do it all from scratch.  Most of that is spent figuring out what magic items the NPC should have, what spells (for a spellcaster) and what feats (for a fighter-type).  I tend to just throw max skill ranks at my NPCs in a few areas where they need them, and I tend to ignore/forget the niggly bonuses like synergy bonsues or whatnot - since I only tend to stat up NPCs that are going to be a challenge for the PCs in combat, those don't tend to be the skill-heavy types.  (If my players pick fights with shopkeepers and bartenders they tend to win -- until the local Sherrif and his boys come around to teach them a lesson, at least.)** This player, and a few others like him who I play with, are why I'd love to see a simplified, reduced skill system in D&D.  The point-based method gives him lots and lots of opportunity to spend time and energy filling out things that in the end are utterly meaningless to the game and to his character.  I'd rather he spend that time fleshing out the character's background and personality than figuring out whether its best to put one point or two into a particular flavor skill.</blockquote>

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