WotBS War of the Burning Sky - Balan Diplomacy Skill +26?

[benedict139]

I am reading Adventure Four: Mad King's Banquet. In particular I noticed that Balan of Seaquen has a Diplomacy Skill +26! He's listed in Appendix B as half-elf bard 7 with Cha 16 and relevant Feats Negotiator and Skill Focus (Diplomacy). Maybe my math is funny or I'm overlooking some things but I get a different number than +26. Bard 7 (10 ranks); half-elf +2; Charisma +3; Negotiator +2; Skill Focus +3 totaling +20. What accounts for the other +6?

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

They don't list the ranks for the skill bonuses (which is annoying), but presumably his Bluff, Know Nobility, and Sense Motive checks include at least 5 skill ranks, each granting a +2 synergy bonus to Diplomacy.

 

[Mrpereira]

It is the synergies that allows his skill to reach 26. When I played through that part, it annoyed me that the skill difficulties (in 3.5) were laughable. Even without the players being able to help Balan with his check, he will succeed in making the indifferent and unfriendly friendly and the hostile will become indifferent, as the DC for these levels are below 26. Granted the players can get some negative modifiers through their actions or lack of same, but still - the challenge was not really a challenge as it is written in the book