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ShortQuests -- Pocket Sized Adventures! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed for 1-2 game sessions.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Driddle" data-source="post: 1692410" data-attributes="member: 3447">Interesting points from everyone on this thread. Can't help but appreciate the NPC perspective, too -- the non-adventuring guy whose livelihood is based on one or two skills at professional levels, who only interacts with your world-trotting, monster-slaying, smattering-of-all-skills character party. He doesn't need to be well-rounded; he just needs to make a buck doing the one thing he does very, very well.To that end, and noting others' comments here, it feels *good* to develop at least one skill to its ultimate max ... not necessarily out of "powergaming" motivations, but because of bragging rights and ego. To be able to say, "I am THE best at (X) skill!" and have your friends acknowledge the same, is just really cool. For me, that's usually picking a social interaction skill like Bluff and/or Gather Info. If you don't mind the exaggeration, it's a hoot to imagine my PC walking into a pub, ordering one ale, tossing it down, and then leaving with a full understanding of how the local prince has a raging case of herpes that he contracted from congress with a half-orc sorceress last week as he celebrated sealing a deal to trade a live baby dragon for 1 million gold. Oh, and his maid just ran off to give birth to his illegitimate child and is being hunted by the prince's younger brother. One tankard of watered-down ale: 5 silver.Nice tip to the barkeep: 5 gold.Casual conversation with 35 Gather Info skill: priceless.Looking at some maxed-out math, you get some interesting numbers...Assume the PC starts with 18 Intelligence for +4 skill points per level. Human for +1 skill points per level. And rogue (natch!), at 8 base points per level.* 1st through 7th level, garners a total of 130 skill points.* At 4th and 8th level, the character bumps up his Int for another +1 modifier, so 8th through 15th level he garners 112 skill points.* At 12th and 16th level, the character bumps up his Int for another +1 mod, so 16th through 20th level, her garners 75 skill points.* Picking +2/+2 skill feats at character levels (1,3,6,etc.) yields 28 points. Human bonus feat +2/+2 at 1st level yields another 4 points.* Rogue special ability at 10th, 13th, 16th and 19th level (+2/+2 again) yields 16 skill points more.Total skill points (or their equivalent in feat bonuses) available for distribution over the smart rogues' 20-level career: 365. And that's before attribute bonuses, synergies, magic, and sexual favors to the DM.</blockquote>

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