Wild Empathy feat?

[Driddle]

The class ability of Wild Empathy for druids and rangers would seem to be simply a game mechanic thus:

Free feat for the class, a diplomacy-like skill that can only be used on animals, modified by charisma the same way as diplomacy. ... In the same nature as a skill, the ability is increased by one point (effectively a free, dedicated skill point) each class level. ... And the ability/skill cannot be increased except within the class progression (i.e. it is not a "cross-class" skill).

With that in mind, would it be balanced to offer Wild Empathy as a feat available for other classes? If we follow the original format, it would be treated as a new exclusive skill that would require the expenditure of a skill point with each class level increase in order to improve the ability, but could not exceed the class level to which the feat is attached. In other words, if the feat is taken when the character is at a rogue level, the ability/skill can only be improved on subsequent rogue advancements.

Or should it be tweaked away from the druid/ranger ability and MORE in line with the diplomacy skill?

 

[Darklone]

The Kalamar Players Guide (update sheets) has such a feat, though only half your class levels count ...

 

[Driddle]

Again, I wish WotC would issue some good examples of this sort of modification to use as a standard, and then stick with them.

Because shortly after I submitted my initial message here, I considered the Urban Tracking feat in the Eberron book. It takes an existing skill and allows its use in a new manner - a fairly inexpensive mechanic overall.

By the description of Wild Empathy, one could reasonably expect to make the same transition between human Diplomacy and animal Diplomacy.