Ability score based skill checks...can they be changed?

[Double-orc]

A friend of mine is playing a Oracle with the Lore Mystery and he has taken 2 revelations called Lore Keeper and Focused Trance.

Lore Keeper (Ex): Instead of encyclopedic knowledge, you learn most of your information through tales, songs, and poems. You may use your Charisma modifier instead of your Intelligence modifier on all Knowledge checks.

Focused Trance (Ex): You can enter a deep meditation, blocking out visual and auditory stimuli and allowing you to concentrate on a single problem, philosophical issue, or memory. This trance lasts 1d6 rounds, during which time you can only take move actions. During this period, you gain a bonus equal to your level on all saves against sonic effects and gaze attacks. When you come out of your trance, you may make a single Intelligence-based skill check with a +20 circumstance bonus. You may enter your focused trance a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier.

You can probably see what issue I'm currently dealing with. My argument is that if his character wants to use Focused Trance with a knowledge skill (which are traditionally intelligence based skills), that he must use his intelligence modifier to make the check, not his charisma modifier.

An extension of this problem can be seen in traits like "Wisdom in the Flesh: Select any Strength-, Constitution-, or Dexterity-based skill. You may make checks with that skill using your Wisdom modifier instead of the skill's normal ability score. That skill is always a class skill for you."

Would that skill be wisdom based for that character when he chooses to modify it with wisdom?

Thanks for any comments.

[SCPRedMage]

If you use your Charisma modifier instead of Intelligence, it's no longer an Intelligence-based skill check. It doesn't matter that the skill usually is based on Intelligence; you're making a skill check that's using Charisma, not Intelligence, therefore it's not Intelligence-based.

That said, due to the fact that Lore Keeper says "you may use your Charisma modifier[/b]", I'd say that he DOES have the option of disregarding that feature whenever he wants; if he does so, Focused Trance would work with that skill.

[Zhayne]

I'd let him do it. It says 'intelligence-based', which I interpret as 'normally uses Intelligence'. I'd have no problem letting him swap his Charisma mod for his Intelligence mod on those.

Stuff like this, I usually default to whichever combination/interpretation is to the player's advantage, unless i think it's going to make something explode.