|
Specialist
Benefit: Choose one skill. In that skill you maximum number of ranks is your level +3 (rather than just your level). Note that you must still spend skill points to gain ranks in this skill.
Explanation -
• This skill would have almost the same effect as Skill Focus except that you'd have to spend 3 skill points to get the +3, but you'd also get real ranks rather than just a +3 bonus. This would be advantagous for those trying to qualify for PrCs and some of the bumps that come with feats when you hit a certain number of ranks.
• Yes, I realize that if you took both this and Skill Focus at 1st level, you could get a total of +7 in a skill plus whatever your ability bonus is, potentially +4 for a total of +11 in one skill. But it'd cost you 2 feats and 4 skill points; you'd be really, REALLY good at one thing but not much else.
• If you don't want competition between Specialist and Skill Focus, make Skill Focus a pre-req for Specialist.
• I also see this as being an automatic even-if-you-don't-qualify feat for Experts. That way they could put all their skill points in one basket and be abnormally good at one thing.
This would make it extremely difficult to create reasonable prereqs for prestige classes. Skill ranks are of often used in PrCs prereqs to limit what level a character can get into the class. Suddenly a PrC that a player can normally reach at 5th level can be reached at 2nd level... not cool.
You can be really super good at something by using the +2/+2 skills (for humans) or by choosing the right race to start the game.
|
|
This would make it extremely difficult to create reasonable prereqs for prestige classes. Skill ranks are of often used in PrCs prereqs to limit what level a character can get into the class. Suddenly a PrC that a player can normally reach at 5th level can be reached at 2nd level... not cool.
Fair enough. It just seems to me the D&D, er, Pathfinder is a game where all the meat comes from exceptions to the basic rules, and one of the rules that there aren't any exceptions to or feats that fiddle with is the max skill ranks = level rule. The could be a legitimate place for characters who are REALLY good at a narrow range of skills.
Some of this grows out of my frustration that Experts are no better at what they do than anyone else. If they are, it is because of feats and skills they've chosen, rather than anything inherently "expert" about them.
My Specialist feat was an attempt at this. You're totally right about it screwing with PrCs though. I know we're not really discussing NPC classes these days, but what about Specialist as a special class ability for Experts? Probably not a lot of PrC action going on there. [Experts have always struck me as almost PC class worthy so I'd to see them ... not beefed up, but at least viable people in the world.]