I've been thinking about Skills and now I'm wondering if I've solved some of the problem.
I've done a lot of looking at the issues of the 3.X system since 4E was announced and skill's issues seem to generally fall into four categories:
1) too few skill points for each class to do anything but get good at a few base class skills
2) character's skill abilities become more and more disparate every level (Example: that you must blow all your points in spot or never see the enemy rogue or vice-versa)
3) Cross class skills are too expensive so no one takes them
4) some skills don't work or work too well (not being addressed here)
Lots of methods have bee made for issue one and three.
My personal solution is to give every class +2 skill points every level and keep the skill rank cap as is but allow cross class and class skills to be bought at the same rate.
Then I was thinking about issue #2. We don't want to stop characters from having better or worse skills but just lessen the gap between different character's skills. I was thinking that if skills become more expensive to improve then it starts solving itself but allows a specialist to be still really good.
Skill ranks 1-10; 1 skill point = 1 rank
Skill ranks 11-20; 2 skill point = 1 rank
Skill ranks 21-30; 3 skill point = 1 rank
Skill ranks 31-40; 4 skill point = 1 rank
etc.
I would convert the max rank to max skill points and go from there.
What do you think?
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That's certainly an interesting thought, and one that would help address the whole 'if you didn't max the skill, you'll never successfully use it by CR 10' issue, as the DCs for 'CR-appropriate' skill challenges would necessarily go down, putting them closer to 'possible' for dabblers to accomplish with a lucky roll.
I agree that a lot of classes could use some additional skill points and/or class skills.
But Pathfinder Beta up with some solutions to a couple of your concerns.
First, several skills were combined: Acrobatics is Balance, Jump, and Tumble; Perception is Listen, Search, and Spot; Linguistics is Decipher Script, Forgery, and Speak Language; Stealth is Hide and Move Silently; Disable Device now incorporates Open Locks; Diplomacy incorporates Gather Information; etc. etc.
Also, at 1st level, you no longer get 3 additional skill points. Instead, you gain a +3 bonus on class skills. And cross-class skills don't cost any extra to take, they just lack the +3 class skill bonus.
I really hope they keep these changes in the final version.
I made a Pathfinderized ninja, and with a 14 Int I was able to get Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Disable Device, Perception, Stealth, Sleight of Hand maxed out with some dabbling in Disguise, Escape Artist and Swim.