I just realized the problem with taking Concentration out as a skill and having it rely on just "Caster Level + ability modifier".
This really screws over multiclass characters. Whereas a Wizard 5/Fighter 15 could use Fighter skill points to boost his Concentration so he can be on par with needing to make those checks more often at to beat creature's CMB checks for grappling or whatever, with the new rules you're stuck having an average of +7 to +9 bonus at such a high level.
What's the benefit of this?
I just realized the problem with taking Concentration out as a skill and having it rely on just "Caster Level + ability modifier".
This really screws over multiclass characters. Whereas a Wizard 5/Fighter 15 could use Fighter skill points to boost his Concentration so he can be on par with needing to make those checks more often at to beat creature's CMB checks for grappling or whatever, with the new rules you're stuck having an average of +7 to +9 bonus at such a high level.
What's the benefit of this?
I wonder if it isn't done as a way of reflecting how the character gave up casting full-time fifteen levels ago and so wouldn't be quite as adept at it as someone who put twenty-levels into the wizard class. Even were the character to vary the levels, it would still reflect someone who has focused more on his martial aspect than his arcane.
If you're trying to cast defensively, the DC is 15 plus 2 times the spell level. If you're a multiclassed caster, your highest level spells will be lower, just like your caster level, so the difference isn't too great. Your Wiz 5/Fighter 15 can only throw 3rd-level spells, so he needs a 21 and rolls a d20, adds 5 for caster level, then his Intelligence bonus. There's a difference, true, but it's not too great. Where it can probably hurt is if you're dealing with taking damage, as damage tends to increase mightily with time. Many other DCs are set. Given that ability-boost items are still available to you, the difference shouldn't be too bad except with scaling DCs.
Edit: Yes, if you're grappled, your spellcasting is in trouble. In your example, you've got a +17 to your CMB and CMD from class levels alone though, so you're not necessarily screwed.
I wonder if it isn't done as a way of reflecting how the character gave up casting full-time fifteen levels ago and so wouldn't be quite as adept at it as someone who put twenty-levels into the wizard class. Even were the character to vary the levels, it would still reflect someone who has focused more on his martial aspect than his arcane.I just realized the problem with taking Concentration out as a skill and having it rely on just "Caster Level + ability modifier".
This really screws over multiclass characters. Whereas a Wizard 5/Fighter 15 could use Fighter skill points to boost his Concentration so he can be on par with needing to make those checks more often at to beat creature's CMB checks for grappling or whatever, with the new rules you're stuck having an average of +7 to +9 bonus at such a high level.
What's the benefit of this?
An in-game explanation is sound, but mechanically it just makes it no fun to multiclass as a spellcaster unless you shoehorn yourself into a prestige class that lets you increase caster level, like Eldritch Knight. One should be able to focus time learning to Concentrate better, even if their magical power doesn't increase.
Razz I think you are a bit confused, classes that increase caster level generally increase it for all purposes, excluding class features.
The only problem I see with this is when you have someone who's multi-classing between two spell-casting classes. I don't know if they have a catch for this but it makes no sense to have better odds at succesfully concentrating on a 5th level wizard spell than on a 2nd level cleric spell just because you have more wizard levels. I guess one could argue that you are more familiar with those but that messes up backwards compatability where Concentration applied to all spell-casting.
If there is no catch for this, I'd suspect that a house rule where you combine your spell-casting levels together would be a very common and easy fix.