Also with two people skilled at perception that means you can cover twice the ground at once. This is especially helpful if you are on a time limit.
3 of our guys, including the GM, have been playing for years together. From what I can tell, they have developed a way of playing. They do like the story and such. But there is not much NPC interaction. And not much role play either. I have tried to suggest some things, but I have not been pursuasive enough.
This is the issue: it's not that skills are "sub-par/useless," but rather the GM does not use/allow use of skills to their full potential. It sounds as if your GM is simply ignoring most of the skill system.
I often try to climb walls before a combat so I can surprise, but the GM always says the walls are too smooth. I thnk out of 10 meetings, I might have climbed once. I used bluff once. I have never used appraise, fly, escape artist, knowledge local, perform oratory, perform string, sense motion, ride, slight of hand, swim or use magic.
When someone wants to do something, they just do it. Most actions don't require a skill.
Actually, this sounds like the GM is the reason you are unhappy with your character. He's disallowing you from benefiting from one of your main your abilities as a rogue (many skills), while giving other PCs many of the same benefits ("most actions don't require a roll").
That said, some of the skill choices might not have been the most "optimal" selections. Acrobatics, Climb, and Swim are good choices for dealing with/taking advantage of various types of terrain (the GM shutting this down IMO really takes a lot out of the robust nature of 3.x/Pathfinder combat and skews the game toward dull, repetative "I swing, I hit" or "I cast a spell, save or [whatever]"); Ride may or may not be useful, depending on how common mounted combat/movement comes up (probably not worth investing beyond getting a +5-10 on the skill check). Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive are sound choices for a character designed around NPC interaction (which is fairly common in Council of Thieves as written); Knowledge (Local) can also be useful for Westcrown background and current events. Use Magic Device is extremely useful, especially in conjunction with various wands, once your skill check modifier reaches +10-15 (i.e., you succeed more often than you fail on a DC 20 skill check); this allows you to effectively act as a minor spellcaster to buff, heal, attack, etc. by investing in a few consumable magic items (wands of cure light wounds, enlarge person, longstrider, ray of enfeeblement, etc. are very inexpensive at 750 gp for 50 charges for thier utility). Appraise can be somewhat useful ("A DC 20 Appraise check determines the value of a common item. If you succeed by 5 or more, you also determine if the item has magic properties..."), but is typically not worth investing in beyond getting a +5 check modifier (since you can almost always take 20). Perform (Oratory) and Perform (String) are not directly useful for a non-bard adventurer, but can help the character earn a living as a poet/musician or give the rogue a cover identity and assist with information gathering/infiltration scenarios. Escape Artist and Sleight of Hand are generally not useful that often (although they can fit with a "street performer" concept in the mold of David Copperfield/Harry Houdinni). Fly is really only useful at higher levels, when various forms of flight become commonplace; at which point, it basically fills the same role as Acrobatics.
This is the issue: it's not that skills are "sub-par/useless," but rather the GM does not use/allow use of skills to their full potential. It sounds as if your GM is simply ignoring most of the skill system.
Actually, this sounds like the GM is the reason you are unhappy with your character. He's disallowing you from benefiting from one of your main your abilities as a rogue (many skills), while giving other PCs many of the same benefits ("most actions don't require a roll").
That said, some of the skill choices might not have been the most "optimal" selections. Acrobatics, Climb, and Swim are good choices for dealing with/taking advantage of various types of terrain (the GM shutting this down IMO really takes a lot out of the robust nature of 3.x/Pathfinder combat and skews the game toward dull, repetative "I swing, I hit" or "I cast a spell, save or [whatever]"); Ride may or may not be useful, depending on how common mounted combat/movement comes up (probably not worth investing beyond getting a +5-10 on the skill check). Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive are sound choices for a character designed around NPC interaction (which is fairly common in Council of Thieves as written); Knowledge...
Very sound post - thank you. You make some fantastic suggestions here. This is really a wonderful message board, I love the feedback I get.
I think it boils down to a couple of things for me. While I can put more thought into what skills to take, ultimately:
1 - I want to feel like I an contributing and impacting the campaign
2 - I want to fee like the skill rolls, when I do get to make them, are based on some structured system.
For 1 to occur, I do need to have some interaction with the GM. It seems I am the only one in our group who wants things to be different, so I have to tread carefully. I really enjoy hanging out with these guys and appreciate the time the GM puts in. I would just like to play in a different style.
I am not sure the answer to number 2 - I guess the GM has some guidelines on what a successful skill roll should be for various skill tests. But since I don't know these rules, the number needed to pass seems so arbitrary. I have hard time with this.
|
I am not sure the answer to number 2 - I guess the GM has some guidelines on what a successful skill roll should be for various skill tests. But since I don't know these rules, the number needed to pass seems so arbitrary. I have hard time with this.
It is also possible that the DM doesn't truly understand or know the rules on the skills system either.
Many players and DM combos that have gamed together for a lengthy period of time, simply grow accustomed to a "style" - perhaps shorthand at first, or agreed that it didn't apply to their characters at the time, and merely never took the time to truly learn those features. Now years later, it's just "the way it's always been".
Perhaps engaging in conversation away from the game w/ the DM to ask direct questions - "How can I use this skill in your game?" or "How do you see this skill being applicable in this or this situation?"
Perhaps he really doesn't know or forgot and needs a refresher course.
Robert