Skill Focus (Bluff) on a Fighter count? Half-elf, but took half-elf for that feat.
...if you took a social or skill feat that was not a prerequisite.
Probably 50% if my characters choose one skill and totally max it out (two feats + magic item +10 even if I have to have it crafted special). Skills are the one thing that you can really get crazy high.
I once had a Warlock who could have read scrolls of Meteor Doom (or any other 9th level arcane spell) at something like level 11 and that was under 3.5 rules.
(raises hand)
My wizard has a level of bard for the social skills, so that he can be the Face of the Party, as well as the leader. He is a lot of fun to play, in and out of combat.
Once had a halfling master poisoner rogue/assassin with max ranks in bluff, diplomacy, and disguise along with a high charisma.
He had the Childlike and Pass for Human feats as well as Skill Focus (bluff, diplomacy, disguise), Deceitful, and Master Alchemist feats. He also had the Practicality alternate racial trait for Craft: Alchemy.
Basically went around pretending to be an innocent child all the while manipulating everyone into killing each other. If they couldn't be manipulated, they would mysteriously die off anyways (via poison) allowing him to place the blame for the murder on whoever he wanted.
This character didn't get into fights.
Fairly frequently do I take things that make my character better at things considered social or random to my character and class choices. For example, I have a sorceress/oracle/theurgist right now who has several ranks in Ride because I want her to ride around on her intelligent undead horse named Chain-Lightning. She also has a few skill points dropped here and there to represent general training or experience in different fields.
Another character I have has a couple ranks in Preform (Vocal/Singing) because it pleases me that she can do so extremely well (ranks + charisma = great singer on this character).
It is, however, uncommon for me to take a feat that benefits a skill. Mostly because I feel like most of what I want to add flavor to my characters can be done with skills. Investing a feat into Skill Focus (Basketweaving) doesn't improve roleplaying at all, and you don't need it to be good at something fairly mundane. If I've got a character that I want to semi-cross-class a bit, such as making a Fighter who's an excellent detective, or an excellent spy, I might drop Skill Focus (Perception/Stealth) on him, or I might instead take Extra Traits and make both of those skills class skills for him with a +1 trait bonus to boot. That's usually enough to make me happy. I wouldn't, however, spend a feat for Profession (Baker) because I just don't see why anyone that's out adventuring would have put that much into baking. :o
EDIT: But yes. *raises hand* I have taken feats for social skills and other types of skills that weren't prerequisites for stuff.
...if you took a social or skill feat that was not a prerequisite.
Trait: Performance Artist
Feats: Deceitful, Skill Focus (Perform [dance]), and soon to take Prodigy (from Ultimate Magic).
Skills: While I may use Perform (dance) as a prerequisite for the Shadowdancer prestige class in the future, Profession (courtesan) and Bluff are totally prereq-free social skills.
Preform (Dance) was and still is a prerequisite for Cloak Dance. A very nice feat which allows you to spend a move action to gain concealment, a full-round action to gain total concealment, and RAW can allow you to use Stealth to avoid being noticed. It is the poor man's hide in plain sight, and it requires both a few ranks in Preform (Dance) and Stealth.
EDIT: For those curious, the Cloak Dance feat first appeared in the Expanded Psionics Handbook for 3.5 by WotC and later in the Pathfinder compatible Psionics Unleashed by Dreamscarred Press. Beyond modifying the prerequisites to suit the Pathfinder changes to skills, it is unchanged and is entirely extraordinary (it is not a psionic feat).
ALL of my rogue types always take these FOUR feats.
Skill Focus: Perception
Skill Focus: Disable Device
Deft Hands
Alertness
My GMs hates my rogues because of this =D
-Hexen
I think Nymph's Kiss from BoED counts, right?
Love that feat.
Alertness, magical aptitude, skill focus(perception) skill focus (craft(alchemy)) skill focus(stealth) skill focus(perform(oratory)) skill focus(perform(oral)) .
Skill focus(intimidate), skill focus(bluff) as well.
I hadn't spotted Breadth of Experience before! thanks for sharing :)
Ding ding ding this and Cosmo are excellent feats
I almost always take Diplomacy with my wizards.
skill focus(perform(oral))
There was a female Templar of Nibenay in a Dark Sun game who had max ranks in Perform (oral), Use Rope and Ride. I'll let your imagination do the rest of my work for me.
I don't very often end up taking the social/skill feats, though I do on occasion, but I do usually end up with at least one skill or feat that would be considered in that same category of being for mostly rp purposes.
An Alchemist almost can't afford NOT to take Master Alchemist from the APG - the list of benefits to craft alchemy and poisons is freaking awesome.
I do have one character I'm toying with taking Skill Focus (Profession (Midwife)) -- because he is one. :D
/raise hand
Not only have I taken a social or skill feat before, a majority of my feat and trait choices tend to be non-combat related.
My later feats will be the 3.5 feat obtain familiar at level 3, improved familiar at 5, and leadership at 7. Early on in the game there is a pair of fae who harassed the party, and I intend on making one my familiar and the other my cohort. Oh...the pranks the four of us will play. I almost feel bad for our enemies.
Improved familiar and leadership can be used as ways of improving a characters combat abilities, or to shore up weakness with your party. They can also be used in a social way to give you new friends to plan pranks with, for example. I'd say their classification as "social feat" or "non-social feat" depends on how the player is using them.
...if you took a social or skill feat that was not a prerequisite.
Trait: Performance Artist
Feats: Deceitful, Skill Focus (Perform [dance]), and soon to take Prodigy (from Ultimate Magic).
Skills: While I may use Perform (dance) as a prerequisite for the Shadowdancer prestige class in the future, Profession (courtesan) and Bluff are totally prereq-free social skills.
Preform (Dance) was and still is a prerequisite for Cloak Dance. A very nice feat which allows you to spend a move action to gain concealment, a full-round action to gain total concealment, and RAW can allow you to use Stealth to avoid being noticed. It is the poor man's hide in plain sight, and it requires both a few ranks in Preform (Dance) and Stealth.
EDIT: For those curious, the Cloak Dance feat first appeared in the Expanded Psionics Handbook for 3.5 by WotC and later in the Pathfinder compatible Psionics Unleashed by Dreamscarred Press. Beyond modifying the prerequisites to suit the Pathfinder changes to skills, it is unchanged and is entirely extraordinary (it is not a psionic feat).
Just because something is a prerequisite for a feat doesn't mean you're taking it as a prerequisite.
I think the point of this thread is the "Taking things to take them instead of because you want to take something that requires them".
I just mentioned it because the Preform (Dance) reminded me of it, and I like sharing information with people.