Sea Legs feat question

[motteditor]

Quick question on Sea Legs:

The description reads "You have a sailor's instincts for moving about while aboard seagoing vessels."

The benefit is "you gain a +2 bonus on Acrobatics, Climb, and Swim checks."

Is that bonus meant to be at all times or only when you're on a ship.

Thanks.

[Jiggy]

motteditor wrote:

Quick question on Sea Legs:

The description reads "You have a sailor's instincts for moving about while aboard seagoing vessels."

The benefit is "you gain a +2 bonus on Acrobatics, Climb, and Swim checks."

Is that bonus meant to be at all times or only when you're on a ship.

Thanks.

Only the "benefit" text matters rules-wise.

[Ravingdork]

You get it all the time. It makes sense that someone accustomed to wobbly ships at sea would also be more stable on land.

It's clearly the RAW, but it may not be RAI.

[Jiggy]

Ravingdork wrote:

It's clearly the RAW, but it may not be RAI.

There exists a PFS trait called "Captain's Blade" which references having spent a lot of time on ships. It lets you pick either Acrobatics or Climb to become a class skill, and then gives you a bonus to both as long as you're on a boat.

Given that Captain's Blade substantially predates Sea Legs, it's reasonable to believe that the RAW and RAI match for Sea Legs.

[Aberrant Templar]

Jiggy wrote:

There exists a PFS trait called "Captain's Blade" which references having spent a lot of time on ships. It lets you pick either Acrobatics or Climb to become a class skill, and then gives you a bonus to both as long as you're on a boat.

Given that Captain's Blade substantially predates Sea Legs, it's reasonable to believe that the RAW and RAI match for Sea Legs.

True. Plus Captain's Blade is a trait while Sea Legs is a feat. So it makes since that the feat would be much more versatile and not restricted to a specific situation.

[JoelF847]

However, if the bonus is all the time, this feat is simply better than all of the other feats that grant skill bonuses - since they only give +2 to 2 skills, not three. I know when I read this, I had assumed that it meant when on a water vessel or natural body of water.

[Jiggy]

JoelF847 wrote:

However, if the bonus is all the time, this feat is simply better than all of the other feats that grant skill bonuses - since they only give +2 to 2 skills, not three. I know when I read this, I had assumed that it meant when on a water vessel or natural body of water.

Of course it's more powerful. You can't take it until level 5.

[Bascaria]

Jiggy wrote:

JoelF847 wrote:

However, if the bonus is all the time, this feat is simply better than all of the other feats that grant skill bonuses - since they only give +2 to 2 skills, not three. I know when I read this, I had assumed that it meant when on a water vessel or natural body of water.

Of course it's more powerful. You can't take it until level 5.

And it has 5 ranks in a non-too-useful skill as a prereq, and the skill bonuses don't double upon getting 10 ranks, like all other feat skills do.

EDIT: skill feats, not feat skills.

[The equalizer]

Yep. You get it only on ships.

[Rasmus Wagner]

JoelF847 wrote:

However, if the bonus is all the time, this feat is simply better than all of the other feats that grant skill bonuses - since they only give +2 to 2 skills, not three. I know when I read this, I had assumed that it meant when on a water vessel or natural body of water.

Yeah....look, people are going to call you names if you take this feat, but the names won't be "powergamer" or "munchkin".

Being better than a number of super lame feats is no great crime. And it's not really a better feat.

[motteditor]

Thanks, all. We'll just allow for it at all times. (FWIW, it's a class feature, with the pirate archetype, so no skill prerequisites are required in this case.)

[Fozbek]

JoelF847 wrote:

However, if the bonus is all the time, this feat is simply better than all of the other feats that grant skill bonuses - since they only give +2 to 2 skills, not three. I know when I read this, I had assumed that it meant when on a water vessel or natural body of water.

No, it isn't more powerful. It gives a higher minimum skill bonus (+6 divided over 3 skills), but a lower maximum skill bonus (all the basic +2/+2 feats double to +4/+4 at 10 ranks).

[Jiggy]

motteditor wrote:

(FWIW, it's a class feature, with the pirate archetype, so no skill prerequisites are required in this case.)

FWIW, any of the Style feats is a 1st-level class feature for the Unarmed Fighter archetype despite normally having prereqs of multiple points of BAB or skill ranks. So you're still good. ;)