I've poked around the rules and such, and it appears this option is not available in the Pathfinder rules. If so, y u no have Skill Synergies anymore?
I expect all the skill consolidation played a big part in it. Not much need for tumble, jump, and balance to all give each other synergy bonuses when all three for them got rolled into acrobatics.
Also, according to this thread a big part of it was just to reduce complications/bookkeeping. Plus, people who knew the system could exploit synergies to get some really high skill bonuses.
Though I believe 4 ranks in Acrobatics still improves The bonuses for fighting defensly and full defense.
3 ranks are needed to get increased dodge bonus on fighting defensively and total defense.
Skill synergies as such are gone. I just usually allow the players to roll another similar skill against an increased DC when appropriate (usually Knowledges, but sometimes Perception for Survival made for tracking, etc.).
PF made skills a lot better than in 3.x. No more 1/2 points for non-class skills, so if you take a level of another class, all those class skills become class skills for you, whatever class you take subsequently.
You just don't need the synergies anymore, since the skill list is streamlined, and a rank is a rank, whether it's a class skill or not.
There are several +2/+2 skill feats out there like Alertness, Deceitful, or Magical Aptitude that essentially take the place of Skill Synergies.
There are several +2/+2 skill feats out there like Alertness, Deceitful, or Magical Aptitude that essentially take the place of Skill Synergies.
Those feats were there in 3.5, back when they had synergies. They are a bit more useful now that skills have been consolidated, but I don't think they take the place of them.
Rather, with the consolidation of skills and the +3 training bonus for class skills, synergies aren't really needed anymore. Where a character in 3.5 needed 10 skill points to get 5 ranks in both Tumble and Balance to get +7 to each, in Pathfinder you only need 4 ranks in Acrobatics to get +7 to that skill. It's much more elegant.
PF made skills a lot better than in 3.x. No more 1/2 points for non-class skills
I threw that rule out the window with a quickness.
There are several +2/+2 skill feats out there like Alertness, Deceitful, or Magical Aptitude that essentially take the place of Skill Synergies.Those feats were there in 3.5, back when they had synergies. They are a bit more useful now that skills have been consolidated, but I don't think they take the place of them.
Rather, with the consolidation of skills and the +3 training bonus for class skills, synergies aren't really needed anymore. Where a character in 3.5 needed 10 skill points to get 5 ranks in both Tumble and Balance to get +7 to each, in Pathfinder you only need 4 ranks in Acrobatics to get +7 to that skill. It's much more elegant.
Yes, but they didn't give +4/+4 in v3.5.
That combined with +3/+6 of Skill Focus and the aforementioned skill consolidation, more than makes up for the lack of skill synergies.
It was done that way by design.
I know I'm probably resurrecting this post from the dead, but what of Professional Skills being used as synergies. For instance, PS: Sailor when climbing into the rigging? Or PS: Soldier when keeping watch? It seems to me that PS skills would be more meaningful that way. Also, if you can do the job, a certain number of ancillary skills would be needed to perform it.
For instance, PS: Sailor when climbing into the rigging?
In cases like that, I would allow the Profession: Sailor to be used instead of a Climb check.
I would say that game balance was a consideration, as well as simplicity/streamlining. The "diplomancer" in 3.x that would stack synergy bonuses from Bluff, Knowledge (Nobility), and Sense Motive, as well as taking Negotiator and/or Skill Focus (Diplomacy), is probably the "best" example of how it could be abused.
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I know I'm probably resurrecting this post from the dead, but what of Professional Skills being used as synergies. For instance, PS: Sailor when climbing into the rigging? Or PS: Soldier when keeping watch? It seems to me that PS skills would be more meaningful that way. Also, if you can do the job, a certain number of ancillary skills would be needed to perform it.
Professions encompass several skills used for that job.
Profession: Sailor will work when climbing rigging on a ship, tying knots, mending sails, and so on. In those instances, it could replace Climbing, your CMB, Craft: sails, and other skills, but only when used for sailing a ship.It is a bit strange that the guy who can effortlessly climb a rope to the top of a mast is incapable of doing that when he needs to climb a wall with the help of a rope, but it is the limit of the Pathfinder skill system.