Trying to get the most out of "Helpful" trait -- You can be helpful too!

[Vicon]

So I've got a support cleric going and I was thinking one of the ways he can shine is, while perhaps not singularly a master of all skills, thematically he is a wise sage of the more erudite aspects of as many disciplines as possible, and as such, will be able to "aid other" (action) to give Significant bonuses to allies on THEIR skill rolls, through benefit of his counsel and divine guidance (Helpful +4 +1 from the Guidance Osirion)

So I would help the face with diplomacy, or the fighter with intimidate (taking a fighter dip at level 3) Aid in all knowledges held by other party members (and try my best to stack my own that are not shared by others)...

I spoke to my GM and he's in support for the most part, with the only restriction being I should be able to sensically justify how I am counseling/lending aid... this is not a problem for most skills, but I am running a block on PERCEPTION... how can you aid somebody else in hearing something? Smelling something? Seeing something?

I don't have perception as a skill yet, but I hear it is really important and was thinking of getting it via the "extra traits" feat... or through Cosmopolitan feat that would give me 2 languages, plus I'd take perception and survival (to aid with those WIS skills) ... or can you think of a WIS/INT/CHA skill more important for a party than survival that a cleric doesn't already have?

[Vicon]

Also... I cannot find a link anywhere to the Observant trait, or any other traits that give perception... anybody know where I can look? Already googled.

[Chris Kenney]

Vicon wrote:

Also... I cannot find a link anywhere to the Observant trait, or any other traits that give perception... anybody know where I can look? Already googled.

Short version - Giving bonuses to Perception isn't considered good design, because that immediately makes those traits "must have." The exception is Campaign Traits, usually because the other traits are equally sexy compared to most normal traits. Therefore, I would be surprised if there are any you can legally take.

[blackbloodtroll]

Militant Merchant and Eyes and Ears of the City traits will give you perception as a class skill.

[Kamelguru]

If you grab Cosmo, take Perception and Intimidate, and avoid the fighter dip. Multi-classing away from cleric is the least helpful thing you can do in terms of support ability.

As a rule of thumb, casters should stay single-class, and avoid multi-classing into anything that is not a full-casting PrC like the plague, unless it is desperately central to the build.

As for aiding on perception: "Be mindful of your surroundings. Still your heart and mind, so they become like pools. Then, when the surface is disturbed, the ripples will echo loudly."

or...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcSMIj8abJs

[Glutton]

Or the more simple: "Hey, look over there." /point

[arioreo]

Vicon wrote:

I spoke to my GM and he's in support for the most part, with the only restriction being I should be able to sensically justify how I am counseling/lending aid... this is not a problem for most skills, but I am running a block on PERCEPTION... how can you aid somebody else in hearing something? Smelling something? Seeing something?

If you are having so much problem describing what you do, you should maybe just accept the fact that aiding an other for perception isn't possibly in most cases.

Anyway, I'm found one. When looking for traps, providing a light source that's not coming from the character who's looking for traps might help. The shadows are pointing to him rather than away from him which makes the easier to see.

You should be careful not to trigger traps though.

[Vicon]

Arioreo, If nobody had any suggestions I would give up the ghost... but it seems some people do -- you included!

Kamelguru -- I have agonized about the whole dip thing, and I was thinking I would compensate for the loss of caster level with an orange prism Ioun stone (+1 to CL) -- It's important to me to be able to wear plate mail, and the fighter dip + extra feat and all the martial weapon abilities make it more attractive to me than just taking heavy plate at level 3...
The fighter dip would give me intimidate, dungeoneering, and engineering as class skills, and the additional feat would allow Cosmopolitan, which would allow me to take perception (with my +5 Wis modifier) and some other skill as well.

My build idea has in mind the accumulation of skills so that I can help to best effect in as many situations as possible... so having a couple of ranks in these various skills should allow me to give +4/5 to most skill rolls my party have to make, And in addition free me from needing to put more than just a couple of ranks into the skills I "Aid other" in, freeing me up to put the ranks I do have (clerics don't get much) into the skills my team-mates are not focusing on.

Given how I see the above, you still see the dip as a Mistake? Why doesn't the Ioun stone compensate sufficiently? (perhaps I'm not looking at it properly) -- but I'm figuring I have 8k to buy the stone by the time I'd be missing out on a new spell level. With the spell level from the item, and the feat from being a fighter... it's my impression that I am trading:

level 3: Cosmopolitan (Perception & Intimidation), + 2 languages
for
Level 3 (with Ioun stone CL+1): Heavy armor, martial weapons, intimidation, dungeoneer, engineering, etc skillwise, + cosmo feat (Perception + one more) + 2 languages.

Am I missing something? I appreciate the help!

[Vicon]

PS -- "Hey! Listen! Hey! Listen! Hey! Listen!"