If it helps, I've split the difference with my characters.
My alchemist has mucho ranks in Craft Alchemy, so why not roll?
My eldritch knight is short on skill points, so I didn't bother.
-----------------------------------------------------------
What would you do with the skill points, if you had a few more?
If you don't know, go with the day job.
If you do know, do that instead.
Depends on if you like to role play your character's job skills. I've got a dwarf who uses his gemcutter and miner stuff in game quite often.
|
There is another option. Wait a few scenarios and purchase a vanity that allows you to use another skill for your day job.
For example: my summoner, who is very focused on diplomacy, spent 5 pp for a caravan after her 4th scenario.
A caravan can allow you to use diplomacy, intimidation or bluff for your day job. Which skill is used is chosen when the vanity is purchased.
I have another character with the cartographer profession. He's actually had faction missions to draw maps. I was able to use my skill instead of being forced into a straight stat check.
|
|
Analysis of how much money you actually make in Day Jobs
I am currently short 106 gp short of being able to purchase a +4 dex belt on my level 7 magus. If I had known about caravans when he was lower level, or spent just a few extra skill point on my profession, I would have that belt for my next game.
|
My paladin/gunslinger took the caravan vanity (diplomacy) to help pay for her ammunition. No skill points were wasted.
My tengu rogue purchased the merchant store vanity, and I listed it on the back of the business cards I hand out. Rogues have lots of skill points to waste.
The barbarian I'm drafting up will be purchasing a hunting lodge. No skill points wasted.
The magus I'm drafting up will not have a day job. No useful skills.
The alchemist I'm drafting up will use craft (alchemy) for his. Why not?
YMMV.
I often encounter players with a strict philosophy of never even considering a day job because of the calculations that Bearded Ben points to. To them it's all just a numbers game. Those are the players that make me sad. Not everyone who thinks up a character is a math major. Some people think up a character, and do what they think their character would want to do.
|
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
If you want a Day Job just for the gold, then no, it's not worth it.
If you want a Day Job for flavor/roleplaying purposes, then go crazy. I've got a monk with Profession (gardener), a cleric of Torag with Profession (miner) who fights with a shovel, and a fighter with Craft (fiction), who gives his novel manuscript to the VC at the end of the mission briefing to solicit comments.
If you want a useful Day Job skill, go with Profession (sailor) or Craft (traps), because those are the only ones I've ever seen specifically called out in the scenario to be really useful.
|
As I was accused of this at a recent con... I "fell" into that trap. Except I did it with both feet and eyes wide open! Give me the blue gems that I earn at my level 6(going on 7) artisan shop.
Day jobs are for flavor. (Although having a Con Gm call me out for an explanation on my +31 day job craft jewelry at level 7 was very funny.)
And... the numbers game changed with the lighter restrictions on day jobs in latest guide.
|
I personally say don't put ranks in skills that will only be for Day Jobs. As mentioned above, pick up a Vanity or a Membership that will use your best skill, something you're already going to be putting ranks in, as your Day Job. Survival for Rangers, Diplomacy for diplomatic types, Sleight of Hand for thieves, etc etc. The benefit doesn't outweigh the cost of a precious skill point every level.
|
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
You're right that it's not worth it to put a rank in at every level. But a single rank in a skill for your best mental stat, plus the class skill bonus, and you've probably got a decent +5 at least.
But it boggles my mind how people claim that a Day Job isn't worth a single skill rank, but it's worth 5 Prestige Points. PP are a much scarcer resource than skill ranks for all but the dumbest fighters/paladins/clerics.
|
|
You're right that it's not worth it to put a rank in at every level. But a single rank in a skill for your best mental stat, plus the class skill bonus, and you've probably got a decent +5 at least.
But it boggles my mind how people claim that a Day Job isn't worth a single skill rank, but it's worth 5 Prestige Points. PP are a much scarcer resource than skill ranks for all but the dumbest fighters/paladins/clerics.
You can get 6 Prestige per level, plus many offer some additional (though usually minor and some heavily circumstantial) bonus to your skills. Plus most classes I see get 6+Int skill points per level or less, so it's truly not as scarce as one would think unless you're actively not going for your faction mission/s. So for my ranger, I'll put all ranks into Survival when I can and zero into Craft, Profession, and Perform is right out.
Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area North & East
|
My musket master's profession: architect has helped me a few times.
My bard uses perform: dance constantly for many things.
My pistolero's profession: barber hasn't been useful yet, but maybe someday I can use it to aid in a diplomacy check.
My ice caster is stil mucking about at level 1, but I expect her craft: sculpter to be useful occasionally.
Day jobs can come up on faction missions. I've seen some for copying maps, copying books, sketches of buildings, sailing, and crafting defenses.
I am rather annoyed at the vanities available and how limiting they are. You can get a shop to boost your profession: scribe, but not your profession: architect. The profession: barber is really profession: other, so I'm not surprised that it's not supported, but still annoyed. Something as generic as profession: merchant gets great bonuses along with the vanity, but is an incredibly broad skill that I'm not sure I'd allow in my home game.
|
|
You're right that it's not worth it to put a rank in at every level. But a single rank in a skill for your best mental stat, plus the class skill bonus, and you've probably got a decent +5 at least.
But it boggles my mind how people claim that a Day Job isn't worth a single skill rank, but it's worth 5 Prestige Points. PP are a much scarcer resource than skill ranks for all but the dumbest fighters/paladins/clerics.
It depends.. a 5 pp vanity might not pay off for some..and for others it does.
For a gunslinger who has to pay a LOT for ammo, the Artisan Shop is a bargain at 5 pp. A 5% discount on normal/MW items of ammo and guns? Trust me..that can save a LOT over a gunslingers career.
As with most things. Rusults might vary though.
|
I think I have seen something like craft (pottery) come up in a faction mission.
Those just really depend on the situation, and kind of knowing what kind of professions or crafts the scenario makers are likely to think of.
My paladin took a rank of profession (vet) purely for fluff, she is stupid as a brick, so skill points are kinda scarce. But I don't mind, she wasn't going to be a skill monkey anyway.
(Why does my keyboard keep giving me the wrong characters when I write here? I had to copy paste some of them because I couldn't figure out how to make them appear. It's not a problem with my computer, I can write to other places just fine?)
