Here is an example of a feat that gives a skill:
Merchant's child
Your parents were traders who taught you the value of goods and various merchandises.
Prerequisite: Can only be taken at 1st level.
Benefit: You get 1 rank in the Appraise skill and Appraise is always a class skill for you. You gain 1 rank in Appraise each time you gain a level.
Is this trade off (one feat for one skill) balanced? It might not be for skills like Perception or Use Magic Devise, but for Appraise, Craft or Profession, it doesn't look too bad.
It does look bad when the player also puts regular points in the skill, and raises the skill twice as fast as normal. This can become a real problem when it comes to Prestige Class requirements.
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How about a feat that simply gives you an extra skill point per level? That'd be nice and in no way OP.
It does look bad when the player also puts regular points in the skill, and raises the skill twice as fast as normal. This can become a real problem when it comes to Prestige Class requirements.
The feat doesn't say anything about removing or changing the normal maximum number of ranks you can have in a skill (which is equal to your level). As such, this feat won't let you gain double the normal number of ranks, nor will it let you enter a prestige class earlier.
It would actually be impossible for a player to invest additional ranks in the chosen skill. Since this feat can only be taken at 1st level, and it automatically gives you a rank in the skill each level, you are always at the skill rank cap for your level in the chosen skill.
It does look bad when the player also puts regular points in the skill, and raises the skill twice as fast as normal. This can become a real problem when it comes to Prestige Class requirements.
I don't think that will work. You can only have ranks in a skill equal to your HD. Skill focus is still better for getting the highest bonus possible for a skill. This feat might be too good, but just a bit.
Edit: ninja'd of course
Considering that it's a better feat than Skill Focus, yeah it's too much. There are traits that will give you a skill as a class skill, this is where first level only stuff belongs.
Traits are worth half a feat. So if a trait makes a skill a class skill, what would the other half do?
How about a feat that simply gives you an extra skill point per level? That'd be nice and in no way OP.
Not a bad idea.
How about this:
Merchant's child
Your parents were traders who taught you the value of goods and various merchandises.
Prerequisite: Can only be taken at 1st level.
Benefit: You get 1 rank in the Appraise skill. You gain 1 rank in Appraise each time you gain a level.
I'm guessing you wanted something more generic:
Factotum
You had to work various jobs when you were a teenager to support yourself and thus learn a trade.
Prerequisite: Can only be taken at 1st level.
Benefit: You get 1 rank in a skill of your choice. You gain 1 rank in that skill each time you gain a level.
Papa Chango, you may want to look at the 'Cosmopolitan' feat from APG and see if this will already do about what you want your new prospective feat to do.
Two new class skills and two languages. Not bad, but not what I want. Only one class skill is needed and just that is underpowered.
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I think it needs better wording.
Is the intent that it grants an additional skill rank above and beyond the skill rank for the level? For instance, can you place another point into the skill at first level, and have two ranks? Initial reading would suggest no, as it doesn't say that it lifts the restriction on skill ranks, but it's a gray area and would be the first thing asked about by players. If it does allow it, then yes, it's overpowered.
Is the intent that it automatically grants you an additional skill point every level, and that skill point is earmarked for [insert skill name here]? That's less problematic - as someone suggested, it's like taking the extra skill point for your favored class every level. It's a little more powerful than that, of course, since you can also take another skill point if you do take your favored class, but two extra skill points every level isn't a huge game changer. The problem I see is that the creation of this feat opens the door for every other skill getting a parallel. What's to stop someone from taking three more feats that grant them Acrobatics, Use Magic Device and Disable Device, for example, and getting three extra skill points a level? That's a bit of a problem. Sure, you're sacrificing feats to do it, but roughly twenty extra skill points over the course of a campaign makes it rather attractive. Why wouldn't a human take at least one of these at first level, especially a fighter with so few skill points as it is? Alone it's not bad, but adding the other feats that go alongside it would make it too good.
My suggestion to balance this would be to say that these skills are under a new sort of feat family, called "skill feats" or something. Any given character cannot have more than one skill feat. Period. That solves the problem with extra skill feats at high levels, and makes them relatively useful.
How about this:
Factotum
You had to work various jobs when you were a teenager to support yourself and thus learn a trade.
Prerequisite: Can only be taken at 1st level.
Benefit: You get 1 rank in a skill of your choice. You gain 1 rank in that skill each time you gain a level.
It's okay, I guess... I'd simply make it like Toughness, though.. You get an extra skill point per level to invest in whatever you want, if you take it after 1st level, you retroactively get the skill points for past levels.
It's simple and balanced enough, IMO.
Thoughtness
Benefit: you gain a skill point for each HD you posses. Each time you gain a level, you gain a new skill point
Thoughtness
Benefit: you gain a skill point for each HD you posses. Each time you gain a level, you gain a new skill point
Dreamscarred press did this
OPEN MINDED
You are naturally able to reroute your memory, mind, and skill expertise.
Benefit: You gain 1 skill point for every Hit Die you possess. You gain 1
skill point whenever you gain a Hit Die (such as when you gain a level).
You spend these skill points as normal. You cannot exceed the normal maximum point for your level in any skill.
There's a similar feat already for humans. It let's you take the skill point and HP for favored class. So, I don't think it's over powered to let you do a feat like what's been suggested. +1 skill point / level.
What is that feat?
It's called Fast Learner.
It's called Fast Learner.
And it's completely inferior to Toughness.
Grab Toughness and choose skill points as your favored class bonus. You end with +1 HP and +1 skill point just the same as if you had taken Fast Learner, but with Toughness you still get the skill points even if you multiclass.
It's called Fast Learner.And it's completely inferior to Toughness.
Grab toughness and choose skill points as your favored class bonus. You end with +1 HP and +1 skill point just the same as if you had taken Fast Learner, but with Toughness you still get the skill points even if you multiclass.
or you could take both because your human, just saying
or you could take both because your human, just sayingIt's called Fast Learner.And it's completely inferior to Toughness.
Grab Toughness and choose skill points as your favored class bonus. You end with +1 HP and +1 skill point just the same as if you had taken Fast Learner, but with Toughness you still get the skill points even if you multiclass.
True... You end up with +2 HP and +1 skill... But is extra HP really worth 2 feats? I'd say no.
True... You end up with +2 HP and +1 skill... But is extra HP really worth 2 feats? I'd say no.or you could take both because your human, just sayingIt's called Fast Learner.And it's completely inferior to Toughness.
Grab Toughness and choose skill points as your favored class bonus. You end with +1 HP and +1 skill point just the same as if you had taken Fast Learner, but with Toughness you still get the skill points even if you multiclass.
if only the feat RAW gave you the option to pick alternative favored class options...(sulk)
]if only the feat RAW gave you the option to pick alternative favored class options...(sulk)
That's how I use in my games... Otherwise, it's just another pointless feat.
There is a feat from the ISWG that lets you add two skills as class skills, but they have to be based on the same ability.
+1 skill point per level is certainly not an overpowered feat. The same, plus a class skill, but you're locked into a certain skill, is not overpowered either. The feat adds (modest) horizontal growth, nothing on the vertical. It seems fine.
It's called Fast Learner.
There is a feat from the ISWG that lets you add two skills as class skills, but they have to be based on the same ability.
These feats are terrible and no-one should ever take them.
It's called Fast Learner.These feats are terrible and no-one should ever take them.There is a feat from the ISWG that lets you add two skills as class skills, but they have to be based on the same ability.
Agreed.
The first is a inferior Toughness and the second is a inferior Additional Traits.
"Ever" is pretty strong. Traits are limited in that you can only select one from each category. And many GMs will enforce the fluff of the traits as well so certain religion or regional traits may be off limit to you.
It's a pretty specified need, but, for example, a Paladin or Ranger who doesn't worship Nethys and wants to select Magical Knack for a +2 caster level would have no trait option to gain UMD as a class skill.
So they might be well advised to take Hermean Blood, especially if they'd also like Bluff, Diplomacy, or Disguise added to their list of class skills as well.
Recall that a single trait will often give you a +1 trait bonus and a class skill at the cost of half a feat.
Because of this Additional Traits can give you two class skills and +1 to those skills.
I do not see a need to make feats taken at 1st level more powerful, like in Forgotten Realms regional feats since pathfinder has traits already.
I'd just go for a feat at any level that gives you 1 sp/lvl (similar to toughness), combined with a trait t give you a single skill as a class skill you achieve the same thing but less restrictive.
Well i kinda already posted a 3pp feat above...