concentration is a skill?

[zainale]

concentration is a skill? because it is not on the list of skills on my character sheet and it is not on the d20 site. but there is a section all about it in magic. would make sense to have it for a spell caster who would have to train his or her concentration on controlling magic. do i just pen it in?

[zainale]

most the DC for a concentration save is 15 and up.

[Rysky]

Concentration check is 1d20+Caster Level+Casting Modifier (Wis, INT, or Cha). It's not a skill in Pathfinder though it was in 3.5.

[zainale]

why? seems kind of important to have as a spell caster. heck they have feats for improving it.

[Daanu]

most likely it's not listed as a skill because only casters benefit from it.

And as a skill it would take resources.

now it just scales of your caster level so it just scales without needing to spend anything on it.

Basically you Always have it in it's current form and it scales of your casting stat no matter which stat that actually is

(It's just not a class skill)

[Khudzlin]

And it's your caster level (so, level in the class you're using to cast the spell), not your total level, so multiclassed casters are screwed.

[Daanu]

very much true. Forgot too mention it because it hardly comes up in my games.

People in my group tend not to multiclass Casters with Casters.

[andygal]

concentration was a skill in D&D 3.X but Pathfinder removed it because pretty well every caster maxed it out anyway.

[zainale]

seems kinda weak that way, your missing the class skill bonus. in D&D 3.5 you could go 3 points above your level, if i remember right. and based on my luck i will need every point i can get into a roll.

[Rysky]

zainale wrote:

seems kinda weak that way, your missing the class skill bonus. in D&D 3.5 you could go 3 points above your level, if i remember right. and based on my luck i will need every point i can get into a roll.

Yes, but non class skills cost you 2 skill points.

[andygal]

there's a bunch of feats and traits that can get you a bonus to concentration checks if you want to focus on boosting it as high as possible.

[zainale]

well the witch only gets 10 feats over 20 lvls. how many feat bonuses are there?

[Jader7777]

Traits:
Desperate Focus +2
Focused Mind +2
Battlefield Caster +1
Unbreakable Hate (Orc only) +2

Items:
Tunic of Careful Casting - +2
Gloves of Elvenkind - +5 Concentration (For defensive casting)
Fortunate Charm - reroll a skill or Concentration check 1/day

I think there's also a race, those blue people get a racial trait or something. I can't help but think there's also an arcane bloodline that makes concentration easier.

Still with all that you have +9 (+14 defensive casting) on top of your class level + spell modifier. I don't know of a DC that would require this but if you were entangled while grappled taking constant damage from acid.

Lets see

DC15+spell level+Grapplers CMB+2d6 halved

Dimension Door is probably what you'll be trying to do. It only has a verbal requirement but I think that doesn't overcome anything I mentioned but I've seen it ruled differently.

15+4+10+6= DC 35

7CL + 5 mod + 9 bonus (21) + d20

Less than 50/50 chance, but still better than without it I guess. Next time don't poke the ooze.

[Bob Bob Bob]

In 3.5 it was a Constitution based skill. I think losing the +3 from a class skill is worth freeing up a skill rank and basing it on your casting stat.

[Claxon]

They purposefully changed how concentration checks worked in Pathfinder to make it more difficult to succeed. Part of that was changing the DCs, part of it was changing concentration from a skill into a caster level check (which works fine since the DC is dependent on the level of spell you're casting, usually).

[Trigger Loaded]

Some earlier printings of the Core Rulebook didn't quite purge all the remnants of 3.5 in them, so you may see a few mentions of Concentration as a Skill instead of a general check, even though it's still spelled out as a caster level check.

[Protoman]

If your witch is worried about concentration check DCs, then use a hex like 90% of the witch's normal actions which doesn't need concentration checks.

If you actually gotta do the spell and need the concentration check, up it with feats/traits like every other spellcaster.

[Decimus Drake]

That hexes are (usually) supernatural abilities and thus do not require concentration check, do not provoke attacks of opportunity and cannot be dispelled is why I like the witch so much.

[RSX Raver]

Jader7777 wrote:

Traits:

Desperate Focus +2
Focused Mind +2
Battlefield Caster +1
Unbreakable Hate (Orc only) +2

Items:
Tunic of Careful Casting - +2
Gloves of Elvenkind - +5 Concentration (For defensive casting)
Fortunate Charm - reroll a skill or Concentration check 1/day

I think there's also a race, those blue people get a racial trait or something. I can't help but think there's also an arcane bloodline that makes concentration easier.

Still with all that you have +9 (+14 defensive casting) on top of your class level + spell modifier. I don't know of a DC that would require this but if you were entangled while grappled taking constant damage from acid.

Lets see

DC15+spell level+Grapplers CMB+2d6 halved

Dimension Door is probably what you'll be trying to do. It only has a verbal requirement but I think that doesn't overcome anything I mentioned but I've seen it ruled differently.

15+4+10+6= DC 35

7CL + 5 mod + 9 bonus (21) + d20

Less than 50/50 chance, but still better than without it I guess. Next time don't poke the ooze.

You could also take Combat Casting, +4 to cast defensive and +4 to cast while grappled. Honestly, your caster stat is more likely to be +6 at 7th level. Between those two additions you are now casting at +26+d20, makes your odds much better.

[Snowlilly]

zainale wrote:

well the witch only gets 10 feats over 20 lvls. how many feat bonuses are there?

If you're worried, buy Gloves of Elvenkind. If you're still worried, take Combat Casting.

If caster level + stat +9 does not do it for you, you've probably been grappled and are smurfed anyways.