|
Why can't Skill Synergy be taken twice? The first time to make the chosen skills class skills, and then a second time to gain the +2 insight bonus to said skills.
As written "Its effects don't stack." But, the +3 bonus for it being a class skill would stack with the +2 insight bonus.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Skill Synergy
You understand how two skills work well together.
Benefit: Choose two skills. These skills become class skills for you. If one or both were already class skills, you gain a +2 insight bonus to those skill checks instead.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times. Its effects don’t stack. Each time you take it, it applies to two different skills.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Apologies if this has been answered, but I couldn't find anything other than the questions of Skill Focus and Skill Synergy not stacking.
Why can't it? Because that's how it's written.
Why is it written that way? Honestly, probably because it's just easier to write that way. The situation of taking Skill Synergy twice, once to make a pair of skills into class skills and once to give those same two skills a +2, is pretty niche and not worth the word count and complexity to weave back in. Or maybe it's just a possibility they didn't even really consider.
If I were GMing, I wouldn't have a problem if a player came up to me and said, "Hey, I wanted to take Skill Synergy twice; once to make X and Y class skills, then again to give X and Y a +2. Is that okay?"
Probably because that would invalidate Skill Focus as a feat. But since Skill Focus exists, then the devs clearly intended for that feat to be the one for buffing skills, while Skill Synergy is the one for gaining new skills.
If you could gain new skills and buff them with Skill Synergy, it becomes the most powerful skill feat in the game. The devs decided they didn't want it to do that, so it doesn't. Simple as that.
That's... honestly not that powerful, as long as you're not stacking the buff. The +2 to two skill feats have long been the crappy ones no one bothers with. Now, skills are somewhat more important and feats are at least somewhat toned down for now, so it's worth considering, but +2 to two skills is still not a terribly impressive effect.
Er... I don't think Starfinder has traits yet?
Correct, no traits, they're going with themes.
That's... honestly not that powerful, as long as you're not stacking the buff. The +2 to two skill feats have long been the crappy ones no one bothers with. Now, skills are somewhat more important and feats are at least somewhat toned down for now, so it's worth considering, but +2 to two skills is still not a terribly impressive effect.
I didn't say it would be the most powerful feat in the game, just objectively better than Skill Focus, the only other universal skill buffing feat in the game I can find. No reason to take Skill Focus for a simple +3 when you could take Synergy for new class skills or +2 to two existing class skills.
There is absolutely a reason to take Skill Focus, as there are many cases where a +3 to one skill is more valuable than a +2 to 2 skills. It's the same reason Skill Focus has long been more popular than the +2 to two skills feats. A lot of characters have one skill they care about above and beyond the rest.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Despite being called "Skill Synergy," its +2 bonus actually has no synergy with the bonuses most of the classes provide. The Operative and the Envoy at least get another ability from Skill Focus once their class provides them an equivalent or better modifier. This is particularly important for the Operative, who gets theirs to every skill and thus invalidates Skill Synergy's +2 at level 3. It wouldn't invalidate Skill Focus, though it would tip the balance somewhat depending on your focus. Either way, they're both woefully inadequate for keeping pace with DCs at higher levels.