It seems to me that in discussion of various classes, people often debate how good each of them are at various skills (whether out-of-combat or during starship combat or whatever). These discussions generally focus on making various reasonable assumptions about builds and then comparing the totals at different levels. One assumption which usually seems to go unquestioned to me is that the PC will put one rank per level into the skills they choose at level one (or whenever their intelligence goes up).
This isn't how I generally build my characters and given the objections I've often seen to skill systems which are 'set-and-forget' (ie 5E's proficiency system) I was surprised to see it's so prevalent (if indeed it is).
I have a level ten Solarion at the moment with a scattering of skills including two with two ranks, a couple with four and three with six ranks. Is it unusual to be 'a bit good' at things at other people's tables?
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I can't speak for a Solarian. I am currently playing an Envoy Skyfire Centurion with the express goal of being Captain of our starship.
My skill points are a little all over, however I have the flexibility to allow for it. There are skills I'd like to have at max, like Acrobatics for fly checks and tumbles, Profession because I like it and I'm an Icon, and Piloting cause I wanna drive good.
There are skills I have to have at max, like Computers, Engineering, and Piloting as they're all required at ridiculous levels to hit Starship DCs, which prior to the FAQ fix were impossible, and now are still pretty hard, but tolerable. Then Intimidate and Diplomacy for Starship stuff and the overall character concept.
Then there are skills I have just a little bit in, like Medicine. I only ever need to hit DC 15 with medicine, so between stat boosts and Expertise die I only really need 1 point in it. Bluff is nice to lie, but I'm playing more of a bully, so when I find spare points it's a nice pick. Same with Athletics. I wish I could put more in Sense Motive since my build doesn't have room for Wis, but I'll take what I can get.
Now the problem is, Starfinder is a linear progression system. It makes a +1 from something like Weapon Focus feel more meaningful, but it also means that DCs go up steadily. Unfortunately if you fall behind you're not gonna be very useful. Starship DCs is a big one, and unlike the Envoy and Operative, not all classes have the extra skills to toss around on diversity. 4+int on a class without incentive to take Int is /way/ too low on the Solarian to pepper points about. However, there are things you may want to do that only require one or two points to reach peak effectiveness.
Cheers. I don’t pay much attention to expected DCs. There are almost certainly skills I’ve effectively “wasted” (like piloting, which I don’t use anymore).
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Mechanically speaking, a single skill point in a skill requiring training to use allows you to aid another with at least better than 50/50 odds, which can be quite useful. Even better when combined with the 12th level Mercenary theme ability. So I've at least considered playing a character like that.
It also depends a lot on your GM and the levels you are playing. If the GM likes to throw lower difficulty skill challenges aimed at all the players, rather than a "level appropriate" skill challenge that only one character needs to meet, then its a mechanically reasonable thing to do.
If you're playing only a few levels, like 1-3, then it also makes a lot of sense, as a +5 vs +7 isn't that significant a difference.
However, having so far only played a single character in Starfinder Society play, I haven't spread my points around. Those challenges tend to be "level appropriate" and there are very few ways of raising skills outside of putting skill points into them. I also tend to play with a coordinated group of 3, so by coordinating our character concepts and then making our skills maxed without too much overlap helps our odds of beating a variety of challenges. I play a Human Priest Theme Solarian there, with maxed Diplomacy, Intimidate, Sense Motive, Mysticism and Athletics, and generally act as the group's face and mystical/religious expert out of combat and as the captain or extra gunner in starship combat.
In Pathfinder Society play, I'll note I have plenty of characters who spread points around. Its much easier to get bonuses beyond just skill ranks, so its possible to beat level appropriate skill challenges with only say, half your level in skill ranks in a skill.
At the end of the day, it is a roleplaying game, and so the question is how much fun are you having with the character. Whatever method lets you and the group have fun is the correct choice in character design.
I don't think its accepted that you'll max out every skill, but if you're looking to see how good you are at something you need then maxed ranks is definitely a reasonable presumption.
Speaking only for myself, I consider putting only a few ranks into a skill a waste, except in a couple of circumstances.
Specifically certain skills like handle animal or ride in Pathfidner, which do not involve opposed checks or have scaling DCs to hit. Once I'm able to consistently hit those DCs I'll stop putting ranks into them and choose "background skills" to level for RP purposes only.
But for a skill I actually intend to use that will be opposed or have scaling DCs, I would consider it anathema to not put a rank into it at each level.
I haven't delved as deeply into all the skills for Starfinder, but I think they mostly eliminated the skills that plateau with no need for further investment. Which means I'm even less likely to spread them around.
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I'm not much of an optimizer, so I typically throw skills all over the place. From what I've experienced with those that do strive to optimize, they usually max out fewer skills instead of spreading them. Because of starship combat I think the role you want to play should be considered during skill assignment, which means the classes with fewer skill points will have more to think about when assigning their precious few ranks.
My Mercenary Soldier will, at 10th level, get an Intelligence upgrade, instantly netting 10 extra skill points, which will go into any trained-only skills I don't have yet. Thus, at level 12, he will instantly Aid Another on any roll.
I have a hilarious Int 8 Kasatha Spacefarer Operative build that I haven't implemented yet that uses Jack of All Trades to get a roll even in skills he doesn't have with double his Operative's Edge, plus 2! He ends up with +14 (plus attribute bonus) in any roll by the end of his career (except for anything relating to identifying creatures with the Alien Archive Operative Exploit, for which it's +20 plus attribute bonus).
The schtick is to put points into as few skills as possible (hence not increasing Intelligence), which is surprisingly tricky for an Operative.
I mean, it's not a particularly GOOD concept, but it is funny!
I think that's the truth of it. Luckily for me, I mostly GM, so deciding where to put skill points isn't something I often have to deal with.
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When I first got into role-playing games with these kinds of skills systems, one of the first things I was taught was that it is generally better to succeed at a few things than fail at several.
When I first got into role-playing games with these kinds of skills systems, one of the first things I was taught was that it is generally better to succeed at a few things than fail at several.
Quoted for truth
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When I first got into role-playing games with these kinds of skills systems, one of the first things I was taught was that it is generally better to succeed at a few things than fail at several.
Yeah but that doesn't mean you can't toss a point into a few skills on the off chance you might need them. I've faced enough climb checks in Pathfinder that would have gone from 'dangerous' to 'tricky' if I had just thought to toss a rank into Climb. Starfinder's stat advancement system also encourages a bit of spread into 'non-essential' stats, so you might as well put them to work.
Also, this was true for Pathfinder and truer for Starfinder...
One should not scoff at Aid Another
The things your character is supposed to be good at you should put max ranks in.
The things that you can help others with can get by with just a rank or two, enough to attempt an Aid Another.
With the DCs generally climbing at 1.5 * level, you are going to have a lot of trouble succeeding at any of the challenges requiring expertise around 12th level (+18 to base DC, so DC 28 on the low end) unless you have maximum ranks. At some point, you will need the ranks and an insight bonus.
Keep in mind that only the Captain can ‘Aid Another’ in Starship Combat via Encourage crew action. You may have a bonus from the ship or the computing nodes, but most of it is going to be your skill.
Creature identification is another area that you generally will not be getting an Aid Another since that action takes time in combat.
There was some room for spreading the points around in Pathfinder, I think there is less room for that in Starfinder.
Recall Knowledge and Identify Creature don't scale up, so having points in skills that use such tasks doesn't hurt.
CREATURE RARITY DC
Very common (space goblin) 5 + 1-1/2 × creature's CR
Average (most monsters) 10 + 1-1/2 × creature's CR
Rare (novaspawn) 15 + 1-1/2 × creature's CR
Identifying creatures is scaling at 1.5 times the CR, and the CR has to go up as you level in order for the creatures to be Significant Enemies.
Identifying creatures is scaling at 1.5 times the CR, and the CR has to go up as you level in order for the creatures to be Significant Enemies.
You got that right - Recall Knowledge is the static one.