Trying to learn the Circus rules as fast as I can. I don't think Lore skills are directly addressed by them, but the player's guide hands out applicable Lore skills. Lore is used to Earn Income, and circus performers perform to Earn Income. (Though you can also argue they'd be Staging a Performance instead.) It seems weird if my lion tamer can't use cat lore in their act, though, right? I'm considering letting them be used at a lower DC than the normal skill check if it makes sense, because Cat Lore should be at least as useful as Nature for working with cats.
The players pick how their tricks work. The Table on page 63 shows how many checks and traits your trick can have.
The Tricks can be a Skill Check, a Saving Throw, or an Attack Roll. Lore skills are skills. So nothing stops your Lion Tamer from using Cat Lore as their "Trick Check". The traits available at the start of the game are Agile, Animal, Fire, and Water. So Cat Lore with the Animal trait sound most appropriate.
One thing you may want to house rule however: Some Traits have checks associated with them. Animal in this case, is tied to Nature. This doesn't mean you HAVE to use Nature, but you get a +1 Circumstance bonus to your Animal trick if you use Nature. I'd houserule that Cat Lore counts as Nature for the purpose of that +1.
The players pick how their tricks work. The Table on page 63 shows how many checks and traits your trick can have.
The Tricks can be a Skill Check, a Saving Throw, or an Attack Roll. Lore skills are skills. So nothing stops your Lion Tamer from using Cat Lore as their "Trick Check". The traits available at the start of the game are Agile, Animal, Fire, and Water. So Cat Lore with the Animal trait sound most appropriate.
One thing you may want to house rule however: Some Traits have checks associated with them. Animal in this case, is tied to Nature. This doesn't mean you HAVE to use Nature, but you get a +1 Circumstance bonus to your Animal trick if you use Nature. I'd houserule that Cat Lore counts as Nature for the purpose of that +1.
Yeah,I don't think that is fully registered what the traits allowed for-- didn't realize how open ended they are.
It still feels like I should be reducing the DC for an extremely applicable lore skill though. Especially because an animal handler will probably have better wisdom than intelligence.
So somewhat related note. I can't figure out why being able to use multiple types of checks is a useful addition to a signature trick. Using the example on page 65 of the first book, Girard seems to gain no mechanical advantage for doing one check with thievery and the second with fortitude. Given one is likely to have a higher bonus than the other, it seems like he's actively sabotaging himself.
It would make sense if performing different checks helped to mitigate the multiple performance penalty. That provides a mechanical incentive and for flavor helps keep the performance fresh instead of repeating the same schtick, but there's nothing like that in the rules.
Also, I just... Can't get into the Traits. I keep wondering if I'm missing something there, but they just seem so very limited. I think having players describe their trick and then adding appropriate tricks seems more organic. The issue is that traits currently encourage you to build your description and trick around them, rather than the other way around. It feels backwards.
Finally, the support rules precluding performing seems weird. There's not enough PCs to go around to take advantage of these and still get to use signature tricks.
I feel like there's got to be a way to streamline these processes while simultaneously fostering creativity. I know some posters have done pretty big revisions to the circus rules, but I don't want to get that complicated.
So somewhat related note. I can't figure out why being able to use multiple types of checks is a useful addition to a signature trick. Using the example on page 65 of the first book, Girard seems to gain no mechanical advantage for doing one check with thievery and the second with fortitude. Given one is likely to have a higher bonus than the other, it seems like he's actively sabotaging himself.
It would make sense if performing different checks helped to mitigate the multiple performance penalty. That provides a mechanical incentive and for flavor helps keep the performance fresh instead of repeating the same schtick, but there's nothing like that in the rules.
The "missing feat" actually refers to using multiple skills: https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sh2k
In addition, the Costar Reaction relies on being able to make the same check as the performer you are helping: "Attempt the same check as the trick check you are attempting to aid." So, if you have 2 or 3 people in the same Act with the same skills, they can aid each other more easily.
The non-performer roles are available for PCs that don't have tricks. It's obviously not required to fill them. It's more of the idea of "hey, if you're not doing something else, you can help in this way." But, if PC performers are using skills they're best at, they'll universally be better than NPC performers. So, in that regard, it's a trade-off.
While I wanted the Circus to be more like a mini-game (like a mini-board/card game), I found the traits to be frustrating. Some have significant effects, some don't. Especially when a trait like Magical requires the performer to expend a spell slot, but NPC performers don't necessarily have *spell slots*.
Well that explains that. I think I'll just give everyone that feat for free.