What is the point of multiple trick skill checks?

[praguepride]

I am a new player to the AP and I am trying to wrap my head around the circus trick rules. As such I have a lot of questions:

1) If each time you perform a trick you pick one skill and every time after it you get the same penalty (-5/-10) then why use lower skills? For example the Dwarven Throwers have Athletics +10 and Acrobatics +7. Why would you ever not use Athletics every time?

2) Is there any benefit at all to picking saving throws as a skill check? I would have thought that by adding in the chance of Injury that would impact excitement but from what I can tell it doesn't. You add the risk of being Injured with no benefit to excitement or rolls whatsoever. What am I missing?

3) I understand you add more skill checks as you level up but again, what is the point? If you always just pick your highest skill is it just to give you flexibility in case you get a magic item that bumps up one skill over another?

edit:
4) Do NPC team tricks get the benefit of aid another? Like do the Flamboni sisters get to first make an "aid another" check and then their real check with a possible boost because they come with a costar?

[profounddark]

A few things: The "missing feat" actually refers to using multiple skills: https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sh2k. So that could be useful for PC performers.

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.

For PCs, Saving Throws at higher levels of proficiency typically have extra features. For example, consider the Fighter's Level 15 Evasion: "When you roll a success on a Reflex save, you get a critical success instead." So, that may be relevant to doing trick checks: do you want a crit success or not?

Also, somebody pointed out in another thread that being able to fail (or critically failure) gives you some more control over total Excitement, so having a lesser skill may be of value if you overshoot the Anticipation (although I'm less familiar with that).

I'm not aware of NPC performers having any special benefit for being a team.

[ograx]

I don't get why you would use the lower skill check either so I houseruled that you can't use the same check twice in a row for NPCs for trick checks to make it make some sense.

I feel as if the circus rules could've used some more love if it was meant to be such a big theme.

[profounddark]

There are a few threads on the forum here of people trying to tweak or re-work certain aspects of the Circus Rules; it may be worthwhile to take a look at a few of them.

https://paizo.com/threads/rzs4343s?Circus-Rules-Plus

https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42x9c?Circus-Show-analysis