Idiot Savant [Feat]

[Lysander]

Sometimes a character may act dumb, but only because their mind is highly distracted and focused on one specific skill. This skill is honed to a genius level in an otherwise foolish seeming person.

Idiot Savant

Prerequisite: Intelligence of 8 or lower. If your intelligence ever rises above 8 this ability becomes dormant.

Pick any one INT based skill. Your negative intelligence modifier counts as a positive modifier for that one skill (the less intelligent you are the better you do). The Idiot Savant feat can be taken multiple times, each time applying to a different skill.

Whenever you reach a new level you can choose to gain a normal amount of skill points, or count your negative INT modifier as a positive modifier to gain additional skillpoints, and you must put every skill point earned that level into a single skill you have taken the Idiot Savant feat for. However each time you choose to earn extra points this way you gain a cumulative -1 modifier to Spot and Listen.

[Cieyrin]

The primary problem I see with this is that negative modifiers have a limit (-5), which can be a serious limit in the medium to high levels, when you can get your ability scores (such as Int) well above 20. I'd recommend replacing the Int mod with a Wis mod for the skill in question, which to me makes sense, as Savants have an intuitive feel for a skill, which dovetails nicely into Wisdom.

Them's my 2 coppers. Take as you will.

[Shpadoinkle]

Easier method: High INT, low WIS.

[imp_fireball]

Easier method: High INT, low WIS.

Although then the character would seem less like forest gump and more like one of those really irritatingly self righteous intellectuals - people would never really think of them as 'idiots' or slow in thought (since they definitely aren't with a high INT); just the kinds of guys that never see it from someone else's point of view, even if that person's suggestion is actually better.

[Shpadoinkle]

Although then the character would seem less like forest gump and more like one of those really irritatingly self righteous intellectuals - people would never really think of them as 'idiots' or slow in thought (since they definitely aren't with a high INT); just the kinds of guys that never see it from someone else's point of view, even if that person's suggestion is actually better.

I think that might be more indicative of a high INT but low CHA.

[erikun]

Well, let's see here:

INT 3 Barbarian gets 1 skill point a level, which he can use to max a single skill. (say, Spot)

INT 3 Barbarian with Idiot Savant gets 8 skill points a level. He needs to max one INT skill (say, Kno: Nature) but can spend the other 7 skill points to max 7 other skills. However, the Spot/Listen penality counters the skill ranks you put into those skills.


The first question then becomes: I'm assuming the other 3 bonus skill points can be used however you wish, because you certainly can't put all 4 into one skill each level.

The second question: If your INT becomes 9 or higher, does the penality go away? This sounds like an interesting way to get a bunch of extra skillpoints easily. (I'm not sure if it's very optimal, although I suppose one Wish for +5 INT would get rid of most penalities.)

[Iferus]

An idiot savant in real life would just have an abhorrent charisma score. I guess a true idiot savant would get a penalty on all charisma checks, a bonus on INT and WIS checks, and all charisma skills would become cross-class. Perhaps at first level, they'd gain bonuses to the ability scores themselves. That would all have to be balanced with a chance of getting an episode (ie, behave irrationally while standing still and avoiding social situations such as eye contact) while in stressful or unexpected situations.


...

I think I'm going to design a psion that way :)