ffone
2010-09-01, 10:14 PM
(N)PC wealth is exponential - doubles every 2-3 levels. I'm DMing, and feel bad for PCs when their skills, feats, and racial and class features get obviated by easily affordable items. Likewise, when I make high level PCs I often think around which effects I can just (most cheaply) 'buy' rather than 'build'.
The Wings of Flying let you fly all the time (60' with good maneuverability - you can hover - cloak slot, 54,000 gp). Are there some skills which are usually moot once you have a certain item or persistent spell effect, like flight?
Balance (flying, often spiderclimbing)?
Climb (flying, boots of spider climbing)?
Escape Artist (ring of freedom of movement)?
Jump (flying, often spider climbing)?
Swim (flying or waterwalking if you just need to go over the water; swim-speed-granting item such as a Pearl of the Sirines)?
As a DM, are there ways I can keep these skills popping up as useful (aside from antimagic fields, banning the items, or anything heavyhanded)? Or perhaps some creative or houseruled new uses for them in aerial situations? Even many of the epic skill usages seem to be obviated by flight, like balancing on the surface of water.
As an exacerbating example, in another campaign I've a Swashbuckler (/Rogue with Daring Outlaw). They get 4 + Int skill points and tend to point-buy a good Int (a class feature adds Int mod to damage), but have a smallish class skill list with lots of these athletic/acrobatic skills, and some class features based on them. So the class is strongly encouraged in this direction, but it'd be moot if the party's just going to go in for flight...
Misc ideas:
- Use Climb like Tumble while climbing, if you have ranks and a climb speed (avoid AoOs while moving, etc.)
- likewise Jump like Tumble while using a flight speed
- likewise Swim like Tumble while using a swim speed
- while flying, somehow use skills to improve certain attributes from your flight maneuverability rating (up speed, up angle, turn radius, etc.)
The 'has ranks' condition is because Tumble is trained, and to simplify things (not altering game balance or introducing a lot of new rolls by having every PC and NPC constantly doing these new rolls, for example).
The Tumble ideas don't really help the Swashbuckler PC since her Tumble skill is the best of all, but in general...)
The Wings of Flying let you fly all the time (60' with good maneuverability - you can hover - cloak slot, 54,000 gp). Are there some skills which are usually moot once you have a certain item or persistent spell effect, like flight?
Balance (flying, often spiderclimbing)?
Climb (flying, boots of spider climbing)?
Escape Artist (ring of freedom of movement)?
Jump (flying, often spider climbing)?
Swim (flying or waterwalking if you just need to go over the water; swim-speed-granting item such as a Pearl of the Sirines)?
As a DM, are there ways I can keep these skills popping up as useful (aside from antimagic fields, banning the items, or anything heavyhanded)? Or perhaps some creative or houseruled new uses for them in aerial situations? Even many of the epic skill usages seem to be obviated by flight, like balancing on the surface of water.
As an exacerbating example, in another campaign I've a Swashbuckler (/Rogue with Daring Outlaw). They get 4 + Int skill points and tend to point-buy a good Int (a class feature adds Int mod to damage), but have a smallish class skill list with lots of these athletic/acrobatic skills, and some class features based on them. So the class is strongly encouraged in this direction, but it'd be moot if the party's just going to go in for flight...
Misc ideas:
- Use Climb like Tumble while climbing, if you have ranks and a climb speed (avoid AoOs while moving, etc.)
- likewise Jump like Tumble while using a flight speed
- likewise Swim like Tumble while using a swim speed
- while flying, somehow use skills to improve certain attributes from your flight maneuverability rating (up speed, up angle, turn radius, etc.)
The 'has ranks' condition is because Tumble is trained, and to simplify things (not altering game balance or introducing a lot of new rolls by having every PC and NPC constantly doing these new rolls, for example).
The Tumble ideas don't really help the Swashbuckler PC since her Tumble skill is the best of all, but in general...)