PF: Spreading out the skill points?

[rollforeigninit]

In general, is it better to spend a point in at least most of your class skills to get the +3 bonus to them or is it better to just focus on that which you can max out?

It seems like PF, in giving you a bonus to skills for just one point, is encouraging most characters to de-focus their skill selection. (At least a little.)

[Fax Celestis]

I like to put a point into trained-only skills, even if they're not class skills. A narrow chance is better than no chance at all.

[rollforeigninit]

Back in 3.whatever, I experimented with adding 2 more skill points to every class in an attempt to get people to spend some points on something useful out of direct combat (with mixed results, you can only take the power gamer to the Great Library, you can't make him check anything out.). The +3 bonus seems to make it quite worthwhile to take at least one point in many skills. I'm just wondering if, at higher levels, the character's effectiveness suffers from over generalizing.

[Bhaakon]

I tend to maximize, but I also tend to play classes with enough SP to spread them around even while they're maximizing a few key skills. I'm not really sure how I'd handle a PC who only got 2 or 3 SP per level. I'd probably maximize perception and another important skill that my character needs and/or the other party members don't have. I don't see much point in having a token skill point in something that another party member has maximized, particularly if SP are at a premium for my build.

[Talentless]

In general, is it better to spend a point in at least most of your class skills to get the +3 bonus to them or is it better to just focus on that which you can max out?

It seems like PF, in giving you a bonus to skills for just one point, is encouraging most characters to de-focus their skill selection. (At least a little.)

depends a lot on the skill really. And how much of a stat bonus it gets.

A lot of skills pretty much should or must be maxed for any meaningful effect. Opposed skills like bluff and sense motive for instance.

Other skills only need a point in pathfinder in order to meet the check required. Like Acrobatics vs Grease. 1 point in acrobatics for rogues(or other 18 dex character/creature) puts the skill at fail on a 1 only, and impossible to fail by 5 or more, which means that you can throw one point in it, forget about it, and still have it be relevant.

That said, the Pathfinder skill rules are far more forgiving of spreading points around than 3.5 as long as you(and anyone else in the party) aren't focusing on opposed skills, the DM will have little reason* to use fully upgraded opposed skills against you.

*unless he is just being an ass, but if that is the case, the skills thing is probably the least of your problems.

[CommodoreCrunch]

In the long run, putting one point into each class skill won't dilute your other skills too much. How much depends on how many skills you focus upon, but the potential use outweighs the loss, in my opinion. If you only want to max out a handful of skills and you get a decent amount of skill points from your classes, it's easy to do both.