items and skill points

[tim01300]

I found an older thread explaining that items that increase INT do not effect skill points as you level up. http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243258 I was wondering if someone could help direct me to where I might find where this is explained in the any of the rule books. I have a player who has an extra 30 or so skill points and he doesn't agree that items don't effect it during the level up process :smalleek:

[TuggyNE]

Well, if the item is, or is based on, the headband of intellect, it's right there in the description: "This enhancement bonus does not earn the wearer extra skill points when a new level is attained; use the unenhanced Intelligence bonus to determine skill points." There may also be a more general rule for enhancement or just permanent magical bonuses in general.

Tomes, though, should allow extra skill points, since they're instantaneous.

[Diarmuid]

Tomes would allow extra skill points, but not retroactively.

The SRD has this in the Ability Score section:


When an ability score changes, all attributes associated with that score change accordingly. A character does not retroactively get additional skill points for previous levels if she increases her intelligence.

[mattie_p]

Let's even say it isn't a headband, but a custom item with either a permanent or continual fox's cunning (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/foxsCunning.htm) spell active.


This spell doesn’t grant extra skill points.

Still won't work.

[zaarbuc]

that is of course in 3.5. in pf int items do add skill points just track them separately in case the item is removed. also int increases gain skill points retroactively.

[Chronos]

That sounds abusable. Whenever you need to use some skill you don't have, put on a headband of intellect, and use your new points to get that skill. Need a different skill? Take off the headband, put it back on, and pick the new skill.

[papr_weezl8472]

That sounds abusable. Whenever you need to use some skill you don't have, put on a headband of intellect, and use your new points to get that skill. Need a different skill? Take off the headband, put it back on, and pick the new skill.

It's probably abusable somehow, but not with a standard Headband of Int. PF Headbands of Int have a specific skill (or skills, for +4/+6 headbands), chosen at creation, that the wearer effectively has max ranks in, so a character can't change the skill by donning and doffing the headband. Also PF only grants bonus skill points for "permanent" increases to Int, which is defined as bonuses which have lasted at least 24 hours, so doffing and donning a Headband would actually cause the wearer to lose the skill ranks for 24 hours. A custom item might bypass the first restriction, but not the second.

[Chronos]

OK, that's not so easily abusable, then, but it's really annoying. Wouldn't you hate to find your nice shiny headband, and then discover that its skill is one you already had maxed?