Underrated Skills for Profit and Roleplay

[QuackParker]

I both DM and play in very roleplay-heavy campaigns. A session may be evenly split between a contentious argument over the menu with a waiter at a seafood restaurant and intense naval combat with a sea linnorm. (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/dragons/linnorm/linnorm-sea/) For any campaign that spends at least a fair amount of time outside the dungeon, there are few criminally underrated skills worth investing in.

NOTE: Many of these skills only really begin to shine in campaigns with a "cool" GM that encourages you to utilize your skills in ways that aren't expressly RAW approved.

Profession: On the surface, Profession often appears a suboptimal skill to invest in. If your GM is allocating gold and equipment to the players at a rate anywhere near the suggested wealth, the income netted from this skill will appear horrifically underwhelming. Yet, in a campaign with the aforementioned cool GM, Profession can be an intriguing grab bag for a variety of checks with a single investment. I play a character in one campaign that is heavily invested in his Profession (Guard) skill. I use it in lieu of Know (Local) when seeking out other law enforcement or locating the nearest prison, or ascertaining certain laws. I use this skill in place of Disable Device to jury rig a pair of handcuffs or instead of Diplomacy or Intimidate on occasion with fellow guards or criminals, respectively. I also might make use of the Unchained rules to operate a profitable consultancy, for example. Obviously, the applications might vary wildly depending on the profession, but I highly recommend working with your GM to make use of one.

Craft (items other than magic items and weapons): One of the first listed Craft specializations listed in the rulebook is baskets. Why would you ever spend your points on Craft (baskets)? Well, maybe it has always been your dream to roleplay as a artisanal basket weaver or perhaps you want to be on the manufacturing side of that Ye Olde Basket Shoppe you run with your Profession (shopkeeper). Ideally, you periodically suggest ways to utilize this skill for problem solving. "GM, the thorny vines are a tangled mess. I have to routinely untangle materials for my baskets. Can I apply the skill to doing the same to these vines?" You get the idea. In one of my campaigns, that guard from before also specializes in carpentry. He has used it to make furnishings for his friend's detective agency, assemble makeshift fortifications prior to an attack, and to create a large Trojan Sheep to board a massive gambling ship (it's a long story.)

Linguistics: I raved on my love of Linguistics in another post, but in case you missed it, it's my favorite skill. At first glance, you can get by with a handful of Comprehend Languages scrolls in your inventory and evade this feat completely. But in doing so, you'll miss the opportunity to appear smarter than the other characters continually. The polyglot may know a dozen or more languages, effortlessly transitioning from the grunts of Draconic to the melodic sing-song of Elvish without missing a beat. Ancient tomes, glyphs in ruins, and wandering foreign merchants are all accessible to you without the use of magic as a crutch. Not to mention a fun feat from my other thread: Esoteric Linguistics (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/esoteric-linguistics/), which opens up scroll casting to those without Use Magic Device.

Disguise: This skill is usually considered intermittently useful, but certainly suboptimal when you consider the wide array of magical items and spells capable of changing your appearance beyond the confines of the Disguise skill. Nonetheless, hastily assembling the materials necessary to transform yourself into a mustachioed count or a peasant maiden with heaving bosoms is always great fun and often yields rewarding roleplay. Combined with Bluff, Diplomacy, and a feat or two, Disguise can really elevate you into a master of espionage. Even with a low investment, Disguise can offer a lot of humor in a session. One vampiric warlock I play makes constant use of lies and costumes to gain permission to enter his victims' homes and my guard often sets the table laughing when he predictably fails with his poorly constructed disguises.

Knowledge (Engineering, Nobility, History, Religion): This one will really vary based on the world-building of your GM and his or her flexibility in allowing players to carefully elaborate on the overall canon. My GM has a pretty robust setting and typically doesn't mind when my character makes a high Know (History) check and proceeds to launch into a story about some minor military battle or a long dead empire. Routinely employing your Knowledges incentivizes GMs to fill in the gaps of their world and make the setting more lifelike and robust. Moreover, when DM and players are all on the same page, it can be a create way to engage in joint content generation and cooperation. Of course, there are combat benefits too. Engineering might give you insight into how to dislodge a chandelier dangling above a group of elite knights; Nobility might provide the keys to thwarting those same knights' lordly sword techniques, and so on.

Any other skills or applications you think are grossly underrated?

[legomaster00156]

Disguise has one enormous advantage over similar illusion and transmutation spells. All such spells have a limitation that you cannot look like a specific person, while the Disguise skill does not.

[CockroachTeaParty]

While I wouldn't call Acrobatics underrated necessarily, it's one of those skills that most people dismiss once flying becomes a regular thing. People that want to be mobile in combat and avoid attacks of opportunity will invest in it of course, but I've discovered the true joy of this skill in my RL game.

I'm playing an unchained rogue. I have my build pretty much pre-made, with all the important decisions arranged before me. Nevertheless, I had a 'free' rogue talent, one that I could pick pretty much whatever floated my fancy.

I took 'expert leaper' on a whim. And I almost immediately fell in love with it.

It allows my rogue to treat all Acrobatics checks to jump as if he had a running start, it makes it safer and easier for him to fall, and it adds his rogue level to all such checks, basically doubling his ranks when jumping. It's also extremely easy to get bonuses on jump checks through cheap magic items and speed increases.

From about level 6 onward, he became a crazy wire-fu ninja.

Having an absurd jump opens up so many options. He doesn't have a fly speed, but he might as well have one for most purposes. Difficult terrain? Jump over it. Have to navigate tricky stairs? Jump down (or up) them. Surrounded by foes suddenly? Jump over them to safety. Need to impress a tribe of boggards? Jump 30 ft. from standing, proving your right to rule them as Best Frog Person. Laugh at pits and chasms.

My rogue is currently level 12, and he has a 43 Acrobatics mod for jumping. That's an average of 53, meaning he gets on average 13 ft. in the air at the apex. He can jump 53 feet horizontally from standing.

I believe monks can do this with ease as well.

Jumplomancy lives on in Pathfinder.

[QuackParker]

Disguise has one enormous advantage over similar illusion and transmutation spells. All such spells have a limitation that you cannot look like a specific person, while the Disguise skill does not.

That's a really good point. The sky's the limit (provided you succeed on some fairly high checks).

[QuackParker]

While I wouldn't call Acrobatics underrated necessarily, it's one of those skills that most people dismiss once flying becomes a regular thing. People that want to be mobile in combat and avoid attacks of opportunity will invest in it of course, but I've discovered the true joy of this skill in my RL game.

I'm playing an unchained rogue. I have my build pretty much pre-made, with all the important decisions arranged before me. Nevertheless, I had a 'free' rogue talent, one that I could pick pretty much whatever floated my fancy.

I took 'expert leaper' on a whim. And I almost immediately fell in love with it.

It allows my rogue to treat all Acrobatics checks to jump as if he had a running start, it makes it safer and easier for him to fall, and it adds his rogue level to all such checks, basically doubling his ranks when jumping. It's also extremely easy to get bonuses on jump checks through cheap magic items and speed increases.

From about level 6 onward, he became a crazy wire-fu ninja.

Having an absurd jump opens up so many options. He doesn't have a fly speed, but he might as well have one for most purposes. Difficult terrain? Jump over it. Have to navigate tricky stairs? Jump down (or up) them. Surrounded by foes suddenly? Jump over them to safety. Need to impress a tribe of boggards? Jump 30 ft. from standing, proving your right to rule them as Best Frog Person. Laugh at pits and chasms.

My rogue is currently level 12, and he has a 43 Acrobatics mod for jumping. That's an average of 53, meaning he gets on average 13 ft. in the air at the apex. He can jump 53 feet horizontally from standing.

I believe monks can do this with ease as well.

Jumplomancy lives on in Pathfinder.

Acrobatics also has perhaps the best feat support in the game for any one skill, hands down.

[BowStreetRunner]

Linguistics: I raved on my love of Linguistics in another post, but in case you missed it, it's my favorite skill. At first glance, you can get by with a handful of Comprehend Languages scrolls in your inventory and evade this feat completely. But in doing so, you'll miss the opportunity to appear smarter than the other characters continually. The polyglot may know a dozen or more languages, effortlessly transitioning from the grunts of Draconic to the melodic sing-song of Elvish without missing a beat. Ancient tomes, glyphs in ruins, and wandering foreign merchants are all accessible to you without the use of magic as a crutch. Not to mention a fun feat from my other thread: Esoteric Linguistics (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/esoteric-linguistics/), which opens up scroll casting to those without Use Magic Device.That's it!?! That's all you have to say about the underrated nature of the Linguistics skill for profit and Roleplay?!? Are you KIDDING ME!!??!!

Sir, with all due respect, I submit that you need to go back and take another look at the section of rules for the Linguistics skill that applies to creating or detecting forgeries.

If you have high ranks in this skill, and this is especially true in campaigns where most characters don't use this skill much more than a few ranks to pick up a second or third language, then there are all sorts of opportunities for mischief. Permits, identification papers, military orders, letters of introduction...the list is nearly endless.

Of course, for some types of document additional skills may be needed. Letters Patent for the nobility would probably require some ability with calligraphy and painting. Writs and other documents might also require a valid seal. Forging a book might require bookbinding. So by all means, work with your DM to determine the full range of what can and what cannot be accomplished with Linguistics alone. But even once those limits are established there are a lot of fun opportunities to be had.

Take a look at this! Here's a handwritten copy of the original prophecy issued regarding where to find the lost city of the ancients. It looks to me like everyone has been working with a faulty copy that left out a couple of key words. Say, why are all of you heading the other direction suddenly? Did you decide the treasure isn't at the location where we were going? (hehe!)

Of course, I have an invitation. It's right here. See, it came with this letter from his lordship apologizing for how poorly his staff treated me last time I visited and explaining that this time he would flog anyone who didn't show me the proper respect.

Well, that's certainly convenient. The shop-keep who lives upstairs in the building we were planning to break into just got a letter from his sister stating she was wrongfully jailed and he rushed off to help her. He'll be gone for several days, by the looks of it.

Really, this is one of the best parts of that skill. You shouldn't leave it out. :smallbiggrin:

[QuackParker]

That's it!?! That's all you have to say about the underrated nature of the Linguistics skill for profit and Roleplay?!? Are you KIDDING ME!!??!!

Sir, with all due respect, I submit that you need to go back and take another look at the section of rules for the Linguistics skill that applies to creating or detecting forgeries.

If you have high ranks in this skill, and this is especially true in campaigns where most characters don't use this skill much more than a few ranks to pick up a second or third language, then there are all sorts of opportunities for mischief. Permits, identification papers, military orders, letters of introduction...the list is nearly endless.

Of course, for some types of document additional skills may be needed. Letters Patent for the nobility would probably require some ability with calligraphy and painting. Writs and other documents might also require a valid seal. Forging a book might require bookbinding. So by all means, work with your DM to determine the full range of what can and what cannot be accomplished with Linguistics alone. But even once those limits are established there are a lot of fun opportunities to be had.

Take a look at this! Here's a handwritten copy of the original prophecy issued regarding where to find the lost city of the ancients. It looks to me like everyone has been working with a faulty copy that left out a couple of key words. Say, why are all of you heading the other direction suddenly? Did you decide the treasure isn't at the location where we were going? (hehe!)

Of course, I have an invitation. It's right here. See, it came with this letter from his lordship apologizing for how poorly his staff treated me last time I visited and explaining that this time he would flog anyone who didn't show me the proper respect.

Well, that's certainly convenient. The shop-keep who lives upstairs in the building we were planning to break into just got a letter from his sister stating she was wrongfully jailed and he rushed off to help her. He'll be gone for several days, by the looks of it.

Really, this is one of the best parts of that skill. You shouldn't leave it out. :smallbiggrin:

Excellent point! I shouldn't have neglected this as I used Linguistics for forgery a handful of sessions ago. My friend's alchemist shop burned down due to arson and his insurance policy didn't cover arson. Worse, his original copy of the policy was destroyed by the arsonist. So, I painstakingly redrafted a facsimile of the policy onto company letterhead we stole from the corporate office completely fooling the insurance agent and netting my friend a tidy sum of gold.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Pseudo-related anecdote:

This was in a 3.5 game, where Forgery was actually a skill.

My players were very high level and late in the campaign. They were given a written invitation to have an audience with Orcus, the demon lord of undeath. The party wizard, who fancied himself clever, broke the seal and read the invitation, then paid a large sum of gold to a professional forger to have the invitation recreated.

I figured one of the best forgers in an extraplanar metropolis would have somewhere around a +25 forgery modifier. The wizard paid his fee, and got his extremely convincing forgery.

Unbeknownst to my players, the stat block for Orcus very clearly listed his impressive Forgery modifier of +36 or something close to it. I guess Orcus is rather paranoid.

Orcus took one look at the invitation, bellowed in fury at the clear forgery, and took 30 years off of the wizard's maximum lifespan as punishment.

[QuackParker]

Pseudo-related anecdote:

This was in a 3.5 game, where Forgery was actually a skill.

My players were very high level and late in the campaign. They were given a written invitation to have an audience with Orcus, the demon lord of undeath. The party wizard, who fancied himself clever, broke the seal and read the invitation, then paid a large sum of gold to a professional forger to have the invitation recreated.

I figured one of the best forgers in an extraplanar metropolis would have somewhere around a +25 forgery modifier. The wizard paid his fee, and got his extremely convincing forgery.

Unbeknownst to my players, the stat block for Orcus very clearly listed his impressive Forgery modifier of +36 or something close to it. I guess Orcus is rather paranoid.

Orcus took one look at the invitation, bellowed in fury at the clear forgery, and took 30 years off of the wizard's maximum lifespan as punishment.


The perils of not taking Skill Focus (Forgery)