Skills

[MintBerryCrunch]

i was watching a video and in it all the characters were in stealth mode. i read that skills are shared between compainions.

1) are combat based skills shared also?

2) does this mean i dont have to worr about being in full plate while i sneak around?

[MintBerryCrunch]

oh also just curious is there a npc auto level up feature in case we dont care how they do it?

[JonWoo]

They're not really shared so much as certain things only require one person to pass them. An example is early in the game you come across some rubble that you need a skill check to pass. It finds the person with the highest required skill and has them roll for it. If they succeed the entire group has "passed".

I don't know about stealth as I haven't used it in the beta but I'd assume it works like perception does though and rolls for everyone individually when relevant.

[MintBerryCrunch]

oh ok thats what i figured, i mean would be strange other wise.

[Grifta]

Yea, Stealth is one of the pre-person skills, so it's best to leave the clanky Fighter back while the Rogue sneaks up to scout.

Yes, there is an auto level feature. It's in the difficulty settings. You can tell the game to; let you level everyone, auto-level companions, or auto-level everyone.

[Ace-Educator]

So just to be sure, I can have a smooth-talker type friend and if a check comes up in conversation, the game will use him/her to test the check?

[Grifta]

In all the conversations that I've seen, it either uses the person with the highest skill for a one-time check (like persuation), or it checks everyone with the skill for something that could be communicated (like knowledge, perception, etc.). This second type extends to climbing or jumping stuff since, once someone is across a gap, they could help everyone else get across.

For example, if anyone in the group knows that the mushroom is poisonous, then they will tell you. But, you only get one roll to convince the troll to eat the mushroom.

[mzorich]

Regarding skills:

Are all skills in the game "untrained"?... or is it required, with some, to put points in the skill to be able to utilize it?

Thanks in advance for any help. Very excited for this game!... just heard about it a couple months ago, p!ssed at myself for missing out on the Kickstarter campaign!

[atletikus]

You gain a +3 bonus on all class skills that you put ranks into. In the pen and paper game you are excluded from using some specific skills (like lore/knowledge and use magic device), but most are open even for untrained and the talentless. Not sure if this game will outright bar you from using such skills or consider poor aptitude to be enough.

[Esquilo]

I'm a bit worried, because there are 11 skills in the game for a 6 members party. So we are very likely to have every skill easily mastered. This may well cause a Torment:Tides of Numenera situation, where every skill check was an automatic success.

[kreivi]

Originally posted by Esquilo:

I'm a bit worried, because there are 11 skills in the game for a 6 members party. So we are very likely to have every skill easily mastered. This may well cause a Torment:Tides of Numenera situation, where every skill check was an automatic success.

Fear not, in alpha and multiple beta versions there were many times failed rolls. Remember that natural 1 is allways miss (let's say there is a trap you will spring it).

[Esquilo]

Thanks Kreivi.

One more question: if my main has Knowledge[World]+12 and let's say Linzi gets +13, does it mean I have a complete useless skill? Or is there an "'aid other" system?

I usually play skill monkeys, that's why I wonder if many skill points are going to be wasted.

[MintBerryCrunch]

I think I read somewhere that it takes the highest skill in the group for knowledge or lore checks and uses that.

[mzorich]

Originally posted by atletikus:

You gain a +3 bonus on all class skills that you put ranks into. In the pen and paper game you are excluded from using some specific skills (like lore/knowledge and use magic device), but most are open even for untrained and the talentless. Not sure if this game will outright bar you from using such skills or consider poor aptitude to be enough.

That makes sense, thank you. I suppose you're right: if you only have a +2 in a certain skill due solely to an ability score bonus, you probably won't be passing many (if any) skill checks anyways!

[Wakuseino]

Originally posted by Esquilo:

Thanks Kreivi.

One more question: if my main has Knowledge[World]+12 and let's say Linzi gets +13, does it mean I have a complete useless skill? Or is there an "'aid other" system?

I usually play skill monkeys, that's why I wonder if many skill points are going to be wasted.

Both of the Knowledge skills are used during camping, if I recall correctly, and the camping system does in fact make use of Pathfinder's "Aid Another" system, wherein each additional person working on the task gives a +2 to the main one's role. If I recall PnP, the assisting people have to get at least a 10 to actually give the assistance though, so if you don't have at least a +9 on there, there's a chance the assist'll fail. I don't know if they actually included assist fail chance, thoug.

That being said, with like 11 companions in total and all of them running on the same EXP, you're actively encouraged to try and experiment with all the companions, which also means you're probably going to need at least a little bit of overlap in skills, since otherwise there's no guarantee you'll have the skills you need when they're relevant.

[kreivi]

Allso some skills are kind of nice to have double or thriple in your party.
So multiple person can try and find a trap or hidden thing. Allso it is kind of usefull to have more then one person who can try to open lock. Yes, you CAN wait for one level or go and change your party members but it is SO much faster if you have 2 person who can try pick a lock.

Naturally some skills are only for personal use (like written up there, if you sneak it is you not full party who use your skill) same for detecting traps/finding hidden objects and so on.