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- May 9, 2014 at 3:21 pm #151217AnonymousInactive
Why is the talent Skill Focus (pg 206) limited?
Skill Focus [Limited]
Benefit: When this Talent is acquired, it is always applied to a specific focus within a particular field of knowledge; some examples include Religion (Heresy) and Etiquette (Law) You gain a +10 bonus to all Logic Action Skill Rolls when attempting to recall facts within your focused field of knowledge.How does that work for etiquette, which isn’t a valid subspecialty of knowledge? This becomes most relevant for an Oathcrafter (pg 125 CoH) who gets Skill Focus: Etiquette, even though it isn’t a knowledge skill.
I ask because the skilled surgeon talent (pg 87 CoH) requires Skill Focus: Healing or 9 ranks of heal, and I don’t see how one can get skill focus: heal, and I’m not sure what it would do if you did take it, since heal isn’t and knowledge (but it is a lore) skill.
Just to be complete, Journeyman Shaman gives Skill Focus: Wilderness Lore: (Spirits), which also make no sense to me. All other applications of the talent given in the paths were to normal knowledge skills.
May 9, 2014 at 4:21 pm #262109AnonymousInactiveIt might have been so people didn’t try taking it for things like Melee: Balanced (Stabbing Crap) or Arcanum: Cants (Spells ‘n Stuff).
The +10 bonus is pretty huge, so it is understandable that PCI would want some control over how it is applied. With that said, I think it would be a good idea for there to be a talent that gives a smaller bonus, perhaps a +2, to a single knowledge skill. You could call it ‘Field of Study’ or something like that.
May 9, 2014 at 5:12 pm #262110AnonymousInactiveEtiquette(Lo) would probably apply to knowing about laws
Wilderness Lore (spirits) (Lo)
skill focus is really a specialized knowledge bonus, I think it is used correctly and granted a little less often than i would like but its pretty acceptable
May 10, 2014 at 2:52 am #262130AnonymousInactiveIt might have been so people didn’t try taking it for things like Melee: Balanced (Stabbing Crap) or Arcanum: Cants (Spells ‘n Stuff).
The +10 bonus is pretty huge, so it is understandable that PCI would want some control over how it is applied. With that said, I think it would be a good idea for there to be a talent that gives a smaller bonus, perhaps a +2, to a single knowledge skill. You could call it ‘Field of Study’ or something like that.
But it only applies to the knowledge skill, so you can’t do that.
May 10, 2014 at 4:54 am #262134AnonymousInactiveSkill Focus [Limited]
Benefit: When this Talent is acquired, it is always applied to a specific focus within a particular field of knowledgeNot to a particular Knowledge skill. It’s saying that it’s used for Logic checks. That’s why it gives the example of Etiquette (Law), and the Path gives Wilderness Lore (Spirits). It probably doesn’t say “any Lore Skill” because not all Lore Skill checks are Logic, like Larceny (Disable Device). Also it probably Limited to avoid people making arguments that something like Battle (Set Up Ambush), which uses Logic, could fall under “field of knowledge”. They are just keeping +10 bonus under their control. Which is smart.
May 10, 2014 at 12:24 pm #262139AnonymousInactiveSkill Focus [Limited]
Benefit: When this Talent is acquired, it is always applied to a specific focus within a particular field of knowledgeNot to a particular Knowledge skill. It’s saying that it’s used for Logic checks. That’s why it gives the example of Etiquette (Law), and the Path gives Wilderness Lore (Spirits). It probably doesn’t say “any Lore Skill” because not all Lore Skill checks are Logic, like Larceny (Disable Device). Also it probably Limited to avoid people making arguments that something like Battle (Set Up Ambush), which uses Logic, could fall under “field of knowledge”. They are just keeping +10 bonus under their control. Which is smart.
Hmmm. I can see that interpretation now, and I suspect it is right considering the occasional non-knowledge check skill given a skill focus, but to me that reads pretty clearly that it only applies to the various fields of the knowledge skill specifically. That’s part of why I asked about it.
But I still don’t know, how could one get skill focus: heal?
May 10, 2014 at 4:15 pm #262148AnonymousInactiveOff the top of my head Knowledge Warden: Master grants Skill Focus (choose one).
Even though Skilled Surgeon says you need Skill Focus (Heal) remember you need to pick a focus for your knowledge like Heal (Disease).As a side bar Knowledge Warden: Master says that it makes Monster Lore no longer a limited Talent, which might be a mistake.
Knowledge Warden
Master
Requirements: Knowledge Warden: Initiate (pa)
Trained Skills: Ranged (Marksman) and any two Lore skills of your choice
Talents Exploit Weakness, Skill Focus (choose one) or Monster Lore (choose one)
Special (Access): Monster Lore is no longer a limited talent for you.But Monster Lore isn’t Limited in the first place. I think it might mean Skill Focus.
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