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Changelog
10-16-2022, 03:00 AM
This post is to explain in more detail the reason that skill point bonuses have been changed to cap at +12, as of the server update on October 16, 2022.
To clarify; this change limits just skill bonuses. Skill ranks assigned at character creation and level-up are not counted toward this +12 bonus limit, nor are additional skill ranks gained by positive ability scores or feats. This +12 skill bonus limit now matches the +12 ability modifier bonus limit that Bioware arbitrarily set when they disregarded D&D 3.5 rules and allowed ability modifiers to stack.
Please note I do understand this change does not follow D&D 3.5 rules, which is kind of the guiding star I try to follow for modifications to default NWN behavior in this PW. In fact, 3.5 rules have no limit on skill point bonuses at all. But as an egregious example of allowing unlimited skill bonus points; with certain magical enhancements for skill bonus combinations, a lowly 7th level bard in a tabletop D&D 3.5 game could get over a +100 bonus to Bluff. In my opinion, allowing unlimited, huge skill bonus swings like that in the official rules is a game unbalancing oversight. It seems Bioware may have felt similar - which I assume is why they also choose to arbitrarily set a default skill bonus limit in NWN at +50.
But for a mid-level-focused PW like Thay, I feel that even that +50 skill point bonus limit is still enormously high. Especially when you consider that level 1 characters in this PW could easily go from 0 to more than 30 skill points in seconds using combinations of low-level items and magic. In addition, allowing such a large swing (possibly increasing a skill up to +50 in a round or two) makes it difficult for DMs to determine an appropriate DC for a skill check during their events.
As a result, I feel that "realistically," even with magic to supplement a skill, getting a +12 modifier to a skill is more appropriate for the type of PW that is Thay and the Underdark. Ultimately, I hope this change will make those who assign ranks to certain skills actually more skilled and beneficial instead of relying on a bunch of cheap low-level gear and magic to become enormously skilled at low-to-midrange levels.
I do realize this revision to attempt correcting a long-overdue game imbalance may negatively affect characters. Nevertheless, I have asked DMs to not facilitate character rebuilds due to this change. However, if you feel you are significantly impacted and you have very good RP and IC-related reasons to request a rebuild, PM me here or email those reasons to me at [email protected]
To clarify; this change limits just skill bonuses. Skill ranks assigned at character creation and level-up are not counted toward this +12 bonus limit, nor are additional skill ranks gained by positive ability scores or feats. This +12 skill bonus limit now matches the +12 ability modifier bonus limit that Bioware arbitrarily set when they disregarded D&D 3.5 rules and allowed ability modifiers to stack.
Please note I do understand this change does not follow D&D 3.5 rules, which is kind of the guiding star I try to follow for modifications to default NWN behavior in this PW. In fact, 3.5 rules have no limit on skill point bonuses at all. But as an egregious example of allowing unlimited skill bonus points; with certain magical enhancements for skill bonus combinations, a lowly 7th level bard in a tabletop D&D 3.5 game could get over a +100 bonus to Bluff. In my opinion, allowing unlimited, huge skill bonus swings like that in the official rules is a game unbalancing oversight. It seems Bioware may have felt similar - which I assume is why they also choose to arbitrarily set a default skill bonus limit in NWN at +50.
But for a mid-level-focused PW like Thay, I feel that even that +50 skill point bonus limit is still enormously high. Especially when you consider that level 1 characters in this PW could easily go from 0 to more than 30 skill points in seconds using combinations of low-level items and magic. In addition, allowing such a large swing (possibly increasing a skill up to +50 in a round or two) makes it difficult for DMs to determine an appropriate DC for a skill check during their events.
As a result, I feel that "realistically," even with magic to supplement a skill, getting a +12 modifier to a skill is more appropriate for the type of PW that is Thay and the Underdark. Ultimately, I hope this change will make those who assign ranks to certain skills actually more skilled and beneficial instead of relying on a bunch of cheap low-level gear and magic to become enormously skilled at low-to-midrange levels.
I do realize this revision to attempt correcting a long-overdue game imbalance may negatively affect characters. Nevertheless, I have asked DMs to not facilitate character rebuilds due to this change. However, if you feel you are significantly impacted and you have very good RP and IC-related reasons to request a rebuild, PM me here or email those reasons to me at [email protected]