A question on feats and skills

[PierceBoldmen]

I have a few questions now that I have made a sample character. He lasted 7 terms and ended at level 9.

1) Starting skill points are spent before prior history right? Plus the homeworld skills. Do they count as skills for level 1?

2) Does a character start with starting feats, + 1 feat for merchant bonus, +1 feat for being human, and +1 feat for being level 1 (page 22 phb)? Wow thats 7 feats!

3) Does the character still get a bouns feat every 3 levels (PHB) and an ability increase every 4 levels?

4) Does having a very high level in a skill make for unbalanced gameplay? My merchant has a 19 in his Trader skill after adding it all up (12 ranks, +2 trader feat, +2 synergy bonus, +3 int mod). Hard tasks and less are no sweat for him. Is this normal for a level 9?

5) Why are there no longer automatic failures when you roll a 1?

Don't get me wrong, I like the game amd look forward to checking out the full rules when they comeout. I am just worried about play balance. Still, one lucky shot and he's toast so . . .

 

[PierceBoldmen]

Wow thats the first time I have posted a message and no one replied. Does anyone have the answers to my questions?

 

[tjoneslo]

Originally posted by PierceBoldmen:


1) Starting skill points are spent before prior history right? Plus the homeworld skills. Do they count as skills for level 1?

Correct

2) Does a character start with starting feats, + 1 feat for merchant bonus, +1 feat for being human, and +1 feat for being level 1 (page 22 phb)? Wow thats 7 feats!

Correct.

3) Does the character still get a bouns feat every 3 levels (PHB) and an ability increase every 4 levels?

Yes.

4) Does having a very high level in a skill make for unbalanced gameplay? My merchant has a 19 in his Trader skill after adding it all up (12 ranks, +2 trader feat, +2 synergy bonus, +3 int mod). Hard tasks and less are no sweat for him. Is this normal for a level 9?

It was normal for players in my playtest to have modified skills of 20 or more in every single area of specilization, and some hit 30 or more.
I never found it a problem, but i'm used to running cinematic campaigns. Aramis posted in another thread on the T20 boards about a variation where higher skills would cost more skill points (level 1-5 costs 1, level 6-10 cost 2, level 11-15 cost 3/4(?), level 16+ cost 6/8(?))

5) Why are there no longer automatic failures when you roll a 1?

Where is that stated? There are circumstances in the rules (PHB and T20lite) where the 1=auto fail, 20=auto succeed have been suspended, but is should be taken as a general case.

 

[DrSkull]

Actually, as far as I have read, in D&D/d20 in general a 1 is an automatic failure and a 20 an automatic success only for "To hit" rolls and for Saving Throws, this was never the case for Skills.