[RPG] GMing with an overtuned skill monkey

gm-techniquespathfinder-1eskills

I have a player in one of my games, who has managed to create a build that can roll a minimum of 41 by level 7 across a large plethora of skills (mostly excluding dex/str based skills). They use these (alongside spells) to set up webs and endanger opponents without getting directly involved, until the party is ready to attack or fight as well.

However, with such high skill rolls, I am worried that other players will start to feel that they should not even bother with skills. I have talked to the player and we have agreed that he will keep some of his uses to background use or last resort and he is okay with that.

How can I show other players with less skill focused characters that their skill usage still matters?

Best Answer

Introduction

As I understand it, you and your players are largely okay with the fact that this guy has incredible skills. Your problem is specifically that you want the other players to have a reason to put skill points into something that this guy can already do pretty well. There are some things you can do to encourage this, but if there is a broader problem of "it's hard to design adventures so that this guy is useful but not game-breaking", that's probably best handled out-of-game at this point.

Redundant Skills Aren't Useless

Some skills are just naturally good to have on more than one character. Some examples:

  • Perception: It's often helpful if everyone notices the trap or can see the hiding monster rather than just one person.
  • Sense Motive: Similar to Perception - if only one person notices that the food being served has been poisoned, he might not be able to stop the others in time.
  • Heal: If the normal doctor is bleeding out or unconscious from some strange illness, you might want a second person who can tend to him.

I'm Just One Man

You can make other skills useful by playing on the fact that the skill monkey can only be in one place at a time. You don't necessarily have to split the party to do this, either:

  • In PFS scenario #5-11: Library of the Lion, the PCs have a limited amount of time to search a library for information. It takes less time to search a room if more PCs can succeed at the relevant skill checks (in that case, mostly Perception, Knowledge skills, and Profession (librarian)).
  • In other PFS scenarios, there are combats where PCs can contribute either through combat or through skills. Maybe the battlefield includes whirring saw blades that can be shut down with Disable Device, or maybe there are magic crystals that can be activated with Knowledge (arcana), Spellcraft, or Use Magic Device. In these cases, having more than one person who can do the skills work can be vital. I think that some examples can be found in 6-97: Siege of Serpents, #7-18: Faithless and Forgotten, Part 3: The Infernal Inheritance, and 9-07: Salvation of the Sages. (The fact that it's happening at combat speed also limits the amount of preparation that the skill monkey can do, so he might not outshine the others by quite so much.)
  • A common scene in mysteries and spy stories involves one character acting as a distraction while their friends do something else. Example:

Character 1: "While you distract the guard, I'll sneak in and grab the files."

Character 2: "How long will you need?"

Character 1: "I don't know. Just keep him talking as long as possible."

The beauty of this situation is that the skill monkey is a big help but can't do it alone, whichever role they take. They might be able to search quickly or distract one group of guards with little chance of failure, but the other PCs still need to be able to handle their parts of the plan.

Chase Scenes

Several PFS scenarios feature chase scenes, where a bad guy flees and the PCs can only make up the distance by succeeding at a certain number of rolls, mostly skill checks. Some of those scenarios include:

  • #3-18: The God's Market Gamble
  • #4-00: Race for the Runecarved Key
  • #4-01: Rise of the Goblin Guild
  • #6-14: Scions of the Sky Key, Part 2: Kaava Quarry

The skills used in these scenes vary, but usually you have a few different options at each stage. For example, if a crowd is in your way, you might parkour around them with Acrobatics, cut through an alley you know about because of Knowledge (local), or push your way through with a combat maneuver check.

These chases can be win-or-lose - the PCs catch the bad guy or he gets away - but they don't have to be. For example, the bad guy might be running to his gang's hideout. If the PCs beat him there, you can surprise the gang. If they're right behind him, it's a standard combat. If they're lagging behind, the gang might have a few rounds to cast buff spells and activate the pit trap by the door before the PCs arrive.

In-Character Reasons

The fact that the skill monkey is a consummate liar might mean that the other PCs want to do some things to keep tabs on him. Even if the players all trust each other, that doesn't mean that their characters necessarily do. For example:

"He's been talking to that goblin for a long time. I've seen this guy lie his way past a dragon - are we sure he's saying what we think he's saying? Damn, I wish I understood Goblin..."