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RTGoodman
2007-11-06, 12:16 AM
The answer to this may be obvious, but I figured I should ask anyway since I'm a little confused.

The description of skill synergies says that "having 5 or more ranks in one skill give the character a +2 bonus on skill checks with each of its synergistic skills." Is this just a +2 (untyped) bonus, or is it a separate bonus type (i.e., a +2 synergy bonus)?

I ask because the entry for Diplomacy says "If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, Knowledge (nobility and royalty), or Sense Motive, you get a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks." Is that just a single +2 bonus (that is, the bonuses from each of the other three skills don't stack) or can that be up to a +6 bonus from synergies (assuming 5 ranks in the other three skills)?

MrNexx
2007-11-06, 12:22 AM
The answer to this may be obvious, but I figured I should ask anyway since I'm a little confused.

The description of skill synergies says that "having 5 or more ranks in one skill give the character a +2 bonus on skill checks with each of its synergistic skills." Is this just a +2 (untyped) bonus, or is it a separate bonus type (i.e., a +2 synergy bonus)?

I ask because the entry for Diplomacy says "If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, Knowledge (nobility and royalty), or Sense Motive, you get a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks." Is that just a single +2 bonus (that is, the bonuses from each of the other three skills don't stack) or can that be up to a +6 bonus from synergies (assuming 5 ranks in the other three skills)?

Untyped. It was typed in 3e.

Dragonmuncher
2007-11-06, 12:52 AM
Untyped. It was typed in 3e.

Meaning, in case you weren't sure, that they stack.

Skjaldbakka
2007-11-06, 01:00 AM
Of course, they still stacked in 3e, so it didn't matter. Synergy, dodge, and circumstance modifiers stack.

Kurald Galain
2007-11-06, 06:17 AM
Yep.

For reasons I don't quite understand, there are an excessive amount of ways to get bonuses on your diplomacy check, which gave rise to the Diplomancer (http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-526536) build.

Rad
2007-11-06, 06:21 AM
Yep.

For reasons I don't quite understand, there are an excessive amount of ways to get bonuses on your diplomacy check, which gave rise to the Diplomancer (http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-526536) build.

True, be warned though that making a diplomancer is the same as using the candle of invocation infinite wishes or the like, i.e. exploiting a badly written rule.

RTGoodman
2007-11-06, 10:48 AM
Okay, thanks guys. I think maybe my group when I first started playing (which was right after 3.5 came out, and I was the only one who hadn't been playing 3.0 before that) said that it was a synergy bonus, and that since it was typed it didn't stack. I guess they were just completely wrong. (And apparently no one else I game with pays attention to synergy, so it hasn't come up before.)


Yep.

For reasons I don't quite understand, there are an excessive amount of ways to get bonuses on your diplomacy check, which gave rise to the Diplomancer (http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-526536) build.

That's why I was asking. I'd read a little about the Diplomancer a while back, but not the specific build or anything. It really surprises me that, at 2nd level, it's already possible to have a +15 Diplomacy check (5 ranks, +4 Cha, +6 or so from Synergy). With a 20 on the die (plus any other bonus you may can get, maybe from Aid Another or whatnot), that's basically enough to go from Hostile to Friendly or Helpful. Which is ridiculous.

I don't even plan on making a Diplomacy-based character, but I started picking skills for a new character (a Marshal, despite the fact that everyone says it's only good for a dip) and most of the skills I looked at are already ones that give Diplomacy synergy (Bluff, Sense Motive, Knowledge [Nobility]).