Skill feats: how good are they?

[Trandir]

Among all the feats in 3.X some of the most underwelming and some of the most interesting are those that interact with skills.

The "skill feats" are those that:
Add a skill modifier or change an existing one;
Change the way you can use a skill;
Change the interaction of a skill with the environment/npc.


This is a very broad category from the luckluster (skill) focus to the great knowledge devotion or darkstalker.

So what are your thoughts on this kind of feats?

[Particle_Man]

They are good for quick feats for npcs. Want an alert, athletic npc? Take the alertness and athletics feats.

[bean illus]

They are good for quick feats for npcs. Want an alert, athletic npc? Take the alertness and athletics feats.

It's a quick way to put UMD directly into your belt at low levels.

I think +20 at 4th level is pretty easy.

[daremetoidareyo]

Having built references for a few skills, transformative feats that change how a skill can be used are way more interesting than static plusses to a skill. They open up wierd optimization avenues.

[St Fan]

Do you count feats that change which stat is concerned by a skill, like agile athlete of tactile trapsmith, among them?

If you have character favoring DEX over other stats, they can be very interesting. Especially if you add the Prodigy template.

[Trandir]

They are good for quick feats for npcs. Want an alert, athletic npc? Take the alertness and athletics feats.

Those are the low tier "skill feat", but there are lot far mor intresting than +2 to two skills

It's a quick way to put UMD directly into your belt at low levels.

I think +20 at 4th level is pretty easy.

Really that is intresting, how do you do it?
At 4th level assuming a cha based PC you'd get 17 (7 from ranks, 5 from stat, 3 from skill focus and another +2 from another feat?) as far as I know.

Do you count feats that change which stat is concerned by a skill, like agile athlete of tactile trapsmith, among them?

If you have character favoring DEX over other stats, they can be very interesting. Especially if you add the Prodigy template.

I edited the OP to include them. Thanks for the reminder.

What is the source of the prodigy template?

[Efrate]

On umd, but a mw tool for a +2. Gets you to +19.

[bean illus]

Really that is intresting, how do you do it?
At 4th level assuming a cha based PC you'd get 17 (7 from ranks, 5 from stat, 3 from skill focus and another +2 from another feat?) as far as I know.

On umd, but a mw tool for a +2. Gets you to +19.

Nymphs Kiss +2, half elf paragon +2, there's a few options. Factotum?

Rogue³/Cloistered¹ includes luck/pride domains for ignoring 1s.

[radthemad4]

Huh, didn't know Nymph's Kiss applies to UMD.

Shape Soulmeld: Mages Spectacles is a +4 to Decipher Script, Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device. Also an additional +2 for every point of essentia you invest in it. Azurin (Magic of Incarnum) is basically a human who trades the extra skill point per level for a point of essentia.

Azurin with 1 flaw (and UMD as class skill, or 2 flaws taking the Apprentice: Spellcaster feat to get UMD as a class skill) can have

Charisma Mod            3
Ranks                   4
Mages Spectacles        6
Skill Focus: UMD        3
Masterwork Tool         2
Nymph's Kiss            2
Total                  20

a +20 in UMD at level 1. Keep in mind, a natural 1 is not an autofail if your modifier is high enough that you'd make the check.

If flaws aren't allowed, you could just wait till level 3 to be able to reliably use wands

[Saintheart]

One I was looking at last night - the OA feat Iaijutsu Master (not the PrC) which allows you to apply your Iaijutsu Focus skill modifier -- not your rank, your modifier -- to any attack roll, save, or skill check once per day. Handy stuff for martials who usually wind up with one weak save given skill modifiers quickly outstrip saving throw bonuses.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

I took Daredevil Athlete (Complete Scoundrel) as a filler feat for a character, and it's actually come in very handy surprisingly often. Mostly pulling off tumble checks to avoid AoOs, but also the occasional jump check to cross a chasm.