Should skill feats be updated?

[Ralmeth]

This would break some quests since doors etc are sometimes meant to be a combat lock - you can't get through unless you kill the mobs interrupting you. If you couldn't be interrupted period, then mechanics like repairs in precious cargo or the ritual in servants of the overlords become trivial.

I agree. That could be game breaking. As I mentioned, the extra benefits should be both interesting and already coded in the game to make it be balanced and easy to implement. I would probably have skill focus concentration add PRR and/or MRR.

[Mindos]

self sufficient: reaper self heal penalty reduction, stealthy: SA dice and stealth movespeed...

Oh this is nice!

[CSQ]

I think that instead of buffing skills directly more than they already are (because, as is, there are two approaches to skills- either build for them and use gear and get numbers that allow you to no fail checks with no feat required or just ignore the skill and shrug- even the skills with effects (heal, repair, spellcraft) are not really worth feat picks unless the number bonus is huge) there needs to be, like you suggested, some scaling (increase in epic level, probably in high heroics as well, like guild buffs) added to make the feats not dead weight once you hit 20 and get epic skill mastery every level and preferably also some additional effects. The skill feats in some 5E Unearthed Arcana a while back played with that, such as giving skills additional situational uses that make them much more versatile. Now, in DDO, that might be a bit trickier, but for some skills there are pretty feasible ways to do this. I'm not sure quite what the numbers should be but here are a few I could think of. Some are serious, others are not, so take it with a grain of salt.

Intimidate: +20% threat generation
Diplomacy: -10% threat generation
Bluff: Either some low percent fortification bypass, a chance to bluff on weapon attacks (like the deception effect), or something to make sneak attacks lower hate or something (a bit specific to rogue/ranger, but it's better than nothing)
Balance: +1 Reflex Saves (maybe? That might be a tad much)
Concentration: 1% spell critical chance?
Disable Device: 1d6 bane damage vs. constructs? It's not much, but it's good flavor.
Haggle: Recommends that you take a different skill feat.
Heal: 5% healing amp? I don't know, that seems like a bit strong, but I think healing amp is always in 5% increments except for items. Maybe a low percent chance to auto-cast cure light wounds when taking damage?
Hide: Lets stealth work in Reaper (just kidding). Realistically, probably a sneak attack die or something.
Jump: Increases the jump cap a little bit so you can skip through quests by exploiting geometry designed around the jump cap.
Move Silently: See Hide.
Open Lock: 5% chance to increase loot level in chest (i.e. like a jewel of fortune, but randomly activated 5% of the time)
Perform: Groupies follow you around, doing nothing but they clap when you finish playing a song.
Repair: Probably the same as Heal, but for repair amplification or repair light damage
Search: Autofind doors? That might be a bit strong, but I can't really think of anything else that thematically applies to search.
Spot: Fortification bypass?
Listen: Vulnerability to sonic damage.
Swim: Can talk to fish. Lamest superpower.
Tumble: Tumbling gives a bonus to AC/Reflex Saves/PRR/MRR/something like that.
UMD: Doesn't need anything, UMD is actually worth it, unlike most skill feats. Perhaps something about retaining charges if you really want to have one.

[Vulkoorex]

This would break some quests since doors etc are sometimes meant to be a combat lock - you can't get through unless you kill the mobs interrupting you. If you couldn't be interrupted period, then mechanics like repairs in precious cargo or the ritual in servants of the overlords become trivial.

Most doors that says can't be opened require mobs to be cleared first. These doors doesn't even let you go through the motion. As for Precious Cargo and other quests...it costs a feat.

[SpartanKiller13]

Haggle: Recommends that you take a different skill feat. How about +5% selling value?
Heal: 5% healing amp? I don't know, that seems like a bit strong, but I think healing amp is always in 5% increments except for items. Maybe a low percent chance to auto-cast cure light wounds when taking damage? 5% HAmp for a feat seems a little low even IMO. I'd vote for 10% lol.
Search: Autofind doors? That might be a bit strong, but I can't really think of anything else that thematically applies to search. How about a little more range?
Swim: Can talk to fish. Lamest superpower. Can wade without a speed reduction. Please.

Really cool ideas from you and others on this thread

Added a few suggestions to your comment

[nokowi]

It comes down to the fact that, among those still playing, we have some of the most ruthless metagamers; and they are a non negligible part of the playerbase, and an even greater part of the posters. This is people who will take the most broken things out there, and use them to grind whatever power is available. When that's nerfed, they'll move to the next best thing and call it a day.

How many class or even style specialists do we have out there? What happened to: Nowoki (rogues), MadCookieQueen (bards), Andoris (wizards), and so many others that focused on acrobats, monks, and their fav classes and had vast knowledge and experience playing them.

BigErky, the post below is a private message that explains the way we have all gone or are going. Maybe a dev will take the time to read it or care, but I doubt it. The environment here is terrible, and you can read someone's thoughts that pretty much mirror my own. It boils down to SSG has simply not cared about their players, and that they have inappropriately gone after players from the specialist crowd.

For some context, below is a very knowledgeable player that has avoided the forums, and hoped to package together what would make the game better, but ultimately decided it was not possible in the environment SSG has created. For some additional context, Cordovan specifically called out and threatened "stealth players" with infractions in a thread where they were being trolled and responding in a very civil manner. It's been obvious the goal has been to infraction specialist players away. PM me if you want the link to the thread.



"Soooooo... I didn't really get enough done to put out the thread before the Sharn update hit. Then the forums blew up with Sharn related stuff, and it seemed like the timing wasn't really right. Since then, I've become a bit burned out with the game in general and the forums in particular. The somewhat nasty "Goodbye" thread where blerkington, chai, nokowi and others were called out as disruptive to the forums put a bad taste in my mouth, and I ask myself if I really want to toss a burning log into a hay-filled room and then have to spend all that effort to make sure no-one gets burned too badly. Best case scenario, a few people outside of our circle agree and maybe a dev chimes in with some explanation and a message that nothing will change... worst case scenario, it turns into a huge flame war, resulting in bans, more animosity and increased vitriol toward the stealth play style. The risk seems to greatly outweigh the reward. I wish it weren't so, but that's how I see the wind blowing at the moment.

All that said, my subscription ends in about 3 weeks and I'm not renewing. I expect I'll be gone for at least 6 months, and possibly longer... who knows, maybe forever. So, I've kinda just given up on putting any effort into trying to make the forums a better place and/or making the game better.

If anyone wants to take what I have so far and run with it, by all means, but I just don't have the energy to do it right... and it will need to be done carefully if you want to avoid the "worst case scenario" above."