How do you manage your skill points?

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In my characters, I've noticed a tendency to keep the same number of skills as skill points per level and maxed out. However, character stats in official books typically include loads of various skills and not many, if any at all, are maxed out. Some players find a golden mean and hone a managable number of skills which are not maxed out but still high and/or allow themselves certain limited ranks for prestige class or feat requirements. What's your way? Does it depend on the class/race/alignment/whatever else you're playing?

 

Chevalier, not sure I understand the question. Can you give me an example?

 

My typical character at level 3. Let's say it's a paladin with 14 INT. It gets 4 skill points per level. Therefore, I develop 4 class skills, each one maxed out (7 ranks).

A character from the official books would probably have a number of class skills at level 4 or cross-class at 2.

A character like some players prefer would have 3 skills at 6 and 2 at 5.

 

I've used three different characters (the OC, and the 2 expansions). In each case I have focused on a few skills and maxed them out at the expense of others. In my current game (HoTU) I have a dual wielding fighter that is a killing machine, but can't persuade, intimidate, identify anything, gets ripped off by merchants, and has no idea what spells are being cast at him or by his loyal companion "Deekin" Heck, I smash alchemy benches on principle.

 

In my case it depends on the class, since i usually go for class-skills. A way to get more of them is to multi-class and with that, i tend to get the following:
A reasonable 'Use Magic Device' - meaning that i raise it equally to my needs.
Tumble in hunks of 5, for the AC.
Max out 'Discipline' early, until i stop getting knocked down.
'Open Lock' 'Craft Trap' 'Disable Trap' etc... no more then needed.
And finally, generally max out "thoose-i-simply-need(even-if-i-don't)" like Hide/MS or Listen/Spot.

Now if i get skill points left, just go with whatever seems cool for the moment (lately, i've had a thing for traps ^^).
And to add... stats in NWN single-player barely matters (wee i played for 5 minutes and got my +6 DEX) so in thoose cases, i get high INT just for the skills.

 

I always max out Persuade and Lore. I don't think I've ever used a non-class skill because I hate spending 2 points.

Spellcasters also take Concentration and Spellcraft.

Rogues take Disable Trap and Open Lock.

Also, whatever skills are required to get to a prestige class like Shadowdancer.

 

Actually, I usually spend skill points according to a character concept (egad! me? a role-player?).

While I usually do concentrate a bit more on class skills, I by no means limit myself to those skills and max them out.

 

Pardon me for going a bit OT, but I was wondering if anyone else thought it a bit cheesy the way you can max out a skill via multiclassing way past any realistic extent. For instance, let's say you start as a rogue, then take your next eight levels as a ranger, banking half of your skill points. For your tenth character level, you take a second level in rogue, and then max out your disable traps or use magis device. Even though you only have two levels of rogue, you are disabling traps and/or using magic devices as if you were a tenth level rogue! I know you powergamers are going to hate me for mentioning this. LOL

 

I use that all the time, if i'm not actally role-playing... for instance, taking 2 levels of monk for the extra attacks or a level bard for use magic device, taunt and persuade.

 

I usually base my skills around a character concept. For example, my current favorite character is a half-dragon sorcerer who is basically a hard-core caster (maxxed out Lore, Spellcraft, and Concentration) and sucks at everything else except persuasion (because he is attractive).

 

I usually do as you do, chevalier. Focus upon a limited selection of skills, and then slowly max them out. Like erikhk I too like to get a decent amount of INT, so I'll have some points to fool around with. I always base my skills on where I would like to go with my character in later stages of the game. Besides I like to have a decent discipline for any char whom I expect to get a little hand-to-hand at some point doing a campaign. I also like an, at least, decent rank i persuade. I don't bother with Lore that much, since there are so many shops throughout the game in which you can get your stuff indentified.

 

I decide which skills I'll take upon character creation, based on what I want that character to be and look like. Otherwise all my characters would feel like carbon copies of the same one, with a different class.