Unearthed Errata: Skill Tricks, Part I

by Tim Wallace

Skill tricks are a fun little system (introduced in the Complete Scoundrel) which allows you to learn new abilities, essentially half-feats, based on the skills you have taken ranks in. As long as you meet the prerequisites, you can purchase a skill trick by expending two skill ranks. You may only learn a total number of skill tricks equal to 1/2 your character level (rounded up). The feats below also give you access to skill tricks, in addition to increasing the total number of skill tricks you may learn. Unless otherwise mentioned, skill tricks are considered to be extraordinary abilities. A character cannot select an individual skill trick more than once. Skill tricks are formatted similarly to feats.

New Feats

The following feats relate to skill tricks.

Adroit Movement

Your agility allows you to move in unconventional ways.

Prerequisite: Strength 13 or Dexterity 13, any skill trick.

Benefits: You learn up to two movement skill tricks, and the total number of skill tricks you may learn increases by one.

Deft Manipulation

Your legerdemain borders on the fantastic.

Prerequisite: Dexterity 13 or Intelligence 13, any skill trick.

Benefits: You learn up to two manipulation skill tricks, and the total number of skill tricks you may learn increases by one.

Engaged Interaction

You are an expert at taking the advantage in social situations.

Prerequisite: Charisma 13, any skill trick.

Benefits: You learn up to two interaction skill tricks, and the total number of skill tricks you may learn increases by one.

Mental Acumen

You can deduce much information from only a few clues.

Prerequisite: Intelligence 13 or Wisdom 13, any skill trick.

Benefits: You learn up to two mental skill tricks, and the total number of skill tricks you may learn increases by one.

Skill Tricks

The following skill tricks can be gained following the above rules.

Interaction	Prerequisites	Benefit
Assume Quirk	Disguise 2 ranks	Familiar viewers get no bonus to see through your disguise
Group Fake-Out	Bluff 5 ranks	Feint against multiple foes simultaneously
Never Outnumbered	Intimidate 5 ranks	Demoralize multiple foes in combat simultaneously
Second Impression	Bluff 2 ranks, Disguise 2 ranks	Make Bluff check to reestablish blown disguise
Social Recovery	Bluff 5 ranks, Diplomacy 2 ranks	Make Bluff check to replace a failed Diplomacy check
Timely Misdirection	Bluff 5 ranks	Successful feint allows you to avoid attacks of opportunity
Manipulation	Prerequisites	Benefit
Clever Improviser	Disable Device 2 ranks	Ignore penalty for Disable Device and Open Lock checks made without tools
Conceal Spellcasting	Sleight of Hand 2 ranks, Spellcraft 1 rank	Conceal your spellcasting from onlookers
Easy Escape	Medium or smaller size, Escape Artist 5 ranks	Gain bonus on check to escape grapple or pin
False Theurgy	Bluff or Sleight of Hand 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks	Your spell appears to be another spell of the same level
Healing Hands	Heal 2 ranks	Heal 1 damage when you stabilize a dying character
Hidden Blade	Sleight of Hand 2 ranks, Quick Draw	Draw hidden weapon as move action; treat foe as flat-footed
Mosquito’s Bite	Sleight of Hand 9 ranks	Flat-footed target does not notice damage you deal with a light weapon
Opening Tap	Disable Device 9 ranks	Open a lock as a swift action
Quick Escape	Escape Artist 9 ranks	Escape from grapple or restraints more quickly than normal
Shrouded Dance	Stealth 5 ranks, Perform (dance) 1 rank	Use move action to gain concealment for 1 round
Sudden Draw	Sleight of Hand 5 ranks, Quick Draw	Draw hidden weapon as part of attack of opportunity
Whip Climber	Climb 2 ranks, proficiency with whip	Use a whip as a grappling hook
Mental	Prerequisites	Benefit
Clarity of Vision	Perception 9 ranks	Notice invisible enemies for 1 round
Collector of Stories	Knowledge (any) 2 ranks	Gain +5 bonus on Knowledge checks to identify monsters
Listen to This	Perception 2 ranks	Perfectly repeat what you’ve recently heard
Point it Out	Perception 5 ranks	Grant ally a free Perception check to see something you’ve spotted
Spot the Weak Point	Perception 9 ranks	Make your next attack a touch attack
Swift Concentration	Spellcraft 9 ranks	Maintain concentration on spell as swift action
Movement	Prerequisites	Benefit
Acrobatic Backstab	Acrobatics 9 ranks	Move through foe’s space to render it flat-footed
Back on Your Feet	Acrobatics 9 ranks	React immediately to stand up from prone
Corner Perch	Climb 5 ranks	Perch in chimney or corner to leave hands free
Dismount Attack	Acrobatics 2 ranks, Ride 2 ranks	Make a fast dismount from moving mount to charge a foe
Escape Attack	Escape Artist 5 ranks	Make an attack the same round you escape a grapple
Extreme Leap	Acrobatics 2 ranks	Horizontal jump of at least 10 feet allows 10 extra feet of movement that round
Leaping Climber	Acrobatics 2 ranks, Climb 2 ranks	Add jump distance to start of climb
Nimble Charge	Acrobatics 2 ranks	Run or charge across difficult surface without Balance check
Nimble Stand	Acrobatics 5 ranks	Stand from prone safely
Quick Swimmer	Swim 2 ranks	Swim 10 additional feet with successful check
Slipping Past	Acrobatics 2 ranks, Escape Artist 2 ranks	Move into tight space without penalties
Speedy Ascent	Climb 2 ranks	Climb 10 additional feet with successful check
Tumbling Crawl	Acrobatics 2 ranks	Crawl 5 feet without provoking attacks of opportunity
Twisted Charge	Acrobatics 2 ranks	Make one direction change during a charge
Up the Hill	Acrobatics 2 ranks	Move up slope or stairs at normal speed
Walk the Walls	Acrobatics 2 ranks, Climb 9 ranks	Run straight up wall for 1 round
Wall Jumper	Acrobatics 2 ranks, Climb 2 ranks	Leap from wall as if making a running jump

Acrobatic Backstab [Movement]

You move about your opponents in confusing patterns so they never know what angle you will attack from.

Prerequisite: Acrobatics 9 ranks.

Benefit: If you succeed on an Acrobatics check to move through an enemy’s space, you can treat that enemy as flat-footed against the next melee attack you make against it on your current turn

Your enemy must be standing on the ground or floor in order for you to use this trick.

Assume Quirk [Interaction]

You flawlessly assume the quirks of the individuals you impersonate.

Prerequisite: Bluff 2 ranks, Disguise 2 ranks.

Benefit: When impersonating a particular individual, you can reduce the normal Perception bonus granted to a viewer familiar with that individual by –4. The effect extends to all viewers.

Using this trick requires no special action, but you can maintain the deception for only 1 hour per day.

Back on Your Feet [Movement]

You fluidly kick up to standing after being knocked prone.

Prerequisite: Acrobatics 9 ranks.

Benefit: If you fall prone for any reason, you can stand up as an immediate action without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Clarity of Vision [Mental]

You can pick out the telltale clues that indicate an invisible creature.

Prerequisite: Perception 9 ranks.

Benefit: As a swift action, you can attempt a DC 20 Perception check. If successful, you focus your vision so clearly that you can pinpoint the location of invisible creatures within 30 feet This clarity lasts until the end of your turn.

Clever Improviser [Manipulation]

Tools? Tools! You don’t need no stinkin’ tools!

Prerequisite: Disable Device 2 ranks.

Benefit: When making a Disable Device check without using thieves’ tools, you ignore the normal –2 penalty.

You can use this trick any number of times per day until you fail a Disable Device check made without using thieves’ tools. After a failure, you can’t use Clever Improviser again until after you have rested for 8 hours.

Collector of Stories [Mental]

You have an encyclopedic knowledge of the attributes of any creatures you may encounter.

Prerequisite: Knowledge (any) 2 ranks.

Benefit: When you attempt a trained Knowledge check to identify a creature or to learn its special powers or vulnerabilities, you gain a +5 competence bonus on the check.

Conceal Spellcasting [Manipulation]

You can covertly cast spells without others noticing until it is too late.

Prerequisite: Sleight of Hand 2 ranks, Spellcraft 1 rank.

Benefit: You can cast a spell without revealing that you are doing so. Make a Sleight of Hand check as part of the action used to cast the spell, opposed by the Perception checks of onlookers. If you are successful, an observer can’t tell that you’re casting a spell. That observer cannot make an attack of opportunity against you for casting, nor can it attempt to counter your spell.

Corner Perch [Movement]

You use the surrounding walls to attack from unorthodox angles.

Prerequisite: Climb 5 ranks.

Benefit: If you succeed on a Climb check to ascend or descend either a “chimney,” where you can brace against opposite walls, or a corner where you can brace against perpendicular, you can suspend yourself momentarily. Until the end of your next turn, you can use your hands freely for any other purpose (including attacking) without risk of falling. At the end of your next turn, you fall from the wall unless you succeed on a Climb check against the normal DC + 5 (made as a move action) or you have succeeded on another Climb check to move up or down the wall as normal.

Example: A monk succeeds on a DC 15 Climb check to scramble up 10 feet (one-quarter of her speed) into a corner formed by two typical dungeon walls. Using Corner Perch, she then braces her legs against the walls and uses her remaining standard action to draw and throw a dagger at a hobgoblin on the ground below her. On her next turn, still braced in the corner, she draws her quarterstaff and attacks an ettin that has moved next to her, gaining a +1 bonus on the attack roll for higher ground. At the end of that turn, she drops from the wall rather than attempting to hold her position. Since she has the slow fall class feature, the monk takes no damage from the drop.

Dismount Attack [Movement]

You are proficient at using your mount’s speed in your attacks.

Prerequisite: Acrobatics 2 ranks, Ride 2 ranks.

Benefit: If your mount has moved at least 10 feet in this round and you succeed on a fast dismount, you can use a standard action to attack an adjacent opponent as if you had charged that opponent.

Easy Escape [Manipulation]

You effortlessly slip out of the grip of larger opponents.

Prerequisite: Medium or smaller size, Escape Artist 5 ranks.

Benefit: If your opponent is larger than Medium, you gain a circumstance bonus on your Escape Artist check to escape a grapple or pin. The size of the bonus depends on your opponent’s size, according to the following table.

Opponent Size	Escape Artist Bonus
Large	+1
Huge	+2
Gargantuan	+4
Colossal	+8

Escape Attack [Movement]

You follow up a successful escape with an attack.

Prerequisite: Escape Artist 5 ranks.

Benefit: When you escape a grapple, you can make a single melee attack with a light weapon as a swift action against the opponent that was grappling you. The opponent is considered flat-footed against this attack. You must have the weapon in hand at the beginning of your turn in order to use this trick.

Extreme Leap [Movement]

You are able to jump long distances.

Prerequisite: Acrobatics 2 ranks.

Benefit: If you make a horizontal jump of at least 10 feet during your turn, you can spend a swift action to move an additional 10 feet on that turn.

False Theurgy [Manipulation]

The verbal and somatic components of your spells are misleading.

Prerequisite: Bluff or Sleight of Hand 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks.

Benefit: As a swift action when casting a spell, you can adjust the spell’s verbal and somatic components to mimic those of another spell of your choice of the same level. Any creature using Spellcraft or any other means to identify the spell you’re casting believes it to be the other spell instead.

This trick renders your spell immune to the normal method of counterspelling, though dispel magic or a similar effect still works normally. Of course, once the spell takes effect, it can be identified and dealt with normally (a fireball still looks and feels like a fireball once you’ve cast it).

Group Fake-Out [Interaction]

You can catch many enemies off-guard at once.

Prerequisite: Bluff 5 ranks.

Benefit: You can use Bluff to feint in combat against more than one opponent. Make one Bluff check against the feint DCs of each opponent you wish to affect. For each opponent after the first that you wish to affect, you take a cumulative –2 penalty on your Bluff check.

Example: A rogue wants to feint against a group of three goblins, so she rolls a Bluff check with a –4 penalty which is applied against each orc’s feint DC.

Healing Hands [Manipulation]

Your hands truly have a healing touch.

Prerequisite: Heal 2 ranks.

Benefit: If you succeed on a Heal check made to stabilize a dying character, that character also heals 1 point of damage.

Hidden Blade [Manipulation]

What your opponent can’t see can surely hurt him.

Prerequisite: Sleight of Hand 2 ranks, Quick Draw.

Benefit: After you have used the Sleight of Hand skill to successfully conceal a weapon, you can draw that weapon as a move action instead of a standard action An opponent that was unaware of the concealed weapon is treated as flat-footed against the first attack you make in that turn.

Leaping Climber [Movement]

You prefer to begin a vertical climb by jumping.

Prerequisite: Acrobatics 2 ranks, Climb 2 ranks.

Benefit: If you begin a climb by making an Acrobatics check to jump as a swift action, you can add the vertical distance of your jump to the distance climbed in that round. Treat the Acrobatics check as having been made with a running start even if you didn’t move at least 20 feet.

Example: A monk is standing at the base of a craggy cliff and wants to scale the cliff as quickly as possible She spends a swift action to make a Acrobatics check to jump and gets a result of 24. Thus, she adds 6 feet to the distance she climbs in that round.

Listen to This [Mental]

For a short time after hearing a sound you can mimic it back perfectly.

Prerequisite: Perception 2 ranks.

Benefit: Whenever you make a successful Perception check to hear a noise, you can describe that sound any time up to 1 hour later with such clarity that any individuals hearing the description are treated as if they had heard the sound themselves. This trick is particularly useful if you overhear a conversation but don’t understand the language spoken, since it allows you to repeat it verbatim to an ally who might be able to translate.

Mosquito’s Bite [Manipulation]

You strike so quickly your opponent doesn’t even realize he has been hit.

Prerequisite: Sleight of Hand 9 ranks.

Benefit: If you use a light weapon to hit a flat-footed opponent, you can choose to have the opponent not realize that it has been hit until the start of your next turn. Instead, that opponent reacts as if you had attacked and missed.

Using this skill trick doesn’t require an action on your part.

This trick doesn’t allow the opponent to ignore any of the other effects of your attack, such as ability damage from poison on your blade or falling unconscious when reduced to fewer than 0 hit points.

Never Outnumbered [Interaction]

You excel at unnerving entire crowds.

Prerequisite: Intimidate 5 ranks.

Benefit: When you use Intimidate to demoralize an opponent, you can affect all enemies within 10 feet that can see you, rather than only a single enemy you threaten. Make one Intimidate check against the demoralize DCs of each opponent you wish to affect, but the skill check otherwise works as normal.