Mystic Theurge Skills

[There Is A Light]

Minor feedback here, the Mystic Theurge is lacking access to a number of skills it likely should have access to, such as Craft Armor and Weapon (Class skill for every other class), Knowledge (History) [Class skill for wizards, sorcerers and clerics], Knowledge (Nature) [This one is debatable, but playing a druid theurge with no access to knowledge nature would get a little wonky, especially at epic levels)

[Plot Lost]

In PnP, the mystic theurge's class skills are Concentration, Craft (Any), Decipher Script, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (religion), Profession (Any), Sense Motive, and Spellcraft.

On this server the mystic Theurge's class skills are Concentration, Heal, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Religion), Lore, Persuade, Sense Motive, Spellcraft

I suppose one could equate PnP's "Decipher Script", which is used to decipher writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written in an incomplete or archaic form, with NWN's Lore skill, which is just used to identify magical items, such as scrolls, potions, armours, weapons, etc, by probably identifying the magical symbols on those items.

As for the "Profession" skills in PnP, and the addition of "Heal" and "Persuasion" on the server, well, the "Heal" skill is probably there because of in game mechanical reasons: the skill improves the amount of hit points healed with healing kits. Which is the only affordable alternative if you do not have a reliable "healer" to party up with, or if you do not do enough "adventure" to be able to spend hundreds of thousands after hundreds and thousands of "GP" to purchase endless stacks upon stacks of those Vials of Healing. Not to mention that since you are playing the role of an "Adventurer" -- it just makes sense to be able look after oneself. And speaking of the "Profession" skill in PnP, it is usually a skill seen on every single class that is not a "profession" in and of itself. For example, a Barbarian, or a Fighter, or an Arcane Archer, or an Assassin, or a Dwarven Defender, or a Duelist, or an Eldritch Knight, as but a small list of just that. With this in mind, I suppose one could reason why Mystic Theurge has access to the Heal and Persuasion skills on the server, and that would be through virtue of the "Profession" skill, because as a "learned man" one would most likely have a profession that would be somehow involved with interaction with other people, hence why Persuasion is as class skill, or in matters of healing and thus we have an additional reason for the Heal skill.       

As for the Craft skills themselves, well, it would make sense for a Mystic Theurge of Gond for example to have investment in them and it to be a "class skill" investment. But with the free customization being something that is already available in almost every town and settlement, and considering how I do not actually recall being able to stumble upon crafting equipment to actually do any base NWN crafting, I do not think these skills have much of an actual use beyond a role-play motivated skill point investment. Thus, I think it should be fine to add them.

But when it comes to the addition of Knowledge (History) and Knowledge (Nature), I tend to disagree, even thought my previous use of the "Profession" skill argument could be used to excuse both. A Mystic Theurge is a PRC that combines both divine and arcane spell casting, hence you have the singular focus on the Knowledge (Religion) and Knowledge (Arcane) skills in PnP, where as anything else would probably would become a tertiary interest at best. Not to mention that with the investment in Knowledge (Religion), and if you do follow a nature deity, I think it might be possible to approach matters of Knowlege (Nature) from the perspective of religious significance, and get to roll Knowledge (Religion) instead of Knowlege (Nature). But I guess that would be up to the Dungeon Masters.   
 

[probot]

The problem with omitting Knowledge Nature that OP alludes to but does not explicitly spell out is that that is the skill tied to learning and casting epic spells for a druid. In other words, druid is pretty terrible for a MT build right now despite being otherwise supported.

[Plot Lost]

Oh, I see it now.

[Plot Lost]

And having given some thought about Epic spells, and well, referring to PnP, Divine Casters actually get to choose in between Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (Nature) -- although I would feel inclined to restrict Knowledge (Nature) to nature based deities only. And yeah, Druids do not have access to Knowledge (Religion) as a class skill, but it is always available through multi-classing.

So, if I were to assume starting wisdom of 18, add +12 enchantment bonus to that, +7 from ability score increases, + 5 from Great Wisdom epic feats, we would be looking at wisdom ability score of: 42, which gives the wisdom modifier of 16.

Now, as for ranks in Knowledge (Nature) on a Wizard/Druid/Mystic Theurge, you can get to 23 ranks by taking level of Druid at character level 20.

Therefore: (23 + 16)/10 = 3.9 I do not know how the rounding actually works here, I presume it goes down.

And if we assume that you would be able to get to 33 ranks: (33 + 16) = 4.9 And hence it should be the difference of a single Epic Spell Slot.

Do let me know if I got the above wrong. I have not reached the epic levels, and hence, epic spells have not been a concern of mine. But the question is, is that difference truly something notable?

[Fury]

Mystic Theurge now has Knowledge Nature, as of the most recent update.

[Plot Lost]

Mystic Theurge now has Knowledge Nature, as of the most recent update.

This prompts a further question from little old me. Should the Mystic Theurge skill requirements changed from "Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 6, Knowledge (Religion) 6, Spellcraft 9" into "Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 6, Knowledge (Religion or Nature) 6, Spellcraft 9"? Mechanically speaking it should not be an issue to get 6 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) from the levels of Wizard/Sorcerer/Bard, but if Mystic Theurge gets the skill, it kind makes sense for the skill investment to also work as a qualification for the PRC.

[Fury]

Mystic Theurge now has Knowledge Nature, as of the most recent update.

This prompts a further question from little old me. Should the Mystic Theurge skill requirements changed from "Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 6, Knowledge (Religion) 6, Spellcraft 9" into "Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 6, Knowledge (Religion or Nature) 6, Spellcraft 9"? Mechanically speaking it should not be an issue to get 6 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) from the levels of Wizard/Sorcerer/Bard, but if Mystic Theurge gets the skill, it kind makes sense for the skill investment to also work as a qualification for the PRC.

That's been discussed a lot, but if I recall correctly NWN doesn't allow for "or" when it comes to skill prerequisites, so we just defaulted to religion rather than requiring both (since druids are inherently religious in FR and get knowledge religion as a class skill here according to the wiki, but clerics don't get knowledge nature.)

[SpacePope]

Can be done, we did it for Heirophant.

[Plot Lost]

Well, if you do it for Mystic Theurge, it will streamline the PRC to work from start to finish for Druids.

[SpacePope]

Already done, as of the latest update