Valmond

I'd also make background/class combo less powerfull in relation to skills. As is, it's a bonus added on top of your skill, meaning you need to buy one less rank you otherwise would. Meaning that, in order to get a skill to level 12, i rank from class/background is worth 12 skill points, 2 or worth 23 points, 3 is worth 33 points and 4 is 42 skill points, that's a lot. Yes, it's not as bad if you get only to 10 and have item to raise your rank by 2 (i know a robe with +lore exists, and have heard of gloves with +2 to mechanics), but not sure how reliably they can be found (i think the +mechanics gloves were a random drop, meaning i might not find them). With skill points being as few as they are, this feels like being forced to pick certain backgrounds (merchant/laborer for mechanics, dissident for stealth, noble/cleric for lore) if i want be able to use the skills, especially as the basic followers are not optimized in their starting skill choices (nor useable in conversations), and the hirelings always start level below you (meaning that, at best, they are likely to drag behind by 2k xp, which annoys me to no end). I actually ended up deleting a 30 hour save (at start of act 2, though i had spent loads of time sidetracked in act 1) because my skill selections were a complete mess (though i wanted higher perception for my wizard for convo's, so it was not just skill point issue). I do like backgrounds affecting how you start your character, i just feel they are too limited in number (why are there no scientist in Old Vailia?), and have too powerful long term effect over character progression.