I think I broadly agree. 2d10 is superficially quite attractive but it does make pulling off the unlikely much more unlikely, and that will in general be to the detriment of the pcs when they face tough foes... you'll make the tough combats much tougher and the easy combats much easier. I'm not sure that's a 'good thing'.
With skills, I'd be tempted just to remove the level cap. Want 10 skill ranks at first level? No problem. But you won't be very versatile. To limit really stupid skill levels being reached at higher levels, one could double the cost for skill ranks above 10 except for any skills that have Skill Focus feat attached (and still give the skill focus feat the +3 bonus) - that'd make skill focus a lot more attractive, and it is one of the feats that would benefit from some 'beer goggles' enhancement I think.
