Each level, your character gains a number of skill ranks dependent upon your class plus your Intelligence modifier. Skill ranks describes how proficient your are and indicates how much training or experience your character has with a given skill. Each skill possessed by your character has a rank, from 0 (for a skill in which your character has no training at all) to a maximum limit determined by 3 + the character’s level.
When making a skill check, you add your skill ranks to the dice roll as part of the skill modifier, so the more ranks you have, the higher your skill check result will be. While anyone can get a lucky roll, a character with, say, 10 ranks in a given skill has a higher degree of training and expertise in that skill than a character with 9 ranks or fewer.
The class starter kits in Chapter 3 offer a streamlined pathway to build first-level skills, guiding you to maximize the skill levels they acquire, while narrowing them down to a shorter list of relevant skills. Although selecting skills from a starting package feels very different from buying them rank by rank, your character winds up spending the same number of skill points no matter which way you select 1st-level skills.
The Skills paragraph on page 59 covers the skill acquisition rules for multiclass characters.
Table 4–1: Skill Points per Level
| 1st-level | Higher-level | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Skill Points1 | Skill Points2 |
| Barbarian | (4 + Int modifier) × 4 | 4 + Int modifier |
| Bard | (6 + Int modifier) × 4 | 6 + Int modifier |
| Cleric | (2 + Int modifier) × 4 | 2 + Int modifier |
| Druid | (4 + Int modifier) × 4 | 4 + Int modifier |
| Fighter | (2 + Int modifier) × 4 | 2 + Int modifier |
| Monk | (4 + Int modifier) × 4 | 4 + Int modifier |
| Paladin | (2 + Int modifier) × 4 | 2 + Int modifier |
| Ranger | (6 + Int modifier) × 4 | 6 + Int modifier |
| Rogue | (8 + Int modifier) × 4 | 8 + Int modifier |
| Sorcerer | (2 + Int modifier) × 4 | 2 + Int modifier |
| Wizard | (2 + Int modifier) × 4 | 2 + Int modifier |
Acquiring skills
Foolow these steps to pick new skills and improve those he or she already has after 1st level:
1. Determine the total amount of skill points available using Table 4-1: Skill Points per Level. This number depends on his or her class and Intelligence modifier. A character always gains a minimum of 4 skill points at the 1st level and at least 1 skill point at each subsequent level, even if he or she has an Intelligence penalty.
2. Using the determined skill points. You can now choose and develop skills from your character’s class skill list and the cross-class skill list. The maximum rank of a skill is you character’s level plus 3 for class skills and half this value (without rounding) for cross-class skills. If your characters has multiple classes, then regardless of whether a skill is purchased as a class skill or a cross-class skill, if it is a class for any of your classes, your maximum rank equals your total character level +3.
For each point spent on a class skill improves the skill with 1 rank while each point spent in a croos-class skill improves the skill with 1/2 rank. Cross-class skills are skills not found on your character’s class skill list. (Half ranks do not improve your skill check, but two 1/2 ranks make 1 rank.) You can also see Table 4–2: Skills on which skills are class-skill and cross-class skills for each class.
Remember to exhaust all your skill points during the allocation process as there is no provision to carry them over to later stages.
Character Skills
When you create your character, you will probably acquire ranks in just a select number of skills. Although it might feel like your character possesses limited abilities compared to real individuals — but the skills on your character sheet don’t actually define everything your character can do.
Your character may have solid familiarity with many skills, without having the actual training that grants skill ranks. Knowing how to strum a few chords on a lute or clamber over a low fence doesn’t really mean you have ranks in Perform or Climb. Ranks in those skills represent training beyond everyday use — the ability to impress an audience with a wide repertoire of songs on the lute, or to successfully scale a 100-foot-high cliff face.
So, how does one navigate through life without ranks in a lot of skills? It is simple; not all actions or tasks necessitate a skill check, especially those mundane and routine activities encountered in day-to-day life. When a task does call for a check, the Difficulty Class (DC) for ordinary tasks is quite forgiving, rarely crossing a threshold of 10 to 15. Besides, in non-pressured environments, characters can take their time to succeed, even without specific skill ranks, utilizing a practical approach to complete tasks (see “Checks without Rolls”, page 65).
Feel free to envision your character as being familiar with — even good at a wide array of everyday activities beyond those listed on their skill sheet. However, purchasing ranks in specific skills carves a path towards heroic mastery.
Table 4–2: Skills
| Skill | Bbn | Brd | Clr | Drd | Ftr | Mnk | Pal | Rgr | Rog | Sor | Wiz | Untrained | Key ability |
| Acrobatics | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | Yes | Dex1 |
| Athletics | C | C | cc | cc | C | C | cc | C | C | cc | cc | Yes | Str1 |
| Bluff | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | C | cc | Yes | Cha |
| Concentration | cc | C | C | C | cc | C | C | C | cc | C | C | Yes | Con |
| Craft | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | Yes | Int |
| Decipher Script | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | C | No | Int |
| Diplomacy | cc | C | C | C | cc | C | C | cc | C | cc | cc | Yes | Cha |
| Disable Device | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | No | Int |
| Disguise | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | Yes | Cha |
| Forgery | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | Yes | Int |
| Handle Animal | C | cc | cc | C | C | cc | C | C | cc | cc | cc | No | Cha |
| Heal | cc | cc | C | C | cc | cc | C | C | cc | cc | cc | Yes | Wis |
| Intimidate | C | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | Yes | Cha |
| Knowledge (arcana) | cc | C | C | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | C | C | No | Int |
| Knowledge (culture) | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | C | No | Int |
| Knowledge (history) | cc | C | C | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | C | No | Int |
| Knowledge (nature) | cc | C | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | C | No | Int |
| Knowledge (religion) | cc | C | C | cc | cc | C | C | cc | cc | cc | C | No | Int |
| Knowledge (the planes) | cc | C | C | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | No | Int |
| Open Lock | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | No | Dex |
| Perception | C | C | cc | C | cc | C | cc | C | C | cc | cc | Yes | Wis |
| Perform | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | Yes | Cha |
| Profession | cc | C | C | C | cc | C | C | C | C | C | C | No | Wis |
| Ride | C | cc | cc | C | C | cc | C | C | cc | cc | cc | Yes | Dex |
| Search | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | C | cc | cc | Yes | Int |
| Sense Motive | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | C | C | cc | C | cc | cc | Yes | Wis |
| Sleight of Hand | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | No | Dex1 |
| Speak Language | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | No | None |
| Spellcraft | cc | C | C | C | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | C | No | Int |
| Stealth | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | C | C | cc | Cc | Yes | Dex1 |
| Survival | C | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | Yes | Wis |
| Use Magic Device | cc | C | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | cc | cc | No | Cha |
| Use Rope | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | cc | C | C | cc | cc | Yes | Dex |
| 1 Armor check penalty applies to checks. | |||||||||||||