Skills

More information is available on how to use skills.

Each skill has its own web page, linked below. The pages in this section describes each skill, including common uses and typical modifiers. Characters can sometimes use skills for purposes other than those noted here, at the GM's discretion.

Skill Acquisition

Each time you gain a level, including level 1, your class grants you a number of skill ranks, equal to a set number plus your odd intelligence bonus (Column A). The skills listed with your class are called class skills. Skills not listed with your class are non-class skills. The most ranks you can put into a skill is equal to your character level, for class skills, or your character level minus two, for non-class skills. That means a character at levels 1 and 2 can only place ranks in class skills. Multiclass characters can spend ranks freely on all their class skills, up to their character level.

Skill Proficiency

Being proficient with a skill means that you have a natural ability with that skill or have received some education in its use. If you are not proficient with a skill, you suffer a -4 non-proficiency penalty on skill checks. You are proficient with your class skills. You can also be proficient with skills, for example, through race or trait or feat, even if they are not class skills. Even if you are proficient with a skill, if it is a non-class skill, your max ranks devoted to it remain your character level minus two. Some skills require proficiency before you can use them for certain tasks; these are noted as "trained" or "untrained." See specific skills for more detail.

Table: Skills Summary

Skill	Bbn	Brd	Clr	Drd	Ftr	Mnk	Pal	Rgr	Rog	Sor	Sum	Wiz	Untrained	Ability	Type
Appraise	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	P	—	—	P	Yes	Int	I
Bluff	—	P	—	—	—	—	—	P	P	—	—	—	Yes	Cha	C
Break	P	—	—	—	—	P	—	—	—	—	—	—	Yes	Str	C
Climb	P	—	—	P	P	P	—	P	P	—	—	—	Yes	Str*	E
Craft†	P	—	P	P	P	—	—	P	P	P	P	P	Yes	Int	I
Diplomacy	—	P	P	—	—	—	P	—	P	—	P	—	Yes	Cha	I
Disable Device	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	P	—	—	—	No	Dex*	C
Disguise	—	P	—	—	—	—	—	P	P	—	P	—	Yes	Cha	I
Escape Artist	—	P	—	—	—	P	—	—	P	—	—	—	Yes	Dex*	C
Fly	—	—	—	P	—	—	—	—	—	P	—	P	Yes	Dex*	E
Gather Information	—	P	P	—	—	—	—	P	P	—	—	—	Yes	Cha	E
Handle Animal	P	—	—	P	P	—	P	P	—	—	—	—	No	Cha	I
Heal	—	—	P	P	—	—	P	P	—	—	P	—	Yes	Wis	I
Intimidate	P	P	—	—	P	P	—	—	P	P	—	—	Yes	Cha	C
Jump	P	—	—	—	—	P	—	P	P	—	—	—	No	Str*	E
Knowledge†	—	P	(P)	(P)	—	(P)	(P)	(P)	(P)	—	(P)	P	Yes	Int	E
Language†	—	P	(P)	(P)	—	—	(P)	(P)	—	—	(P)	(P)	No	Int	E
Perform†	—	P	—	—	—	(P)	—	—	P	—	—	—	Yes	Cha	I
Profession†	—	P	P	P	P	(P)	—	P	P	P	P	P	No	Wis	I
Ride	P	—	—	P	P	—	P	P	—	—	P	—	Yes	Dex*	C
Scrivening	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	P	—	—	P	No	Int	I
Search	—	P	—	—	—	P	—	P	P	P	—	—	Yes	Int	E
Sense Motive	—	P	P	—	—	P	P	—	P	—	P	—	Yes	Wis	I
Sleight of Hand	—	P	—	—	—	—	—	—	P	—	—	—	No	Dex*	I
Spellcraft	—	P	P	P	—	—	—	—	—	P	P	P	No	Int	C
Spot	P	P	—	P	—	P	P	P	P	—	—	—	Yes	Wis	C
Stealth	—	P	—	—	—	P	—	P	P	—	—	—	Yes	Dex*	E
Survival	P	—	—	P	—	—	—	P	—	—	—	—	Yes	Wis	E
Swim	P	—	—	P	P	P	—	P	—	—	—	—	Yes	Str*	E
Tactics	—	—	—	—	P	—	P	P	—	—	—	—	No	Int	C
Tumble	P	P	—	—	—	P	—	P	P	—	—	—	Yes	Dex*	C
Use Magic Device	—	P	—	—	—	—	—	—	P	P	—	—	No	Int	C
Use Rope	P	—	—	—	—	—	—	P	P	—	—	—	No	Dex	E
Skill	Bbn	Brd	Clr	Drd	Ftr	Mnk	Pal	Rgr	Rog	Sor	Sum	Wiz	Untrained	Ability	Type
†Skill actually includes many subskills, see description; *Armor check penalty applies; P = Proficient with skill through one's class skill list; (P) = Proficient with a limited selection of the subskills included in this skill Type = Combat, Exploration, Interaction

Skill Descriptions

Skill descriptions linked above adhere to the following guidelines.

Skill Name: This is the name of the skill. Under the skill name is the following information:

Key Ability: The abbreviation of the ability whose modifier applies to the skill check.

Trained Only: This tells you if you must be proficient with the skill to use some or all of its functions. If any special notes apply to trained or untrained use, they are covered later down the skill page in the Untrained section (see below).

Armor Check Penalty: This tells whether an armor check penalty applies (see Equipment) to checks using this skill.

Description: Next is a brief general description of what happens when you use the skill.

Check: What a character (“you” in the skill description) can do with a successful skill check and the check's Difficulty Class (DC).

Action: The type of action using the skill requires, or the amount of time required for a check.

Try Again: Any conditions that apply to successive attempts to use the skill successfully. If the skill doesn't allow you to attempt the same task more than once, or if failure carries an inherent penalty (such as with the Climb skill), you can't take 20. If this paragraph is omitted, the skill can be retried without any inherent penalty other than the additional time required.

Special: Any extra facts that apply to the skill, such as special effects deriving from its use or bonuses that certain characters receive because of class, feat choices, or race.

Restriction: The full utility of certain skills is restricted to characters of certain classes. This entry indicates whether any such restrictions exist for the skill.

Untrained: This entry indicates what a non-proficient character can do with it. If this entry doesn't appear, it means that the skill functions normally for untrained characters (if it can be used untrained, with the usual -4 non-proficiency penalty) or that an untrained character can't attempt checks with this skill (for skills that are designated “Trained Only”). Note that having a rank in a skill does not by itself grant proficiency.