Skills

Skills represent your character's knowledge base and ability to perform specific tasks, such as jumping, searching, making armor, negotiating, or casting a ritual. Your character's ability to use a skill effectively depends on a combination of training (represented with Skill Ranks), natural ability (represented by two Attribute Modifiers), and chance (represented by a die roll). Generally speaking, the higher your character's Skill Rank in a particular skill, the more experience and training he has, and the more successful he will be using it.

Skill Ranks

Skills have a Rank from 0 to 15, with 0 representing no training in the skill and 15 representing a character that has spent countless hours becoming a master at the skill and ultimately one of the best in the world. Most player characters do not achieve Skill Ranks beyond about 10 or 11, though, as the resources and requirements needed to do so are high.

Skill Ranks are broken up into five tiers: Apprentice (Rank 1), Novice (Ranks 2-3), Journeyman (Ranks 4-6), Master (Ranks 7-10), and Grand Master (Ranks 11-15). Each tier represents progressively greater accomplishment within the skill. Some tasks may even require proficiency of a certain tier before they can be completed. A character's rank is increased by spending Skill Points in a particular skill, with higher tiers of skills costing more points to increase than lower tiers (see the chart below).

As your character gains experience and level, he will gain Skill Points that can be used to increase his current skill ranks or to gain new skills. The Maximum Rank of a Skill is dependent on your character's level and is determined with the following equation:

For Favored Skills your character's potential for a skill is increased, allowing them to have a greater potential in those skills over skills that are not favored. The Maximum Skill Rank is therefore determined utilizing the following equation:

A character's rank is increased by spending Skill Points in a particular skill, with higher tiers of skills costing more points to increase than lower tiers (as determined by the chart above). To increase a character's Skill Rank, simply spend the appropriate number of skill points to raise the character's rank by one. For example, to increase a Skill from Rank 3 to Rank 4 will cost three Skill points. Alternatively, to increase a skill from Rank 6 to Rank 7 will cost four Skill points. When increasing skills, be sure to keep in mind the Max Skill Rank for your character's level.

Skill Points

Skill Points are spent to increase the Rank of your skills. At Character Creation, you gain a set number of Skill Points from your Race to spend in your Racial Favored Skills and a set number from your Class to spend in your Class Favored Skills.

You will additionally gain skill points at each level, based on your Race and Intelligence Score (as determined by the table to the right). Your character's total Skill Points per Level is calculated according to the following equation:

Spending Skill Points

Skill points are spent to gain new skills or to increase a currents skill's Rank by one (or more). The number of skill points required to increase the rank of a skill is dependent on the skill rank that you are trying to achieve (and can be determined using the table above). For example, to increase a Skill from Rank 3 to Rank 4 will cost three Skill points. Alternatively, to gain Rank 1 in a new skill costs only one Skill point. Lastly, to increase a Rank 2 skill to Rank 4 will cost five skill points (two skill points to increase from rank 2 to rank 3 plus three skill points to increase from Rank 3 to Rank 4). The skill points that you gain at every level can be spent on any skill, though they cannot be used to raise a skill above the Max Skill Rank.

Changing Intelligence and Skill Points

If after you Character has been created you increase or decrease your Intelligence score (usually through Magic) and the new score grants a different number of Skill Points per Level than your previous score, your skill points change retroactively. This means that an increase will grant you new skill points that you may spend as normal. A decrease in Intelligence will cause you to lose skill points, reducing skills of the highest rank preferentially until the deficit is made up. Note that this is only applicable if the change in Intelligence is long-term and not the result of a short-term power or ability.

Skill Checks

Skill Checks are used any time your character uses a skill to accomplish a task. Skill checks are typically only required if there is a significant chance of failure (especially if there are consequences to failure). To make a skill check, your character will roll a d20 and add the corresponding Skill Check Bonus. The more difficult the task, the higher the result must be in order to accomplish it. In addition to a high enough skill check, some tasks may require training of a certain tier (as described above) to be successfully completed. See Using Skills in the How to Play section for more details.

Most skill checks will be rolled versus a set threshold (known as a DC) based on the Difficulty of the task. Other Skill Checks will be rolled versus your opponent's Awareness score or versus an opposing skill.

Skill Check Bonuses

The Skill Check Bonus is dependent on Skill Rank, two Attribute Accuracy modifiers, and miscellaneous bonuses. The Attribute Accuracy Modifiers utilized for each skill are indicated next to the skill on each skill page.

You can calculate your character's Skill Check Bonus using the following equation. For Trade Skills, you will need to calculate this total twice: Once for the Application score and once for the Lore score (using the same Skill Rank in both cases).