Skill Ranks

Restricted Skills
A few skills are limited to a particular class (such as the Thievery, Eldritch Arts, Religious Arts, and Martial Practice skills), and are only available to characters who gain access to the skill as a class feature.

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).

Skill Point Costs
TierRanksCost per Rank
Apprentice11 Skill Point
Novice2-32 Skill Points
Journeyman4-63 Skill Points
Master7-104 Skill Points
Grand Master11-155 Skill Points

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:

Max Skill Rank = (Level ÷ 4) + 3 (round down)


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.

Favored Skills

Your character's Race and Class will grant a list of Favored Skills, representing a cultural immersion with those particular skills. The Maximum Rank for a character's favored skills is increased by one, 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:

Favored Max Skill Rank = (Level ÷ 4) + 4 (round down)

Your Racial Favored Skills can be found in the Racial Characteristics box on each Race Page and the Class Favored Skills can be found in the Class Traits box on each Class Page. Often, you will be given a choice of Academics, Craft, and/or Perform skills to choose from. This is a great chance to fill in the details of your character's background, as their knowledge and abilities will be particularly indicative of their life before adventuring. Even if you choose never to train in your Elven History academics skill, the fact that your character has that as a Favored Skill speaks to his history. Some races and classes will give you the opportunity to pick any skill to be favored, in which case the sky is the limit and you can pick any skill that is not restricted.

Increasing Max Skill Rank

Certain Feats and Talents allow you to even further specialize in a skill, increasing your maximum rank for those skills beyond that of even a Favored Skill. See the Skill Specialist feat and Skill Mastery talent for more details.