Just checked the AR 2 so far and I've noticed that Paizo went back to a "rank-buying-for-Skills" system… Shame, since I rather liked what they did with AR 1. Oh, well, rank-buying it is then… ;)
Call me a numbskull if you like (I do admit I may merit it! :)) and maybe it's something someone already posted about, but I think the Acquiring Skills section needs to be a little clearer. It's said that "At first level, your character gains a number of skill ranks dependent upon your class plus your Intelligence modifier. At every level after that, you gain additional skill ranks. These skill ranks can be spent on any skill, but you can only invest a number of ranks into a specific skill equal to your total Hit Dice."
Okay, it took me a second (and maybe a third) reading before I realized that the limit set by Hit Dice refered ONLY to the numbers of ranks you could buy for a given Skill. So, if I were a level 2 Fighter with 10 INT (2 Skill ranks per level), I could only add 2 ranks to one Skill, or 1 ranks to 2 Skills. This said, I realized that one could put his entire collection of ranks at first level to a SINGLE Skill (a Rogue with 10 INT could thus put 8 ranks in Disguise if she wanted to).
Am I reading this thing right? Is there a set numbers of skills a character has to take a first level? Table 5-1 on page 37 reads Skill Choices, but if this indicates a set number of Skills, what are those Skills' Skill ranks? You see, it's not as clear as I think it should be… Or maybe I'm a real numbskull! :)
Any thoughts/suggestions/comment, anyone?
but you can only invest a number of ranks into a specific skill equal to your total Hit Dice....
It means you can never have more ranks in a skill than your HD: for example, a rougue lvl5 can have 5 ranks in Stealth and no more. So, at first level a fighter with 10 INT is going to have 2 different skills with one rank as a one HD character can't have 2 ranks in one skill.
Just keep in mind though, if it is a class skill you have put ranks in, you gain a +3 bonus.
Just keep in mind though, if it is a class skill you have put ranks in, you gain a +3 bonus.
Yes, of course.
And because you brought it up: I am unsure if I like the present class skills are +3 over cross-class versus the crossclass skills are 1/2rank. At higher levels the first option seems to not differentiate the two enough while the other definetely makes cross-class skill useless in many instances other than as presequisites to certain prestige classes...
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Just keep in mind though, if it is a class skill you have put ranks in, you gain a +3 bonus.Yes, of course.
And because you brought it up: I am unsure if I like the present class skills are +3 over cross-class versus the crossclass skills are 1/2rank. At higher levels the first option seems to not differentiate the two enough while the other definetely makes cross-class skill useless in many instances other than as presequisites to certain prestige classes...
All skills cost the same. If it is not a class skill, you don't get a +3 bonus.
So, if you put 20 ranks into a cross-class skill, at 20th level you'll have a +20 modifier (before ability modifier and feats). If you put 20 ranks into a class skill (even if it is only a class skill for 1 of your 20 levels) you will gain a +3 bonus. While you have 20 ranks, you will have a +23 bonus before modifiers.
This means that there isn't much distinction between class and cross-class, but you still get a 'bonus' for taking class skills. I love this system.
So for a class skill, this and the +3 gives you the max ranks as in 3.5.
For a cross-class skill, this means you can get more ranks, but since they are cheaper, I assume this is the point.
The only problem I see is things that require a number of ranks specifically.
Some of these have been eliminated by other rule changes, like Skill Synergy, but I'm not sure all of them have been, and certainly there is non-OGL stuff to contend with.
For instance, if a PrC requires 8 ranks, you can reach that requirement at level 5, but now not until level 8. Of course, the skill in question may not exist anymore so I guess you have to translate somehow.
Actually, they fixed that too in a sidebar.
for PrC's you reduce rank requirements by 3 (if i remember correctly) to account for the new system.
but you can only invest a number of ranks into a specific skill equal to your total Hit Dice....
It means you can never have more ranks in a skill than your HD: for example, a rougue lvl5 can have 5 ranks in Stealth and no more. So, at first level a fighter with 10 INT is going to have 2 different skills with one rank as a one HD character can't have 2 ranks in one skill.
Actually, it doesn't say that.
As written in Alpha 2, the skill rules have some problems.
First, there are no rules for spending your first skill ranks. (This is a pronoun problem.)
Second, every time you level you can add to any skill your Hit Dice worth of skill ranks.
Here's why I say this.
The rules:
At first level, your character gains a number of skill ranks dependent upon your class plus your Intelligence modifier. At every level after that, you gain additional skill ranks. These skill ranks can be spent on any skill, but you can only invest a number of ranks into a specific skill equal to your total Hit Dice.
The problem word is "these". It's a pronoun. Pronouns usually refer to the most recent person, thing, etc... In this case, that thing is not "skill ranks" but specifically "additional skill ranks". So "these skill ranks" only refers to the ranks gained when leveling. Not those gained from first level.
Translated, it says "The additional skill ranks gained every level can be spent on any skill, but you can only invest a number of ranks into a specific skill equal to your total Hit Dice."
Nothing is said about what you can do with the ranks gained at first level.
Secondly, because the sentence refers to skill ranks gained every level, the Hit Dice limit on investing applies every time you gain a level, not as a universal limit. It is a per level spending limit. That means at every level you can spend ranks up to your total Hit Dice on a single skill.
So at level 2 you can add two ranks to Stealth. At level 3, you can add three more ranks.
You can do this because the literal reading of the rules is that the maximum number of ranks you can spend each time you get additional skill ranks is equal to your Hit Dice.
I don't think that's what is intended but that is what the words mean.
What they probably want to say is this:
At first level, your character receives a number of skill ranks dependent on your class, plus additional ranks equal to your Intelligence modifier. At every level after that, you gain additional skill ranks. Skill ranks can be spent on any skill, but a skill's total ranks can never exceed your character's total Hit Dice.