If you don’t have a class skill in one that requires you to be trained in order to use, does that mean you can’t put any ranks in it at all? For example, an oracle doesn’t have UMD as a class skill. Does that mean they can’t ever use Arcane spell wands and other such things?
The explanation for Untrained Skills in the PCR is very confusing. It reads, “Untrained: This entry indicates what a character without at least 1 rank in the skill 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) or that an untrained character can’t attempt checks with this skill (for skills that are designated “Trained Only”). “
No. You cannot use the skill unless you have ranks in it, nothing in Pathfinder prevents you from putting ranks in to any skill you choose. If it is not a class skill, you do not get the +3 bonus is all.
For example: Everybody can climb, but some do it better than others. If you have to climb a cliff, you can attempt it even with no skill ranks in the Climb skill. If you have a wand and are not a caster with no ranks in Use Magic Device, you cannot attempt to activate it - it's just a stick to you. You need training to use the skill at all.
The only difference between "Trained" and "Untrained" is if you have at least 1 rank in the skill. "Trained Only" simply means you can't roll the skill unless you have ranks in it.
You don't need to have a skill on your class skill list in order to put ranks into a skill, regardless of if it's "Trained Only".
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. That's what I thought, but I wanted confirmation.