Skill Bonus, when to use?

[Game Player]

Hello everyone, I have a question about the skills that PCs can get. I am transitioning from playing D&D 3.5 to Pathfinder and I want to ensure that I understand the rules/guidelines well.

When a character is created and decides to use his skill points he places a point to increase that skill by 1 rank. If the skill is a class skill he adds a (one-time ?) bonus to that skill. So if I create a rogue and place 1 rank in Use Magic Device, aside from my stat mod I also add a +3, giving me a total of 4 + stat modifier. Now at second level I decide to take a class level in Ranger how would it work in the following two situations given this information:

As a rogue I spent my skill points in various skills to include Ride, but not survival, since ride is not a class skill I did not add the +3. As a newly advance character I take Ranger as my second level class, I spend some of my skill points in Ride and survival. Since they are class skills do I add the +3 when I initially take it (such as in survival since i do not have previous skill ranks in it) and what about Ride? Since I spent a rank in it when it was not a class skill, now that it is can I get the benefit of the +3 if I put a skill rank in it?

The rule book mentions the +3 for class skills, but it does not mention if it applies only upon character creation or only when the initial point is spent (such as in the case with the rogue taking a point in ride above).

Any clarification, especial with a reference, would be very helpful to me.

Thank you very much.

[Ciaran Barnes]

You retroactively get the +3 bonus. Its a friendly skill system, not intended to punish.

[concerro]

The +3 is applied when you take a level in a class that has it as a class skill and when you have one rank in that skill.

For your above example as soon as you take a level of ranger you get the +3.

Using Skills wrote:

You gain a +3 bonus on all class skills that you put ranks into.

It never limits you to first level. It just says when you get the +3 to class skills. By taking that level in ranger ride becomes a class skill.

[Game Player]

Thank you very much, that helps clear things up for me :-)

[AvalonXQ]

Just to make this entirely clear -- you'll get +3 to Ride whether or not you spend a second skill point in Ride as part of your Ranger level. Your one skill rank, regardless of what class you were in when you took it, is enough to give you the +3 bonus once Ride is a class skill for you.

[Game Player]

Thanks Avalon, I appreciate all your help everyone. Now I may not suck so bad when I run my on-line Pathfinder game :-)

I have to many old habits from play D&D 3.5 that are no longer relevant in pathfinder. Just discovered that Feats are granted every other level and not every third, I found out that rogues can sneak attack undead, not possible in 3.5, I found out about the skill point bonus and that initial skill points are no longer x4 when creating the PC. So I have to look over what I thought I knew and make sure I learn what I need to know :-)

[BigNorseWolf]

You only get the+3 once, and the +3 is the only thing you get for it being a class skill. Its one reason people call Rogues Biscoti: they're a great class for dipping.

[blackbloodtroll]

You will find Polymorph and Wildshape very different.

Sneak attack works against more creature types.

Several Skills have been combined.

Grapple no longer makes your ears bleed as your mind melts.

[Gauss]

Other differences:

Ability score damage and penalties are different (you do not recalculate, you just assign penalties).

Nothing, not death, crafting magic items, casting spells, etc. causes EXP loss anymore.

Big difference: If you are going to use any 3.5 creature in a pathfinder game then, as a general rule, drop the CR by 1.

Many spells are different in large and small ways.

On the 'large' side: Dispel Magic is no longer an area effect (that is reserved for Greater Dispel) but no longer has a caster level cap.

On the 'small' side: You cannot conceal or otherwise hide the rope when you use Rope Trick. It cannot be pulled up into the Rope Trick anymore.

Expect to be slowly learning these differences over the space of many months. Be patient with yourself. Ask many questions.

- Gauss

[Game Player]

Thank you all, i know I will be dropping questions on these boards very often.

:-)