Acquiring Skills

Each level, including 1st level, you gain a number of skill ranks. The number you gain is determined by the class chosen for that level (as noted on the chart below), adjusted by your Intelligence modifier (though you always gain a minimum of 1 skill rank per level). For instance, if you create a 1st-level technomancer with an Intelligence score of 18, you gain 8 skill ranks per level: 4 ranks from the technomancer class and 4 more ranks because your Intelligence modifier is +4.

Investing a rank in a skill represents training gained through experience or intense study. Each skill rank increases your total skill bonus by 1 (see Skill Checks below)—as you level up, you can invest new ranks to upgrade existing skills or learn new ones. Your skill ranks in a single skill can’t exceed your total character level. Skills in which you’ve invested ranks are called trained skills; skills in which you have no ranks are untrained skills.

Each class also features a number of favored skills, called class skills (see Table 5–1 on page 134). It’s easier for you to become proficient in your class skills. Class skills in which you have at least 1 rank are known as trained class skills; you gain a +3 bonus to skill checks with such skills. If you have more than one class, you gain the class skills from all your classes. The bonus for trained class skills doesn’t increase for skills in the class skill lists of more than one of your classes—it remains +3.

Table 5–1: Skill Summary

SKILL	ENV	MEC	MYS	OPR	SLN	SLD	TEC	UNTRAINED?	ABILITY
Acrobatics	✓	—	—	✓	✓	✓	—	Yes	Dex*
Athletics	✓	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	—	Yes	Str*
Bluff	✓	—	✓	✓	—	—	—	Yes	Cha
Computers	✓	✓	—	✓	—	—	✓	No	Int
Culture	✓	—	✓	✓	—	—	—	No	Int
Diplomacy	✓	—	✓	—	✓	—	—	Yes	Cha
Disguise	✓	—	✓	✓	—	—	—	Yes	Cha
Engineering	✓	✓	—	✓	—	✓	✓	No	Int
Intimidate	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	✓	—	Yes	Cha
Life Science	—	—	✓	—	—	—	✓	No	Int
Medicine	✓	✓	✓	✓	—	✓	—	No	Int
Mysticism	—	—	✓	—	✓	—	✓	No	Wis
Perception	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	—	—	Yes	Wis
Physical Science	—	✓	—	—	✓	—	✓	No	Int
Piloting	✓	✓	—	✓	—	✓	✓	Yes	Dex
Profession	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	No	Cha, Int, or Wis
Sense Motive	✓	—	✓	✓	✓	—	—	Yes	Wis
Sleight of Hand	✓	—	—	✓	—	—	✓	No	Dex*
Stealth	✓	—	—	✓	✓	—	—	Yes	Dex*
Survival	—	—	✓

✓= Class Skill; * Armor check penalty applies.

CLASS	SKILL RANKS PER LEVEL
Envoy (ENV)	8 + Int modifier
Mechanic (MEC)	4 + Int modifier
Mystic (MYS)	6 + Int modifier
Operative (OPR)	8 + Int modifier
Solarian (SLN)	4 + Int modifier
Soldier (SLD)	4 + Int modifier
Technomancer (TEC)	4 + Int modifier