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Rules > Skills
Whether you are a battle-hardened soldier who can freeze a foe’s blood with a glance, a garrulous envoy who can blend into any social situation, or a brilliant technomancer with knowledge about every subject in the galaxy, skills represent some of your most fundamental abilities. At 1st level, you start with a number of skill ranks determined by your class, representing your initial training, and you gain more skill ranks as you gain levels, allowing you to improve in skills you already have or gain new ones.
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.
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 |
No matter how skilled you become, when using skills, success is rarely certain. To determine whether you succeed when using a skill, you attempt a skill check: roll 1d20 and add your total skill bonus to the roll. Your total skill bonus includes the following.
The total of 1d20 + your total skill bonus is referred to as the
result of your skill check. If the result of your skill check equals
or exceeds the difficulty class (also called the DC) of the task you
are attempting, you succeed. If the total is less than the DC, you
fail. Sometimes a task features varying degrees of success or
failure depending on how much your result is above or below the
required DC. The GM is responsible for determining the DCs of
skill checks (see Skill DCs on page 392 for more details).
Often, using a skill requires taking an action, or it is taken as
part of some other action. The action depends on the skill and
the specific task listed in that skill. Each skill description details
a number of common tasks for which that skill is used. Your GM
will also prompt you to roll nonstandard skill checks when the
circumstances of the game demand it.
Sometimes you attempt a skill check not to accomplish a task,
but to thwart someone else’s task or action. This is called an
opposed skill check. With an opposed skill check, one creature
attempts a skill check to try accomplish some action or task, while
another creature attempts its own skill check to determine the
DC the first creature must meet or exceed to accomplish its goal.
Typically, attempting an opposed skill check to determine the DC
requires no action, but it often requires you to be conscious or
have the ability to take certain types of actions when you do so.
On occasion, it’s impossible for you to attempt a skill check.
Sometimes the situation prevents you from rolling a skill check,
and other times the skill in question requires special training in
order to attempt. Skills that require special training are called
trained-only skills and are marked as such in their headings.
Unless otherwise noted in the skill’s description, you can’t attempt
an untrained skill check to accomplish a task using a trained-only
skill; you must have at least 1 rank in that skill to attempt a check.
The table that begins the following page summarizes the
differences between trained and untrained skills.
SKILL CHECK TYPE | SKILL CHECK RESULT |
---|---|
Trained class skill | 1d20 + skill ranks + 3 + ability score modifier + other modifiers* |
Trained skill | 1d20 + skill ranks + ability score modifier + other modifiers* |
Untrained skill | 1d20 + ability score modifier + other modifiers* |
* Armor check penalties apply to most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks.
Most of the time, you attempt skill checks while under pressure
or during times of great stress. Other times, the situation is
more favorable, making success more certain.
When you are not in immediate danger or distracted, the
GM might allow you to take 10 on a skill check. When you
take 10, you don’t roll a d20, but rather assume that you rolled
a 10 on that die, then add the relevant skill modifiers. For
many routine tasks, or for tasks you are particularly skilled at,
taking 10 ensures success. If you still fail when taking 10, you
might require more time and energy to succeed at that task
(see Take 20 below).
Unless you have an ability that states otherwise, you cannot
take 10 during a combat encounter. Also, you can’t take 10
when the GM rules that a situation is too hectic or that you are
distracted, and taking 10 is almost never an option for a check
that requires some sort of crucial effect as a key part of the
adventure's story.
When you have plenty of time to devote to a skill’s task and
that task has no adverse effect upon failure, the GM might
rule that you can take 20 on that skill check. This is similar
to taking 10, but instead of assuming your roll was a 10, you
assume it’s a 20.
Taking 20 means you are making multiple attempts at the
task until you get it right. It also assumes that you are failing
many times before you succeed. Taking 20 typically takes 20
times as long as attempting a single check would take (usually
2 minutes for a skill that takes a standard action to perform).
The GM might rule that you can help someone succeed at a skill check by performing the same action and attempting a skill check as part of a cooperative effort. To do so, you must attempt your skill check before the creature you want to help, and if you succeed at a DC 10 check, that creature gains a +2 bonus to his check, as long as he attempts the check before the end of his next turn. At the GM’s discretion, only a limited number of creatures might be able to aid another. You cannot take 10 or take 20 on an aid another check, but you can use aid another to help a creature who is taking 10 or 20 on a check.
You can use certain skills to identify creatures. The skill used to
identify each creature type is listed below and in the individual
skill descriptions. A successful skill check allows you to recall a
useful piece of information about a specific creature, such as its
special powers or vulnerabilities. For every 5 points by which
the result of your check exceeds the DC, you recall another
piece of useful information. You can attempt untrained skill
checks to identify a creature if the DC is 10 or less. You can
take 20 on a check to identify a creature, but only if you have a
means of performing research, such as access to an information
network like a planetary infosphere or a downloaded data set
(see page 430); this typically takes 2 minutes.
The DCs for skill checks to identify creatures are based on the
creature’s rarity.
CREATURE | RARITY DC |
---|---|
Very common (space goblin) | 5 + 1-1/2 × creature’s CR |
Average (most monsters) | 10 + 1-1/2 × creature’s CR |
Rare (novaspawn) | 15 + 1-1/2 × creature’s CR |
The list of creature types below indicates which skill is used to identify each creature type.
CREATURE TYPE | SKILL |
---|---|
Aberration | Life Science |
Animal | Life Science |
Construct (magical) | Mysticism |
Construct (technological) | Engineering |
Dragon | Mysticism |
Fey | Mysticism |
Humanoid | Life Science |
Magical beast | Mysticism |
Monstrous humanoid | Life Science |
Ooze | Life Science |
Outsider | Mysticism |
Plant | Life Science |
Undead | Mysticism |
Vermin | Life Science |
You can use certain skills to recall knowledge about specific
topics. The topics a given skill relates to are detailed in the
individual skill descriptions. A successful skill check allows
you to answer questions about the topic in question. You can
attempt untrained skill checks to recall knowledge if the DC
is 10 or less. You can take 20 on this check, but only if you
have a means of researching, such as access to an information
network or downloaded data set (see page 430); this typically
takes 2 minutes.
The DCs for skill checks to recall knowledge are determined
by the GM and are based on how well known the piece of
knowledge is, using the following guidelines.
QUESTION DIFFICULTY | BASE DC |
---|---|
Really easy questions | 5 |
Average questions | 15 |
Very difficult questions | 20 to 30 |
The specific topics and the skills you use to recall knowledge about them are listed in the small table below.
SKILL | RECALLED KNOWLEDGE TOPICS |
---|---|
Culture | A culture's customs, laws, government, leaders, prominent inhabitants, legends, religion, history, and related topics |
Life Science | Bioengineering, biology, botany, ecology, genetics, xenobiology, zoology, and other fields of biological science |
Mysticism | Alchemical theory, arcane symbols, deities, magic traditions, the planes, religious traditions and symbols, and related topics |
Physical Science | Astronomy, chemistry, climatology, geography, geology, hyperspace, meteorology, oceanography, physics, and other fields of natural science |
Profession | A specific profession and related topics |
Whether you’re attempting a complicated flying maneuver,
patching a power core, or scanning enemy vessels, skills are a
vital part of the system that governs combat between starships.
When choosing your skills, you might want to keep in mind
which role you’d like to perform in starship combat.
For more information on starship combat, see page 316.
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 | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | Yes | Wis |
✓= Class Skill; * Armor check penalty applies.
This section explains each skill, including common uses and
tasks, typical modifiers, and sometimes even established DCs.
Your GM may require or allow you to use skills for tasks other
than those listed here. For a complete summary of skills, see
Table 5—1 above.
Each skill description is formatted in the following way.
Skill Name: The skill name heading provides not only the
name for the skill, but also the following information.
Key Ability: The abbreviation for the ability score modifier
that is added to skill checks of this type is provided in the
parenthetical after the skill’s name.
Trained Only: If this notation is included in the parenthetical
after the skill’s name, the skill is a trained-only skill, and you can
accomplish tasks and attempt checks with this skill only if you
have at least 1 rank in that skill. All other skills and their tasks
can be attempted untrained, whether or not you have ranks
in that skill. Rarely, a trained-only skill may have certain uses
that can be attempted untrained, or a skill that doesn’t normally
require training might have a particular use for that training.
Armor Check Penalty: If this notation occurs in the
parenthetical, an armor check penalty (from the armor you are
wearing; see page 196) applies to checks with this skill.
Description: The skill's description contains an overview of
the skill’s scope, followed by a number of entries that detail
the tasks most commonly performed using that skill. The
task entries also contain information about the type of action
commonly required to achieve the task, whether or not you can
try the task again if you fail, or special effects that occur if you
fail a check. Typically, you can’t take 20 to accomplish a task
that does not allow you to try it again after a failure, or that has
special effects if you fail a skill check.
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