If you buy a class skill, your character gets 1 rank (equal to a +1 bonus on checks with that skill) for each skill point. If you buy other classes’ skills (cross-class skills), you get 1/2 rank per skill point.
Your maximum rank in a class skill is your character level + 3.
Your maximum rank in a cross-class skill is one-half of this number (do not round up or down).
Using Skills: To make a skill check, roll: 1d20 + skill modifier (Skill modifier = skill rank + ability modifier + miscellaneous modifiers)
This roll works just like an attack roll or a saving throw— the higher the roll, the better. Either you’re trying to match or exceed a certain Difficulty Class (DC), or you’re trying to beat another character’s check result.
Skill Ranks: A character’s number of ranks in a skill is based on how many skill points a character has invested in a skill. Many skills can be used even if the character has no ranks in them; doing this is called making an untrained skill check.
Ability Modifier: The ability modifier used in a skill check is the modifier for the skill’s key ability (the ability associated with the skill’s use). The key ability of each skill is noted in its description.
Miscellaneous Modifiers: Miscellaneous modifiers include racial bonuses, armor check penalties, and bonuses provided by feats, among others.
Each skill point you spend on a class skill gets you 1 rank in that skill. Class skills are the skills found on your character’s class skill list. Each skill point you spend on a cross-class skill gets your character 1/2 rank in that skill. Cross-class skills are skills not found on your character’s class skill list. (Half ranks do not improve your skill check, but two 1/2 ranks make 1 rank.) You can’t save skill points to spend later.
The maximum rank in a class skill is the character’s level + 3. If it’s a cross-class skill, the maximum rank is half of that number (do not round up or down).
Regardless of whether a skill is purchased as a class skill or a cross-class skill, if it is a class skill for any of your classes, your maximum rank equals your total character level + 3.
When your character uses a skill, you make a skill check to see how well he or she does. The higher the result of the skill check, the better. Based on the circumstances, your result must match or beat a particular number (a DC or the result of an opposed skill check) for the check to be successful. The harder the task, the higher the number you need to roll. Circumstances can affect your check. A character who is free to work without distractions can make a careful attempt and avoid simple mistakes. A character who has lots of time can try over and over again, thereby assuring the best outcome. If others help, the character may succeed where otherwise he or she would fail.
A skill check takes into account a character’s training (skill rank), natural talent (ability modifier), and luck (the die roll). It may also take into account his or her race’s knack for doing certain things (racial bonus) or what armor he or she is wearing (armor check penalty), or a certain feat the character possesses, among other things.
To make a skill check, roll 1d20 and add your character’s skill modifier for that skill. The skill modifier incorporates the character’s ranks in that skill and the ability modifier for that skill’s key ability, plus any other miscellaneous modifiers that may apply, including racial bonuses and armor check penalties. The higher the result, the better. Unlike with attack rolls and saving throws, a natural roll of 20 on the d20 is not an automatic success, and a natural roll of 1 is not an automatic failure.
Some checks are made against a Difficulty Class (DC). The DC is a number (set using the skill rules as a guideline) that you must score as a result on your skill check in order to succeed.
Difficulty Class Examples
Difficulty (DC) |
Example (Skill Used) |
Very easy (0) |
Notice something large in
plain sight (Spot) |
Easy (5) |
Climb a knotted rope
(Climb) |
Average (10) |
Hear an approaching guard
(Listen) |
Tough (15) |
Rig a wagon wheel to fall
off (Disable Device) |
Challenging (20) |
Swim in stormy water (Swim) |
Formidable (25) |
Open an average lock (Open
Lock) |
Heroic (30) |
Leap across a 30-foot chasm
(Jump) |
Nearly impossible (40) |
Track a squad of orcs
across hard ground after 24 hours of rainfall (Survival) |
An opposed check is a check whose success or failure is determined by comparing the check result to another character’s check result. In an opposed check, the higher result succeeds, while the lower result fails. In case of a tie, the higher skill modifier wins. If these scores are the same, roll again to break the tie.
Example Opposed Checks
Task |
Skill (Key Ability) |
Opposing Skill (Key
Ability) |
Con someone |
Bluff (Cha) |
Sense Motive ( |
Pretend to be someone else |
Disguise (Cha) |
Spot ( |
Create a false map |
Forgery (Int) |
Forgery (Int) |
Hide from someone |
Hide (Dex) |
Spot ( |
Make a bully back down |
Intimidate (Cha) |
Special1 |
Sneak up on someone |
Move Silently (Dex) |
Listen ( |
Steal a coin pouch |
Sleight of Hand (Dex) |
Spot ( |
Tie a prisoner securely |
Use Rope (Dex) |
Escape Artist (Dex) |
1 An Intimidate check is opposed by the target’s level check, not a skill check. See the Intimidate skill description for more information.
In general, you can try a skill check again if you fail, and you can keep trying indefinitely. Some skills, however, have consequences of failure that must be taken into account. A few skills are virtually useless once a check has failed on an attempt to accomplish a particular task. For most skills, when a character has succeeded once at a given task, additional successes are meaningless.
Generally, if your character attempts to use a skill he or she does not possess, you make a skill check as normal. The skill modifier doesn’t have a skill rank added in because the character has no ranks in the skill. Any other applicable modifiers, such as the modifier for the skill’s key ability, are applied to the check. Many skills can be used only by someone who is trained in them.
Some situations may make a skill easier or harder to use, resulting in a bonus or penalty to the skill modifier for a skill check or a change to the DC of the skill check.
The chance of success can be altered in four ways to take into account exceptional circumstances.
Conditions that affect your character’s ability to perform the skill change the skill modifier. Conditions that modify how well the character has to perform the skill to succeed change the DC. A bonus to the skill modifier and a reduction in the check’s DC have the same result: They create a better chance of success. But they represent different circumstances, and sometimes that difference is important.
Using a skill might take a round, take no time, or take several rounds or even longer. Most skill uses are standard actions, move actions, or full-round actions. Types of actions define how long activities take to perform within the framework of a combat round (6 seconds) and how movement is treated with respect to the activity. Some skill checks are instant and represent reactions to an event, or are included as part of an action.
These skill checks are not actions. Other skill checks represent part of movement.
A skill check represents an attempt to accomplish some goal, usually while under some sort of time pressure or distraction. Sometimes, though, a character can use a skill under more favorable conditions and eliminate the luck factor.
Taking 10: When your character is not being threatened or distracted, you may choose to take 10. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, calculate your result as if you had rolled a 10. For many routine tasks, taking 10 makes them automatically successful. Distractions or threats (such as combat) make it impossible for a character to take 10. In most cases, taking 10 is purely a safety measure —you know (or expect) that an average roll will succeed but fear that a poor roll might fail, so you elect to settle for the average roll (a 10). Taking 10 is especially useful in situations where a particularly high roll wouldn’t help.
Taking 20:When you have plenty of time (generally 2 minutes for a skill that can normally be checked in 1 round, one full-round action, or one standard action), you are faced with no threats or distractions, and the skill being attempted carries no penalties for failure, you can take 20. In other words, eventually you will get a 20 on 1d20 if you roll enough times. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, just calculate your result as if you had rolled a 20.
Taking 20 means you are trying until you get it right, and it assumes that you fail many times before succeeding. Taking 20 takes twenty times as long as making a single check would take.
Since taking 20 assumes that the character will fail many times before succeeding, if you did attempt to take 20 on a skill that carries penalties for failure, your character would automatically incur those penalties before he or she could complete the task. Common “take 20” skills include Escape Artist, Open Lock, and Search.
Ability Checks and Caster Level Checks: The normal take 10 and take 20 rules apply for ability checks. Neither rule applies to caster level checks.
When more than one character tries the same skill at the same time and for the same purpose, their efforts may overlap.
Often, several characters attempt some action and each
succeeds or fails independently. The result of one character’s Climb check does
not influence the results of other characters Climb check.
You can help another character achieve success on his or her skill check by making the same kind of skill check in a cooperative effort. If you roll a 10 or higher on your check, the character you are helping gets a +2 bonus to his or her check, as per the rule for favorable conditions. (You can’t take 10 on a skill check to aid another.) In many cases, a character’s help won’t be beneficial, or only a limited number of characters can help at once.
In cases where the skill restricts who can achieve certain results you can’t aid another to grant a bonus to a task that your character couldn’t achieve alone.
It’s possible for a character to have two skills that work well together. In general, having 5 or more ranks in one skill gives the character a +2 bonus on skill checks with each of its synergistic skills, as noted in the skill description. In some cases, this bonus applies only to specific uses of the skill in question, and not to all checks. Some skills provide benefits on other checks made by a character, such as those checks required to use certain class features.
Sometimes a character tries to do something to which no specific skill really applies. In these cases, you make an ability check. An ability check is a roll of 1d20 plus the appropriate ability modifier. Essentially, you’re making an untrained skill check.
In some cases, an action is a straight test of one’s ability with no luck involved. Just as you wouldn’t make a height check to see who is taller, you don’t make a Strength check to see who is stronger.
This section describes each skill, including common uses and typical modifiers. Characters can sometimes use skills for purposes other than those noted here.
Here is the format for skill descriptions.
Skill Name The skill name line includes (in addition to the name of the skill) the following information.
Key Ability: The abbreviation of the ability whose modifier applies to the skill check. Exception: Read Write and Speak Language have “None” as the key ability because the use of these skills does not require a check.
Trained Only: If this notation is included in the skill name line, you must have at least 1 rank in the skill to use it. If it is omitted, the skill can be used untrained (with a rank of 0). If any special notes apply to trained or untrained use, they are covered in the Untrained section (see below).
Armor Check Penalty: If this notation is included in the skill name line, an armor check penalty applies (when appropriate) to checks using this skill. If this entry is absent, an armor check penalty does not apply.
The skill name line is followed by a general description of what using the skill represents. After the description are a few other types of information: Race/Region:
Check: What a character (“you” in the skill description) can do with a successful skill check and the check’s DC.
Action: The type of action using the skill requires, or the amount of time required for a check.
Try Again: Any conditions that apply to successive attempts to use the skill successfully. If the skill doesn’t allow you to attempt the same task more than once, or if failure carries an inherent penalty (such as with the Climb skill), you can’t take 20. If this paragraph is omitted, the skill can be retried without any inherent penalty, other than the additional time required.
Special: Any extra facts that apply to the skill, such as special effects deriving from its use or bonuses that certain characters receive because of class, feat choices, or race.
Synergy: Some skills grant a bonus to the use of one or more other skills because of a synergistic effect. This entry, when present, indicates what bonuses this skill may grant or receive because of such synergies. See Table 4–5 for a complete list of bonuses granted by synergy between skills (or between a skill and a class feature).
Restriction: The full utility of certain skills is restricted to characters of certain classes or characters who possess certain feats. This entry indicates whether any such restrictions exist for the skill.
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 as “Trained Only”).
APPRAISE (INT)
Check: You can appraise common or well-known objects with a DC 12
Appraise check. Failure means that you estimate the value at 50% to 150% (2d6+3
times 10%,) of its actual value.
Appraising a rare or exotic item requires a successful check against DC 15, 20,
or higher. If the check is successful, you estimate the value correctly;
failure means you cannot estimate the item’s value.
A magnifying glass gives you a +2 circumstance bonus on Appraise checks
involving any item that is small or highly detailed, such as a gem. A
merchant’s scale gives you a +2 circumstance bonus on Appraise checks involving
any items that are valued by weight, including anything made of precious
metals.
These bonuses stack.
Action: Appraising an item takes 1 minute (ten consecutive full-round
actions).
Try Again: No. You cannot try again on the same object, regardless of
success.
Special: A dwarf gets a +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are
related to stone or metal items because dwarves are familiar with valuable
items of all kinds (especially those made of stone or metal).
The master of a raven familiar gains a +3 bonus on Appraise checks.
A character with the Diligent feat gets a +2 bonus on Appraise checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 ranks in any Craft skill, you gain a +2 bonus on
Appraise checks related to items made with that Craft skill.
Untrained: For common items, failure on an untrained check means no
estimate. For rare items, success means an estimate of 50% to 150% (2d6+3 times
10%).
BALANCE (DEX;
ARMOR CHECK PENALTY)
Check: You can walk on a precarious surface. A successful check lets you
move at half your speed along the surface for 1 round. A failure by 4 or less
means you can’t move for 1 round. A failure by 5 or more means you fall. The
difficulty varies with the surface, as follows:
Narrow Surface |
Balance DC1 |
Difficult Surface |
Balance DC1 |
7–12 inches wide |
10 |
Uneven flagstone |
102 |
2–6 inches wide |
15 |
Hewn stone floor |
102 |
Less than 2 inches wide |
20 |
Sloped or angled floor |
102 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 Add modifiers from Narrow Surface Modifiers, below, as appropriate.
2 Only if running or charging. Failure by 4 or less means the character can’t
run or charge, but may otherwise act normally.
Surface |
DC Modifier1 |
Lightly obstructed |
+2 |
Severely obstructed |
+5 |
Lightly slippery |
+2 |
Severely slippery |
+5 |
Sloped or angled |
+2 |
1 Add the appropriate modifier to the Balance DC of a narrow surface.
These modifiers stack.
Being Attacked while Balancing: You are considered flat-footed while
balancing, since you can’t move to avoid a blow, and thus you lose your
Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). If you have 5 or more ranks in Balance, you
aren’t considered flat-footed while balancing. If you take damage while
balancing, you must make another Balance check against the same DC to remain
standing.
Accelerated Movement: You can try to walk across a precarious surface
more quickly than normal. If you accept a –5 penalty, you can move your full
speed as a move action. (Moving twice your speed in a round requires two
Balance checks, one for each move action used.) You may also accept this
penalty in order to charge across a precarious surface; charging requires one
Balance check for each multiple of your speed (or fraction thereof ) that you
charge.
Action: None. A Balance check doesn’t require an action; it is made as
part of another action or as a reaction to a situation.
Special: If you have the Agile feat, you get a +2 bonus on Balance
checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Tumble, you get a +2 bonus on
Balance checks.
BLUFF (CHA)
Check: A Bluff check is opposed by the target’s Sense Motive check. See
the accompanying table for examples of different kinds of bluffs and the
modifier to the target’s Sense Motive check for each one.
Favorable and unfavorable circumstances weigh heavily on the outcome of a
bluff. Two circumstances can weigh against you: The bluff is hard to believe,
or the action that the target is asked to take goes against its self-interest,
nature, personality, orders, or the like. If it’s important, you can
distinguish between a bluff that fails because the target doesn’t believe it
and one that fails because it just asks too much of the target. For instance,
if the target gets a +10 bonus on its Sense Motive check because the bluff
demands something risky, and the Sense Motive check succeeds by 10 or less,
then the target didn’t so much see through the bluff as prove reluctant to go
along with it. A target that succeeds by 11 or more has seen through the bluff.
A successful Bluff check indicates that the target reacts as you wish, at least
for a short time (usually 1 round or less) or believes something that you want
it to believe. Bluff, however, is not a suggestion spell.
A bluff requires interaction between you and the target. Creatures unaware of
you cannot be bluffed.
Feinting in Combat: You can also use Bluff to mislead an opponent in
melee combat (so that it can’t dodge your next attack effectively). To feint,
make a Bluff check opposed by your target’s Sense Motive check, but in this
case, the target may add its base attack bonus to the roll along with any other
applicable modifiers.
If your Bluff check result exceeds this special Sense Motive check result, your
target is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) for the next melee attack
you make against it. This attack must be made on or before your next turn.
Feinting in this way against a nonhumanoid is difficult because it’s harder to
read a strange creature’s body language; you take a –4 penalty on your Bluff
check. Against a creature of animal Intelligence (1 or 2) it’s even harder; you
take a –8 penalty. Against a nonintelligent creature, it’s impossible.
Feinting in combat does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
Creating a Diversion to Hide: You can use the Bluff skill to help you
hide. A successful Bluff check gives you the momentary diversion you need to
attempt a Hide check while people are aware of you. This usage does not provoke
an attack of opportunity.
Delivering a Secret Message: You can use Bluff to get a message across
to another character without others understanding it. The DC is 15 for simple
messages, or 20 for complex messages, especially those that rely on getting
across new information. Failure by 4 or less means you can’t get the message
across. Failure by 5 or more means that some false information has been implied
or inferred. Anyone listening to the exchange can make a Sense Motive check
opposed by the Bluff check you made to transmit in order to intercept your
message (see Sense Motive).
Action: Varies. A Bluff check made as part of general interaction always
takes at least 1 round (and is at least a full-round action), but it can take
much longer if you try something elaborate. A Bluff check made to feint in
combat or create a diversion to hide is a standard action. A Bluff check made
to deliver a secret message doesn’t take an action; it is part of normal
communication.
Try Again: Varies. Generally, a failed Bluff check in social interaction
makes the target too suspicious for you to try again in the same circumstances,
but you may retry freely on Bluff checks made to feint in combat. Retries are
also allowed when you are trying to send a message, but you may attempt such a
retry only once per round.
Each retry carries the same chance of miscommunication.
Special: A ranger gains a bonus on Bluff checks when using this skill
against a favored enemy.
The master of a snake familiar gains a +3 bonus on Bluff checks.
If you have the Persuasive feat, you get a +2 bonus on Bluff checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, you get a +2 bonus on
Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sleight of Hand checks, as well as on Disguise
checks made when you know you’re being observed and you try to act in
character.
Example Circumstances |
Sense Motive Modifier |
The target wants to believe
you. |
–5 |
The bluff is believable and
doesn’t affect the target much. |
+0 |
The bluff is a little hard
to believe or puts the target at some risk. |
+5 |
The bluff is hard to
believe or puts the target at significant risk. |
+10 |
The bluff is way out there,
almost too incredible to consider. |
+20 |
CLIMB (STR; ARMOR
CHECK PENALTY)
Check: With a successful Climb check, you can advance up, down, or
across a slope, a wall, or some other steep incline (or even a ceiling with
handholds) at one-quarter your normal speed. A slope is considered to be any
incline at an angle measuring less than 60 degrees; a wall is any incline at an
angle measuring 60 degrees or more.
A Climb check that fails by 4 or less means that you make no progress, and one
that fails by 5 or more means that you fall from whatever height you have
already attained.
A climber’s kit gives you a +2 circumstance bonus on Climb checks.
The DC of the check depends on the conditions of the climb. Compare the task
with those on the following table to determine an appropriate DC.
|
Example Surface or
Activity |
0 |
A slope too steep to walk
up, or a knotted rope with a wall to brace against. |
5 |
A rope with a wall to brace
against, or a knotted rope, or a rope affected by the rope trick spell. |
10 |
A surface with ledges to
hold on to and stand on, such as a very rough wall or a ship’s rigging. |
15 |
Any surface with adequate
handholds and footholds (natural or artificial), such as a very rough natural
rock surface or a tree, or an unknotted rope, or pulling yourself up when
dangling by your hands. |
20 |
An uneven surface with some
narrow handholds and footholds, such as a typical wall in a dungeon or ruins.
|
25 |
A rough surface, such as a
natural rock wall or a brick wall. |
25 |
An overhang or ceiling with
handholds but no footholds. |
— |
A perfectly smooth, flat,
vertical surface cannot be climbed. |
|
Example Surface or
Activity |
–10 |
Climbing a chimney
(artificial or natural) or other location where you can brace against two
opposite walls (reduces DC by 10). |
–5 |
Climbing a corner where you
can brace against perpendicular walls (reduces DC by 5). |
+5 |
Surface is slippery (increases
DC by 5). |
1These modifiers are
cumulative; use any that apply. |
|
You need both hands free to climb, but you may cling to a wall with one hand
while you cast a spell or take some other action that requires only one hand.
While climbing, you can’t move to avoid a blow, so you lose your Dexterity
bonus to AC (if any). You also can’t use a shield while climbing.
Any time you take damage while climbing, make a Climb check against the DC of
the slope or wall. Failure means you fall from your current height and sustain
the appropriate falling damage.
Accelerated Climbing: You try to climb more quickly than normal. By
accepting a –5 penalty, you can move half your speed (instead of one-quarter
your speed).
Making Your Own Handholds and Footholds: You can make your own handholds
and footholds by pounding pitons into a wall. Doing so takes 1 minute per
piton, and one piton is needed per 3 feet of distance. As with any surface that
offers handholds and footholds, a wall with pitons in it has a DC of 15. In the
same way, a climber with a handaxe or similar implement can cut handholds in an
ice wall.
Catching Yourself When Falling: It’s practically impossible to catch
yourself on a wall while falling. Make a Climb check (DC = wall’s DC + 20) to
do so. It’s much easier to catch yourself on a slope (DC = slope’s DC + 10).
Catching a Falling Character While Climbing: If someone climbing above
you or adjacent to you falls, you can attempt to catch the falling character if
he or she is within your reach. Doing so requires a successful melee touch
attack against the falling character (though he or she can voluntarily forego
any Dexterity bonus to AC if desired). If you hit, you must immediately attempt
a Climb check (DC = wall’s DC + 10). Success indicates that you catch the
falling character, but his or her total weight, including equipment, cannot
exceed your heavy load limit or you automatically fall. If you fail your Climb
check by 4 or less, you fail to stop the character’s fall but don’t lose your
grip on the wall. If you fail by 5 or more, you fail to stop the character’s
fall and begin falling as well.
Action: Climbing is part of movement, so it’s generally part of a move
action (and may be combined with other types of movement in a move action).
Each move action that includes any climbing requires a separate Climb check.
Catching yourself or another falling character doesn’t take an action.
Special: You can use a rope to haul a character upward (or lower a
character) through sheer strength. You can lift double your maximum load in
this manner.
A halfling has a +2 racial bonus on Climb checks because halflings are agile
and surefooted.
The master of a lizard familiar gains a +3 bonus on Climb checks.
If you have the Athletic feat, you get a +2 bonus on Climb checks.
A creature with a climb speed has a +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks. The
creature must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC higher
than 0, but it always can choose to take 10, even if rushed or threatened while
climbing. If a creature with a climb speed chooses an accelerated climb (see
above), it moves at double its climb speed (or at its land speed, whichever is
slower) and makes a single Climb check at a –5 penalty. Such a creature retains
its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get
no special bonus to their attacks against it. It cannot, however, use the run
action while climbing.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Use Rope, you get a +2 bonus on
Climb checks made to climb a rope, a knotted rope, or a rope-and-wall
combination.
CONCENTRATION (CON)
Check: You must make a Concentration check whenever you might
potentially be distracted (by taking damage, by harsh weather, and so on) while
engaged in some action that requires your full attention. Such actions include
casting a spell, concentrating on an active spell, directing a spell, using a
spell-like ability, or using a skill that would provoke an attack of
opportunity. In general, if an action wouldn’t normally provoke an attack of opportunity,
you need not make a Concentration check to avoid being distracted.
If the Concentration check succeeds, you may continue with the action as
normal. If the check fails, the action automatically fails and is wasted. If
you were in the process of casting a spell, the spell is lost. If you were
concentrating on an active spell, the spell ends as if you had ceased
concentrating on it. If you were directing a spell, the direction fails but the
spell remains active. If you were using a spell-like ability, that use of the
ability is lost. A skill use also fails, and in some cases a failed skill check
may have other ramifications as well.
The table below summarizes various types of distractions that cause you to make
a Concentration check. If the distraction occurs while you are trying to cast a
spell, you must add the level of the spell you are trying to cast to the
appropriate Concentration DC. If more than one type of distraction is present,
make a check for each one; any failed Concentration check indicates that the
task is not completed.
Concentration DC1 |
Distraction |
10 + damage dealt |
Damaged during the action.2 |
10 + half of continuous |
Taking continuous damage
during the damage last dealt action.3 |
Distracting spell’s save DC
|
Distracted by nondamaging
spell.4 |
10 |
Vigorous motion (on a
moving mount, taking a bouncy wagon ride, in a small boat in rough water,
belowdecks in a stormtossed ship). |
15 |
Violent motion (on a
galloping horse, taking a very rough wagon ride, in a small boat in rapids,
on the deck of a storm-tossed ship). |
20 |
Extraordinarily violent
motion (earthquake). |
15 |
Entangled. |
20 |
Grappling or pinned. (You
can cast only spells without somatic components for which you have any
required material component in hand.) |
5 |
Weather is a high wind
carrying blinding rain or sleet. |
10 |
Weather is wind-driven
hail, dust, or debris. |
Distracting spell’s save DC
|
Weather caused by a spell,
such as storm of vengeance.4 |
1 If you are trying to cast, concentrate on, or direct a spell when the
distraction occurs, add the level of the spell to the indicated DC.
2 Such as during the casting of a spell with a casting time of 1 round or more,
or the execution of an activity that takes more than a single full-round action
(such as Disable Device). Also, damage stemming from an attack of opportunity
or readied attack made in response to the spell being cast (for spells with a
casting time of 1 action) or the action being taken (for activities requiring
no more than a full-round action). (See also Distracting Spellcasters, page
160.)
3 Such as from acid arrow.
4 If the spell allows no save, use the save DC it would have if it did allow a
save.
Action: None. Making a Concentration check doesn’t take an action; it is
either a free action (when attempted reactively) or part of another action
(when attempted actively).
Try Again: Yes, though a success doesn’t cancel the effect of a previous
failure, such as the loss of a spell you were casting or the disruption of a
spell you were concentrating on.
Special: You can use Concentration to cast a spell, use a spell-like
ability, or use a skill defensively, so as to avoid attacks of opportunity
altogether. This doesn’t apply to other actions that might provoke attacks of
opportunity.
The DC of the check is 15 (plus the spell’s level, if casting a spell or using
a spell-like ability defensively). If the Concentration check succeeds, you may
attempt the action normally without provoking any attacks of opportunity. A
successful Concentration check still doesn’t allow you to take 10 on another
check if you are in a stressful situation; you must make the check normally. If
the Concentration check fails, the related action also automatically fails
(with any appropriate ramifications), and the action is wasted, just as if your
concentration had been disrupted by a distraction.
A character with the Combat Casting feat gets a +4 bonus on Concentration
checks made to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability while on the defensive
or while grappling or pinned.
CRAFT (INT)
Like Knowledge, Perform, and Profession, Craft is actually a number of separate
skills. You could have several Craft skills, each with its own ranks, each
purchased as a separate skill.
A Craft skill is specifically focused on creating something. If nothing is
created by the endeavor, it probably falls under the heading of a Profession
skill.
Check: You can practice your trade and make a decent living, earning
about half your check result in gold pieces per week of dedicated work. You
know how to use the tools of your trade, how to perform the craft’s daily
tasks, how to supervise untrained helpers, and how to handle common problems.
(Untrained laborers and assistants earn an average of 1 silver piece per day.)
The basic function of the Craft skill, however, is to allow you to make an item
of the appropriate type. The DC depends on the complexity of the item to be
created. The DC, your check results, and the price of the item determine how
long it takes to make a particular item. The item’s finished price also
determines the cost of raw materials.
In some cases, the fabricate spell can be used to achieve the results of
a Craft check with no actual check involved. However, you must make an
appropriate Craft check when using the spell to make articles requiring a high
degree of craftsmanship.
A successful Craft check related to woodworking in conjunction with the casting
of the ironwood spell enables you to make wooden items that have the
strength of steel.
When casting the spell minor creation, you must succeed on an
appropriate Craft check to make a complex item.
All crafts require artisan’s tools to give the best chance of success. If
improvised tools are used, the check is made with a –2 circumstance penalty. On
the other hand, masterwork artisan’s tools provide a +2 circumstance bonus on
the check.
To determine how much time and money it takes to make an item, follow these
steps.
Progress by the Day: You can make checks by the day
instead of by the week. In this case your progress (check result × DC) is in
copper pieces instead of silver pieces.
Creating Masterwork Items: You can make a masterwork item—a weapon, suit
of armor, shield, or tool that conveys a bonus on its use through its
exceptional craftsmanship, not through being magical. To create a masterwork
item, you create the masterwork component as if it were a separate item in
addition to the standard item. The masterwork component has its own price (300
gp for a weapon or 150 gp for a suit of armor or a shield) and a Craft DC of
20. Once both the standard component and the masterwork component are
completed, the masterwork item is finished. Note: The cost you pay for
the masterwork component is one-third of the given amount, just as it is for
the cost in raw materials.
Repairing Items: Generally, you can repair an item by making checks
against the same DC that it took to make the item in the first place. The cost
of repairing an item is one-fifth of the item’s price.
When you use the Craft skill to make a particular sort of item, the DC for
checks involving the creation of that item are typically as given on the
following table.
Item |
Craft Skill |
Craft DC |
Acid |
Alchemy1 |
15 |
Alchemist’s fire,
smokestick, or tindertwig |
Alchemy1 |
20 |
Antitoxin, sunrod,
tanglefoot bag, or thunderstone |
Alchemy1 |
25 |
Armor or shield |
Armorsmithing |
10 + AC bonus |
Longbow or shortbow |
Bowmaking |
12 |
Composite longbow or
composite shortbow |
Bowmaking |
15 |
Composite longbow or
composite shortbow with high strength rating |
Bowmaking |
15 + (2 × rating) |
Crossbow |
Weaponsmithing |
15 |
Simple melee or thrown
weapon |
Weaponsmithing |
12 |
Martial melee or thrown
weapon |
Weaponsmithing |
15 |
Exotic melee or thrown
weapon |
Weaponsmithing |
18 |
Mechanical trap |
Trapmaking |
Varies2 |
Very simple item (wooden
spoon) |
Varies |
5 |
Typical item (iron pot) |
Varies |
10 |
High-quality item (bell) |
Varies |
15 |
Complex or superior item
(lock) |
Varies |
20 |
1 You must be a spellcaster to craft any of these items.
2 Traps have their own rules for construction.
Action: Does not apply. Craft checks are made by the day or week (see
above).
Try Again: Yes, but each time you miss by 5 or more, you ruin half the
raw materials and have to pay half the original raw material cost again.
Special: A dwarf has a +2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related
to stone or metal, because dwarves are especially capable with stonework and
metalwork.
A gnome has a +2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks because gnomes have
sensitive noses.
You may voluntarily add +10 to the indicated DC to craft an item. This allows
you to create the item more quickly (since you’ll be multiplying this higher DC
by your Craft check result to determine progress). You must decide whether to
increase the DC before you make each weekly or daily check.
Synergy: If you have 5 ranks in a Craft skill, you get a +2 bonus on
Appraise checks related to items made with that Craft skill.
CRAFT (ALCHEMY)
(INT, Trained Only)
Region/Race: Britannia (
Check: This skill can be used to craft acid (DC 15), alchemist (or
Byzantine) fire (DC 20), and antitoxin (DC 25). It can also be used to craft
fire powder (DC 25). There may also be other items that can be crafted, though
things such as “tanglefoot bags” and “smokesticks” are said to be gnomish tall
tales.
To craft one of these items, you must have alchemical equipment. Alchemical
equipment is difficult or impossible to come by in some places. Purchasing and
maintaining an alchemist’s lab grants a +2 circumstance bonus on Craft
(alchemy) checks because you have good tools for the job, but it does not
affect the cost of any items made using the skill.
Special: Non-spellcasters can use this skill.
DECIPHER SCRIPT (INT; TRAINED ONLY)
Check: You can decipher writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written
in an incomplete or archaic form. The base DC is 20 for the simplest messages,
25 for standard texts, and 30 or higher for intricate, exotic, or very old
writing.
If the check succeeds, you understand the general content of a piece of writing
about one page long (or the equivalent). If the check fails, make a DC 5 Wisdom
check to see if you avoid drawing a false conclusion about the text. (Success
means that you do not draw a false conclusion; failure means that you do.)
Both the Decipher Script check and (if necessary) the Wisdom check are made
secretly, so that you can’t tell whether the conclusion you draw is true or
false.
Action: Deciphering the equivalent of a single page of script takes 1
minute (ten consecutive full-round actions).
Try Again: No.
Special: A character with the Diligent feat gets a +2 bonus on Decipher
Script checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Decipher Script, you get a +2
bonus on Use Magic Device checks involving scrolls.
DIPLOMACY (CHA)
Check: You can change the attitudes of others (nonplayer characters)
with a successful Diplomacy check; see the Influencing NPC Attitudes sidebar,
below, for basic DCs. In negotiations, participants roll opposed Diplomacy
checks, and the winner gains the advantage. Opposed checks also resolve
situations when two advocates or diplomats plead opposite cases in a hearing
before a third party.
Action: Changing others’ attitudes with Diplomacy generally takes at
least 1 full minute (10 consecutive full-round actions). In some situations,
this time requirement may greatly increase. A rushed Diplomacy check can be
made as a full-round action, but you take a –10 penalty on the check.
Try Again: Optional, but not recommended because retries usually do not
work. Even if the initial Diplomacy check succeeds, the other character can be
persuaded only so far, and a retry may do more harm than good. If the initial
check fails, the other character has probably become more firmly committed to
his position, and a retry is futile.
Special: A half-elf has a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks.
If you have the Negotiator feat, you get a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, Knowledge (nobility and
royalty), or Sense Motive, you get a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks.
Influencing NPC Attitudes
Use the table below to determine the effectiveness of Diplomacy checks (or
Charisma checks) made to influence the attitude of a nonplayer character, or
wild empathy checks made to influence the attitude of an animal or magical beast.
Initial Attitude |
New Attitude (DC to
achieve) |
||||
|
Hostile |
Unfriendly |
Indifferent |
Friendly |
Helpful |
Hostile |
Less than 20 |
20 |
25 |
35 |
50 |
Unfriendly |
Less than 5 |
5 |
15 |
25 |
40 |
Indifferent |
— |
Less than 1 |
1 |
15 |
30 |
Friendly |
— |
— |
Less than 1 |
1 |
20 |
Helpful |
— |
— |
— |
Less than 1 |
1 |
Attitude |
Means |
Possible Actions |
Hostile |
Will take risks to hurt you
|
Attack, interfere, berate,
flee |
Unfriendly |
Wishes you ill |
Mislead, gossip, avoid,
watch suspiciously, insult |
Indifferent |
Doesn’t much care |
Socially expected
interaction |
Friendly |
Wishes you well |
Chat, advise, offer limited
help, advocate |
Helpful |
Will take risks to help you
|
Protect, back up, heal, aid |
DISABLE DEVICE (INT; TRAINED ONLY)
Check: The Disable Device check is made secretly, so that you don’t
necessarily know whether you’ve succeeded.
The DC depends on how tricky the device is. Disabling (or rigging or jamming) a
fairly simple device has a DC of 10; more intricate and complex devices have
higher DCs.
If the check succeeds, you disable the device. If it fails by 4 or less, you
have failed but can try again. If you fail by 5 or more, something goes wrong.
If the device is a trap, you spring it. If you’re attempting some sort of
sabotage, you think the device is disabled, but it still works normally.
You also can rig simple devices such as saddles or wagon wheels to work
normally for a while and then fail or fall off some time later (usually after
1d4 rounds or minutes of use).
Device |
Time |
Disable Device DC1 |
Example |
Simple |
1 round |
10 |
Jam a lock |
Tricky |
1d4 rounds |
15 |
Sabotage a wagon wheel |
Difficult |
2d4 rounds |
20 |
Disarm a trap, reset a trap |
Wicked |
2d4 rounds |
25 |
Disarm a complex trap,
cleverly sabotage a clockwork device |
1 If you attempt to leave behind no trace of your tampering, add 5 to the
DC.
Action: The amount of time needed to make a Disable Device check depends on
the task, as noted above. Disabling a simple device takes 1 round and is a
full-round action. An intricate or complex device requires 1d4 or 2d4 rounds.
Try Again: Varies. You can retry if you have missed the check by 4 or
less, though you must be aware that you have failed in order to try again.
Special: If you have the Nimble Fingers feat, you get a +2 bonus on
Disable Device checks.
A rogue who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more can study the trap, figure out how
it works, and bypass it (along with her companions) without disarming it.
Restriction: Rogues (and other characters with the trapfinding class
feature) can disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the
spell level of the magic used to create it.
The spells fire trap, glyph of warding, symbol, and teleportation
circle also create traps that a rogue can disarm with a successful Disable
Device check. Spike growth and spike stones, however, create
magic traps against which Disable Device checks do not succeed. See the
individual spell descriptions for details.
Other Ways to Beat a Trap
It’s possible to ruin many traps without making a Disable Device check.
Ranged Attack Traps: Once a trap’s location is known, the obvious way to
ruin it is to smash the mechanism—assuming the mechanism can be accessed.
Failing that, it’s possible to plug up the holes from which the projectiles
emerge. Doing this prevents the trap from firing unless its ammunition does
enough damage to break through the plugs.
Melee Attack Traps: These devices can be thwarted by smashing the
mechanism or blocking the weapons, as noted above. Alternatively, if a
character studies the trap as it triggers, he might be able to time his dodges
just right to avoid damage. A character who is doing nothing but studying a
trap when it first goes off gains a +4 dodge bonus against its attacks if it is
triggered again within the next minute.
Pits: Disabling a pit trap generally ruins only the trapdoor, making it
an uncovered pit. Filling in the pit or building a makeshift bridge across it
is an application of manual labor, not the Disable Device skill. Characters
could neutralize any spikes at the bottom of a pit by attacking them—they break
just as daggers do.
Magic Traps: Dispel magic helps here. Someone who succeeds on a
caster level check against the level of the trap’s creator suppresses the trap
for 1d4 rounds. This works only with a targeted dispel magic, not the
area version (see the spell description).
DISGUISE (CHA)
Check: Your Disguise check result determines how good the disguise is,
and it is opposed by others’ Spot check results. If you don’t draw any
attention to yourself, others do not get to make Spot checks. If you come to
the attention of people who are suspicious (such as a guard who is watching
commoners walking through a city gate), it can be assumed that such observers
are taking 10 on their Spot checks.
You get only one Disguise check per use of the skill, even if several people
are making Spot checks against it. The Disguise check is made secretly, so that
you can’t be sure how good the result is.
The effectiveness of your disguise depends in part on how much you’re
attempting to change your appearance.
Disguise |
Modifier |
Minor details only |
+5 |
Disguised as different
gender1 |
–2 |
Disguised as different race1 |
–2 |
Disguised as different age
category1 |
–22 |
1 These modifiers are cumulative; use any that apply.
2 Per step of difference between your actual age category and your disguised
age category. The steps are: young (younger than adulthood), adulthood, middle
age, old, and venerable.
If you are impersonating a particular individual, those who know what that person
looks like get a bonus on their Spot checks according to the table below.
Furthermore, they are automatically considered to be suspicious of you, so
opposed checks are always called for.
Familiarity |
Viewer’s Spot Check
Bonus |
Recognizes on sight |
+4 |
|
+6 |
Close friends |
+8 |
Intimate |
+10 |
Usually, an individual makes a Spot check to see through your disguise
immediately upon meeting you and each hour thereafter. If you casually meet
many different creatures, each for a short time, check once per day or hour,
using an average Spot modifier for the group.
Action: Creating a disguise requires 1d3×10 minutes of work.
Try Again: Yes. You may try to redo a failed disguise, but once others
know that a disguise was attempted, they’ll be more suspicious.
Special: Magic that alters your form, such as alter self, disguise
self, polymorph, or shapechange, grants you a +10 bonus on Disguise
checks (see the individual spell descriptions). You must succeed on a Disguise
check with a +10 bonus to duplicate the appearance of a specific individual
using the veil spell. Divination magic that allows people to see through
illusions (such as true seeing) does not penetrate a mundane disguise,
but it can negate the magical component of a magically enhanced one.
You must make a Disguise check when you cast a simulacrum spell to
determine how good the likeness is.
If you have the Deceptive feat, you get a +2 bonus on Disguise checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, you get a +2 bonus on
Disguise checks when you know that you’re being observed and you try to act in
character.
ESCAPE ARTIST (DEX; ARMOR CHECK PENALTY)
Check: The table below gives the DCs to escape various forms of
restraints.
Ropes: Your Escape Artist check is opposed by the binder’s Use Rope
check. Since it’s easier to tie someone up than to escape from being tied up,
the binder gets a +10 bonus on his or her check.
Manacles and Masterwork Manacles: The DC for manacles is set by their
construction.
Tight Space: The DC noted on the table is for getting through a space
where your head fits but your shoulders don’t. If the space is long you may
need to make multiple checks. You can’t get through a space that your head does
not fit through.
Grappler: You can make an Escape Artist check opposed by your enemy’s
grapple check to get out of a grapple or out of a pinned condition (so that
you’re only grappling).
Restraint |
|
Ropes Binder’s |
Use Rope check at +10 |
Net, animate rope spell,
command plants spell, control plants spell, or entangle spell
|
20 |
Snare spell |
23 |
Manacles |
30 |
Tight space |
30 |
Masterwork manacles |
35 |
Grappler |
Grappler’s grapple check
result |
Action: Making an Escape Artist check to escape from rope bindings,
manacles, or other restraints (except a grappler) requires 1 minute of work.
Escaping from a net or an animate rope, command plants, control plants, or
entangle spell is a full-round action. Escaping from a grapple or pin is
a standard action. Squeezing through a tight space takes at least 1 minute,
maybe longer, depending on how long the space is.
Try Again: Varies. You can make another check after a failed check if
you’re squeezing your way through a tight space, making multiple checks. If the
situation permits, you can make additional checks, or even take 20, as long as
you’re not being actively opposed.
Special: If you have the Agile feat, you get a +2 bonus on Escape Artist
checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Escape Artist, you get a +2
bonus on Use Rope checks to bind someone.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Use Rope, you get a +2 bonus on Escape Artist
checks when escaping from rope bonds.
FORGERY (INT)
Check: Forgery requires writing materials appropriate to the document
being forged, enough light or sufficient visual acuity to see the details of
what you’re writing, wax for seals (if appropriate), and some time. To forge a
document on which the handwriting is not specific to a person (military orders,
a government decree, a business ledger, or the like), you need only to have
seen a similar document before, and you gain a +8 bonus on your check. To forge
a signature, you need an autograph of that person to copy, and you gain a +4 bonus
on the check. To forge a longer document written in the hand of some particular
person, a large sample of that person’s handwriting is needed.
The Forgery check is made secretly, so that you’re not sure how good your
forgery is. As with Disguise, you don’t even need to make a check until someone
examines the work. Your Forgery check is opposed by the Forgery check of the
person who examines the document to check its authenticity. The examiner gains
modifiers on his or her check if any of the conditions on the table below
exist.
Condition |
Reader’s Forgery Check
Modifier |
Type of document unknown to
reader |
–2 |
Type of document somewhat
known to reader |
+0 |
Type of document well known
to reader |
+2 |
Handwriting not known to
reader |
–2 |
Handwriting somewhat known
to reader |
+0 |
Handwriting intimately
known to reader |
+2 |
Reader only casually
reviews the document |
–2 |
A document that contradicts procedure, orders, or previous knowledge, or one
that requires sacrifice on the part of the person checking the document can
increase that character’s suspicion (and thus create favorable circumstances
for the checker’s opposing Forgery check).
Action: Forging a very short and simple document takes about 1 minute. A
longer or more complex document takes 1d4 minutes per page.
Try Again: Usually, no. A retry is never possible after a particular
reader detects a particular forgery. But the document created by the forger
might still fool someone else. The result of a Forgery check for a particular
document must be used for every instance of a different reader examining the
document. No reader can attempt to detect a particular forgery more than once;
if that one opposed check goes in favor of the forger, then the reader can’t
try using his own skill again, even if he’s suspicious about the document.
Special: If you have the Deceitful feat, you get a +2 bonus on Forgery
checks.
Restriction: Forgery is language-dependent; thus, to forge documents and
detect forgeries, you must be able to read and write the language in question.
A barbarian can’t learn the Forgery skill unless he has learned to read and
write.
GATHER INFORMATION (CHA)
Check: An evening’s time, a few gold pieces for buying drinks and making
friends, and a DC 10 Gather Information check get you a general idea of a
city’s major news items, assuming there are no obvious reasons why the
information would be withheld. The higher your check result, the better the
information.
If you want to find out about a specific rumor, or a specific item, or obtain a
map, or do something else along those lines, the DC for the check is 15 to 25,
or even higher.
Action: A typical Gather Information check takes 1d4+1 hours.
Try Again: Yes, but it takes time for each check. Furthermore, you may
draw attention to yourself if you repeatedly pursue a certain type of
information.
Special: If you have the Investigator feat, you get a +2 bonus on Gather
Information checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (local), you get a +2
bonus on Gather Information checks.
HANDLE ANIMAL (CHA; TRAINED ONLY)
Check: The DC depends on what you are trying to do.
Task |
Handle Animal DC |
Handle an animal |
10 |
“Push” an animal |
25 |
Teach an animal a trick |
15 or 201 |
Train an animal for a
general purpose |
15 or 201 |
Rear a wild animal |
15 + HD of animal |
|
|
1 See the specific trick or purpose below.
General Purpose |
DC |
General Purpose |
DC |
Combat riding |
20 |
Hunting |
20 |
Fighting |
20 |
Performance |
15 |
Guarding |
20 |
Riding |
15 |
Heavy labor |
15 |
|
|
Handle an Animal: This task involves commanding an animal to perform
a task or trick that it knows. If the animal is wounded or has taken any
nonlethal damage or ability score damage, the DC increases by 2. If your check
succeeds, the animal performs the task or trick on its next action.
“Push” an Animal: To push an animal means to get it to perform a task or
trick that it doesn’t know but is physically capable of performing. This
category also covers making an animal perform a forced march or forcing it to
hustle for more than 1 hour between sleep cycles. If the animal is wounded or
has taken any nonlethal damage or ability score damage, the DC increases by 2.
If your check succeeds, the animal performs the task or trick on its next
action.
Teach an Animal a Trick: You can teach an animal a specific trick with
one week of work and a successful Handle Animal check against the indicated DC.
An animal with an Intelligence score of 1 can learn a maximum of three tricks,
while an animal with an Intelligence score of 2 can learn a maximum of six
tricks. Possible tricks (and their associated DCs) include, but are not
necessarily limited to, the following.
Attack (DC 20): The animal
attacks apparent enemies. You may point to a particular creature that you wish
the animal to attack, and it will comply if able. Normally, an animal will
attack only humanoids, monstrous humanoids, giants, or other animals. Teaching
an animal to attack all creatures (including such unnatural creatures as undead
and aberrations) counts as two tricks.
Come (DC 15): The animal comes to you, even if it normally would not do
so.
Defend (DC 20): The animal defends you (or is ready to defend you if no
threat is present), even without any command being given. Alternatively, you
can command the animal to defend a specific other character.
Down (DC 15): The animal breaks off from combat or otherwise backs down.
An animal that doesn’t know this trick continues to fight until it must flee
(due to injury, a fear effect, or the like) or its opponent is defeated.
Fetch (DC 15): The animal goes and gets something. If you do not point
out a specific item, the animal fetches some random object.
Guard (DC 20): The animal stays in place and prevents others from
approaching.
Heel (DC 15): The animal follows you closely, even to places where it
normally wouldn’t go.
Perform (DC 15): The animal performs a variety of simple tricks, such as
sitting up, rolling over, roaring or barking, and so on.
Seek (DC 15): The animal moves into an area and looks around for
anything that is obviously alive or animate.
Stay (DC 15): The animal stays in place, waiting for you to return. It
does not challenge other creatures that come by, though it still defends itself
if it needs to.
Track (DC 20): The animal tracks the scent presented to it. (This requires
the animal to have the scent ability)
Work (DC 15): The animal pulls or pushes a medium or heavy load.
Train an Animal for a Purpose: Rather than teaching an animal individual
tricks, you can simply train it for a general purpose. Essentially, an animal’s
purpose represents a preselected set of known tricks that fit into a common
scheme, such as guarding or heavy labor. The animal must meet all the normal
prerequisites for all tricks included in the training package. If the package
includes more than three tricks, the animal must have an Intelligence score of
2.
An animal can be trained for only one general purpose, though if the creature
is capable of learning additional tricks (above and beyond those included in
its general purpose), it may do so. Training an animal for a purpose requires
fewer checks than teaching individual tricks does, but no less time.
Combat Riding (DC 20): An
animal trained to bear a rider into combat knows the tricks attack, come,
defend, down, guard, and heel. Training an animal for combat riding takes six
weeks. You may also “upgrade” an animal trained for riding to one trained for
combat riding by spending three weeks and making a successful DC 20 Handle
Animal check. The new general purpose and tricks completely replace the
animal’s previous purpose and any tricks it once knew. Warhorses and riding
dogs are already trained to bear riders into combat, and they don’t require any
additional training for this purpose.
Fighting (DC 20): An animal trained to engage in combat knows the tricks
attack, down, and stay. Training an animal for fighting takes three weeks.
Guarding (DC 20): An animal trained to guard knows the tricks attack,
defend, down, and guard. Training an animal for guarding takes four weeks.
Heavy Labor (DC 15): An animal trained for heavy labor knows the tricks
come and work. Training an animal for heavy labor takes two weeks.
Hunting (DC 20): An animal trained for hunting knows the tricks attack,
down, fetch, heel, seek, and track. Training an animal for hunting takes six
weeks.
Performance (DC 15): An animal trained for performance knows the tricks
come, fetch, heel, perform, and stay. Training an animal for performance takes
five weeks.
Riding (DC 15): An animal trained to bear a rider knows the tricks come,
heel, and stay. Training an animal for riding takes three weeks.
Rear a Wild Animal: To rear an animal means to raise
a wild creature from infancy so that it becomes domesticated. A handler can
rear as many as three creatures of the same kind at once.
A successfully domesticated animal can be taught tricks at the same time it’s
being raised, or it can be taught as a domesticated animal later.
Action: Varies. Handling an animal is a move action, while pushing an
animal is a full-round action. (A druid or ranger can handle her animal
companion as a free action or push it as a move action.) For tasks with
specific time frames noted above, you must spend half this time (at the rate of
3 hours per day per animal being handled) working toward completion of the task
before you attempt the Handle Animal check. If the check fails, your attempt to
teach, rear, or train the animal fails and you need not complete the teaching,
rearing, or training time. If the check succeeds, you must invest the remainder
of the time to complete the teaching, rearing, or training. If the time is
interrupted or the task is not followed through to completion, the attempt to
teach, rear, or train the animal automatically fails.
Try Again: Yes, except for rearing an animal.
Special: You can use this skill on a creature with an Intelligence score
of 1 or 2 that is not an animal, but the DC of any such check increases by 5.
Such creatures have the same limit on tricks known as animals do.
A druid or ranger gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Handle Animal checks
involving her animal companion.
In addition, a druid’s or ranger’s animal companion knows one or more bonus
tricks, which don’t count against the normal limit on tricks known and don’t
require any training time or Handle Animal checks to teach.
If you have the Animal Affinity feat, you get a +2 bonus on Handle Animal
checks.
This skill can be used to drive a chariot, as described under the Charioteering
feat.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Handle Animal, you get a +2
bonus on Ride checks and wild empathy checks.
Untrained: If you have no ranks in Handle Animal, you can use a Charisma
check to handle and push domestic animals, but you can’t teach, rear, or train
animals. A druid or ranger with no ranks in Handle Animal can use a Charisma
check to handle and push her animal companion, but she can’t teach, rear, or
train other nondomestic animals.
HEAL (
Check: The DC and effect depend on the task you attempt.
Task |
Heal DC |
Result |
First aid |
||
|
15 |
Stabilization only |
|
|
|
|
20 |
Stabilization plus 1d2 hp |
|
25 |
Stabilization plus 1d4 hp |
|
30 |
Stabilization plus 1d6 hp |
Short-term care |
||
|
20 |
Restration of 1d4 hp +
Patient's CON modifier |
|
25 |
Restration of 1d6 hp +
Patient's CON modifier |
|
30 |
Restration of 1d8 hp +
Patient's CON modifier |
Long-term care |
15 |
|
Treat wound from caltrop, spike
growth, or spike stones |
15 |
|
Treat poison |
Poison’s save DC |
|
Treat disease |
Disease’s save DC |
|
First Aid: You usually use first aid to save a dying character. If a
character has negative hit points and is losing hit points (at the rate of 1
per round, 1 per hour, or 1 per day), you can make him or her stable. A stable
character regains no hit points but stops losing them.
Short-Term
Care: This measure requires the use of a healer's kit. The healer may take
10 for this measure, but not take 20. Synergy bonuses do apply.
The patient must be in a complete state of inactivity or rest while his wounds
are being treated and the healer is deep in concentration. Thus, short-term
care leaves the healer and patient open to attacks of opportunity should an
opponent enter the threat zone, because the healer is so focused and the
wounded individual themselves unable to respond. Short-term care cannot be used
during the heat of combat unless the healer makes a successful Concentration
check (DC 18) and the patient is already stabilized. Furthermore, it takes five
minutes to perform the needed curative measures (applying salves, changing
bandages, etc.) and this may only be performed once per day on an individual.
If the healer takes damage during this time, the attempt to heal automatically
fails and he must begin anew.
Long-Term Care: Providing long-term care means treating a wounded person
for a day or more. If your Heal check is successful, the patient recovers hit
points or ability score points (lost to ability damage) at twice the normal
rate: 2 hit points per level for a full 8 hours of rest in a day, or 4 hit
points per level for each full day of complete rest; 2 ability score points for
a full 8 hours of rest in a day, or 4 ability score points for each full day of
complete rest.
You can tend as many as six patients at a time. You need a few items and
supplies (bandages, salves, and so on) that are easy to come by in settled
lands. Giving long-term care counts as light activity for the healer. You
cannot give long-term care to yourself.
Treat Wound from Caltrop, Spike Growth, or Spike Stones: A creature
wounded by stepping on a caltrop moves at one-half normal speed. A successful
Heal check removes this movement penalty.
A creature wounded by a spike growth or spike stones spell must
succeed on a Reflex save or take injuries that reduce his speed by one-third.
Another character can remove this penalty by taking 10 minutes to dress the
victim’s injuries and succeeding on a Heal check against the spell’s save DC.
Treat Poison: To treat poison means to tend a single character who has
been poisoned and who is going to take more damage from the poison (or suffer
some other effect). Every time the poisoned character makes a saving throw
against the poison, you make a Heal check. The poisoned character uses your
check result or his or her saving throw, whichever is higher.
Treat Disease: To treat a disease means to tend a single diseased
character. Every time he or she makes a saving throw against disease effects,
you make a Heal check. The diseased character uses your check result or his or
her saving throw, whichever is higher.
Action: Providing first aid, treating a wound, or treating poison is a
standard action. Treating a disease or tending a creature wounded by a spike
growth or spike stones spell takes 10 minutes of work. Providing
long-term care requires 8 hours of light activity.
Try Again: Varies. Generally speaking, you can’t try a Heal check again
without proof of the original check’s failure. You can always retry a check to
provide first aid, assuming the target of the previous attempt is still alive.
Special: A character with the Self-Sufficient feat gets a +2 bonus on
Heal checks.
A healer’s kit gives you a +2 circumstance bonus on Heal checks.
HIDE (DEX; ARMOR
CHECK PENALTY)
Check: Your Hide check is opposed by the Spot check of anyone who might
see you. You can move up to one-half your normal speed and hide at no penalty.
When moving at a speed greater than one-half but less than your normal speed,
you take a –5 penalty. It’s practically impossible (–20 penalty) to hide while
attacking, running or charging.
A creature larger or smaller than Medium takes a size bonus or penalty on Hide
checks depending on its size category: Fine +16, Diminutive +12, Tiny +8, Small
+4, Large –4, Huge –8, Gargantuan –12, Colossal –16.
You need cover or concealment in order to attempt a Hide check. Total cover or
total concealment usually (but not always; see Special, below) obviates the
need for a Hide check, since nothing can see you anyway.
If people are observing you, even casually, you can’t hide. You can run around
a corner or behind cover so that you’re out of sight and then hide, but the
others then know at least where you went.
If your observers are momentarily distracted (such as by a Bluff check; see
below), though, you can attempt to hide. While the others turn their attention
from you, you can attempt a Hide check if you can get to a hiding place of some
kind. (As a general guideline, the hiding place has to be within 1 foot per
rank you have in Hide.) This check, however, is made at a –10 penalty because
you have to move fast.
Sniping: If you’ve already successfully hidden at least 10 feet from
your target, you can make one ranged attack, then immediately hide again. You
take a –20 penalty on your Hide check to conceal yourself after the shot.
Creating a Diversion to Hide: You can use Bluff to help you hide. A
successful Bluff check can give you the momentary diversion you need to attempt
a Hide check while people are aware of you.
Action: Usually none. Normally, you make a Hide check as part of
movement, so it doesn’t take a separate action. However, hiding immediately
after a ranged attack (see Sniping, above) is a move action.
Special: If you are invisible, you gain a +40 bonus on Hide checks if
you are immobile, or a +20 bonus on Hide checks if you’re moving.
If you have the Stealthy feat, you get a +2 bonus on Hide checks.
A 13th-level ranger can attempt a Hide check in any sort of natural terrain,
even if it doesn’t grant cover or concealment. A 17th level ranger can do this
even while being observed.
INTIMIDATE (CHA)
Check: You can change another’s behavior with a successful check. Your
Intimidate check is opposed by the target’s modified level check (1d20 +
character level or Hit Dice + target’s Wisdom bonus [if any] + target’s
modifiers on saves against fear). If you beat your target’s check result, you
may treat the target as friendly, but only for the purpose of actions taken
while it remains intimidated. (That is, the target retains its normal attitude,
but will chat, advise, offer limited help, or advocate on your behalf while
intimidated. See the Diplomacy skill, above, for additional details.) The
effect lasts as long as the target remains in your presence, and for 1d6×10
minutes afterward. After this time, the target’s default attitude toward you
shifts to unfriendly (or, if normally unfriendly, to hostile).
If you fail the check by 5 or more, the target provides you with incorrect or
useless information, or otherwise frustrates your efforts.
Demoralize Opponent: You can also use Intimidate to weaken an opponent’s
resolve in combat. To do so, make an Intimidate check opposed by the target’s
modified level check (see above). If you win, the target becomes shaken for 1
round. A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks,
and saving throws. You can intimidate only an opponent that you threaten in
melee combat and that can see you.
Action: Varies. Changing another’s behavior requires 1 minute of
interaction. Intimidating an opponent in combat is a standard action.
Try Again: Optional, but not recommended because retries usually do not
work. Even if the initial check succeeds, the other character can be
intimidated only so far, and a retry doesn’t help. If the initial check fails,
the other character has probably become more firmly resolved to resist the
intimidator, and a retry is futile.
Special: You gain a +4 bonus on your Intimidate check for every size
category that you are larger than your target. Conversely, you take a –4
penalty on your Intimidate check for every size category that you are smaller
than your target.
A character immune to fear can’t be intimidated, nor can nonintelligent
creatures.
If you have the Persuasive feat, you get a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, you get a +2 bonus on
Intimidate checks.
JUMP (STR; ARMOR
CHECK PENALTY)
Check: The DC and the distance you can cover vary according to the type
of jump you are attempting (see below).
Your Jump check is modified by your speed. If your speed is 30 feet then no
modifier based on speed applies to the check. If your speed is less than 30
feet, you take a –6 penalty for every 10 feet of speed less than 30 feet. If
your speed is greater than 30 feet, you gain a +4 bonus for every 10 feet
beyond 30 feet.
All Jump DCs given here assume that you get a running start, which requires
that you move at least 20 feet in a straight line before attempting the jump.
If you do not get a running start, the DC for the jump is doubled.
Distance moved by jumping is counted against your normal maximum movement in a
round.
If you have ranks in Jump and you succeed on a Jump check, you land on your
feet (when appropriate). If you attempt a Jump check untrained, you land prone
unless you beat the DC by 5 or more.
Long Jump: A long jump is a horizontal jump, made across a gap like a
chasm or stream. At the midpoint of the jump, you attain a vertical height
equal to one-quarter of the horizontal distance. The DC for the jump is equal
to the distance jumped (in feet).
If your check succeeds, you land on your feet at the far end. If you fail the
check by less than 5, you don’t clear the distance, but you can make a DC 15
Reflex save to grab the far edge of the gap. You end your movement grasping the
far edge. If that leaves you dangling over a chasm or gap, getting up requires
a move action and a DC 15 Climb check.
Long Jump Distance |
Jump DC1 |
5 feet |
5 |
10 feet |
10 |
15 feet |
15 |
20 feet |
20 |
25 feet |
25 |
30 feet |
30 |
1 Requires a 20-foot running start. Without a running start, double the DC.
High Jump: A high jump is a vertical leap made to reach a ledge high
above or to grasp something overhead. The DC is equal to 4 times the distance
to be cleared.
If you jumped up to grab something, a successful check indicates that you
reached the desired height. If you wish to pull yourself up, you can do so with
a move action and a DC 15 Climb check. If you fail the Jump check, you do not
reach the height, and you land on your feet in the same spot from which you
jumped. As with a long jump, the DC is doubled if you do not get a running
start of at least 20 feet.
High Jump Distance1 |
Jump DC2 |
1 foot |
4 |
2 feet |
8 |
3 feet |
12 |
4 feet |
16 |
5 feet |
20 |
6 feet |
24 |
7 feet |
28 |
8 feet |
32 |
1 Not including vertical reach; see below.
2 Requires a 20-foot running start. Without a running start, double the DC.
Obviously, the difficulty of reaching a given height varies according to the
size of the character or creature. The maximum vertical reach (height the
creature can reach without jumping) for an average creature of a given size is
shown on the table below. (As a Medium creature, a typical human can reach 8
feet without jumping.)
Quadrupedal creatures don’t have the same vertical reach as a bipedal creature;
treat them as being one size category smaller.
Creature Size |
Vertical Reach |
Colossal |
128 ft. |
Gargantuan |
64 ft. |
Huge |
32 ft. |
Large |
16 ft. |
Medium |
8 ft. |
Small |
4 ft. |
Tiny |
2 ft. |
Diminutive |
1 ft. |
Fine |
1/2 ft. |
Hop Up: You can jump up onto an object as tall as your waist, such as
a table or small boulder, with a DC 10 Jump check. Doing so counts as 10 feet
of movement, so if your speed is 30 feet, you could move 20 feet, then hop up
onto a counter. You do not need to get a running start to hop up, so the DC is
not doubled if you do not get a running start.
Jumping Down: If you intentionally jump from a height, you take less
damage than you would if you just fell. The DC to jump down from a height is
15. You do not have to get a running start to jump down, so the DC is not
doubled if you do not get a running start.
If you succeed on the check, you take falling damage as if you had dropped 10
fewer feet than you actually did.
Action: None. A Jump check is included in your movement, so it is part
of a move action. If you run out of movement mid-jump, your next action (either
on this turn or, if necessary, on your next turn) must be a move action to
complete the jump.
Special: Effects that increase your movement also increase your jumping
distance, since your check is modified by your speed.
If you have the Run feat, you get a +4 bonus on Jump checks for any jumps made
after a running start.
If you have the Acrobatic feat, you get a +2 bonus on Jump checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Tumble, you get a +2 bonus on
Jump checks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Jump, you get a +2 bonus on Tumble checks.
KNOWLEDGE (INT;
TRAINED ONLY)
Like the Craft and Profession skills, Knowledge actually encompasses a number
of unrelated skills. Knowledge represents a study of some body of lore,
possibly an academic or even scientific discipline.
Below are listed typical fields of study.
Check: Answering a question within your field of
study has a DC of 10 (for really easy questions), 15 (for basic questions), or
20 to 30 (for really tough questions).
In many cases, you can use this skill to identify monsters and their special
powers or vulnerabilities. In general, the DC of such a check equals 10 + the
monster’s HD. A successful check allows you to remember a bit of useful
information about that monster.
For every 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC, you recall
another piece of useful information.
When making a Knowledge (law) check regarding the law of another race there is
a -2 penalty.
Action: Usually none. In most cases, making a Knowledge check doesn’t
take an action—you simply know the answer or you don’t.
Try Again: No. The check represents what you know, and thinking about a
topic a second time doesn’t let you know something that you never learned in
the first place.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (arcana), you get a +2
bonus on Spellcraft checks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (architecture and engineering), you
get a +2 bonus on Search checks made to find secret doors or hidden
compartments.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (geography), you get a +2 bonus on
Survival checks made to keep from getting lost or to avoid natural hazards.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (history), you get a +2 bonus on
bardic knowledge checks.
5 or more ranks in Knowledge (law) gives a +2 bonus to Profession (lawyer)
checks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (local), you get a +2 bonus on Gather
Information checks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (nature), you get a +2 bonus on
Survival checks made in aboveground natural environments (aquatic, desert,
forest, hill, marsh, mountains, or plains).
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (nobility and royalty), you get a +2
bonus on Diplomacy checks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (religion), you get a +2 bonus on turning
checks against undead.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (religion) you get a +2 bonus to
checks involving religious or church law.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (cosmology), you get a +2 bonus on
Survival checks made while on other planes.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (dungeoneering), you get a +2 bonus on
Survival checks made while underground.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Survival, you get a +2 bonus on Knowledge
(nature) checks.
Untrained: An untrained Knowledge check is simply an Intelligence check.
Without actual training, you know only common knowledge (DC 10 or lower).
Special: Knowledge (warfare) is a class skill for Fighters
Knowledge (law) is a general knowledge of the law and can be used to answer
specific questions. Profession (lawyer) is used to practice the law.
LISTEN (
Check: Your Listen check is either made against a DC that reflects how
quiet the noise is that you might hear, or it is opposed by your target’s Move
Silently check.
Listen DC |
Sound |
–10 |
A battle |
0 |
People talking1 |
5 |
A person in medium armor
walking at a slow pace (10 ft./round) trying not to make any noise. |
10 |
An unarmored person walking
at a slow pace (15 ft./round) trying not to make any noise |
15 |
A 1st-level rogue using
Move Silently to sneak past the listener |
15 |
People whispering1 |
19 |
A cat stalking |
30 |
An owl gliding in for a
kill |
1 If you beat the DC by 10 or more, you can make out what’s being said, assuming that you understand the language.
Listen DC Modifier |
Condition |
+5 |
Through a door |
+15 |
Through a stone wall |
–1 |
Per 10 feet of distance |
–5 |
Listener distracted |
In the case of people trying to be quiet, the DCs given on the table could
be replaced by Move Silently checks, in which case the indicated DC would be
their average check result.
Action: Varies. Every time you have a chance to hear something in a
reactive manner (such as when someone makes a noise or you move into a new
area), you can make a Listen check without using an action. Trying to hear
something you failed to hear previously is a move action.
Try Again: Yes. You can try to hear something that you failed to hear
previously with no penalty.
Special: When several characters are listening to the same thing, a
single 1d20 roll can be used for all the individuals’ Listen checks.
A fascinated creature takes a –4 penalty on Listen checks made as reactions.
If you have the Alertness feat, you get a +2 bonus on Listen checks.
A ranger gains a bonus on Listen checks when using this skill against a favored
enemy.
An elf or gnome has a +2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
A half-elf has a +1 racial bonus on Listen checks.
A sleeping character may make Listen checks at a –10 penalty. A successful
check awakens the sleeper.
MOVE SILENTLY (DEX; ARMOR CHECK PENALTY)
Check: Your Move Silently check is opposed by the Listen check of anyone
who might hear you. You can move up to one-half your normal speed at no
penalty. When moving at a speed greater than one-half but less than your full
speed, you take a –5 penalty. It’s practically impossible (–20 penalty) to move
silently while running or charging.
Noisy surfaces, such as bogs or undergrowth, are tough to move silently across.
When you try to sneak across such a surface, you take a penalty on your Move
Silently check as indicated below.
Surface |
Check Modifier |
Noisy (scree, shallow or
deep bog, undergrowth, dense rubble) |
–2 |
Very noisy (dense
undergrowth, deep snow) |
–5 |
Action:None. A Move Silently check is included in your movement or
other activity, so it is part of another action.
Special: The master of a cat familiar gains a +3 bonus on Move Silently
checks.
A halfling has a +2 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
If you have the Stealthy feat, you get a +2 bonus on Move Silently checks.
OPEN LOCK (DEX;
TRAINED ONLY)
Attempting an Open Lock check without a set of thieves’ tools imposes a –2
circumstance penalty on the check, even if a simple tool is employed. If you
use masterwork thieves’ tools, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus on the check.
Check: The DC for opening a lock varies from 20 to 40, depending on the
quality of the lock, as given on the table below.
Lock |
DC |
Lock |
DC |
Very simple lock |
20 |
Good lock |
30 |
Average lock |
25 |
Amazing lock |
40 |
Action: Opening a lock is a full-round action.
Special: If you have the Nimble Fingers feat, you get a +2 bonus on Open
Lock checks.
Untrained: You cannot pick locks untrained, but you might successfully
force them open.
PERFORM (CHA)
Like Craft, Knowledge, and Profession, Perform is actually a number of separate
skills.
You could have several Perform skills, each with its own ranks, each purchased
as a separate skill.
Each of the nine categories of the Perform skill includes a variety of methods,
instruments, or techniques, a small list of which is provided for each category
below.
Perform DC |
Performance |
10 |
Routine performance. Trying
to earn money by playing in public is essentially begging. You can earn 1d10
cp/day. |
15 |
Enjoyable performance. In a
prosperous city, you can earn 1d10 sp/day. |
20 |
Great performance. In a
prosperous city, you can earn 3d10 sp/day. In time, you may be invited to
join a professional troupe and may develop a regional reputation. |
25 |
Memorable performance. In a
prosperous city, you can earn 1d6 gp/day. In time, you may come to the
attention of noble patrons and develop a national reputation. |
30 |
Extraordinary performance.
In a prosperous city, you can earn 3d6 gp/day. In time, you may draw
attention from distant potential patrons, or even from extraplanar beings. |
A masterwork musical instrument gives you a +2 circumstance
bonus on Perform checks that involve its use.
Action: Varies. Trying to earn money by playing in public requires
anywhere from an evening’s work to a full day’s performance. The bard’s special
Perform-based abilities are described in that class’s description.
Try Again: Yes. Retries are allowed, but they don’t negate previous
failures, and an audience that has been unimpressed in the past is likely to be
prejudiced against future performances. (Increase the DC by 2 for each previous
failure.)
Special: A bard must have at least 3 ranks in a Perform skill to inspire
courage in his allies, or to use his countersong or his fascinate ability.
A bard needs 6 ranks in a Perform skill to inspire competence, 9 ranks to use
his suggestion ability, 12 ranks to inspire greatness, 15 ranks to use
his song of freedom ability, 18 ranks to inspire heroics, and 21 ranks
to use his mass suggestion ability. See Bardic Music in the bard class
description.
In addition to using the Perform skill, you can entertain people with sleight
of hand, tumbling, tightrope walking, and spells (especially illusions).
PROFESSION (
Like Craft, Knowledge, and Perform, Profession is actually a number of separate
skills. You could have several Profession skills, each with its own ranks, each
purchased as a separate skill. While a Craft skill represents ability in
creating or making an item, a Profession skill represents an aptitude in a
vocation requiring a broader range of less specific knowledge.
Check: You can practice your trade and make a decent living, earning
about half your Profession check result in gold pieces per week of dedicated
work. You know how to use the tools of your trade, how to perform the
profession’s daily tasks, how to supervise helpers, and how to handle common
problems.
Action: Not applicable. A single check generally represents a week of
work.
Try Again: Varies. An attempt to use a Profession skill to earn an
income cannot be retried. You are stuck with whatever weekly wage your check
result brought you. Another check may be made after a week to determine a new
income for the next period of time. An attempt to accomplish some specific task
can usually be retried.
Untrained: Untrained laborers and assistants (that is, characters
without any ranks in Profession) earn an average of 1 silver piece per day.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Profession (herbalist) you get a
+2 bonus on Heal checks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (nature) you get a +2 bonus on
Profession (herbalist) checks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (law) you get a +2 bonus on Profession
(lawyer) checks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Diplomacy you get a +2 bonus on Profession
(lawyer) checks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (religion) you get a +2 on Profession
(lawyer) checks involving religious or church law.
Special: Profession (herbalist) is a prerequisite for the Greater
Herbalism and Remedy feats.
RIDE (DEX)
If you attempt to ride a creature that is ill suited as a mount, you take a –5
penalty on your Ride checks.
Check: Typical riding actions don’t require checks. You can saddle,
mount, ride, and dismount from a mount without a problem.
The following tasks do require checks.
Task |
|
Task |
|
Guide with knees |
5 |
Leap |
15 |
Stay in saddle |
5 |
Spur mount |
15 |
Fight with warhorse |
10 |
Control mount in battle |
20 |
Cover |
15 |
Fast mount or dismount |
201 |
Soft fall |
15 |
|
|
1 Armor check penalty applies.
Guide with Knees: You can react instantly to guide your mount with your
knees so that you can use both hands in combat. Make your Ride check at the
start of your turn. If you fail, you can use only one hand this round because
you need to use the other to control your mount.
Stay in Saddle: You can react instantly to try to avoid falling when
your mount rears or bolts unexpectedly or when you take damage. This usage does
not take an action.
Fight with Warhorse: If you direct your war-trained mount to attack in
battle, you can still make your own attack or attacks normally. This usage is a
free action.
Cover: You can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside your
mount, using it as cover. You can’t attack or cast spells while using your
mount as cover. If you fail your Ride check, you don’t get the cover benefit.
This usage does not take an action.
Soft Fall: You can react instantly to try to take no damage when you
fall off a mount—when it is killed or when it falls, for example. If you fail
your Ride check, you take 1d6 points of falling damage. This usage does not
take an action.
Leap: You can get your mount to leap obstacles as part of its movement.
Use your Ride modifier or the mount’s Jump modifier, whichever is lower, to see
how far the creature can jump. If you fail your Ride check, you fall off the
mount when it leaps and take the appropriate falling damage (at least 1d6
points). This usage does not take an action, but is part of the mount’s
movement.
Spur Mount: You can spur your mount to greater speed with a move action.
A successful Ride check increases the mount’s speed by 10 feet for 1 round but
deals 1 point of damage to the creature. You can use this ability every round,
but each consecutive round of additional speed deals twice as much damage to
the mount as the previous round (2 points, 4 points, 8 points, and so on).
Control Mount in
Fast Mount or Dismount: You can attempt to mount or dismount from a
mount of up to one size category larger than yourself as a free action,
provided that you still have a move action available that round. If you fail
the Ride check, mounting or dismounting is a move action. You can’t use fast
mount or dismount on a mount more than one size category larger than yourself.
Action: Varies. Mounting or dismounting normally is a move action. Other
checks are a move action, a free action, or no action at all, as noted above.
Special: If you are riding bareback, you take a –5 penalty on Ride
checks.
If your mount has a military saddle you get a +2 circumstance bonus on Ride checks
related to staying in the saddle.
The Ride skill is a prerequisite for the feats Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat,
Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge and Trample.
If you have the Animal Affinity feat, you get a +2 bonus on Ride checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Handle Animal, you get a +2
bonus on Ride checks.
RUNECRAFT (
Region/Race: Norseland; Dwarf
This skill works exactly like Spellcraft. The difference is that it focuses
solely on the 24 Runes that make up the One Tongue and Norse languages.
Characters may use it to get information on what rune a person is casting or
the specialized effects that an inscribed rune may have. Runecraft is also used
when attempting to make a prophetic reading of the Runes.
SEARCH (INT)
Check: You generally must be within 10 feet of the object or surface to
be searched. The table below gives DCs for typical tasks involving the Search
skill.
Task |
|
Ransack a chest full of
junk to find a certain item |
10 |
Notice a typical secret
door or a simple trap |
20 |
Find a difficult nonmagical
trap (rogue only)1 |
21 or higher |
Find a magic trap (rogue
only)1 |
25 + level of spell used to
create trap |
Notice a well-hidden secret
door |
30 |
Find a footprint |
Varies2 |
1 Dwarves (even if they are not rogues) can use Search to find traps built
into or out of stone.
2 A successful Search check can find a footprint or similar sign of a
creature’s passage, but it won’t let you find or follow a trail. See the Track
feat for the appropriate DC.
Action: It takes a full-round action to search a 5-foot-by-5-foot area
or a volume of goods 5 feet on a side.
Special: An elf has a +2 racial bonus on Search checks, and a half-elf
has a +1 racial bonus. An elf (but not a half-elf) who simply passes within 5
feet of a secret or concealed door can make a Search check to find that door.
If you have the Investigator feat, you get a +2 bonus on Search checks.
The spells explosive runes, fire trap, glyph of warding, symbol, and teleportation
circle create magic traps that a rogue can find by making a successful
Search check and then can attempt to disarm by using Disable Device.
Identifying the location of a snare spell has a DC of 23. Spike
growth and spike stones create magic traps that can be found using
Search, but against which Disable Device checks do not succeed. See the
individual spell descriptions for details.
Active abjuration spells within 10 feet of each other for 24 hours or more
create barely visible energy fluctuations. These fluctuations give you a +4
bonus on Search checks to locate such abjuration spells.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Search, you get a +2 bonus on
Survival checks to find or follow tracks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (architecture and engineering), you
get a +2 bonus on Search checks to find secret doors or hidden compartments.
Restriction: While anyone can use Search to find a trap whose DC is 20
or lower, only a rogue can use Search to locate traps with higher DCs. (Exception:
The spell find traps temporarily enables a cleric to use the Search
skill as if he were a rogue.)
A dwarf, even one who is not a rogue, can use the Search skill to find a
difficult trap (one with a DC higher than 20) if the trap is built into or out
of stone. He gains a +2 racial bonus on the Search check from his stonecunning
ability.
SENSE MOTIVE (
Check: A successful check lets you avoid being bluffed (see the Bluff
skill). You can also use this skill to determine when “something is up” (that
is, something odd is going on) or to assess someone’s trustworthiness.
Task |
Sense |
Hunch |
20 |
Sense enchantment |
25 or 15 |
Discern secret message |
Varies |
Hunch: This use of the skill involves making a gut assessment of the
social situation. You can get the feeling from another’s behavior that
something is wrong, such as when you’re talking to an impostor. Alternatively,
you can get the feeling that someone is trustworthy.
Sense Enchantment: You can tell that someone’s behavior is being
influenced by an enchantment effect (by definition, a mind-affecting effect),
even if that person isn’t aware of it. The usual DC is 25, but if the target is
dominated (see dominate person), the DC is only 15 because of the
limited range of the target’s activities.
Discern Secret Message: You may use Sense Motive to detect that a hidden
message is being transmitted via the Bluff skill. In this case, your Sense
Motive check is opposed by the Bluff check of the character transmitting the
message. For each piece of information relating to the message that you are
missing, you take a –2 penalty on your Sense Motive check. If you succeed by 4
or less, you know that something hidden is being communicated, but you can’t
learn anything specific about its content. If you beat the DC by 5 or more, you
intercept and understand the message. If you fail by 4 or less, you don’t
detect any hidden communication. If you fail by 5 or more, you infer some false
information.
Action: Trying to gain information with Sense Motive generally takes at
least 1 minute, and you could spend a whole evening trying to get a sense of
the people around you.
Try Again: No, though you may make a Sense Motive check for each Bluff
check made against you.
Special: A ranger gains a bonus on Sense Motive checks when using this
skill against a favored enemy.
If you have the Negotiator feat, you get a +2 bonus on Sense Motive checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Sense Motive, you get a +2 bonus
on Diplomacy checks.
SLEIGHT OF HAND (DEX;
TRAINED ONLY; ARMOR CHECK PENALTY)
Check: A DC 10 Sleight of Hand check lets you palm a coin-sized,
unattended object. Performing a minor feat of legerdemain, such as making a
coin disappear, also has a DC of 10 unless an observer is determined to note
where the item went.
When you use this skill under close observation, your skill check is opposed by
the observer’s Spot check. The observer’s success doesn’t prevent you from
performing the action, just from doing it unnoticed.
You can hide a small object (including a light weapon or an easily concealed
ranged weapon, such as a dart, sling, or hand crossbow) on your body. Your
Sleight of Hand check is opposed by the Spot check of anyone observing you or
the Search check of anyone frisking you. In the latter case, the searcher gains
a +4 bonus on the Search check, since it’s generally easier to find such an
object than to hide it. A dagger is easier to hide than most light weapons, and
grants you a +2 bonus on your Sleight of Hand check to conceal it. An
extraordinarily small object, such as a coin, shuriken, or ring, grants you a
+4 bonus on your Sleight of Hand check to conceal it, and heavy or baggy
clothing (such as a cloak) grants you a +2 bonus on the check.
Drawing a hidden weapon is a standard action and doesn’t provoke an attack of
opportunity.
If you try to take something from another creature, you must make a DC 20
Sleight of Hand check to obtain it. The opponent makes a Spot check to detect
the attempt, opposed by the same Sleight of Hand check result you achieved when
you tried to grab the item. An opponent who succeeds on this check notices the
attempt, regardless of whether you got the item.
You can also use Sleight of Hand to entertain an audience as though you were
using the Perform skill. In such a case, your “act” encompasses elements of
legerdemain, juggling, and the like.
|
Task |
10 |
Palm a coin-sized object,
make a coin disappear |
20 |
Lift a small object from a
person |
Action: Any Sleight of Hand check normally is a standard action.
However, you may perform a Sleight of Hand check as a free action by taking a –20
penalty on the check.
Try Again: Yes, but after an initial failure, a second Sleight of Hand
attempt against the same target (or while you are being watched by the same
observer who noticed your previous attempt) increases the DC for the task by
10.
Special: If you have the Deft Hands feat, you get a +2 bonus on Sleight
of Hand checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, you get a +2 bonus on
Sleight of Hand checks.
Untrained: An untrained Sleight of Hand check is simply a Dexterity
check. Without actual training, you can’t succeed on any Sleight of Hand check
with a DC higher than 10, except for hiding an object on your body.
SPEAK LANGUAGE (NONE; TRAINED ONLY)
The table below lists the major languages spoken in Europa and the
Literacy: Literacy is rare in Terra Viejo. To become literate, a character must take
Speak Language (Literate). This gives literacy in all languages a character
speaks. Most starting characters gain an
additional bonus language that can be used for Speak Language (Literate) or
another available language. Starting wizards and studious clerics gain Speak
Language (Literate) as a bonus language. Starting barbarians do not gain a
bonus language.
If the character is illiterate, they cannot:
Checks with Dialects: At the DM’s discretion, the DM
may require an intelligence check (DC 10) to read something particularly
archaic or written in a heavy dialect unknown to the reader. Five or more ranks
in Decipher Script provide a +2 to this check. The DM may also allow a DC 10
intelligence check to identify which dialect a writer used, or this may be
obvious and no check is required. Attempting to write in another dialect of a
known language requires successful use of the Forgery skill.
Language |
Spoken by |
Dialect |
Arabic |
Humans in the |
Bedouin, Berber, Egyptian,
Mesopotamian |
Eldar |
Elves |
Aquatic, Gray, High,
Wild-Plains, Wild-Snow, Wild- Sylvani |
Fey (Sylvan) |
Fey and Sylvan creatures |
Centaur, Dryad, Pixie and
many others |
Finn |
Humans in Finmark |
Estonian, Kalevalan,
Karelian, Sammi (Lapp) |
Gaelic |
Humans in Britannia and
Amorica |
Brytonic, |
Germanisch |
Humans in |
Dutch, English, Flemish,
Mark Cant, Ostdeutsche, Pommeranian, Saxon |
Giant |
Giants |
Fire, Frost, Hill and
others |
Gnome |
Gnomes |
Vale, Ice, Deep |
Greek |
Humans in the |
Achaean, Byzantine |
Grusch |
Goblins, Trolls and other
foul creatures |
Each major tribe will have
its own dialect and sub-dialects |
Latin |
Humans in Europa |
|
Magyar |
Humans in Magyaria and |
No major dialects |
Norse |
Humans in Norseland |
Danish, Icelandic (Scald),
Norwegian, Swedish |
One Tongue |
Dwarves |
None, though dwarves from
different kingdoms may have different accents |
Persian |
Humans in the |
Pahlavi, Dari |
Romansh |
Humans in |
Burgandian, Castilian,
Catalan, French, Lombard, Occitan, Portuguese, Rumanian, Tuscan |
Slavic |
Humans in Eastern Europa |
Bohemian, Bulgar, Balkans,
Lithuanian, Pole, Rus |
Turkik |
Humans in the |
Ottoman and Scythian (this
has many sub-dialects) |
SPELLCRAFT (INT;
TRAINED ONLY)
Use this skill to identify spells as they are cast or spells already in place.
|
Task |
13 |
When using read magic, identify
a glyph of warding. No action required. |
15 + spell level |
Identify a spell being
cast. (You must see or hear the spell’s verbal or somatic components.) No
action required. No retry. |
15 + spell level |
Learn a spell from a
spellbook or scroll (wizard only). No retry for that spell until you gain at
least 1 rank in Spellcraft (even if you find another source to try to learn
the spell from). Requires 8 hours. |
15 + spell level |
Prepare a spell from a borrowed
spellbook (wizard only). One try per day. No extra time required. |
15 + spell level |
When casting detect
magic, determine the school of magic involved in the aura of a single
item or creature you can see. (If the aura is not a spell effect, the DC is
15 + one-half caster level.) No action required. |
19 |
When using read magic, identify
a symbol. No action required. |
20 + spell level |
Identify a spell that’s
already in place and in effect. You must be able to see or detect the effects
of the spell. No action required. No retry. |
20 + spell level |
Identify materials created
or shaped by magic, such as noting that an iron wall is the result of a wall
of iron spell. No action required. No retry. |
20 + spell level |
Decipher a written spell
(such as a scroll) without using read magic. One try per day. Requires
a full-round action. |
25 + spell level |
After rolling a saving
throw against a spell targeted on you, determine what that spell was. No
action required. No retry. |
25 |
Identify a potion. Requires
1 minute. No retry. |
20 |
Draw a diagram to allow dimensional
anchor to be cast on a magic circle spell. Requires 10 minutes. No
retry. This check is made secretly so you do not know the result. |
30 or higher |
Understand a strange or
unique magical effect, such as the effects of a magic stream. Time required
varies. No retry. |
Check: You can identify spells and magic effects. The DCs for
Spellcraft checks relating to various tasks are summarized on the table above.
Action: Varies, as noted above.
Try Again: See above.
Special: If you are a specialist wizard, you get a +2 bonus on
Spellcraft checks when dealing with a spell or effect from your specialty
school. You take a –5 penalty when dealing with a spell or effect from a
prohibited school (and some tasks, such as learning a prohibited spell, are
just impossible).
If you have the Magical Aptitude feat, you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (arcana), you get a +2
bonus on Spellcraft checks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Use Magic Device, you get a +2 bonus on
Spellcraft checks to decipher spells on scrolls.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Spellcraft, you get a +2 bonus on Use Magic
Device checks related to scrolls.
Additionally, certain spells allow you to gain information about magic,
provided that you make a successful Spellcraft check as detailed in the spell
description.
SPOT (
Check: The Spot skill is used primarily to detect characters or
creatures who are hiding. Typically, your Spot check is opposed by the Hide
check of the creature trying not to be seen. Sometimes a creature isn’t
intentionally hiding but is still difficult to see, so a successful Spot check
is necessary to notice it.
A Spot check result higher than 20 generally lets you become aware of an
invisible creature near you, though you can’t actually see it.
Spot is also used to detect someone in disguise (see the Disguise skill), and
to read lips when you can’t hear or understand what someone is saying.
Spot checks may be called for to determine the distance at which an encounter
begins. A penalty applies on such checks, depending on the distance between the
two individuals or groups, and an additional penalty may apply if the character
making the Spot check is distracted (not concentrating on being observant).
Condition |
Penalty |
Per 10 feet of distance |
–1 |
Spotter distracted |
–5 |
Read Lips: To understand what someone is saying by reading lips, you
must be within 30 feet of the speaker, be able to see him or her speak, and
understand the speaker’s language. (This use of the skill is
language-dependent.) The base DC is 15, but it increases for complex speech or
an inarticulate speaker. You must maintain a line of sight to the lips being
read.
If your Spot check succeeds, you can understand the general content of a
minute’s worth of speaking, but you usually still miss certain details. If the
check fails by 4 or less, you can’t read the speaker’s lips. If the check fails
by 5 or more, you draw some incorrect conclusion about the speech. The check is
rolled secretly in this case, so that you don’t know whether you succeeded or
missed by 5.
Action: Varies. Every time you have a chance to spot something in a
reactive manner you can make a Spot check without using an action. Trying to
spot something you failed to see previously is a move action. To read lips, you
must concentrate for a full minute before making a Spot check, and you can’t
perform any other action (other than moving at up to half speed) during this
minute.
Try Again: Yes. You can try to spot something that you failed to see
previously at no penalty. You can attempt to read lips once per minute.
Special: A fascinated creature takes a –4 penalty on Spot checks made as
reactions.
If you have the Alertness feat, you get a +2 bonus on Spot checks.
A ranger gains a bonus on Spot checks when using this skill against a favored
enemy.
An elf has a +2 racial bonus on Spot checks.
A half-elf has a +1 racial bonus on Spot checks.
The master of a hawk familiar gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in daylight or
other lighted areas.
The master of an owl familiar gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in shadowy or other
darkened areas.
SURVIVAL (
Check: You can keep yourself and others safe and fed in the wild. The
table below gives the DCs for various tasks that require Survival checks.
Survival does not allow you to follow difficult tracks unless you are a ranger
or have the Track feat (see the Restriction section below).
Survival DC |
Task |
10 |
Get along in the wild. Move
up to one-half your overland speed while hunting and foraging (no food or
water supplies needed). You can provide food and water for one other person
for every 2 points by which your check result exceeds 10. |
15 |
Gain a +2 bonus on all
Fortitude saves against severe weather while moving up to one-half your
overland speed, or gain a +4 bonus if you remain stationary. You may grant
the same bonus to one other character for every 1 point by which your
Survival check result exceeds 15. |
15 |
Keep from getting lost or
avoid natural hazards, such as quicksand. |
15 |
Predict the weather up to
24 hours in advance. For every 5 points by which your Survival check result
exceeds 15, you can predict the weather for one additional day in advance. |
Varies |
Follow tracks (see the
Track feat). |
Action: Varies. A single Survival check may represent activity over
the course of hours or a full day. A Survival check made to find tracks is at
least a full-round action, and it may take even longer.
Try Again: Varies. For getting along in the wild or for gaining the
Fortitude save bonus noted in the table above, you make a Survival check once
every 24 hours. The result of that check applies until the next check is made.
To avoid getting lost or avoid natural hazards, you make a Survival check
whenever the situation calls for one. Retries to avoid getting lost in a
specific situation or to avoid a specific natural hazard are not allowed. For
finding tracks, you can retry a failed check after 1 hour (outdoors) or 10
minutes(indoors) of searching.
Restriction: While anyone can use Survival to find tracks (regardless of
the DC), or to follow tracks when the DC for the task is 10 or lower, only a
ranger (or a character with the Track feat) can use Survival to follow tracks
when the task has a higher DC.
Special: If you have 5 or more ranks in Survival, you can automatically
determine where true north lies in relation to yourself.
A ranger gains a bonus on Survival checks when using this skill to find or
follow the tracks of a favored enemy.
If you have the Self-Sufficient feat, you get a +2 bonus on Survival checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Survival, you get a +2 bonus on
Knowledge (nature) checks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (dungeoneering), you get a +2 bonus on
Survival checks made while underground.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (nature), you get a +2 bonus on
Survival checks in aboveground natural environments (aquatic, desert, forest,
hill, marsh, mountains, and plains).
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (geography), you get a +2 bonus on
Survival checks made to keep from getting lost or to avoid natural hazards.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (cosmology), you get a +2 bonus on
Survival checks made while on other planes.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Search, you get a +2 bonus on Survival checks to
find or follow tracks.
SWIM (STR; ARMOR
CHECK PENALTY)
Check: Make a Swim check once per round while you are in the water.
Success means you may swim at up to one-half your speed (as a full-round
action) or at one-quarter your speed (as a move action). If you fail by 4 or
less, you make no progress through the water. If you fail by 5 or more, you go
underwater.
If you are underwater, either because you failed a Swim check or because you
are swimming underwater intentionally, you must hold your breath. You can hold
your breath for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution score, but only
if you do nothing other than take move actions or free actions. If you take a
standard action or a full-round action (such as making an attack), the
remainder of the duration for which you can hold your breath is reduced by 1
round. (Effectively, a character in combat can hold his or her breath only half
as long as normal.) After that period of time, you must make a DC 10 Constitution
check every round to continue holding your breath. Each round, the DC for that
check increases by 1. If you fail the Constitution check, you begin to drown.
The DC for the Swim check depends on the water, as given on the table below.
Water |
|
Calm water |
10 |
Rough water |
15 |
Stormy water |
201 |
1 You can’t take 10 on a Swim check in stormy water, even if you aren’t
otherwise being threatened or distracted.
Each hour that you swim, you must make a DC 20 Swim check or take 1d6 points of
nonlethal damage from fatigue.
Action: A successful Swim check allows you to swim one-quarter of your
speed as a move action or one-half your speed as a full-round action.
Special: Swim checks are subject to double the normal armor check
penalty and encumbrance penalty.
If you have the Athletic feat, you get a +2 bonus on Swim checks.
If you have the Endurance feat, you get a +4 bonus on Swim checks made to avoid
taking nonlethal damage from fatigue.
A creature with a swim speed can move through water at its indicated speed
without making Swim checks. It gains a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to
perform a special action or avoid a hazard. The creature always can choose to
take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered when swimming. Such a
creature can use the run action while swimming, provided that it swims in a
straight line.
TUMBLE (DEX;
TRAINED ONLY; ARMOR CHECK PENALTY)
You can’t use this skill if your speed has been reduced by armor, excess
equipment, or loot.
Check: You can land softly when you fall or tumble past opponents. You
can also tumble to entertain an audience (as though using the Perform skill).
The DCs for various tasks involving the Tumble skill are given on the table
below.
|
Task |
15 |
Treat a fall as if it were
10 feet shorter than it really is when determining damage. |
15 |
Tumble at one-half speed as
part of normal movement, provoking no attacks of opportunity while doing so.
Failure means you provoke attacks of opportunity normally. Check separately
for each opponent you move past, in the order in which you pass them (player’s
choice of order in case of a tie). |
25 |
Tumble at one-half speed
through an area occupied by an enemy (over, under, or around the opponent) as
part of normal movement, provoking no attacks of opportunity while doing so.
Failure means you stop before entering the enemy-occupied area and provoke an
attack of opportunity from that enemy. |
Obstructed or otherwise treacherous surfaces, such as natural cavern floors or undergrowth, are tough to tumble through. The DC for any Tumble check made to tumble into such a square is modified as indicated below.
Surface Is . . . |
DC Modifier |
Lightly obstructed (scree,
light rubble, shallow bog1, undergrowth) |
+2 |
Severely obstructed
(natural cavern floor, dense rubble, dense undergrowth) |
+5 |
Lightly slippery (wet
floor) |
+2 |
Severely slippery (ice
sheet) |
+5 |
Sloped or angled |
+2 |
1 Tumbling is impossible in
a deep bog. |
|
Accelerated Tumbling: You try to tumble past or through enemies more
quickly than normal. By accepting a –10 penalty on your Tumble checks, you can
move at your full speed instead of one-half your speed.
Action: Not applicable. Tumbling is part of movement, so a Tumble check
is part of a move action.
Try Again: Usually no. An audience, once it has judged a tumbler as an
uninteresting performer, is not receptive to repeat performances.
You can try to reduce damage from a fall as an instant reaction only once per
fall.
Special: If you have 5 or more ranks in Tumble, you gain a +3 dodge
bonus to AC when fighting defensively instead of the usual +2 dodge bonus to
AC.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Tumble, you gain a +6 dodge bonus to AC when
executing the total defense standard action instead of the usual +4 dodge bonus
to AC.
If you have the Acrobatic feat, you get a +2 bonus on Tumble checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Tumble, you get a +2 bonus on
Balance and Jump checks.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Jump, you get a +2 bonus on Tumble checks.
USE MAGIC DEVICE (CHA;
TRAINED ONLY)
Use this skill to activate magic
Check: You can use this skill to read a spell or to activate a magic
item. Use Magic Device lets you use a magic item as if you had the spell
ability or class features of another class, as if you were a different race, or
as if you were of a different alignment.
You make a Use Magic Device check each time you activate a device such as a
wand. If you are using the check to emulate an alignment or some other quality
in an ongoing manner, you need to make the relevant Use Magic Device check once
per hour.
You must consciously choose which requirement to emulate. That is, you must
know what you are trying to emulate when you make a Use Magic Device check for
that purpose. The DCs for various tasks involving Use Magic Device checks are
summarized on the table below.
Task |
Use Magic |
Activate blindly |
25 |
Decipher a written spell |
25 + spell level |
Use a scroll |
20 + caster level |
Use a wand |
20 |
Emulate a class feature |
20 |
Emulate an ability score |
See text |
Emulate a race |
25 |
Emulate an alignment |
30 |
Activate Blindly: Some magic items are activated by special words,
thoughts, or actions. You can activate such an item as if you were using the
activation word, thought, or action, even when you’re not and even if you don’t
know it. You do have to perform some equivalent activity in order to make the
check. That is, you must speak, wave the item around, or otherwise attempt to
get it to activate. You get a special +2 bonus on your Use Magic Device check
if you’ve activated the item in question at least once before. If you fail by 9
or less, you can’t activate the device. If you fail by 10 or more, you suffer a
mishap. A mishap means that magical energy gets released but it doesn’t do what
you wanted it to do. The default mishaps are that the item affects the wrong
target or that uncontrolled magical energy is released, dealing 2d6 points of
damage to you. This mishap is in addition to the chance for a mishap that you
normally run when you cast a spell from a scroll that you could not otherwise
cast yourself.
Decipher a Written Spell: This usage works just like deciphering a
written spell with the Spellcraft skill, except that the DC is 5 points higher.
Deciphering a written spell requires 1 minute of concentration.
Emulate an Ability Score: To cast a spell from a scroll, you need a high
score in the appropriate ability (Intelligence for wizard spells, Wisdom for
divine spells, or Charisma for sorcerer or bard spells). Your effective ability
score (appropriate to the class you’re emulating when you try to cast the spell
from the scroll) is your Use Magic Device check result minus 15. If you already
have a high enough score in the appropriate ability, you don’t need to make
this check.
Emulate an Alignment: Some magic items have positive or negative effects
based on the user’s alignment. Use Magic Device lets you use these items as if
you were of an alignment of your choice. You can emulate only one alignment at
a time.
Emulate a Class Feature: Sometimes you need to use a class feature to
activate a magic item. In this case, your effective level in the emulated class
equals your Use Magic Device check result minus 20. This skill does not let you
actually use the class feature of another class. It just lets you activate
items as if you had that class feature. If the class whose feature you are
emulating has an alignment requirement, you must meet it, either honestly or by
emulating an appropriate alignment with a separate Use Magic Device check (see
above).
Emulate a Race: Some magic items work only for members of certain races,
or work better for members of those races. You can use such an item as if you
were a race of your choice. You can emulate only one race at a time.
Use a Scroll: If you are casting a spell from a scroll, you have to
decipher it first. Normally, to cast a spell from a scroll, you must have the
scroll’s spell on your class spell list. Use Magic Device allows you to use a
scroll as if you had a particular spell on your class spell list. The DC is
equal to 20 + the caster level of the spell you are trying to cast from the
scroll. In addition, casting a spell from a scroll requires a minimum score (10
+ spell level) in the appropriate ability. If you don’t have a sufficient score
in that ability, you must emulate the ability score with a separate Use Magic
Device check (see above).
This use of the skill also applies to other spell completion magic items.
Use a Wand: Normally, to use a wand, you must have the wand’s spell on
your class spell list. This use of the skill allows you to use a wand as if you
had a particular spell on your class spell list. This use of the skill also
applies to other spell trigger magic items, such as staffs.
Action: None. The Use Magic Device check is made as part of the action
(if any) required to activate the magic item.
Try Again: Yes, but if you ever roll a natural 1 while attempting to
activate an item and you fail, then you can’t try to activate that item again
for 24 hours.
Special: You cannot take 10 with this skill.
You can’t aid another on Use Magic Device checks. Only the user of the item may
attempt such a check.
If you have the Magical Aptitude feat, you get a +2 bonus on Use Magic Device
checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Spellcraft, you get a +2 bonus
on Use Magic Device checks related to scrolls.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Decipher Script, you get a +2 bonus on Use Magic
Device checks related to scrolls.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Use Magic Device, you get a +2 bonus to
Spellcraft checks made to decipher spells on scrolls.
USE ROPE (DEX)
Check: Most tasks with a rope are relatively simple. The DCs for various
tasks utilizing this skill are summarized on the table below.
Use |
Task |
10 |
Tie a firm knot |
101 |
Secure a grappling hook |
15 |
Tie a special knot, such as
one that slips, slides slowly, or loosens with a tug |
15 |
Tie a rope around yourself
one-handed |
15 |
Splice two ropes together |
Varies |
Bind a character |
1 Add 2 to the DC for every 10 feet the hook is thrown; see below.
Secure a Grappling Hook: Securing a grappling hook requires a Use Rope
check (DC 10, +2 for every 10 feet of distance the grappling hook is thrown, to
a maximum DC of 20 at 50 feet). Failure by 4 or less indicates that the hook
fails to catch and falls, allowing you to try again. Failure by 5 or more
indicates that the grappling hook initially holds, but comes loose after 1d4
rounds of supporting weight. This check is made secretly, so that you don’t
know whether the rope will hold your weight.
Bind a Character: When you bind another character with a rope, any
Escape Artist check that the bound character makes is opposed by your Use Rope
check.
You get a +10 bonus on this check because it is easier to bind someone than to
escape from bonds. You don’t even make your Use Rope check until someone tries
to escape.
Action: Varies. Throwing a grappling hook is a standard action that
provokes an attack of opportunity. Tying a knot, tying a special knot, or tying
a rope around yourself one-handed is a full-round action that provokes an
attack of opportunity. Splicing two ropes together takes 5 minutes. Binding a
character takes 1 minute.
Special: A silk rope gives you a +2 circumstance bonus on Use Rope
checks. If you cast an animate rope spell on a rope, you get a +2
circumstance bonus on any Use Rope checks you make when using that rope.
These bonuses stack.
If you have the Deft Hands feat, you get a +2 bonus on Use Rope checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Use Rope, you get a +2 bonus on
Climb checks made to climb a rope, a knotted rope, or a rope-and-wall
combination.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Use Rope, you get a +2 bonus on Escape Artist
checks when escaping from rope bonds.
If you have 5 or more ranks in Escape Artist, you get a +2 bonus on checks made
to bind someone.