Pathfinder

Okay.

Let's use a kobold as an example, that got 10 in all ability scores.

Being certain races adds certain amounts to your base Ability Score. Kobolds have a -4 penalty to Strength, leaving them with awful strength score of 6.

An ability modifier is a number that the score grants your powers and skills based on how many multiples of 2 it is away from 10. That kobold's Strength modifier is -2 thanks to being born in the wrong species for heavy lifting, but his racial +2 dexterity bonus (Dex 12), his Dexterity modifer is +1.

Am I making sense, or being more confusing?

I'm too old to be cute dammit

I understood ability score part, but...

"An ability modifier is a number that the score grants your powers and skills based on how many multiples of 2 it is away from 10." I dropped off the wagon at that point already ^^; Can you try to give me examples with main races? And give me practical examples of how they work in practice, like how it affects making rolls?

EDIT: Wait, okay. so Since Kobold strenth is six, ability modifier is -2 because its 2 x 2 smaller than average? So my cleric's ability modifier on int would be +3 if I put my two bonus stats on top of 14 making it 16? Did I get that right?

edited 4th Mar '13 7:42:41 AM by SpookyMask

No, wait, since I have +3 int modifier from stats and then +2 int modifier from cleric, thats why I have 5 skill ranks since I have +5 int modifier?

...Okay, I still want to know what that means language wise.

Alright, the legal scores and their modifiers are like this:

• 7: -2
• 8-9: -1
• 10-11: +0
• 12-13: +1
• 14-15: +2
• 16-17: +3
• 18: +4

And those apply to saves, skills and attacks.

Say our kobold has a rank in Stealth, a Dexterity-based skill and a class skill for all kobolds.

His total bonus for Stealth rolls is his ranks (1), his Dexterity modifier (1), and being a class skill (+3).

So, if you roll a d20 for a Stealth check, you add 5 to the roll.

As for languages, you get extra ones based on your Intelligence modifier. A creature with an Int of 13 gets one extra language, whereas an Int of 18 gives you four.

edited 4th Mar '13 7:46:56 AM by Voyd211

I'm too old to be cute dammit

@Spooky Mask: Nope. That's not how Skills work.

For Skills, any Class Skill, when you put 1 Rank into it, it gives you 3 instead. It's a +3 bonus the first time you put it in. The second time and beyond, it only gives you 1 point total. Let me make a chart;

• First Rank if Class Skill: 3 Points.
• Second and Beyond Ranks: 1 Point.
• First Rank if non-Class Skill: 1 Point.
• Second and Beyond Ranks: 1 Point.

http://www.rpgcrossing.com This actually has char sheets that automatically do that for you. They're not perfect, but useful none the less.

...It's weird having so many websites and no way to properly display now, lol.

@Voyd: Ok, so I managed to understand it right... Thanks for example of how it is used in practice btw.

So anyway, I get one per int modifier then? Does that mean I get five languages then because of +2 to int modifier from being a cleric?

And just checking Kyler earlier said that " And since you're a human, you get an additional one on top of that" did he mean that I get one additional int modifier if I add +2 stats to my int score? Checking if I understood that right because I don't see any mention of humans getting bonus skill rank/int modifier.

@Irene: Which post are you answering to btw?

edited 4th Mar '13 7:52:54 AM by SpookyMask

No, you get 1 Additional Skill Point per level, or 1 Additional Hit Point per level.(you can choose either per level, you don't have to stick with one choice completely)

And post #28. Sorry for not specifying.

edited 4th Mar '13 7:54:31 AM by Irene

...It's weird having so many websites and no way to properly display now, lol.

That's the favored class thing when leveling up, not the human racial bonus.

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...

Wait.... classes don't give you ability bonus. Only races do that.

I'm too old to be cute dammit

...Okay, now I'm again confused.

Recapping what I thought I learned:

1. modifiers are based on how much score goess over or under average score of 10, so 12 is +1 and 9 is -1.

2. You get skill ranks per level based on how many int modifier you have.

3. I have five, so I start with 5 skill ranks and then get another 5 each time I level up.

Skill ranks are different from skill points, right? I got told of the "You get more points if you put ranks in your class skills" thing before, so have I gotten something really wrong or is there going on more miscommunication because of my grammar?

Bleh, haven't made a character in over 6 months. XD Yeah, what Kyler said. My bad.

What I said about the Skill Ranks does apply though. I hope my explanation made sense.

Skill Points = How many points you're given.

Skill Ranks = More or less how you spend them.

They're practically the same thing, though.

Let's say you're Level 1, you can put, say, 5 skill points into a Skill. Or spread them around 5 other skills.(or any combination thereof)

edited 4th Mar '13 8:01:08 AM by Irene

...It's weird having so many websites and no way to properly display now, lol.

I was tallying up the number of skill ranks you get. 2 from being a Cleric, 2 from your INT modifier, 1 from the Human racial trait.

Also, you should determine your final ability scores and modifiers before computing anything else, because everything is going to be based on those modifiers

They're kind of interchangeable terms, actually.

edited 4th Mar '13 8:01:36 AM by KylerThatch

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...

OOOOOH, you're looking at the Skill Ranks per Level.

You get 2 skill ranks plus your Int modifier whenever you level up. It doesn't actually boost the ability.

I'm too old to be cute dammit

You can't do that unless you somehow have 5 hit die at level 1. Which is impossible if you're using the core races.

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...

Okay, time out.

I can't help but feel that each person is replying to different thing.

For example, Irene replied to

"So anyway, I get one [language] per int modifier then? Does that mean I get five languages then because of +2 to int modifier from being a cleric? "

with

"No, you get 1 Additional Skill Point per level, or 1 Additional Hit Point per level"

Which doesn't make sense to me since I was talking about languages... Unless I misunderstood what she replied to.

And Kyler is talking about how humans get bonus skill rank from favored class thing?(where does that read in the book anyway?) Okay, so what the heck my int modifier has got to do with it then?

And Voyd replied to you two what you were talking about, right?

edited 4th Mar '13 8:05:13 AM by SpookyMask

Kyler, I was explaining how they generally work, not an exact correct example. Just how you can distribute them.

Damn my bigger knowledge of 3.5 >_<

Spooky, I was referring to human bonuses, but that was for Favored Class, as Kyler noted.

I'm tired, and have a bad memory. I blame myself for being more knowledgeable of 3.5 over Pathfinder.

To clarify, what I said about the whole Class Skill/Rank thing applies. That bulleted list, pay attention to. Talk to everyone else for the rest. >_<

edited 4th Mar '13 8:07:32 AM by Irene

...It's weird having so many websites and no way to properly display now, lol.

No, you (Spooky) said +2 Int for being a cleric. That didn't make sense, so I checked the guide. Turns out, they get 2 ranks plus Int modifier.

I'm too old to be cute dammit

@Voyd: Yeah, I earlier said that +2 int stats before I realized that +2 int modifier meant different thing. And then I got eureka moment about skill ranks. Though I'm now confused whether I understood it right or not.

So how does int modifier affect skill points? None?

The Int modifier adds to the number of skill ranks you get each level. That's why the number of ranks each class gets is described as "X + Int modifier".

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...

Okay, so do I get skill ranks based on my int modifier on level 1 then?

Yes, even level 1.

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...

Okay, so recapping(and checking I understood right)

• STR 7 (-2)
• DEX 9 (-1)
• CON 12 (+1)
• INT 14 + 2 = 16 (3 + 2 = +5)
• WIS 15 (+2)
• CHA 13 (+1)

Clerics apparently get two skill ranks for being cleric per level. If I understood this right. I get another one from it being my favored class as it is my first class. So how does int and race affect that? And where does "race/favored class" thing come from? I thought favored class was just first one you chose for character...

I must have been understood it wrong since I either don't have +5 int modifier or I get 5 more ranks x-x; This confuses me.

edited 4th Mar '13 8:19:44 AM by SpookyMask

Because of your 16 Int, which gives you an Int modifier of +3, you get an additional 3 skill ranks per level.

Apart from that, because you're a Human, you get an additional 1 skill rank per level. (As far as I can tell, this is a special Human-only perk. No other core race gets this bonus.)

Admittedly, the Pathfinder concept of "favored class" is kind of new to me, and I don't quite understand it yet myself.

edited 4th Mar '13 8:25:37 AM by KylerThatch

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...

? Cleric class description says "Skill Ranks per level: 2 + int"-

...Ooooooh. I understood what the heck I kept reading wrong.

I missed "Skill ranks per level" part and I read it as "+2 int modifier" instead of "2 + int modifier" *face palm* Time to fix

• STR 7 (-2)
• DEX 9 (-1)
• CON 12 (+1)
• INT 14 + 2 = 16 (+3)
• WIS 15 (+2)
• CHA 13 (+1)

Okay, so thats why I have 5 skill ranks? Should I then have 7 skill ranks since I get one from favored class apparently and from race?

Actually where the heck does "Humans get one skill rank per level" thing come from?*reads race description again, notices "skilled"*... Okay, I somehow kept missing that part.

Okay, so 2 + 3 + 1 + 1 means I have 7 skill points per level.(unless I choose to use favored class bonus for hitpoints I guess in which case it is 6?)

Asterix/*trained only skills mean that I can only use them if i have invested ranks in them, right? So I can invest ranks in them later and I don't have to use my starting skill points for them?

I guess I'll invest my points in diplomacy, heal, knowledge (religion, arcana, history, planes) and linguistics then.

If I understood right, I get bonus languages based on int modifier, so I have three bonuses. Since I put rank in linguistic I get another one so common + four languages in total.

Does class skill bonus only affect rolls?

Anyway, so next are then feats, age, height/wight and hp I guess... I think I'll manage with those, but I'll ask if I have problems. I will probably have problems with what spells i have and filling the character sheet. For example, how I am I supposed to fill domain part? Am I supposed to put two domains on top and then list next to numbers the spells of the same levels I got from domains?