Skills

Skills
Your character's skills determine how well they can perform actions that require special talent. By leveling them up you increase the likelihood of your hero succeeding through tough challenges and hard puzzles.

Point Aquisition
At character creation, each player is given 4 plus 1D6 points to assign to skills as they please. Players will also automatically receive skill points based on their stat modifiers. You will get an additional skill point to assign per level. You can also gain skill points from racial and class bonuses, enchantments and abilities, or have points given to you by your DM for completing particularly hard tasks.

Challenge Rating
When attempting an action that requires the use of a skill, the player will have to pit their personal level in that skill against the task's assigned challenge rating. The DM will determine how difficult a task is by assigning it a number. The player's skill level must then be higher than that number to succeed. For instance, if a stone wall has a challenge rating of 7 to climb then a hero with a climb skill of 4 can't make it, but a hero with a Climb skill of 8 could.

Player Against Player/NPC
When two people are testing their skills against each other, the winner will be determined differently depending on whether the action requires both to use the same skill, or opposing skills.

An example of same skill opposition would be if two players are having a horse race, which would use both players Ride skill to determine who can handle the horse better. In this case the player with the better Ride level would win barring outside interference.

However certain skills are meant to oppose one another. A pair of guards walking by a player who is hiding in the shadows of a hallway would have to have a higher Detection skill than the players Stealth skill to spot them. So if the players Stealth skill is 7, and the guards Detection skill is 4, they would not see him. However another guard with a Detection skill of 9 would.

Acrobatics
This skill will determine how well you perform actions that require a great deal of balance and swiftness. Actions such as walking a narrow ledge or treading on a slippery slope will benefit from a higher acrobatics score. Your dexterity modifier will add a bonus to this skill.

Appraisal
With this skill, your hero can better determine the monetary value of an item in their possession. This skill benefits from your intelligence modifier.

Arcana
Determines how well you can recognize a magical artifact, and whether or not you can recognize magical effect or curses upon an item. This benefits from your intelligence modifier.

Bluff
A high bluff skill will allow you to convince others to believe what you're saying is true...even when it isn't. Your charisma modifier will increase this skill.

Climb
Allows your hero to scale to great heights, ascend over pesky walls, and get out of stinky pits. Improved by your strength modifier.

Detect Stealth
This determines how well you can sense some one hiding nearby and spot them. Benefits from your wisdom modifier.

Diplomacy
This determines how likely you are to get others to see things your way, settling disputes or getting you out of trouble. Benefits from your charisma modifier.

Tame Animal

 * Appraisal - This skill will help your hero to determine the value of items in their possession. This skill also allows you to purchase items from vendors for a lower price at a rate of 2% off the item's cost per point in appraisal. Uses your intelligence modifier
 * Arcana - Determines how familiar you are with strange magical artifacts and identify magical effects or curses upon an item. Uses your intelligence modifier.
 * Bluff - The more points you put into the bluff skill, the better you'll be able to convince other people to believe you, even when making a straight up lie. Uses your charisma modifier.
 * Climb - Allows your hero to scale to great heights, ascend over pesky walls, and get out of stinky pits. Uses your strength modifier.
 * Diplomacy - The higher your diplomacy score, the more likely you are to convince others to see things your way. This skill is used in persuasion and talking yourself out of trouble. Uses your charisma modifier.
 * Disguise - This skill will determine how well you can make yourself look like another person or thing. The higher your score, the less likely some one will be able to see through the disguise. Uses your charisma modifier.
 * Etiquette - This is how much you know about foreign cultures and their mannerisms. Useful for greeting new people from a different culture, or when dealing with royalty. Uses your intelligence modifier.
 * First Aid - This is how well you can treat wounds on either yourself or others. For every point in this skill you are able to heal 1 HP to yourself or another if you make a successful skill check. Uses your intelligence modifier.
 * Geography - This is how well you know the lay of the land, which can be especially helpful for navigating through forests and mountains, or finding a secluded cave or dungeon. Uses your intelligence modifer.
 * History - This skill determines how well your hero is aware of the background of the local region. Knowing what events occured in a city, or who a famous individual was are determined by this score. Uses your intelligence modifier.
 * Intimidate - The higher this stat is, the more likely you'll be able to scare some one else into being afraid of you, or even just leaving you alone. Uses your charisma modifier.
 * Linguistics - This stat will determine how well you can communicate with others who do not speak in the Common tongue. Uses your intelligence modifier.
 * Lockpicking - Your lockpicking score will determine how successful you are at picking a lock. Uses your dexterity modifier.
 * Nature - This stat will determine how much your hero knows about the natural world. Things such as what berries are posionous, what animal made those tracks, and what sort of trees you're standing under. Uses your intelligence modifier.
 * Perception - The higher your perception score the more likely your hero will see through illusions or find a hidden lever in a dungeon. For every 3 points in this skill, all disguise rolls made against you get a -1 penalty. Uses your wisdom modifier.
 * Religion - How aware you are of religious customs and rituals. Every 3 points in this skill gives you a +1 bonus to ritual and prayer rolls. Uses your intelligence modifier.
 * Ride - This is how well your hero can handle riding on a mounted animal, as well as how well they can perform other actions while riding. Uses your dexterity modifer.
 * Sense Motive - This is how well you can determine what another persons true intentions are by their voice and mannerisms. For every 3 points in this skill, all bluff rolls made against you get a -1 penalty. Uses your wisdom modifier.
 * Sleight of Hand - Allows you to perform tricks such as hiding an object in plain sight, picking a pocket, or stealing a jewel right out from under some one's nose. Uses your dexterity modifier.
 * Stealth - The ability to hide from your enemy, even in broad daylight. Sneaking around town, hiding from monsters in a dungeon, or even just avoiding detection in the woods all benefit from this skill. Uses your dexterity modifier.
 * Survival - Your ability to make it in the wilds. Finding and preparing food, setting up a camp, and keeping your party stocked with water are just a few things you can do with this skill. Uses your wisdom modifier.
 * Swim - Allows your hero to cross large deep expanses of water. Uses your strength modifier.
 * Tame Animal - This skill determines how well your hero can calm down a wild beast and get it to follow orders. Taming more feral animals and issuing complex commands will usually require a higher score. Uses your charisma modifier.