Skills

[noparlpf]

I'm slightly confused by how skill ranks work, even after playing for over a year. Multiclassing is the source of my confusion. Here's an example:
You take levels in, say, Barbarian, which has Listen as a class skill. This means that you purchase ranks in Listen for the cost of one skill point each, up to a maximum of [your Barbarian level + 3].
Then you multiclass into, say, Wizard, which doesn't have Listen as a class skill. This means that you purchase ranks in Listen for the cost of two skill points each, up to a maximum of [(your Wizard level + 3)/2], or to a maximum of [total ranks = (ECL+3)/2]?
Along the same lines, say you multiclass into Druid instead, which does get Listen as a class skill. You get to purchase ranks in Listen for the cost of one skill point each, up to a maximum of [your Druid level + 3], or is it a maximum of [your ECL + 3]?
So a Barbarian 1 could purchase maximum ranks in Listen, or 4 ranks. When he multiclasses to Barb 1/Druid 1, would he now be able to purchase maximum ranks in Listen as a Druid (which is the class he's buying skills for) to 4 ranks (so he now has 8 ranks total), or does it stop at 5 ranks as [ECL + 3]?
I'm fairly certain it's the latter, but I just want to make sure.

[Cog]

The maximum isn't based on separate class level or on ECL (which includes LA); it's based on total hit dice - all character levels and racial hit dice add to it. If a skill has ever been a class skill for you, the limit is HD+3, and if the skill has never been a class skill, the limit is half that. The limit is based on all your classes, but the cost of new ranks bought at any single level depend on the class skills for that particular level only.

[noparlpf]

By ECL I meant HD. I misspoketyped. It was early in the morning when I thought of this and LA didn't occur to me.

Thanks, that's more or less how I thought it worked. Cool.

[Tibbaerrohwen]

I'm pretty sure it's by ELC. I've always treated it as ELC for the purpose of ELC increases due to templates.

[Jeraa]

I'm pretty sure it's by ELC. I've always treated it as ELC for the purpose of ELC increases due to templates.

No, not ECL. Level adjustment does not increase the skill cap. It is only hit dice that do.


Feat Acquisition and Ability Score Increases
A monster’s total Hit Dice, not its ECL, govern its acquisition of feats and ability score increases.

It doesn't specifically say skills, but its not a stretch to see that they would be included too. And this from the 3.5 FAQ:


Use the character’s ECL to determine starting equipment and how the character earns and benefits from experience (including when he gains an epic attack and save bonus; DMG 209), as noted on page 5 of SS. Use the actual character level for everything else.

[Zaq]

If a skill is a class skill for ANY of your classes, past or present, your max ranks in it are 3 + HD (note, that's HD, not ECL . . . HD from levels and racial hit dice increase your skill rank maximum, but LA and other sources of ECL do no such thing). This holds true no matter how many classes you have that give you that skill as a class skill, as long as it's not zero. Whether you have one class with it as a class skill or twenty classes with it as a class skill, the max is 3 + HD.

If a skill has never been a class skill for you, your max ranks are half that number, or (3 + HD)/2.

When buying skills, how many points you pay per rank ONLY depends on whether it's a class skill for the class you just took a level in. The maximum ranks might be higher if it was a class skill in the past but is no longer, but you still have to pay for cross-class ranks if it's not a class skill right now. You can still buy up to your maximum, assuming you have the skill points for it, but it costs you more to do so.

[Mockingbird]

In pathfinder, it's much easier. Skills gained by other classes are class skills, and there are no maximum ranks for skills. :P

[Jeraa]

In pathfinder, it's much easier. Skills gained by other classes are class skills, and there are no maximum ranks for skills. :P

There are maximum ranks in Pathfinder. You are limited to a number of ranks equal to your level. What Pathfinder did was remove cross-class skills. All skills have the same cap now, and cost 1 point per rank no matter what class you level up in.