Monster Skills

[SoD]

If I decide to make a monster slightly more intelligent, increasing it's inteligence modifier, therefore giving it more skills per HD, as the MM says that all skills described in the monsters description are it's class skills...would that mean that other skills I choose to give it are cross class skills?

[Azerian Kelimon]

Unless you change it's class skills, yeah.

[Fhaolan]

Yep. I've contemplated creating skill lists for each 'class' of creature, Animal, Aberation, Dragon, etc., because using the Monster entry seems a bit restrictive, but I haven't gotten around to it.

[Fax Celestis]

Let's be frank: giving a monster another class skill or two is not going to warrant even a +1 CR in most instances. I wouldn't worry about it.

[SoD]

Yep. I've contemplated creating skill lists for each 'class' of creature, Animal, Aberation, Dragon, etc., because using the Monster entry seems a bit restrictive, but I haven't gotten around to it.

Well, to help out there (whoa...offering someone else help on my own 'help me' topic. That's a first for me!), dragons* already have their class skills listed in the MM. The thing with other classes is that a single creature of one type can be so radically different to another of the same type that giiving them all the same skills just doesn't make sense. It will for some of them, but, lets look at magical beasts for a start:

Frost Worm/Remorhaz: These magical beasts would have very similar class skills, as:
Frost Worm=huge worm, thing, lives in a cold enviroment (skills, hide: listen, spot) and basically survives by hiding just under the surface of the snow before bursting out and eating them.
Remorhaz=huge centipede thing, lives in a cold enviroment (skills: listen, spot), survives by hiding just under the surface of the snow before bursting out and eating them.
These guys have the same skills, as they are extremely similar creatures. If we add another magical beast to the list: the Lammasu...
Lammasu: a winged lion thing, which is 'concerned with the wellfare and safety of all good beings', (skills: concentration, diplomacy, knowlege (arcana), listen, sense motive, spot). It's a magical beast, like the others, but with different skills. Although listen and spot are almost universal, there's no point in giving the other skills to the Frost Worm or Remhorhaz. Or the Roper. Or the Darkmantle. The other types are the same.

However, I would still be interested in seeing this list if you get around to it! It won't be easy, and there would probably be a lot of exceptions in every type...but the end product would probably be quite useful as well as interesting.

*at least, true dragons (metallic and chromatic, not half-dragons, dragonnes and psuedodragons) do...

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Well, to help out there (whoa...offering someone else help on my own 'help me' topic. That's a first for me!), dragons* already have their class skills listed in the MM.

That list only refers to True Dragons, not the Dragon creature type.

In any case, the creature types are really too broad to give each type its own class list. Each type has different creatures to fill almost all the different niches. You really can't get it to work on more than a case-by-case basis.

[SoD]

In any case, the creature types are really too broad to give each type its own class list. Each type has different creatures to fill almost all the different niches. You really can't get it to work on more than a case-by-case basis.

Damnit! He just sumarised my entire post in one paragraph! Why didn't I think that simpley?