Class Skills

[doosler]

When the PHB lists class skills for a certain class, do you automatically start out with those skills, and then use additional skill points at 1st level to distribute amongst other skills, or are the class skills simply recommendations?

For example, for wizards it says:

Class Skills
The wizard’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Points at 1st Level
(2 + Int modifier) ×4.

A non-human character with an Int modifier of +3 would start off with 20 skill points to distribute. It would be cool if a wizard started off with all those above listed class skills maxed out, and then the 20 skill points could be used to acquire other skills. Is that how it works, or is that wishful thinking?

 

[Khuxan]

When the PHB lists class skills for a certain class, do you automatically start out with those skills, and then use additional skill points at 1st level to distribute amongst other skills, or are the class skills simply recommendations?

For example, for wizards it says:

Class Skills
The wizard’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Points at 1st Level
(2 + Int modifier) ×4.

A non-human character with an Int modifier of +3 would start off with 20 skill points to distribute. It would be cool if a wizard started off with all those above listed class skills maxed out, and then the 20 skill points could be used to acquire other skills. Is that how it works, or is that wishful thinking?

It's just wishful thinking.

Your 20 skill points can be used to buy skill ranks in class skils or cross-class skills (cross-class skills are any that do not appear on the class skill list). However, cc skills cost twice as many skill points and you can only have half as many ranks in them as a class skills. For example, you could put 4 ranks in Spellcraft (a class skill), or 2 ranks in Spot (a cross-class skill).

As I think you know, you cannot have more than 4 ranks in a class skill at 1st level. (The formula is maximum ranks = 3 + your character level, except for cross-class skills it's half that result).

 

[Arkhandus]

Nah, you don't start with those skills automatically. You have to buy skill ranks normally with skill points. You just pay less (1 skill point per rank, instead of 1 skill point per 1/2 rank) for class skills, and have a higher maximum rank possible in class skills.

 

[irdeggman]

Getting a lot of questions on basic issues from newbie players recently.

Strong suggestion:

Go to page 6 of the PHB it lists the steps in character creation and is actually pretty clear on how it works (surprisingly).

If you are trying to initially play the game without a PHB (and only using the SRD) - stop right there and do not, repeat, do not attempt it that way.

The SRD is missing far too many things that are essential for a new player - like a lot of illustrations that visually show what the rules mean as well as the pg 6 information layout.