Cross class skills cap

[Aldern Foxglove]

Right, so cross class skills are capped at 1/2 what they would be if they were class skills - even though the amount of skill points needed to reach that point would be the same.

Now for some reason I am recalling a rule - and it may well have been a house rule, though I hope not - where if you had the skill as a class skill for one of your classes it removed the cap. Thus you could spend double to bump a skill up if you really needed to meet requirements, etc.

Anyone ever heard of anything like that? And preferably - in the unlikely event it is real - a reference for the rule.

 

[bobhayes]

It's not a house rule. Your skill points for the level in the class where the skill was a class skill counted full. It didn't remove the cap, it just allows a higher cap, and you can spend skill points up to the cap when you level in the new class.

So say I have a Barbarian 10. He could have up to 6.5 ranks in Knowledge - Arcana (his level + 3 divided by two), but say he never took any. Now he decides to multiclass to Wizard for his 11th level - since K-A is a class skill for wizards, his new cap is (level + 3) so he could have 14 ranks now if he somehow got the skill points. If he has six new skill points at the level (he's a real smart barbarian), he could spend them all to buy Knowledge-Arcana; he could do that for a few levels and "catch up" if he wants to.

Going forward for him, whether the skill costs 2 pts per rank or 1 pt per rank depends on whether he's taking a level of barb or wiz, but his cap will always be level + 3, because the skill is a class skill for one of his classes.

TL;DR: the cap (level + 3, or level + 3 / 2) is controlled by whether the skill is on ANY of your class skill lists. The cost per rank is dependent on what class you're leveling.

Source: Skills Summary :: d20srd.org

 

[FEADIN]

The confusion comes from the change between 3.0 and 3.5 on cross class skills, they were handled differently.

 

[Aldern Foxglove]

So just to ensure I have this right...

Let's say I wish to qualify for a PRC which requires Hide 8 ranks, and Spot 8 ranks and I wish to take only one level of rogue and the rest in wizard.

I put 4 ranks in Hide and Spot at 1st, and then spend 16 skill points to advance both skills to 8 ranks by 5th level. Thus qualifying for my PRC - its Unseen Seer btw and I would be getting search via Elf Generlaist Racial Sub levels. Does that work?

Thank you for your input btw, much appreciated.

 

[ValhallaGH]

So just to ensure I have this right...

Let's say I wish to qualify for a PRC which requires Hide 8 ranks, and Spot 8 ranks and I wish to take only one level of rogue and the rest in wizard.

I put 4 ranks in Hide and Spot at 1st, and then spend 16 skill points to advance both skills to 8 ranks by 5th level. Thus qualifying for my PRC - its Unseen Seer btw and I would be getting search via Elf Generlaist Racial Sub levels. Does that work?

Thank you for your input btw, much appreciated.

Works perfectly, by the rules.

Have fun.