The Meaning of Skill Ranks

[shurai]

Yes. This is because D&D player characters aren't usually very worried about skills unless they're directly related to killing monsters and taking their stuff. But in terms of the game world as a whole, there will be other people who _are_ worried about skills and so any argument about mapping to/from reality, as opposed to the narrow universe of PCs only, has to take that into account.

Assuming that by this you mean that D&D player characters are forced by their adventuring lifestyle to sacrifice a few points of skill bonus in favor of other enhancements related to combat, magic, or surviving immediate hazards, I agree with you. : ]

Luckily the table is independent of where and how the skill bonus is generated. That is, "Among the best in a large town or small city" happens at +12, regardless of level, class, and choice of feats.

I do notice that I've committed another minor sin -- "Rank" ought to be replaced by "Bonus" in the table, since that's the true measure of effectiveness.

Eh. Nowhere did you actually say anything about "D&D worlds" at the start:

In some games I've seen a table that relates various skill ratings to real-world equivalents, thus letting people kind of understand what the ratings mean.​

(emphasis added)

You're right, I didn't, I implied it by relating rather than equating. Connection does not imply parity.

Probably another case of me not communicating clearly enough. I should've said in situ rather than "real-world."

Bonus Meaning
----- -------
 +0   Utter beginner/completely untrained
 +4   Early career or late apprenticeship
 +8   Knowledgeable veteran or professional
+12   Among the best in a large town or small city
+16   Among the best in a large city or a small country
+20   Among the best in the world