Grouped Skills

Grouped Skills doesn't replace the skill list — it reorganizes how characters acquire skill competence. Instead of spending individual skill ranks, characters gain training in broad skill groups and specialties in specific skills. A character adds ½ her level to all checks in her trained groups, and her full level to skills where she also holds a specialty — making everyone reasonably competent while letting dedicated characters truly shine.

How It Works

Trained-only skills: a character counts as trained if she has either a specialty in that skill or training in its skill group.

Class skill bonus (+3): still applies if a character is trained in that skill's group or has a specialty in it — she doesn't need both. Class skill bonuses check specific skills, not groups: training in the Social group doesn't grant the +3 on Bluff if only Diplomacy is on the class skill list.

Calculating Skill Bonuses

Skill Groups

A character can train in any skill group even if none of its skills are class skills. A specialty may be taken in any skill, including one outside all trained groups.

Groups and Specialties by Level

At 1st level a character gains skill groups based on her class's skill ranks per level (see table). She also gains 1 specialty + ½ Int modifier bonus specialties (minimum 1 total). At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter she gains one additional specialty. If her Intelligence modifier changes, bonus specialties adjust immediately.

Linguistics

A character with a specialty in Linguistics or training in the Social skill group learns bonus languages equal to ½ her character level (minimum 1). If she has both a Linguistics specialty and Social group training, she knows bonus languages equal to her full character level.

Multiclassing

A multiclassed character uses the class with the lowest skill ranks per level to determine her number of skill groups. She does not lose groups already selected — once chosen, a group cannot be unselected. The rate at which she gains future groups slows to match the lower-rank class's progression.

Using with Other Variants

With Background Skills

Instead of gaining 2 background skill ranks per level, a character gains one additional specialty at 1st level that can only be spent on a background skill. Normal specialties can be spent on either background or adventuring skills freely. Artistry and Lore fall under the Scholarly group. Lore can be taken as a specialty any number of times (each for a different subject). Training in Scholarly doesn't grant access to all Lore skills untrained — you must hold a specialty in the specific Lore. However, having both a Lore specialty and Scholarly training grants your full level as a bonus (rather than ½ level).

With Consolidated Skills

Reduce both skill groups and specialties gained by ½ (rounded down, minimum 1). Use ½ the class's core skill ranks per level (not the adjusted consolidated values) to determine starting groups. The skill groups also change to match the consolidated skill list: