Skill

Skills represent how well a character can perform the basic functions of an Adventurer in Elanthia.

Trainable Skills

Armor & Weapons	Combat	General	Magic
Armor Use Shield Use Edged Weapons Blunt Weapons Two-Handed Weapons Ranged Weapons Thrown Weapons Polearm Weapons Brawling	Ambush Two Weapon Combat Combat Maneuvers Multi Opponent Combat Physical Fitness Dodging	Survival Disarming Traps Picking Locks Stalking and Hiding Perception Climbing Swimming First Aid Trading Pickpocketing	Arcane Symbols Magic Item Use Spell Aiming Harness Power Elemental Mana Control Mental Mana Control Spirit Mana Control Spell Research Elemental Lore Air, Earth, Fire, Water Spiritual Lore Blessings, Religion, Summoning Sorcerous Lore Demonology, Necromancy Mental Lore Divination, Manipulation, Telepathy, Transference, Transformation

Training Points

Main article: Training point

To learn skills, a character must spend training points (TP). Characters accrue two types of training points as they gain experience: Physical Training Points (PTP) and Mental Training points (MTP). The exact amount gained each level depends on statistics (for example, a character with high physical statistics will receive more PTPs), typically varying between 35 to 50 of each type.

To trade training points for skills ranks, CHECK IN at the front desk of any inn, or use the GOALS verb to access a web interface.

Training Costs

Each skill has two costs: Physical Point Cost and Mental Point Cost. For example, a skill rated as "1/2" would require one physical point and two mental points in order to successfully train in it.

In addition, you will see a third number in parentheses in the training screen, for example: "(2)". This indicates the number of times you may train in a particular skill at each level. For multiple training, the skill costs will double for each additional purchase.

Example:

You are a Rogue, training in First Aid Skill, which is listed as: "1/2 (2)". You train in it once for a cost of one physical point and two mental points, and then the skill is displayed as: "2/4 (1)". You train in it one more time, and the (1) is changed to (0), meaning you can no longer train in that skill for this level. The next time you go up a level, the cost will be back to "1/2 (2)" and you continue from there.

See the profession pages for skill training costs.

Rank vs. Bonus

Each time a character trains in a skill, they will generate a bonus (usually applied to certain die rolls). The bonuses, as the skill increases, are subject to diminishing returns. The amount of bonus per skill is higher at lower levels (starting at +5 per training) but gradually lessens at higher bonuses to an accumulated value of +1 per training.

• Ranks 1-10: +5 bonus per rank
• Ranks 11-20: +4 bonus per rank
• Ranks 21-30: +3 bonus per rank
• Ranks 31-40: +2 bonus per rank
• Ranks 41+: +1 bonus per rank

Some game mechanics check the bonus (subject to diminishing returns), while others check against the number of ranks (where characters can expect a mostly linear benefit progression as they train in a skill). The following table shows a breakdown of some of these mechanics, though it is by no means exhaustive.

Skill Bonus Mechanics Physical Attack Strength (Weapon Skills) Magical Attack Strength (Spell Aiming) Magic Item Activation (Arcane Symbols/Magic Item Use) Locksmithing (Disarm Traps/Picking Locks)

Skill Rank Mechanics Defensive Strength (Weapon Skills, Shield Use, Dodging) Magical Casting Strength and Spell Benefits (Spell Research) Foraging (Survival/Perception)

In addition, certain mechanics do not directly check either the bonus or rank, but instead look up a summation chart to determine the rate of diminishing returns. This type of lookup is mainly used in mechanics involving Lore skills.

Skill Bonus Chart

Rank	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Bonus	5	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50	54	58	62	66	70	74	78	82	86	90	93	96	99	102

Rank	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40
Bonus	105	108	111	114	117	120	122	124	126	128	130	132	134	136	138	140

At ranks 40 and up, skill bonus = rank + 100.

Resources

• SKILLS (verb)
• http://www.play.net/gs4/info/skills.asp
• All About Skills Officials folder