Talk:Skill rank

Skill ranks in a creature blueprint
I believe there had been a discussion pertaining to this issue with regards to documenting the skill level(s) listed on creature articles but am unable to find it and unsure whether this had been resolved anyway. I'm merely seeking confirmation and/or clarification of the dynamics of how the game uses the skill level of an NPC.

As far as I can tell, the value for skills listed on the Skills tab of a creature blueprint reflects base ranks analogous to ranks selected by a PC during its creation and leveling. Neither ability modifiers nor feat modifiers are included in that value. The only way (aside from scripting special diagnostic code to display such characteristics) to quantify the net skill level possible is in-game, in situations that would force the checking of the creature's current skill level. Is all this accurate, a bit too cryptic description or are there exceptions?

My question arises from designing encounters that rely on the creature in-game skill level. For example, if I want to design an encounter that features several creatures that are adept at spotting and hearing a stealthy opponent (i.e. PC), is it sufficient to just set the ranks accordingly, ignoring the relationship between HD and the legal limit (HD+3 or HD/2 +3) or would it be better to use ability and feat modifiers to reach the levels desired? As far as I can tell, there is no 2da or other array that sets whether each skill is a class skill, cross-classed skill or unavailable skill for each of the creature classes (compared to those of a PC, that is).

I am unsure of how the game processes the checks, if it validates levels according to a predetermined guideline or some other algorithm that may affect how the checks are resolved in-game. It's not my intention to make this more complicated than it needs to be, but I have been "bitten" many times by assuming what seemed to be logical to me and finding how the game actually processes game information. Any clarification, link to applicable discussion or article would be greatly appreciated. TIA --Iconclast (talk) 19:40, July 19, 2014 (UTC)