Question about becoming Prestige Class with help from Magic Items

[Micah Foehammer]

ScottG,

Robertthebard had it right ... class skills cost one point per rank, non class (or cross class skills) cost TWO points per rank, not three.

[robertthebard]

Originally posted by Djinn Raffo: Well i could've leveled up to 4 and multi-classed to any class that has Hide as class skill and at next level (character 6) make it to Blackguard. What's the fastest to a Prestige Class anyone? What takes the longest? But i decided to stick it out as a Barbarian for awhile. I think there is a penalty there Robert because some level ups i can take a point in Hide and some i can't. At level 3 i was able to take one point in Hide when i had 4 skill points available; i should've been able to take 2. At level up to level 4, like it was for gaining second, i wasn't able to advance my Hide skill at all! (and per ScottG's post above i decided to not use any skill points so next level up i'll have 8 available, let's see if it works). If the penalty is every third level you can max out a non class skill then, if i stick with Barbarian, i should make 5 in Hide by ninth level and change to Blackguard at level 10. (if that is indeed how advancing in non class skills works, and holding back on using skill points at this level up doesn't work then... ). The prospect of a level 10 Dwarf Barbarian, and if i keep it up that far, level 10 Blackguard has me excited. I will have to come onto the Undermountain server to rip it up!

The reason for the lack of availability is a restriction on the number of ranks you can have in any given skill, by lvl. Class skills can be so many over char lvl, and non class skills can be only so many over char lvl, but this number is less, sorry though, i can't find my manual, toooo many moves lately, and i can't remember the exact specs.
Edit here: I found my manual, and you can be three slots higher in class skills than your char lvl, but can only be 1 and 1/2 points over in non/cross class skills. So you can take one point every two lvls, and it costs 2 points to get it.

[ 10-04-2003, 05:00 PM: Message edited by: robertthebard ]

[ScottG]

yup I went back and checked after getting my game back up and running. Its the level that is the problem. In this case the hide skill, because its a non-class skill for a barbarian, can only be increased one to one (except at level 1). IE. you can have 2 points in hide at level 1; none at level 2 (provided you placed in 2 at level 1); 3 at level 3. 4 at level 4 (etc.). So with a barbarian the points (because they get 4 with level-up) aren't the problem, level is.