List of Skills
Acrobatics
Acrobatics
Acrobatics measures your ability to perform tasks requiring coordination and grace. When you use the Escape basic action, you can use your Acrobatics modifier instead of your unarmed attack modifier. You can also use it for the basic actions Arrest a Fall and Grab an Edge instead of Reflex.
To see a list of Feats related to Acrobatics, click here.
Arcana
Arcana
Arcana measures how much you know about arcane magic and creatures.
- Recall Knowledge about arcane theories; magic traditions; creatures of arcane significance (like constructs, beasts, and elementals); and the Astral Plane, Elemental Planes, and the Netherworld.
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Decipher Writing about arcane theory.
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Identify Magic, particularly magic of the arcane tradition.
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Learn a Spell from the arcane tradition.
To see a list of Feats related to Arcana, click here.
Athletics
Athletics
Athletics allows you to perform deeds of physical prowess. Most Athletics actions let you move about the environment (Climb, High Jump, Long Jump, Swim) or control your opponent’s movement in combat (Grapple, Reposition, Shove, Trip, and Disarm). Escape: When you use the Escape basic action, you can use your Athletics modifier instead of your unarmed attack modifier.
| Item | Bonus | Level | Category | Consumable | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze Bull Pendant | +1 | 2 | Talismans | Yes | Athletics to Shove |
| Monkey Pin | +1 | 2 | Talismans | Yes | Athletics to Climb |
| Savior Spike | +1 | 2 | Talismans | Yes | Athletics to Grab an Edge |
To see a list of Feats related to Athletics, click here.
Crafting
Crafting
You can use this skill to create and repair items.
- Recall Knowledge about alchemical reactions, the value of items, engineering, unusual materials, and alchemical or mechanical creatures. The GM determines which creatures this applies to, but it usually includes constructs.
- Earn Income by crafting goods for the market.
To see a list of Feats related to Crafting, click here.
Deception
Deception
You can trick and mislead others using disguises, lies, and other forms of subterfuge. Deception often has a drawback if you get found out, and it’s often best to be out of town by the time this happens.
To see a list of Feats related to Deception, click here.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy
You influence others through negotiation and flattery, or find out information through friendly chats.
To see a list of Feats related to Diplomacy, click here.
Intimidation
Intimidation
You bend others to your will using threats. Unlike Deception or Diplomacy, Intimidation is typically a blunt instrument with little room for nuance or care.
| Item | Bonus | Level | Category | Consumable | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown of Witchcraft | +1 | 10 | Worn Items | No | |
| Crown of Witchcraft (Greater) | +2 | 18 | Worn Items | No |
To see a list of Feats related to Intimidation, click here.
Lore
Lore
You have specialized information on a narrow topic. Lore features many subcategories. You might have Military Lore, Sailing Lore, Vampire Lore, or any similar subcategory of the skill. Each subcategory counts as its own skill, so applying a skill increase to Planar Lore wouldn’t increase your proficiency with Sailing Lore, for example.
Most backgrounds make you trained in a specific subcategory of the Lore skill. The GM determines what other subcategories they’ll allow as Lore skills, though these categories are always less broad than any of the other skills that allow you to Recall Knowledge, and they should never be able to take the place of another skill’s Recall Knowledge action. For instance, you couldn’t choose Magic Lore to recall the breadth of knowledge about magic covered by Arcana, Nature, Occultism, and Religion, or choose Adventuring Lore to give you all the information an adventurer needs, or choose Planar Lore to gain all the information spread across various skills and subcategories such as Heaven Lore.
If you’re making a check and multiple subcategories of Lore could apply, or a non-Lore skill could apply, you can use whichever skill you prefer. If there’s any doubt whether a Lore skill applies to a specific topic or action, the GM decides whether it can be used or not.
- Recall Knowledge about the subject of the Lore skill’s subcategory.
- Earn Income by using your knowledge to practice a trade.
- Academia Lore
- Accounting Lore
- Architecture Lore
- Art Lore
- Astronomy Lore
- Carpentry Lore
- Circus Lore
- Driving Lore
- Engineering Lore
- Farming Lore
- Fishing Lore
- Fortune-Telling Lore
- Games Lore
- Genealogy Lore
- Gladiatorial Lore
- Guild Lore
- Heraldry Lore
- Herbalism Lore
- Hunting Lore
- Labor Lore
- Legal Lore
- Library Lore
- Lore about a specific deity (Abadar Lore, Iomedae Lore)
- Lore about a specific creature or narrow category of creatures (Demon Lore, Giant Lore, Vampire Lore)
- Lore about a specific plane other than the Universe, or the plane in which the game is set if not the Universe (Astral Plane Lore, Heaven Lore, Outer Rifts Lore)
- Lore about a specific public organization (Hellknights Lore, Pathfinder Society Lore)
- Lore about a specific settlement (Absalom Lore, Magnimar Lore)
- Lore about a specific terrain (Mountain Lore, River Lore)
- Lore about a type of food or drink (Alcohol Lore, Baking Lore, Butchering Lore, Cooking Lore, Tea Lore)
- Mercantile Lore
- Midwifery Lore
- Milling Lore
- Mining Lore
- Piloting Lore
- Sailing Lore
- Scouting Lore
- Scribing Lore
- Stabling Lore
- Tanning Lore
- Theater Lore
- Underworld Lore
- Warfare Lore
To see a list of Feats related to Lore, click here.
Medicine
Medicine
You can patch up wounds and help people recover from diseases and poisons. Treat Wounds is especially useful, allowing your adventuring party to heal up between fights. It can be made more efficient with skill feats like Continual Recovery and Ward Medic.
- Recall Knowledge about diseases, injuries, poisons, and other ailments. You can use this to perform forensic examinations if you spend 10 minutes (or more, as determined by the GM) checking for evidence such as wound patterns. This is most useful when determining how a body was injured or killed.
| Item | Bonus | Level | Category | Consumable | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crying Angel Pendant | +1 | 2 | Talismans | Yes | Medicine to Administer First Aid |
To see a list of Feats related to Medicine, click here.
Nature
Nature
You know about the natural world, and you command and train animals and magical beasts.
- Recall Knowledge about fauna, flora, geography, weather, the environment, creatures of natural origin (like animals, beasts, fey, and plants), the First World, and the Elemental Planes.
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Identify Magic, particularly magic of the primal tradition.
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Learn a Spell from the primal tradition.
To see a list of Feats related to Nature, click here.
Occultism
Occultism
You know a great deal about ancient philosophies, esoteric lore, obscure mysticism, and supernatural creatures.
- Recall Knowledge about ancient mysteries; obscure philosophies; creatures of occult significance (like aberrations, spirits, and oozes); and esoteric planes like the Astral Plane, Creation’s Forge, the Ethereal Plane, the Netherworld, and the Void.
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Decipher Writing on occult topics, including complex metaphysical systems, syncretic principles, obscure philosophies, and incoherent ramblings.
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Identify Magic, particularly magic of the occult tradition.
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Learn a Spell from the occult tradition.
To see a list of Feats related to Occultism, click here.
Performance
Performance
You are skilled at a form of performance, using your talents to impress a crowd or make a living.
If you want to be particularly skilled with one type of performance, you can select the Virtuosic Performer skill feat (page 264). That feat breaks down some of the performance listed above into specific instrument types, and your GM might allow you to add your own type.
| Performance | Additional Traits |
| Act or perform comedy | Auditory, linguistic, and visual |
| Dance | Move and visual |
| Play an instrument | Auditory and manipulate |
| Orate or sing | Auditory and linguistic |
- Earn Income by staging a performance.
To see a list of Feats related to Performance, click here.
Religion
Religion
The secrets of deities, dogma, faith, and the realms of divine creatures both sublime and sinister are open to you. You also understand how magic works, though your training imparts a religious slant to that knowledge.
- Recall Knowledge about divine agents, the finer points of theology, obscure myths regarding a faith, and creatures of religious significance (like celestials, fiends, and undead), Creation’s Forge, the Void, and the Outer Sphere.
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Decipher Writing of a religious nature, including allegories, homilies, and proverbs.
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Identify Magic, particularly magic of the divine tradition.
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Learn a Spell from the divine tradition.
| Item | Bonus | Level | Category | Consumable | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shining Symbol | +1 | 3 | Worn Items | No | |
| Symbol of Conflict | +1 | 4 | Worn Items | No | |
| Shining Symbol (Greater) | +2 | 9 | Worn Items | No | |
| Symbol of Conflict (Greater) | +2 | 10 | Worn Items | No | |
| Shining Symbol (Major) | +3 | 17 | Worn Items | No | |
| Symbol of Conflict (Major) | +3 | 18 | Worn Items | No |
To see a list of Feats related to Religion, click here.
Society
Society
You understand the people and systems that make civilization run, and you know the historical events that make societies what they are today. Further, you can use that knowledge to navigate the complex physical, societal, and economic workings of settlements.
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Recall Knowledge about local history, important personalities, legal institutions, societal structure, and humanoid cultures. The GM might allow Society to apply to other creatures that are major elements of society in your region, such as the draconic nobility in a kingdom of humans ruled by dragons.
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Subsist in a settlement by finding shelter, scrounging, or begging for food.
- Decipher Writing that’s a coded message, text written in an incomplete or archaic form, or in some cases, text in a language you don’t know.
To see a list of Feats related to Society, click here.
Stealth
Stealth
You are skilled at avoiding detection, allowing you to slip past foes, hide, or conceal an item.
- First, Hide behind something (either by taking advantage of cover or having the concealed condition due to fog, a spell, or a similar effect). A successful Stealth check makes you hidden, though the creatures still know roughly where you are.
- Second, now that you’re hidden, you can Sneak. That means you can move at half your Speed and attempt another Stealth check. If it’s successful, you’re now undetected. That means the creatures don’t know which square you’re in anymore.
Creatures can try to find you using the Seek action.
Three conditions explain the states of detection. Remember that these conditions are relative to each creature—you can be observed by one creature while hidden to another and undetected by a third. Observed: You’re in the creature’s clear view. Hidden: The creature knows your location but can’t see you. Undetected: The creature doesn’t know your location.
| Item | Bonus | Level | Category | Consumable | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onyx Panther | +1 | 2 | Talismans | Yes | Stealth to Sneak |
To see a list of Feats related to Stealth, click here.
Survival
Survival
You are adept at living in the wilderness, foraging for food and building shelter, and with training you discover the secrets of tracking and hiding your trail.
- Subsist in the wild by foraging for food and building shelter.
To see a list of Feats related to Survival, click here.
Thievery
Thievery
You are trained in a particular set of skills favored by thieves and miscreants.
| Item | Bonus | Level | Category | Consumable | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlatan’s Gloves | +1 | 3 | Worn Items | No | |
| Charlatan’s Gloves (Greater) | +2 | 9 | Worn Items | No |
To see a list of Feats related to Thievery, click here.