Background Skill Ranks

[windmark8040]

Sylvan
Those from this Background live in harmony with nature, often in villages found in deep forests.
Skill Ranks: Athletics (1), Crafting (2), Combat Skills (4), Lore: Local Region (2), Magecraft (2), Perception (2), Stealth (3), Survival (2), Tracking (2)

Can a player allocate or split up the (4) Combat Skill ranks given above, amongst any Combat Skills he may have? For example, 2 ranks into the Swords Skill and 2 ranks into the Bow Skill?

[imported_Rasyr]

If you look at the last paragraph before the example (and the example) towards the beginning of the  section, it says yes.....

[windmark8040]

A given Background is allowed to give 3 ranks to the Stealth skill because that skill is specialized.

Ok, probably due to old age, I missed that! 

Stealth serves several purposes. Your character will use it for hiding, as well as for sneaking about quietly. In both instances, your character is using camouflage, shadows and
cover to conceal his presence.

I didn't guess from the above text, that Stealth was a specialized skill. I assumed it covered both hiding and sneaking, although I like that its specialized! 

Each individual craft is required to be developed as a separate skill, with each skill allowing the character to perform any and all tasks required by the job.

Now the Crafting skill text is much more clear; although could it be possible to either be more specific in the skill info for each skill, like Crafting was done, or make a notation on the skill table?

From reading the entries and the examples, I am assuming that the following are Specialized Skills:

Athletics
Combat
Crafting
Gimmickry?
Lore
Performing Arts
Riding
Spellcasting?
and Stealth

But I must admit, I am also using my knowledge of rpg games and how skills are typically used...

[imported_Rasyr]

Actually, Stealth isn't a "specialized" skill or one that is needing to be specialized. I was only trying to convey that the skill had multiple uses.

Skills to be Specialized include the following:

Combat
Crafting
Lore
Magecraft (Learning Spells, Runes/Scrolls, Identifying spells, & Use Items are part of the basic Magecraft skill, may be specialized into specific magical lores/crafts).
Performing Arts
Spellcasting (each School of Magic is a specialized skill - universal spells fall into the highest ranked skill)

Riding (only requires specialization if you have mounts very different from the normal horse and horse-like mounts, such as flying mounts, or aquatic mounts, etc.)


Easiest way to tell which skills need specializing is to look at the second page of the character sheet, which gives you a few blank lines for those that need specializing...

Gimmickry and Stealth do NOT need specializing, they are simply broad skills.

[windmark8040]

Coolness! Thanks for clarifying.