Level-Dependent Benefits - XP Table

In addition to attack bonuses and saving throw bonuses, all characters gain other benefits from advancing in level. Table 3–2: Experience and Level-Dependent Benefits summarizes these additional benefits.

XP: This column on Table 3–2 shows the experience point total needed to attain a given character level—that is, the total of all the character’s level in classes. (A character’s level in a class is called his or her class level.) For any character (including a multiclass one), XP determines overall character level, not individual class levels.

Class Skill Max Ranks: The maximum number of ranks a character can have in a class skill is equal to his or her character level + 3. A class skill is a skill frequently associated with a particular class—for example, Spellcraft is a class skill for wizards. Class skills are given in each class description in this chapter (see also Table 4–2: Skills, page 63, for more information on skills).

Cross-Class Skill Max Ranks: For cross-class skills (skills not associated with a character’s class), the maximum number of ranks a character can have is one-half the maximum for a class skill. For example, at 1st level a wizard could have 2 ranks in Move Silently (typically associated with rogues, and on that class’s list of class skills), but no more. These 2 ranks in a cross-class skill would cost the wizard 4 skill points, whereas the same 4 points would buy 4 ranks in a wizard class skill, such as Spellcraft. The half ranks (1/2) indicated on Table 3–2 don’t improve skill checks. They simply represent partial purchase of the next skill rank and indicate the character is training to improve that skill.

Feats: Every character gains one feat at 1st level and another at every level divisible by three (3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level). These feats are in addition to any bonus feats granted as class features (see the class descriptions later in this chapter) and the bonus feat granted to all humans. See Chapter 5: Feats for more information about feats.

Ability Increases: Upon attaining any level divisible by four (4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level), a character increases one of his or her ability scores by 1 point. The player chooses which ability score to improve. For example, a sorcerer with a starting Charisma of 16 might increase this to 17 at 4th level. At 8th level, the same character might increase his Charisma score again (from 17 to 18) or could choose to improve some other ability instead. The ability improvement is permanent.

Table 3-2: Experience and Level-Dependent Benefits

Character Level	XP	Class Skill Max Ranks	Cross Class Skill Max Ranks	Feats	Ability Score Increases
1st	0	4	2	1st	-
2nd	1,000	5	2-1/2	-	-
3rd	3,000	6	3	2nd	-
4th	6,000	7	3-1/2	-	1st
5th	10,000	8	4	-	-
6th	15,000	9	4-1/2	3rd	-
7th	21,000	10	5	-	-
8th	28,000	11	5-1/2	-	2nd
9th	36,000	12	6	4th	-
10th	45,000	13	6-1/2	-	-
11th	55,000	14	7	-	-
12th	66,000	15	7-1/2	5th	3rd
13th	78,000	16	8	-	-
14th	91,000	17	8-1/2	-	-
15th	105,000	18	9	6th	-
16th	120,000	19	9-1/2	-	4th
17th	136,000	20	10	-	-
18th	153,000	21	10-1/2	7th	-
19th	171,000	22	11	-	-
20th	190,000	23	11-1/2	-	5th