Pathfinder SRD and skill retries revisited

The Pathfinder d20 SRD is out at d20pfsrd.com. I wrote about skill retries earlier and it turned out a wee bit complex. Paizo, the fine people behind Pathfinder, has simplified matters by ruling how retries are done on a skill by skill basis. Each skill description will say if retry is possible or not and how it works.

In summary, you are at certain times allowed retries at a penalty, there may be a limit on how often you can retry or in some cases your character must know that he or she has failed in order to retry (disable trap), or you can only retry if you got close to making it. You can never retry knowledge-based skill checks.Strength-based skills like jump and climb you can retry without any restrictions. That also goes for linguistics checks. The perception skill’s retry is a bit surprising, it seems to say that you can retry indefinitely as long as the stimulus is still there. I guess it’s up to the GM to decide when your character is simply not able to notice the stimulus after failing the check the first time (think opposed checks, like to hide and spot, that is stealth and perception). That will work, but the rule as written should say so, I think.

The complete list of Pathfinder’s skill retries is shown below.

Perform:
Yes. Retries are allowed, but they don’t negate previous failures, and an audience that has been unimpressed in the past is likely to be prejudiced against future performances. (Increase the DC by 2 for each previous failure.)

Appraise:
Additional attempts to Appraise a non-magical item reveal the same result. When using detect magic or identify to Appraise magic items, you only attempt to ascertain the powers of an individual item once per day. Additional attempts during the same day reveal the same results.

Bluff:
If you fail to deceive someone, any further checks made to deceive them are made at a –10 penalty and may be impossible (GM discretion). You can attempt to feint against someone again if you fail. Secret messages can be relayed again if the first attempt fails.

Craft:
Yes, but each time you miss by 5 or more, you ruin half the raw materials and have to pay half the original raw material cost again.

Diplomacy:
You cannot use Diplomacy to influence a given creature’s attitude more than once in a 24 hour period. If a request is refused, the result does not change with additional checks, although other requests might be made. You can retry Diplomacy checks made to gather information.

Disable Device:
Varies. You can retry checks made to disable traps if you miss the check by 4 or less, though you must be aware that you fail in order to try again. You can retry checks made to open locks.

Disguise:
Yes. You may try to redo a failed disguise, but once others know that a disguise was attempted, they’ll be more suspicious.

Escape Artist:
Varies. You can make another check after a failed check if you’re squeezing your way through a tight space, making multiple checks. If the situation permits, you can make additional checks, or even take 20, as long as you’re not being actively opposed.

Intimidate:
You can attempt to Intimidate an opponent again, but each additional check increases the DC by +5. This increase resets after one hour has passed.

Heal:
Varies. Generally speaking, you can’t try a Heal check again without proof of the original check’s failure. You can always retry a check to provide first aid, assuming the target of the previous attempt is still alive

All knowledge skills:
No. The check represents what you know, and thinking about a topic a second time doesn’t let you know something that you never learned in the first place.

Linguistics:
Yes.

Perception:
Yes. You can try to sense something you missed the first time, so long as the stimulus is still present.

Perform:
Yes. Retries are allowed, but they don’t negate previous failures, and an audience that has been unimpressed in the past is likely to be prejudiced against future performances. (Increase the DC by 2 for each previous failure.)

Profession:
Varies. An attempt to use a Profession skill to earn an income cannot be retried. You are stuck with whatever weekly wage your check result brought you. Another check may be made after a week to determine a new income for the next period of time. An attempt to accomplish some specific task can usually be retried.

Sleight of Hand:
Yes, but after an initial failure, a second Sleight of Hand attempt against the same target (or while you are being watched by the same observer who noticed your previous attempt) increases the DC for the task by 10.

Spellcraft:
You cannot retry checks made to identify a spell. If you fail to learn a spell from a spellbook or scroll, you must wait at least 1 week before you can try again. If you fail to prepare a spell from a borrowed spellbook, you cannot try again until the next day. You cannot retry a Spellcraft check to cast a spell while distracted, as the spell is lost.

Survival:
Varies. For getting along in the wild or for gaining the Fortitude save bonus noted in the first table on page 69, you make a Survival check once every 24 hours. The result of that check applies until the next check is made. To avoid getting lost or avoid natural hazards, you make a Survival check whenever the situation calls for one. Retries to avoid getting lost in a specific situation or to avoid a specific natural hazard are not allowed. For finding tracks, you can retry a failed check after 1 hour (outdoors) or 10 minutes (indoors) of searching.

Use Magic Device:
Yes, but if you ever roll a natural 1 while attempting to activate an item and you fail, then you can’t try to activate that item again for 24 hours.