Soulthieves.
New in the Skills section of the manual:
Categories and breadth
All skills, except Lore, are divided into categories with mechanically and/or functionally related skills. Skills within a category receive compensatory bonuses which represent a general breadth toward skills of that nature; possessing a degree of talent in a skill will make it easier for you to develop other skills of the same category. However, the way to maximize the breadth bonuses is to develop each desired skill as evenly as possible. A high degree of specialization in one skill of the category will make you less able to break your habits and expectations, which will actually reduce your breadth; in this case, breadth is restored by working hard to practise other skills.
In other words, the breadth bonus for a particular skill is directly related to the number of possessed skills in its category, but inversely related to the differences in level to those skills; the greater the differences, the harder it will be to train the skill. If you specialize in a single skill while remaining unskilled in other skills (i.e. while those skills remain at level zero and are thus not displayed on the skills screen), the specialty will receive no bonus, as specialization obviously precludes the development of breadth.
Note, however, that no skill will ever suffer compensatory penalties; the slowest rate at which a skill may be practised is the base rate (accounting for racial skill accordance/discordance as applicable). The base rate thus applies either when you possess a single skill of the category as a hard specialty, or when you possess no knowledge of the category (i.e. when you possess none of the skills).
This change is related to the elimination of the Parrying and Disarming skills. And it seems to mostly make sense.
Categories and breadth
All skills, except Lore, are divided into categories with mechanically and/or functionally related skills. Skills within a category receive compensatory bonuses which represent a general breadth toward skills of that nature; possessing a degree of talent in a skill will make it easier for you to develop other skills of the same category. However, the way to maximize the breadth bonuses is to develop each desired skill as evenly as possible. A high degree of specialization in one skill of the category will make you less able to break your habits and expectations, which will actually reduce your breadth; in this case, breadth is restored by working hard to practise other skills.
In other words, the breadth bonus for a particular skill is directly related to the number of possessed skills in its category, but inversely related to the differences in level to those skills; the greater the differences, the harder it will be to train the skill. If you specialize in a single skill while remaining unskilled in other skills (i.e. while those skills remain at level zero and are thus not displayed on the skills screen), the specialty will receive no bonus, as specialization obviously precludes the development of breadth.
Note, however, that no skill will ever suffer compensatory penalties; the slowest rate at which a skill may be practised is the base rate (accounting for racial skill accordance/discordance as applicable). The base rate thus applies either when you possess a single skill of the category as a hard specialty, or when you possess no knowledge of the category (i.e. when you possess none of the skills).
This change is related to the elimination of the Parrying and Disarming skills. And it seems to mostly make sense.