I did a quick search and didn't find the answer's I was looking for. I also checked the wiki. 

 

How much do you need to specialize in skills in order for them to be useful? For example can you have a character evenly split his skill points between stealth and mechanics for scouting/trap disarmament/trap laying? Or will you hit a wall where you aren't good enough to be effective in either later in the game?

 

From what I've seen it appears that if you fully invest in one skill (putting as many points as possible into it) you will have very few to spread around to the others. Is that necessary? Or can you spread your points out a little more evenly?

 

For example I would like that all my characters have at least a couple points in athletics so that they have a chance of passing the story book instances without getting injured and having to rest (like what was shown in the PAX east video). Athletics also seems to be really important if you want to avoid fatigue. 

 

I plan on making my main character a priest who focuses on Lore while putting some points in athletics and maybe stealth/survival. 

 

Edit: Also are there items and/or consumables that can modify your skills (like potions of thievery)? And just to be clear, are skills modified by your attributes? Dex/Int for mechanics, Dex/Perception for stealth, Con/Resolve for survival, etc... 

Edited March 18, 201510 yr by Trius

The first few ranks in a skill are pretty cheap, so dabbling a little (one or two ranks) won't hurt too much.

I imagine that this will be especially useful for Stealth and Athletics - the others perhaps less so.

 

That said, I don't think anyone really knows yet how much specialization is necessary - in the Backer Beta, there are a good number of Mechanics checks in the 'mid-range' to 'specialized' range, and I know of at least one 'mid-range' and one 'very specialized' check for Survival.

 

Ideally, any amount at any time in the game will feel useful, but I don't know if that was their design philosophy.

 

There are definitely items that boost your Athletics skill - some of the pre-made BB-Characters start with +2 Athletics gear. I imagine there will be gear with a bonus to the other skills as well. Someone who dug through the files will know better. Not sure about temporary bonuses to skills, though.

I've found a scroll in the BB (random loot I believe) that increase Lore by 3 for like a minute, it might exist for other skills as well.

 

I haven't had a problem with dabbling into two skills in the BB either, but that's not representative of the rest of the game.