Skills

During creation and during level-up a character will receive a specific amount of skill points, that can be spent to increase his or her current skill ranks. The amount you receive depends on your race, class and your base intelligence modifier. The minimum amount you can ever receive is 1 and there is technically no upper limit, although increasing your intelligence is limited, which puts a limit on the amount of skill points you can receive.

Enhancements or effects that modify your intelligence will not modify your number of available skill points. So, equipping a Clever Item or bestowing a temporary effects (such as a Fox's Cunning spell/potion) will have no effect on your current skill points, nor during the actual level-up process.

Only your base score is taken into account to determine the modifier. The only exception is a Tome of Clear Thought, which will grant additional skill points during your next level-up if its effect at your current level increases your intelligence modifier. However, tomes do not work retroactively.

When creating a new character, he or she will receive 4 times the amount of skill points at level one. For this reason it is recommended to select the one class of your planned build that receives the most skill points at first level, as this can significantly alter your available skill points. It is as well recommended to set your intelligence to the planned final value on level one instead of increasing it during the attributes selection at later level-ups, as skill points are not granted retroactively.

For further optimizations, see also: Skill usefulness

Racial modifiers

 * Humans: +1 additional skill point. Note that the Iconic Hero Purple Dragon Knight is as well human and therefore receives the additional skill point.
 * Drow and Sun Elf: Receive +2 intelligence, which does not grant skill points on its own, but makes it easier to achieve higher intelligence modifiers.
 * Half-Orc: Receive -2 intelligence, which does not reduce skill points on its own, but makes it more difficult to achieve higher intelligence modifiers.

Class modifiers
Each class will receive its (fixed) amount of base skill points + intelligence modifier during level-up. Only the class you are currently in the progress of leveling will have an effect on the amount of skill points you can spend. The base skill points for each class are as follows:

Not all Pen & Paper skills are included in DDO and some are modified. Follows all the skills present in DDO.

Feats
Skill scores can also be boosted by training specific feats available:

Acrobatic Provides a +2 bonus to your Jump and Tumble skills.

Alertness Provides a +2 bonus to your Listen and Spot skills.

Athletic Provides a +2 bonus to your Balance and Swim skills.

Bullheaded Provides a +2 bonus on Intimidate skill checks.

Coin Lord Finishing School Training Grants a +2 bonus to your Diplomacy and Intimidate skills.

Combat Casting Provides a +4 bonus to Concentration while casting spells in combat.

Completionist Provides a +2 bonus to all skills.

Discipline Provides a +2 bonus to your Concentration skill.

Dwarven Stability Provides a +4 bonus to your Balance skill.

Dwarven Stonecutting Provides a +2 bonus to your Search skill.

Elven Keen Senses Elves have keen senses and gain a +2 bonus to Listen, Search and Spot checks.

Epic Reputation +3 Bluff, Diplomacy, Haggle, Intimidate and Perform.

Epic Skill Focus Skill - +5 to the desired skill. Must have at least 20 trained ranks in the skill and maxed xp in the relevant Destiny sphere.

Epic Skills As part of your epic training, you gain +1 to all skills.

Gnomish Proficiencies Provides a +2 bonus to Haggle and Use Magic Device.

Half-Elven Keen Senses Elves have keen senses and gain a +1 bonus to Listen, Search and Spot checks.

Half-Elven Social Graces Provides a +2 Racial bonus to Diplomacy.

Halfling Agility Halflings are agile and gain a +2 bonus to Jump and Move Silently checks.

Halfling Keen Ears Halflings have keen ears and gain a +2 bonus to Listen checks.

Least Dragonmark of Finding Provides a +2 bonus to your Search skill.

Least Dragonmark of Healing Provides a +2 bonus to your Heal skill.

Least Dragonmark of Making Provides a +2 bonus to your Repair skill.

Least Dragonmark of Passage Provides a +2 bonus to your Balance skill.

Least Dragonmark of Sentinel Provides a +2 bonus to your Intimidate skill.

Least Dragonmark of Shadow Provides a +2 bonus to your Hide skill.

Least Dragonmark of Scribing Provides a +2 bonus to your Use Magic Device skill.

Least Dragonmark of Storm Provides a +2 bonus to your Balance skill.

Least Dragonmark of Warding Provides a +2 bonus to your Search skill.

Negotiator Provides a +2 bonus to the character's Diplomacy and Haggle skills.

Nimble Fingers Provides a +2 bonus to the character's Disable Device and Open Lock skills.

Racial Completionist Provides a +2 bonus to all skills.

Racial Past Life All tier 1 level racial past lives grant +1 to a specific skill base don the race.

Scion of the Ethereal Plane +4 to all skills.

Self Sufficient Provides a +2 bonus to the character's Heal and Repair skills.

Skill Focus Skill, a +3 bonus to the selected skill.

Skill Mastery This ability gains +1 to all skills.

Small Size bonus As a Small creature, you receive a +4 bonus on Hide checks. -4 penalty to Intimidate.

Stealthy Provides a +2 bonus to the character's Hide and Move Silently skills.