RuneScape/Skills

Classes
There are no solid classes in RuneScape, although there used to be beginning classes. Character development is based on how each player develops his skills. For example, if you want to be a fighting character, you should develop your combat skills.

Skills
In Runescape there are things called "skills" which are tasks players can level up. For example, one of these skills is cooking. When a player wants to cook, they will have to do a task, such as getting meat to cook on a fire. When the player finishes the task, they receive get 'xp', or 'experience', towards that skill. For example, for cooking meat, players get 30 xp towards the cooking skills for successfully cooking the piece of meat. Players also have to reach a certain amount of experience to reach the next level. For example, at level 1, players need 83 xp to reach level 2. Eventually they reach a high enough level to cook food that heals 22, such as tuna/corn potatoes.

The maximum xp that players can earn in each skill is 200,000,000. Many players have reached this mark.

There are 22 skills that players can raise in RuneScape. However, only 15 of these skills are available for free players, which are listed below. Combat (melee) has 4 skills that players can raise.

Experience Table
Below is the link to the experience table. This table shows players how much experience they need to reach to get to the next level, as well as the experience difference from the last level they were at.
 * Experience Table

Attributes
If you have a dagger or spear, you can use poison made from the Herblore skill to poison the weapon. Speaking of which, you can poison all ranged weapons except thrown axes using poison made from the herblore skill.
 * Attack : This skill determines how often your melee attacks hit. Also, the higher your attack is, the better melee weapons you can wield. For example, if your attack is 10, you can wield black weapons. When it reaches 20, it allows the use of mithril weapons. Eventually you reach the lofty heights of the Abbysal Whip (70 attack needed) which is gained from Slayer.
 * Strength : This skill determines the amount of damage your melee attacks do. You also need certain strength levels to wield halberds and granite items. It also helps Agility and Ranged by allowing use of certain shortcuts (Mithril Grapple required).
 * Defense : This skill determines how well you deflect your opponent's melee attacks. Also, the better your defense is, the better melee armor you can wield. Defense is like attack, except it allows armor (Black armor at 10, mithril at 20.)
 * Hitpoints : This isn't really a skill; your hitpoints gradually increase based on the amount of experience you have in all of your combat skills. When your hitpoints reach 0, you are KO'd and are returned to your current spawning point. You will lose all but three items. If you are skulled, you LOSE ALL YOUR ITEMS! If you have the Prayer Protect Items on when your HP hits 0, you keep 4 items. You keep 1 item if you are skulled AND have protect items.
 * Ranged : This skill determines the accuracy and power of your ranged attacks. With higher ranged levels, you are able to wield better ranged weapons and armor. There are bows with a wooden bow-stake, which is made by using the Fletching skill. You use crafting to make Bow Strings out of flax, which can be picked in Seers Village. The arrows require feathers, metal arrow tips (made in smithing), and wooden arrow shafts. Crossbows are made from metal limbs smithed with the smithing skill and stakes made from fletching. The bolts are smithed from metal and then you add feathers. Once feathers are added, you can cut gems (crafting and fletching) to make Bolt Tips for your bolts, making them stronger. And it doesn't stop there-if you enchant the bolts with gem tips using Enchant Crossbow Bolt, you give the bolts special effects such as Lucky Lightning and Magical Poison.
 * Magic : This skill determines the accuracy and high-hit rate of the various spells in RuneScape. You need runes for magic.The higher your magic level is, the more powerful spells you are able to cast and the better magic enchancing armor and weapons you are able to wield.
 * Prayer : This skill determines your devotion to RuneScape's various gods. The higher your prayer level is, the more useful protective and stat-enhancing prayers you can use and the longer you can pray.
 * Crafting You can use this skill to make various things such as ranger's armor, clay pots, glass, and golden jewelry.
 * Fishing Grab your preferred fishing implement, and head to the correct water source, click the fish spot and watch the fish practically jump into your backpack.
 * Cooking Make a fire or find a stove, and start making food to keep you alive. Some recipes are rather advanced, so confirm them in the manual or a cookbook beforehand.
 * Magic Resistance This is not a skill on the skills subscreen, however it is a combination of your defence and magic levels. 1/3 of your defence and 2/3 of your magic make up your resistance.  For example, if you have defence and magic of 99, your magic defence is 99 because, 1/3 of 99 is 33.  2/3 of 99 is 66.  66+33=99.

Free skills
These are skills that all players can raise, both members and non-members.
 * Combat - This skill involves players fighting with their fists and weapons. This one of the three combat styles.
 * Cooking - This skill involves players baking and cooking food, such as fish and pies. Eating these foods will heal a player's hitpoints, which is involved with combat.
 * Crafting - This skill involves players creating items, such as tiaras and pots.
 * Firemaking - This skill involves players lighting logs and lamps. Many players do not raise this skill, as no money can be gained from it.
 * Fishing - This skill involves players fishing at rivers and seas. It is one of the more popular skills and one of the best money-making skills.
 * Magic - This skill involves players fighting with magical spells. This is one of the three combat styles.
 * Mining - This skill involves players hitting rocks with pickaxes to obtain ores. This is one of the more popular skills and one of the best money-making skills.
 * Prayer - This skill involves players burying bones which are dropped when a player defeats an enemy. This is the slowest skill to raise in all of RuneScape.
 * Ranged - This skill invovles players fighting with projectiles from a distance. It is one of the three combat styles.
 * Runecrafting - This skill involves players creating runes which are used for magic.
 * Smithing - This skill involves players creating weapons and armour which can be worn when fighting. It is one of the more popular skills and one of the best money-making skills.
 * Woodcutting - This skill involves players cutting trees. This is one of the more popular skills and one of the best money-making skills.

Member skills
These are skills that members can raise.

Summoning - This skill involves players summoning creatures ranging from puppies and cats, to dragons and demons. (also an extremely new skill)
 * Agility - This skill involves players taking shortcuts to arrive at destinations quicker. This is a slow skill to raise.
 * Construction - This brand-new skill involves players creating their own home, adding interactive features to it, and creating architectural wonders.
 * Farming - This skill involves players growing their own vegetables and fruits. Many players do not like this skill as it takes a long time to grow the vegetation.
 * Fletching - This skill involves players creating items which can be used for ranged. This is one of the more popular skills and one of the best money-making skills.
 * Herblore - This skill involves players creating potions which can be used on them to help them.
 * Slayer - This skill involves players killing certain monsters.
 * Thieving - This skill involves players stealing from stalls, monsters, and chests.
 * Hunting - This extremely brand new skill allow you to catch new monsters with new drops that can be used for a variety of rare things.