Basic Fantasy RPG Forums

I am not fully understanding the skills mechanic listed in the Old Dungeoneers Almanack & the Core Rulebooks.

Suppose I have a Fighter with a STR of 15
He has 1 point in the SWIM skill.
He is Level 3.

He wants to swim across a river.

How do I go about this check?
Since he is Lvl 3, his target is 16? That would mean he rolls a d20, add + 1 (for STR) and +1 (for skill point). If the total is >= 16, he succeeds, otherwise he fails.

Is this correct? If his level were 11, would his target roll be a 12 (as per the chart on page 141 of the core rulebook)? If that is true, why is it that an adventurer gets overall better capabilities as they increase in levels? Suppose my character hasn't swam for 6 years while adventuring (ie...no skill points investing other than the starting skill point). Why is his target roll now lower simply because of his level?

I am probably misunderstanding the way the mechanic works.
Advise plz.

I don't think the two mechanics are supposed to be used together. However, while I wrote the section you reference in the Core Rules, I didn't write the skill system (and I don't use it). Perhaps someone with more experience with the skill rules can chime in?