Questions tagged [skills]
Abilities of characters that describe their capabilities in a range of areas.
3
votes
2answers
94 views
What is the effect of the Circlet of Persuasion?
I am unsure of how the Circlet of Persuasion is supposed to work, specifically what checks it applies to.
It says:
This delicately engraved silver headband grants its wearer a +3 competence bonus ...
2
votes
1answer
76 views
Can a bipedal eidolon ride a mount?
If I level up my eidolon's ride skill, can I have it ride into battle?
2
votes
2answers
408 views
Does the Inquisitive Rogue's Ear for Deceit feature mesh with their Insightful Fighting feature?
There are two features that an Inquisitive Rogue (XGtE, p. 45-46) gains:
Ear for Deceit
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you develop a talent for picking out lies. Whenever you ...
5
votes
2answers
73 views
Would Operative's Specialization Skill Mastery apply to Trick Attack?
Specialization Skill Mastery states
When attempting a skill check with a skill in which you have the Skill Focus feat, you can take 10 even if stress or distractions would normally prevent you from ...
11
votes
2answers
688 views
Should the DCs for skill checks be higher or lower than saves?
I'm homebrewing a rotten, collapsible staircase. I want there to be a Dex check to climb it, but if they fail the check, they can make a save to avoid falling.
Should the check or the save be of a ...
2
votes
3answers
162 views
How can I appropriately scale the DC for the Madness Effect from the Sunken Asylum adventure for Pathfinder when converting it to D&D 5e?
I'm a D&D 5e system GM who runs a West Marches style campaign where I run a session a week with all sorts of adventures. This means I borrow a lot from the internet and quite often take monsters ...
7
votes
3answers
978 views
Can a Medicine check to stabilize a PC be performed multiple times?
During our last D&D 5e session, one of the player characters went down. As the healer was a bit too far away, another PC tried to stabilize the other PC with a Medicine check.
Unfortunately, they ...
4
votes
1answer
57 views
How should I run an encounter involving scouting out an area then setting an ambush afterwards?
Currently, I am designing a campaign in Mouse Guard 2nd Ed involving the patrol delivering the mail to all of the minor settlements in the territories and stumbling into huge conflicts through doing ...
7
votes
3answers
619 views
PHB typo: Can the target of a shove contest it with Dexterity (Acrobatics)?
In the D&D 5th Edition Player's Handbook on page 195 under Shoving a Creature:
Instead of making an attack roll, you make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target's Strength (...
1
vote
1answer
73 views
Mythic GM fate system and Pathfinder character skills
I am having trouble understanding how you combine these. Specifically, the perception and knowledge skills seem like they would have quite a bit of weight on the questions asked. The other skills seem ...
1
vote
1answer
53 views
When making a Wild Empathy check, do any of the bonuses from Diplomacy apply?
When making a Wild Empathy check, do any of the bonuses from Diplomacy apply? Ranks, skill focus, traits, etc.
The ability says:
This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the ...
2
votes
2answers
102 views
Can a Magus's Black Blade perform skill checks other than the ones listed on the Bladebound page?
I've just made a Bladebound Magus in Pathfinder, and I could not find a lot of information on whether the Magus's black blade could perform skill checks other than the ones listed on the Bladebound ...
0
votes
2answers
179 views
When failing an ability check, can a player's skill score be reduced as a consequence? [closed]
When trying to lockpick a padlock with a rusty nail I found in the guano excrement of a cell in a Bugbear cave, my DM had me roll for lockpicking. I rolled a 7 and he ruled that I rolled badly and ...
23
votes
5answers
3k views
Is a speech trying to convince a crowd of something a persuasion or a performance check?
If I'm say, trying to convince a group of soldiers to follow me(a player) into a fight, or a crowd to riot, or otherwise convincing a large group of people via oration to do something (maybe it's a ...
13
votes
3answers
277 views
Can I choose a skill that the person on my left already has, during character creation in Paranoia Red Clearance Edition?
In 2016 Paranoia during character creation player on my left gets the exact opposite of what I choose. If I write +4 in Throw, she gets -4.
I cannot choose a skill I got negative modifier previously ...
1
vote
1answer
165 views
If I have expertise in a skill and I take Aereni Expertise over the Elf Weapon Training, does that mean that I would have quadruple proficencey bonus? [duplicate]
I'm making a new character and she is a Wood Elf rogue. The rouge gets to choose two skills that he is proficient in at level one and give themselves expertise in it instead. A Wood Elf has access to ...
31
votes
6answers
6k views
In a PvP arena, how can other characters deal with a Rogue with Expertise in Stealth?
I'm running an arena-style fight between a lot of PCs. It's now getting to the point that there are few enough PCs that they are beginning to take levels to counter one another.
One of the players ...
5
votes
4answers
623 views
What skill proficiency might apply if a player were attempting to teach a class at a university?
A lore bard in our party is going for a Dr. Jones feel and wishes to share some of his aquired knowledge of other cultures at a gathering of scribes. There is not a specific desired outcome, and it's ...
1
vote
3answers
230 views
What wins, an aced die or a higher roll?
If you were doing a contested skill check, if one person got an ace on their d4 and it ended up to becoming a 6, and the other rolled a d10 and ended up getting an 8, who wins?
Basically is it ...
3
votes
1answer
164 views
How to calculate a revised ranger's animal companion's skill bonuses?
The Beast Conclave revised ranger (from Unearthed Arcana: Revised Ranger) gains an animal companion. The Companion's Bond feature description states:
Your companion uses your proficiency bonus ...
16
votes
4answers
2k views
What happens if a cleric chooses a duplicate skill for their class and domain?
I have a player who has chosen to be a Knowledge Cleric.
For class skills, she chose proficiency in History and Insight.
For additional domain skills, she chose proficiency plus expertise in ...
8
votes
3answers
624 views
When is Passive Investigation used?
In the Sunless Citadel module, from Tales from the Yawning Portal, Passive Perception is mentioned about half a dozen times, but Passive Investigation isn't mentioned once.
However, both passives are ...
7
votes
4answers
349 views
How do I handle baby creature followers/pets in Out of the Abyss?
I am new to DMing, and I am running the official Out of the Abyss adventure.
My players found some eggs. When the eggs hatched, baby hook horrors popped out. The players saw them and decided to try ...
9
votes
3answers
1k views
Are ability bonuses added to skills you don't have?
In 5e I know you add your ability modifier and proficiency bonus to your skills that you chose when creating your character, but what if you don't have that skill, do you still add the corresponding ...
1
vote
2answers
192 views
Influencing a PC's attitude with Intimidate
Intimidate states
You can use Intimidate to force an opponent to act friendly toward you for 1d6 × 10 minutes with a successful check. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + the target’s Hit Dice + ...
7
votes
5answers
160 views
What are the expected consequences of allowing characters to exceed the skill cap?
As I prepare to run my first game of Fate Core, a player and I are designing a new race of intelligent dinosaurs. The dinosaurs have advanced skill in genetic engineering, and they strongly believe in ...
0
votes
1answer
134 views
Is it beneficial to trade a skill for better saving throws for a spell-less Ranger? [closed]
I'm working on a new character, which will be a spell-less ranger. In this case, I'm multiclassing a Rogue / Ranger, with a preference for melee (over ranged).
For the sake of this question, assume ...
12
votes
3answers
2k views
If I'm proficient in Investigation, and take the Investigator feat and the Prodigy feat, do I have triple proficiency?
I have a Half Orc who is proficient in Investigation so I was wondering, can I take the Investigator feat and also the Prodigy feat to gain triple proficiency on Investigation checks?
If I become ...
17
votes
8answers
3k views
How should a GM properly handle the Bluff skill when it's used to Deceive or Lie?
Bluff states
You know how to tell a lie.
Check
Bluff is an opposed skill check against your opponent’s Sense Motive skill.
Deceive or Lie
If you use Bluff to fool someone, with a ...
12
votes
7answers
898 views
Can a Stealth check ever be made passively?
The PHB, at p. 175, presents passive skill checks as a means to represent two different kinds of in-game scenarios:
Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as ...
4
votes
2answers
126 views
Where are the rules for crafting Skill Enchantment bonus items?
I have been looking at guides for dramatically boosting a character's potential with a single skill. In addition to toolkits, I have found mention of Competence bonuses and Enchantment bonuses (or “...
9
votes
3answers
1k views
Does a character need to be intentionally searching for a trap to be able to find it?
I've been trying to figure out whether a character needs to actively be looking for traps (i.e. spending a move action) in order to be able to find them or she simply gets a reactive check when she ...
7
votes
1answer
685 views
Is it possible to be expert in a skill at level 1?
Related to: Is it possible to be an expert in a skill at level 2?
In hero labs online when you get skills through feats or backgrounds (lore as an example) you can add another skill level as usual. ...
0
votes
1answer
277 views
Do you get a penalty to Intimidation checks if you're a smaller size?
By the rules, would a gnome get a penalty on intimidating a human because they are small?
6
votes
2answers
393 views
Is a new Tumble check made for each threatened square?
Do you have to attempt a Tumble skill check for every threatened square you leave to avoid an attack of opportunity?
Was this ever clarified in any official capacity, directly or indirectly?
I know ...
2
votes
1answer
87 views
What are the base percentiles for skills that the PCs don't have?
Palladium books (Palladium, Robotech, TMNT, Rifts, &c.) have umpteen hundreds of skills spread across their Megaverse, including such minutiæ as "flower arrangement" and "RPG design". Players ...
25
votes
3answers
3k views
Do you get to choose your skill proficiencies or are they decided based on your race/class?
A friend of mine had told us that you don't really get to choose your skills when you see "choose from" x number of skills (e.g. Stealth, Acrobatics, Intimidation), she said that "each class and race ...
10
votes
3answers
2k views
Is there a way to get a benefit from feats that offer redundant spells?
Is there a general rule about getting a benefit from feats that offer redundant abilities (from RAW, Sage Advice, UA, etc.)?
My specific scenario is considering the Arcanist feat from Unearthed ...
9
votes
2answers
493 views
How can I make intelligence less of a dump stat? [closed]
Most PCs don't care much about intelligence, often leaving it at the single digits. And this makes sense, because it's frankly useless for anyone that's not an intelligence caster. So I want to know ...
2
votes
1answer
297 views
Is “Dragons” an appropriate category for the background skill Lore?
Is "Dragons" an appropriately narrow category for the background skill Lore?
19
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4answers
3k views
Do ability checks in combat require an action?
I was under the impression that using skills, and therefore making an ability check in combat required an action. Note: I'm obviously not talking about passive perception, it's definitely passive, it'...
7
votes
1answer
94 views
Streetwise substituting Arcana, History and Religion?
I have recently run into a conundrum. Recently we have started playing DnD4e. While researching and building our PCs I stumbled upon a modifier that allowed me to substitute a Streetwise check for a ...
3
votes
1answer
174 views
Versatile Performance Question
I have a Bard with the Street Performer archetype. The Quick Change ability allows him to take a 20 on a Bluff or Disguise check once per day. Can he use Versatile Performance to make a bluff check ...
2
votes
1answer
251 views
For a magically shorter tabaxi, which stats do I adjust? [closed]
I know that an average tabaxi race is medium about 6ft tall. But I want a shorter more stubby cat for my character (a lvl. 1 magician tabaxi with a background of guild merchant. in short, the ...
3
votes
2answers
226 views
Is it explained anywhere why do Sorcerers get Bluff as a class skill? [closed]
I've never quite understood why Sorcerers get Bluff as a class skill but no other social skill. Why do they get Bluff and not Diplomacy, for instance?
Is there any official fluff or other published ...
0
votes
1answer
140 views
Does indifference make the subject immune to mundane fear?
The 2nd-level Sor/Wiz spell indifference [ench] (Tome and Blood 92 and—so far as I'm aware—never reprinted), in part, says
This spell drains emotion from the creature touched. The subject becomes ...
12
votes
4answers
2k views
Is there a serious balance problem allowing all casters to use Arcana with their casting stat?
I'm considering a house rule in a campaign I'm about to DM for that allows those with the spellcasting, pact magic or similar abilities to use their casting stat as the associated stat for the arcana ...
5
votes
1answer
2k views
Can you get Armor proficiency with the Skilled feat?
I have a PC that wants to play a variant human warlock, but uses heavy armor and has the feat Skilled which states you gain proficiency in any combination of 3 skills or tools. Is heavy or any armor ...
1
vote
1answer
145 views
Fall as a free action and then use fly skill to end falling as free movement
I had a character flying at 100 feet. I knocked an enemy to the ground. Their now farther away than a charge action could get me.
Is it possible to start falling as a free action, and then resume ...
3
votes
2answers
171 views
How can an NPC be built to track a fleeing target? [closed]
I have seen the tracking rules based on the survival skill and something bothers me: you take a -20 penalty to track a target at twice your speed (a.k.a hustle speed a.k.a a fleeing runaway speed on a ...
