Questions tagged [skills]
For questions about skills: abilities of characters that describe their capabilities in a range of areas, that typically progress with level.
1,008
questions
8
votes
2answers
736 views
Is a weapon proficiency also a skill proficiency, or are the two things completely distinct from each other?
A simple question to answer, I thought, but so far I've been unable to find a reference that really clarifies it. The context for it is the Skill Expert feat in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. Part of ...
6
votes
1answer
108 views
What are the consequences of using Fate Accelerated approaches for magic, but skills from the Core book elsewhere?
Some time in the future I want to run a game of FATE, with magic, but reading through the example characters used in the Core SRD, but it looked like it might be smoother to base the magic 'system' (...
3
votes
1answer
106 views
How can you improve your skill checks in Starfinder?
I am currently in the campaign with two other players. Our party consists of an Operative, a Soldier, and a Solarian. Due to the way skill points are distributed in this game, the Operative is ...
8
votes
2answers
182 views
Can a druid in animal form use Handle Animal?
My new 1st level druid likes to use the spell "Aspect of the Wolf" for combat. Now the question arose whether he can use Handle Animal in wolf form to use the Attack trick on his riding dog ...
4
votes
1answer
525 views
How to identify magic items?
When using the Detect Magic spell to determine the properties of a magic item, do you have to succeed on the Knowledge arcana check in the third round of Detect Magic before you use the spellcraft ...
4
votes
1answer
107 views
Can Use Magic Device be used to bypass the spell on spell list portion for recharging staves?
According to the rules for magic staves:
Each morning, when a spellcaster prepares spells or regains spell slots, he can also imbue one staff with a portion of his power so long as one or more of the ...
3
votes
1answer
303 views
What is the lowest modifier you can have on a skill check (while staying within official rules)?
I was watching some Critical Role last night, and one of the players had a -3 modifier to Insight (his Wisdom score of 7 didn't help). And that made me wonder:
What would be the lowest modifier you ...
6
votes
1answer
262 views
When "pushing" an animal, how long will it perform the trick it doesn't know?
Here is the text for "'Push' an Animal" for the Handle Animal skill:
To push an animal means to get it to perform a task or trick that it doesn’t know but is physically capable of ...
21
votes
3answers
4k views
Does taking 10 increase the time it takes to perform an action?
My GM says that, when you take 20, your action takes 20x the normal time, with which I agree. However, they also claim that it takes 10x the listed time if I choose to take 10. I explicitly asked ...
3
votes
4answers
928 views
What is the likelihood that my players can succeed in this escape the city scene?
First-time DM running Curse of Strahd for 6 first-time players. In our upcoming session, I'm going to have Strahd appear in the sky and demand that the citizens of a town bring him an NPC he has been ...
9
votes
1answer
621 views
Where was the computer skill split up into operation, programming and hacking?
I just joined a MechWarrior group that uses the old 3rd edition books. I was handed a PreGen from the core book (The Federated Suns Technician)1, which lists the "Computer" skill.
However, ...
5
votes
2answers
255 views
Invisible structures and floors
I’m preparing a puzzle tower for my players, with a twist. It’s one empty room that goes up four or five stories, but one wall is entirely a mirror that shows stairs, walkways, doors, etc that are ...
6
votes
1answer
271 views
What sort of questions can I ask/answer with an Underworld Lore roll?
been a while since I've been here last, but this question is a tad important.
I started playing in a Pathfinder 2e campaign a couple months ago with my character having the Criminal background. As ...
11
votes
1answer
260 views
Can you increase the DC and healing of Treat Wounds with Natural Medicine?
I noticed a strange skill interaction while trying to make a build for a Primal witch. The Treat Wounds skill action specifies that the DC and amount healed by the skill check can be increased based ...
6
votes
3answers
814 views
Is the DC table applied to characters with or without proficiency?
In the PHB there is a section on typical difficulty classes:
Difficulty
DC
Very easy
5
Easy
10
Medium
15
Hard
20
Very hard
25
Almost impossible
30
Just looking at the numbers, I would say that ...
15
votes
4answers
2k views
What check determines if a whip successfully latches onto a tree branch?
If a PC wants to use his whip to wrap around a tree branch and then swing on it, like Indiana Jones, what check would that require? Would it require an attack roll?
1
vote
1answer
64 views
How does the 5th (and higher) level Unchained Rogue Skill unlock for the Intimidate skill would interact with the Taunt feat?
How does the 5th (and higher) level Unchained Rogue Skill unlock for the Intimidate skill would interact with the Taunt feat?
All of the likely interpretations lead to weird results,
a) If you rule ...
10
votes
3answers
3k views
Are there rules for "doubletalk" (i.e. a character conveying a message to allies while hiding that message from enemies)?
Do the rules specify how an action like doubletalk (or something like it) works?
By "doubletalk", I am referring to a character conveying a message to allies while hiding that message from ...
12
votes
1answer
1k views
Can a 6th level rogue select Investigation for their Expertise feature even if their Intelligence modifier is +0?
So I started playing d&d a while ago, but when I was building my first character ever I didn’t completely know what I was doing so I assigned my rolls to abilities I didn’t totally need to have ...
19
votes
1answer
2k views
If an ability says characters can tell that something is not real with a successful ability check, do characters automatically attempt the check?
If an ability says a character (or creature) can tell that something is real with a successful ability check, does the character automatically attempt the check? Or does it require an active choice on ...
9
votes
3answers
426 views
Is the Help action an example of, or an exception to, Working Together?
The Help action is described in Chapter 9 of the PHB (emphasis mine):
You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task. When you take the Help action, the creature you aid gains ...
1
vote
0answers
101 views
Homebrew: Divorcing Skills from Attributes in 5e [duplicate]
I was reading this article/post, and wondered about changing the standard 5e attributes to something that makes more sense.
Some hours later, I dug my way out of that rabbit hole with the realization ...
2
votes
0answers
122 views
Rules for learning new skills in D&D [duplicate]
Are there any rlues for learning new skills and abilities?
I wonder if a character can teach his skills other party members.
Let me present some examples:
Let's say I am playing as wizard and I want ...
10
votes
3answers
3k views
Can a Rogue find an undetectable Trap?
While the title seems to already anwser the question on it's own (there's no way you can detect something undetectable), should that really be the case?
Let's check three examples:
Collapsing Floor ...
13
votes
5answers
2k views
When performing a group check, is it better to have an even number of creatures?
The rules for group checks say:
To make a group ability check, everyone in the group makes the ability check. If at least half the group succeeds, the whole group succeeds.
So, for groups of 1 and 2,...
31
votes
6answers
3k views
Should a sneaking group use group checks?
I always considered sneaking to be a per character check, because I have a hard time imagining a paladin in shiny, heavy and loud armor sneaking silently, just because a rogue with stealth expertise ...
1
vote
2answers
314 views
What ability or skill check would cover surfing on a shield down stairs, and what would the DC be for such an action?
Based on existing DCs, what would a ballpark number be for a group of 4 7th-level individuals to surf a single shared tower shield down a series of flights of stairs (each turning at 90 degrees at ...
14
votes
5answers
2k views
Should forcing open doors be Strength or Strength (Athletics)
According to RAW, should forcing stuck/locked/barred doors open be a Strength check, or a Strength (Athletics) check?
As I read the description of the Strength ability and the Athletics skill in the ...
3
votes
1answer
606 views
When replacing the Variant Human race with a lineage, do you keep the skill proficiency gained through the Prodigy feat?
Each of the lineages from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft has a feature called Ancestral Legacy, which states:
If you replace a race with this lineage, you can keep the following elements of that ...
5
votes
1answer
145 views
Are you able to apply your tool proficiency bonus when there is an overlap with a skill but you are not proficient in that skill?
So for DnD 5e, XGtE expanded/clarified the use of Tool Proficiencies and very specifically talks about when skill and tool proficiencies overlap and what to do in those situations (advantage or added ...
17
votes
1answer
417 views
When do individual ability checks become group ability checks?
In the section Working Together, the basic rules state:
Sometimes two or more characters team up to attempt a task. The character who's leading the effort — or the one with the highest ability ...
36
votes
13answers
6k views
How to DM unlikely strength checks
A question for all DMs out there. So, part of the fun of D&D derives from the randomness of the dice, and to interpret their results in a sensible way -even within the broad boundaries of a make-...
8
votes
2answers
134 views
Determining creature rarity in Starfinder
I have a player at my Starfinder table who is really keen to use her bonuses for identifying rare creatures, but has never gotten a chance to.
I'd assumed none of the encountered creatures were ever ...
5
votes
1answer
339 views
What happens when a race skill and a class skill is the same?
In D&D 4th edition, the PC of
class Assassin gets training in Stealth,
race Shade gets training in Stealth (Heroes of Shadow, page 121, "Practiced Sneak: You have training in Stealth.")....
6
votes
2answers
222 views
Can intelligent items be intimidated?
I know these are technically immune to mind effecting spells and effects, but can they still be intimidated? I feel like intelligent weapons or items would be capable of fearing their destruction. ...
6
votes
2answers
694 views
Can a druid in Wild Shape use the Medicine skill to stabilize a dying creature?
The PHB description of the Medicine skill is paltry. Wild Shape doesn't seem to cover skills like Medicine, though it does say you retain skill proficiencies.
Can a druid in Wild Shape use the ...
15
votes
2answers
2k views
What is the most number of skills a character can gain Expertise in?
I was reading through the Scout's Survivalist feature and noted that it is a manner by which a character can both gain skill proficiency plus Expertise in one shot. This got me wondering how many ...
5
votes
1answer
2k views
Does the "Changing a Skill" optional rule from Tasha's allow me to change a skill proficiency from the background for one offered by the class?
Does the "Changing a Skill" optional rule from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (p. 8) allow me to replace a skill proficiency from my background with a skill proficiency offered by my class?
...
9
votes
1answer
497 views
Can I add my skills before checking for feat requirement?
So, when I level up my character in PF1, I choose a new class, add its feature, then skills and feats. But what if I want to add Signature Skill Feat as my level 5 feat. It requires 5 skill ranks in ...
39
votes
4answers
5k views
How to handle "I investigate for <this particular thing>" checks
The characters enter a room, and get the general "what do you see" spiel.
One player announces that he wants to "Investigate the room for ". (Let's say "investigate for odd ...
2
votes
2answers
175 views
If using spell Speak with Animals persuasion rather than animal handling for checks?
Wondering about a ruling if I am using the spell Speak with Animals rather than trying to communicate my intentions with the animal via Animal Handling skill for checks for communicating after casting ...
3
votes
2answers
288 views
Is there any precedent for doubling the proficiency bonus only if the character has a given skill proficiency?
A number of character classes features that allow them to double their proficiency bonus when using selected skill proficiencies. An example is the Bard's:
[C]hoose two of your skill proficiencies. ...
7
votes
1answer
551 views
Do skill bonuses in monster stat blocks include every modifier?
Let's take this stat block as an example. It says the creature has +2 DEX and +6 Stealth. Does the Stealth bonus already include the ability modifier, making a stealth check for this creature ...
5
votes
2answers
965 views
Is there any way to get proficiency (or expertise/doubled proficiency) in Constitution checks?
I was looking for any official way - class feature, magic item, anything - for a character to add their proficiency to any form of Constitution check, but I couldn't find anything. Is it possible to ...
0
votes
0answers
47 views
Do items which add to some ability affect your skill modifier? [duplicate]
I just received armor which adds +2 to my charisma. Does it also affect my skills like performance and persuasion?
If possible, could you link some source in your answer? I searched and didn't find ...
17
votes
2answers
1k views
Does making an ability check take an action?
The only ability checks that are listed as an action in the game are Dexterity (Stealth) when taking the Hide action, and Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) for the Search action. Do ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
Can I stabilize a character if I don't have proficiency in the Medicine skill or any healing equipment or abilities?
Can I stabilize someone by simply rolling a DC 10 Wisdom check if I don't have the Medicine Skill or any other healing-related equipment or abilities?
36
votes
3answers
3k views
What do you roll to sleep in a hidden spot?
Scenario: a character is alone in the forest, and needs to sleep. Of course, they don't want to get killed in their sleep, so they try to sleep in a hidden spot, like inside the treetops, heavily ...
5
votes
1answer
143 views
Do any Alchemist class features require Craft checks?
Advanced Alchemy and Quick Alchemy explicitly do not require Craft checks.
Chirurgeons could use Craft instead of Medicine, but they need to advance the latter for the many useful skill feats.
So it ...
4
votes
1answer
117 views
How do aliens without the Medicine Skill stop the bleeding condition?
According to Starfinder's bleeding condition rules:
You take the listed amount of damage at the beginning of your turn each round until this condition ends. Your bleeding can be stopped with a ...
