86
votes
Accepted
What is the point of a shield proficiency?
The disadvantages are the same as wearing regular armor you lack proficiency with
(Note, I used the basic rules pg.44 as a reference, but the information should be the same as in the PHB, pg. 144)
You ...
- 26.7k
73
votes
Accepted
Why is allowing players to stack their skill proficiency bonus overpowered?
It leads to "All or Nothing" skill development
This is going to cause exactly the problem that the 'bounded accuracy' philosophy of 5th edition was designed to address: All skill checks ...
- 78.3k
72
votes
Accepted
Why do we assume that PHB rules apply to monsters?
If monsters don't follow the "you" rules in the PHB, then many things become undefined.
You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach.
...
- 28.7k
68
votes
Accepted
How can a Cleric be proficient in warhammers?
Two cleric domains get proficiency with martial weapons in DnD 5e, and dwarves have a racial proficiency
Cleric Domain
PHB p. 62 and 63 identify Tempest and War Domains as having martial weapon ...
- 144k
52
votes
Accepted
Would it be unbalanced for Dex-based Fighters to choose proficiency in Dex saving throws instead of Str saving throws?
Yes, it would be unbalanced. Dex, Con, and Wis are the major saving throw types, of which each class has one. Str, Int, and Cha are minor saving throws, which don't come up as often.
Str saving throws ...
- 1,542
44
votes
Is it possible to have a character with proficiency in all martial weapons without proficiency in Medium armor?
Multiclass Barbarian
Any character who is not proficient in medium armor (and has 13 Strength or more) can multiclass (if using that optional rule) into Barbarian to gain proficiency in martial ...
- 76.1k
42
votes
Accepted
How can a Forge Cleric obtain proficiency with swords at first level?
Through your race, or possibly background
The easiest way to get the proficiency would be through a race that gives you proficiences, or through a background which might, with DM permission, grant you ...
- 36.5k
38
votes
How does Jack of All Trades interact with Reliable Talent?
As of 2019, the new Sage Advice Compendium clearly states that they don't interact.
These aren't allowed to work together on a single check.
Can the rogue’s Reliable Talent feature be used in ...
- 6,033
38
votes
Are there mistakes on the pregenerated Starter Set wizard and ranger character sheets?
The omission of passive perception is a mistake - nothing else is wrong here.
The Wizard gets proficiency in Perception from being an elf. All elves get the following:
Keen Senses. You have ...
- 25.2k
37
votes
How to calculate passive perception?
The Passive Perception is like normal Perception, but you add 10 instead of rolling the 20-sided die
Passive checks are calculated like so:
10 + all modifiers that normally apply to the check
If the ...
- 18.5k
37
votes
Why do we assume that PHB rules apply to monsters?
The Monster Manual explicitly says so
Monsters can perform actions from the PHB:
When a monster takes its action, it can choose from the options in the Actions section of its stat block or use one of ...
- 70.8k
36
votes
Accepted
Is your proficiency bonus a class feature?
No, but you still keep that bonus for Wild Shape.
Each class has a section called Features, that lists all its class features. These include, for a Barbarian, Rage, Unarmored Defense, Reckless Attack, ...
- 47k
36
votes
Accepted
How does a bat have +0 modifier to attack?
I don't think there is a formula that will give us that +0.
The bat is a very weak creature, with a CR 0. Most likely, the D&D designers just didn't want him to have a negative attack modifier, so ...
- 47k
35
votes
Accepted
Does the Rogue's Reliable Talent feature work for thieves' tools, since the rogue is proficient in them?
Your interpretation is correct
You already quote all the necessary rules.
Using Thieves' Tools usually involves an ability check
Proficiency in Thieves' Tools lets you add your proficiency bonus to ...
- 36.6k
34
votes
Accepted
Is there an official feat that gives expertise for weapons?
There is no such official feat. Even in the Unearthed Arcana article that included weapon mastery feats, said weapon mastery feats only gave +1 to attack rolls with the weapon in question, rather than ...
- 145k
34
votes
Are ability bonuses added to skills you don't have?
Yup, you always get your ability score bonus.
Despite common misconceptions, D&D5E doesn't actually have "skill checks". It has ability checks, that sometimes get a proficiency bonus, ...
- 49k
34
votes
Accepted
Do you add your proficiency bonus when attacking with the Sun Blade if you're proficient with shortswords only?
Ignore the last statement about longsword proficiency
This is a bit of a guess, but I'm pretty sure that last additional statement about longsword proficiency is a side-effect of how D&D Beyond ...
- 28.6k
33
votes
Accepted
How long does it take to read and learn from a book?
There are no rules on how long it takes to read a book exactly
Nowhere in the rules does it give any kind of guideline for exactly how long it takes to read a book, so that means that it would have to ...
- 95.6k
33
votes
How many skill proficiencies do I choose as a Triton Bard?
You should have 5
There are three possible sources to skill proficiency upon character creation: race, background, class.
Tritons don't give proficiency in any skills, so aren't relevant.
The folk ...
- 48.9k
32
votes
Accepted
Do monsters have proficiency with all weapons and armors?
It's the DM'S call.
From the Monster Manual, pg 9:
Assume that a creature is proficient with its armor, weapons, and tools. If you swap them out, you decide whether the creature is proficient with ...
- 9,995
32
votes
Does a wizard really have the same chance to hit as a fighter?
You are missing something ... just not about how the proficiency bonus works
All classes making an attack with a weapon they are proficient in or with a spell they have spellcasting proficiency in ...
- 216k
32
votes
Can you get Armor proficiency with the Skilled feat?
No
Armor is not a tool or a skill. In every class description it lists tool and skill proficiencies separate from armor and weapons. Additionally there are entire feats that grant armor proficiency, (...
- 443
32
votes
Accepted
Does the Aboleth have expertise in History and Perception?
Aboleths do have [something which is mechanically equivalent to] Expertise in those skills
The Monster Manual uses the word 'expertise' when describing how certain creatures might have higher-than-...
- 53.1k
32
votes
When using the Proficiency Dice optional rule, how should they be used in determining a character's Spell Save DC?
This is not how the rule is intended
Instead of adding a proficiency bonus to an ability check, an attack
roll, or saving throw, the character's player rolls a die.
Going by the text in the DMG, ...
- 61.9k
31
votes
Accepted
After a Ghost possesses an armored character, is it basically limited to a single attack per turn with disadvantage?
Your analysis of the relevant rules is correct: the ghost is not proficient with armor or weapons and suffers the consequences. However, the ghost is not, as you say, limited to attacking the rest of ...
- 4,667
30
votes
Does proficiency in both simple and martial weapons mean my character is proficient in all weapons?
Yes, that covers all of the weapons from the PHB, but there are more types of weapons than just those ones
Simple and martial weapons are the only two categories described in the PHB in the Chapter 5:...
- 70.8k
30
votes
Accepted
Proficiency with specific weapons vs 'simple and martial'?
A character proficient in simple and martial weapons is proficient in all PHB weapons. For them, other individual weapon proficiencies (like Dwarven Combat Training) don't do anything. There's no ...
- 10.3k
30
votes
Accepted
Is a Pact of the Blade Warlock proficient with all weapons of the same kind as their wielded pact weapon?
You are only proficient in the specific weapon you summon
The feature in question states:
[...] use your action to create a pact weapon in your empty hand. You can choose the form that this melee ...
- 76.8k
29
votes
Does proficiency in saving throws prevent taking certain feats?
RAW
There is no rule to support banning the feat because you already have the proficiency. They simply don't stack - there's no benefit to being proficient twice. You're either proficient or not. ...
- 49k
29
votes
Accepted
Do features that allow you to add twice your proficiency bonus, under some other name, stack with Expertise?
Your proficiency bonus can only be added or multiplied once by any ability or combination of abilities
From the Basic Rules / PHB p. 173:
Your proficiency bonus can’t be added to a single die roll ...
- 95.6k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible