With the announcement of not-6e I put this project on hold, and now that I’ve seen some previews of the not-6e PHB, I think this is a moot point. WoTC has this handled well enough, I don’t feel a need to write a whole new skill/tool system to bolt onto the game. While it doesn’t sound like it, that’s supposed to be a compliment. Anyway… I’ve got a half finished system here and figured I’d share it out, since I’m not planning to finish it, and the point of the blog portion of the site is to “serve as the testing beds for new technology. Ours contains in-progress works, partially finished ideas, incomplete subsystems, along with reviews and evaluations of products, both my own and others.” There’s a word formatted version in the discord if you prefer that.
5e Skills and Tools
Problem
Skills in 5e don’t have a good definition. With one DM some skills are must haves while playing under another that skill is a waste. DMs don’t even really have clear guidance for which skill is used for which purpose, and I’ve seen DMs use different skills for the same check session by session. This is an attempt to make the system a little more complex and allow for some more concrete definitions.
Objective
Generally speaking, skills exist and function as you expect. The main difference is that when using a tool, you are proficient with, you are adding new abilities to that skill. We introduce some additional skills and divide some really good skills into two to give each stat (except constitution) 5 skills. We also defined what skills can do with some charts with DCs.
New System
All characters get 2 + Int mod worth of skills of their choice at first level regardless of what their class says. They can select any two skills (not other proficiencies) they feel are appropriate for their character. This does not retroactively increase when the characters int mod increases. Every time their proficiency bonus increases, they get another choice of skills to become trained in. By 17th level, they will be trained in at least 6 skills (more if they take the skilled feat or gain extra skills through some other such as their race or subclass).
Each time a character has training in a skill, they gain one rank. A character will most likely gain training in a skill multiple times, giving multiple ranks. Skills can have a maximum of 5 points in them at any time, although a skill can never have more ranks than your proficiency bonus. For first level characters, this means a variant human who chooses to gain stealth proficiency, with the criminal background cannot select stealth as one of their two starting skills, as that would give them 3 ranks. Each rank in a skill is sometimes given a common name, Rank 1 Trained, 2 – Craftsman, 3 – Expert, 4 – Master, 5 – Legendary.
When rolling a skill check, the player rolls 1d20+ability score + # of ranks to get a result.
The expertise feature now means your ranks grant a +2 to your role per rank, instead of +1.
When rolling a skill without a single rank, your character is untrained. They roll with disadvantage.
Skills
Strength
Athletics
Athletics is used for strength-based sports and competition, including rock climbing, swimming, jumping and the like. This skill can be used for opposed checks, but also for events like races where determining the faster competitor.
| Climb DC | Use Case |
| 0 | A ladder |
| 5 | Knotted Rope |
| 10 | Anything with ledges to use, like a ships rigging. |
| 15 | Rough rock or most trees. |
| 20 | Smooth or difficult stone walls, without handholds. |
| 25 | Perfectly smooth surface, like glass. |
| 30 | Replicate the effects of the Spider Climb spell. |
| Advantage | You can brace yourself against an opposite side, like a chimney |
| Disadvantage | The surface is slippery or uncertain |
Success means the character can move half their speed as an action. Failure means no progress is made as part of this action. Failure by 5 or more means the character falls. The DM may also call for climb checks to be made when a character takes large amounts of damage, faces supernaturally strong winds, or other effects.
| Jump DC | Use Case |
| 1 | The DC to jump horizontally is simply 1 for every 1 ft of movement. |
| 4 | The DC to jump vertically is 4 for every 1 ft of vertical height. |
| Advantage | A character takes a running start |
| Disadvantage | Jumping from a ledge, or other narrow starting point where a leading step cannot be taken. |
Brawn
Brawn is used when feats of strength are needed. Temporarily lifting an object of great weight, throwing an immense object a great distance, and the like.
Brawn has two uses. First, when a character becomes encumbered, they can make a DC 15 check to negate the effects. When they become heavily encumbered, the DC rises to 20. Secondly when a character attempts to lift an object that would be more than their maximum carrying capacity, the character can attempt a Brawn check to lift the object. This check must be made each round. While doing so, the character automatically becomes heavily encumbered (they cannot negate it with another roll of this skill) and can treat their strength score for that round as the result of their Brawn skill check.
Endurance
When a character gains a level of exhaustion, they can make a DC 15 check to negate the effects. The DC increases by 5 for each level of exhaustion the character currently has.
Grappling
This skill is a direct replacement for any existing rules reference to Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks. It should now reference Strength (Grappling).
Ride
While every character can ride a horse well enough to not need a check, the Ride skill can be used to break or train a new mount or ride in unusual circumstances.
To break a new mount the DC is 10+the CR of the creature. This process requires at least a 24 hour period spent working with the creature, and the check is made at the end of the window. The Ride skill has disadvantage when used on creatures capable of speaking a language. Once the check is successful, the creature is granted a Charisma saving throw with the same DC at the end of each day for the next 6 days. If any of these checks succeed, the creature is no longer suitable for a mount, and must be retrained.
Dexterity
Acrobatics
The Acrobatics skill can be used to flip, tumble, or otherwise move about in a highly entertaining, or practical manner. This skill can be used to travel through normally obstructed terrain, whether by a creature, or a simple wall.
| Acrobatics DC | Use Case |
| 15 | Leave a creature’s threatened area without provoking an attack of opportunity. |
| 15 | Stand without reducing your movement speed as a bonus action. |
| 15 | Pass over obstructing terrain that is no higher than waist height without slowing movement. |
| 20 | Pass over obstructing terrain that is no higher than shoulder height without slowing movement. |
| 15 | Squeeze through a space where your head fits but shoulders do not |
| 25 | Squeeze through a space your head doesn’t fit, but your hand does. |
| 30 | Squeeze through any opening you can get a finger through. |
| Varies | An Acrobatics check can often be used to pass through a variety of difficult terrain that would normally slow movement without slowing down, such as a briar field or the entangle spell. The DC for this action is 10, or the listed DC of the feature. It does not negate the other effects of spells like spike growth. |
Mechanics
The Mechanics skill is used to build, repair, or disable simple machines. To be used, the character must have the appropriate materials, and spend at least 15 minutes per 5 points of the DC.
| Mechanics DC | Result |
| 10 | Repair, or build a single lever, wheel, pulley, incline, wedge, or screw |
| 15 | Under 3 simple machines Rube Goldberg-ed together. |
| 20 | Under 5 simple machines Rube Goldberg-ed together. |
| Varies | The DC to disable any purely mechanical trap or device is equal to the saving throw it would require when triggered. If the DC is surpassed by 5, the character can choose to bypass, but leave the trap in place. |
Pilot – driving vehicles
Sleight o Hand – pick pocketing. Hide small object on self.
Stealth – Hide self and others, and travel without being seen.
Con
We are not introducing con based skills.
Int
- Arcana – spell identification, item identification, magic monsters.
- History – “Classic monsters”. humanoid monsters, Lore, legends, specific people, named magic items.
- Investigation – as is. Find hidden stuff in an room.
- Nature – Beast lore, plant lore
- Religion – undead lore, religious lore.
Wis
- Animal Handle – persuasion but for animals.
- Insight – vibe check
- Medicine – healing, disease treatment
- Perception – opposes stealth and sleight of hand.
- Survival – don’t get lost in the woods, track, find food
Cha
- Deception – persuasion, but if they find out they hate you. easier DC.
- Intimidation – persuasion, but they know they hate you. Easier DC.
- Performance – Do art, dance, or something creative.
- Persuasion – 3e diplomacy rules.
- Barter – Determine sale price of goods. Use 3e appraise skills.
The TTRPG Factory 