Skills, I Got Them.

When it comes to skill checks such as investigation or arcana, a lot can ride on getting a reasonable roll of the die. Nothing is more frustrating than having a nice juicy +6 (at low levels) in a skill, to then roll below a 5 on the dice and learn or gain nothing.

This can even cause problems for DM’s who would like to progress a plot, but has it hinging on the correct DC being reached. I think part of the system creates dissolution and disappointment in players (especially unlucky ones such as myself), so I have devised an alternative based loosely of the idea of “passive” skill levels.

Within the PHB and DMG passive abilities are only mentioned in regards to Perception and Investigation (under the Observant Feat). However it could be assumed that the ideas of passive scores could be applied to all skills, especially ones a character is proficient in. Now I’m not going to say that the using passive scores for everything is a great idea, because rolling the dice is fun.

My idea is probably a little more complicated.

Let’s say that there is a Wisdom Survival check DC15 for the players to pass. The player with proficiency rolls 6 and has a +5 to their score, even with a heavy investment into survival, they fail. Obviously, some people are of the perception that well, “that’s bad luck, let’s move on”. I think however that with such an investment in a skill, that the player should be rewarded more often.

My system works on a number of checks that passively reduce the DC for any skill check a player is proficient in. 

So firstly, players that are proficient in the appropriate skill check reduce the DC by 4. Secondly, each point added onto the appropriate skill reduces the DC by 1.

So using the previous example, a DC15 Wisdom Survival check will have the DC reduced by 7 (-4 for proficiency, -3 for skill points) to leave the DC at 8. This then essentially assures the players success unless they roll a 1 or 2. This means they only have a 10% chance of failing a moderate challenge check, rather than the typical 35%.

Another example: Identifying a magical aura with a DC22 Intelligence Arcana check.

If a player has a +6 in arcana they will have a 25% chance of succeeding.

Using the new method, with -4 DC for proficiency then -4 for skill points, this reduces the original from DC22 to a DC16

This then means they must roll a 10 or higher increasing their chances to 55%.

Now this may seem generous, but in the spirit of the players specialising in particular fields and investing into particular skills, it allows you to hit the mark more often with luck only appearing in the worst of scenarios. It also allows players proficient to often outperform players who aren’t, without having to rely on luck... as much. Finally i believe this system ties thematically into characters having a more competent grasp on their reality and abilities.