D&D 5E Would you do a skill check? If so, what kind? [Slight LMOP Spoiler]

[ArwensDaughter]

Background (skip if you like):
Sunday evening, for the first time in months, our family was able to sit down and play D&D together. Since our last session, those of us most bitten with bug have variously: read enworld forums, played in a PbP game, DMd a game with friends, watched Critical role, among other things. The difference those activities made in our game play was noticeable and encouraging. One change was the players (especially our teen children) were much more creative in their approaches to encounters. While I have a long ways to go in gaining confidence and agility as a DM, I was more able to swing with the creativity this time.

Question:
The players entered a bone-filled room. As soon as the first PC crossed the threshold, the bones began to assemble themselves as skeletons. While the adventure (LMOP) did not specify, I ruled that it took the skeletons one round to assemble. My son, who plays an arcane trickster (rogue), used Mage Hand to grab one of the femurs of one of the assembling skeletons and hold it up in the air, out of the reach of the assembling skeleton. On his next turn, he used the femur to attack the skeleton (whom he named Peg Leg). He missed, and by his next turn Peg Leg was no more.

I was pleased with his creativity, and they enjoyed the encounter, but afterwards I realized I could have decided that the femur would resist and try to rejoin the skeleton, and asked my son for an ability check of some sort to keep control of the femur. But that begs the question: what type of ability check? Arcana because he is using a spell to hold and move the femur? Dexterity? strength?

And, just now I realized it could be an opposed check, not merely a passive one. In that case, presumably the skeleton would make a strength check. (perhaps at disadvantage, since it could only stand on one leg?)

What would be your ruling and why?

 

[thethain]

I would guess that the leg would be pulled with greater than 10 lbs of force, thereby overpowering the hand. Although if the hand moved it out of range of the controlling force, then its out of range.

 

[iserith]

Since the skeleton is attempting to prevent the arcane trickster from accomplishing a goal, a contest seems reasonable. An Intelligence (Arcana) check for the arcane trickster and a check suitable to the skeleton's approach to preventing the arcane trickster from accomplishing his goal. But we have to establish the skeleton's approach to determine the check it makes. Does it grab the femur and try to wrest it away from the power of the arcane trickster's mage hand (Strength)? Does it have an opportunity to snatch the leg bone before the arcane trickster gains control over it (Dexterity)? Is it really the latent necromantic magic that is at work here pulling at the femur to create the skeleton (Intelligence)?

It could get tricky if you rule that mage hand can be used to make attacks though, so I would suggest having that work only in particular circumstances.

 

[Oofta]

I like the creativity, and would reward it. I'd probably have said the skeleton starts out prone as it tries to assemble and falls down. When he went to hit I may have asked for an opposed grapple check - skeleton's strength vs the rogue's strength/acrobatics as the gone tries to reconnect.

As far as a skill, if I asked for one I'd make it a simple sleight of hand.

Note that he couldn't attack the skeleton with the bone using the mage hand (normally).

 

[Geeknamese]

I'd rule it sort of the way Oofta described except I'd let him attack with the femur at Disadvantage with Mage Hand which cancels out with the Advantage of the skeleton being prone only because it was creative and too cool to not let him do that.


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[Shiroiken]

It really depends on what was bringing the skeletons together. In general, I think your current ruling was fine, since we don't know how much force was applied, nor if the force was a "creature." If you wanted to use a check, I'd go with proficiency plus spellcasting modifier. You could also go with Intelligence/Arcana, to represent the caster's knowledge of manipulating multiple magical fields.

 

[cmad1977]

That sounds pretty cool.
Maybe a grapple check to prevent the skeleton from forming. Or maybe impose disadvantage on the skeletons attacks and such while the bone was being held. Actually I like the penalty(disadvantage or -2/5) approach myself. Dice aren't always necessary.


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[cbwjm]

Cool encounter. I think if I was to make an opposed check I'd make it straight ability checks rather than a skill check. An intelligence check for the arcane trickster, since that is his spell casting ability, and I would probably just use strength for the skeleton. Strength may not map that well to resisting the mage hand effect since it is some sort of magic animating them, but it should work well enough for a quick opposed check.

 

[Saeviomagy]

My point of view would be this: what would the result of a successful roll on the part of the skeleton-magic be? Negation of a cool plan for no real reason.

Given that, I'd be happy to say that the skeleton-animating magic only works on an unattended object, and therefore fails if you grab a bone. Well, that's if you think it requires any justification at all.

 

[ccs]

I'd probably just roll with it & not have asked for any check.
If I thought too hard about it it'd probably end up being a some opposed str check. Mage hand vs mage hand like animating force, so no modifiers.