Dr Simon
Explorer
Sithramir, seems fine to me.
Neurotic - when you ask how many feats are available, do you mean how many are there in the book or how many can a character get throughout their career? I'm guessing the second from context. In 5e you can get a feat instead of increasing ability scores, each time that option is presented. I'd need to double check but that option is usually presented at every 4th level for each class (nb not character level like previous editions. There are multi-classing rules though, might be covered under that). However, the 5e feats give a larger package of abilities than before, so they are more like adding an extra build onto your character. Rather than building up a tree of, say, archery feats, you can take a package of archery-based abilities with one feat. If you don't have access to a list of feats, let me know roughly what you would like your character to have and I'll see what I can advise.
As for proficiency, yes, that's basically it. Like Saga or 4e, you either have proficiency, or you don't. If you do, you add your proficiency bonus (which is level-derived, starts at +2, increases) and your ability score modifier. If you don't, you just add ability score modifier. Probably some things can't be attempted if you don't have proficiency (like using thieves tools). So if your class and background offer Athletics as a proficiency, and your character has the same Dexterity (or possibly Str or Con - skills can go off different ability scores depending on contex) as a rogue of the same level then yes, you would have the same skill modifier, except that the rogue has a class feature that allows it to gain a larger bonus to some skills, so, no, you might not. But that's not really any different to prior editions.
Neurotic - when you ask how many feats are available, do you mean how many are there in the book or how many can a character get throughout their career? I'm guessing the second from context. In 5e you can get a feat instead of increasing ability scores, each time that option is presented. I'd need to double check but that option is usually presented at every 4th level for each class (nb not character level like previous editions. There are multi-classing rules though, might be covered under that). However, the 5e feats give a larger package of abilities than before, so they are more like adding an extra build onto your character. Rather than building up a tree of, say, archery feats, you can take a package of archery-based abilities with one feat. If you don't have access to a list of feats, let me know roughly what you would like your character to have and I'll see what I can advise.
As for proficiency, yes, that's basically it. Like Saga or 4e, you either have proficiency, or you don't. If you do, you add your proficiency bonus (which is level-derived, starts at +2, increases) and your ability score modifier. If you don't, you just add ability score modifier. Probably some things can't be attempted if you don't have proficiency (like using thieves tools). So if your class and background offer Athletics as a proficiency, and your character has the same Dexterity (or possibly Str or Con - skills can go off different ability scores depending on contex) as a rogue of the same level then yes, you would have the same skill modifier, except that the rogue has a class feature that allows it to gain a larger bonus to some skills, so, no, you might not. But that's not really any different to prior editions.
