D&D 5E Another Thread on Skills, fishing for sites

[twofalls]

In the past (two years ago) I read a couple of really good threads here on how to utilize skills in 5e, and some folks gave me some really good advice, and with total lack of foresight I failed to save the information. I have 6 editions of D&D in my head all fighting for prominence when I'm running a game, and one of the worst of these rules area's is in skill use. Even with a list of the 5e skills copied right in front of me, my brain keeps bringing up the 3e skill system and I ask players to make Wilderness Lore skill roles.

Does anyone have a link to a good site on the web that explains the creative use of 5e skills? I would like to teach my players how to think outside the box about what skills they have and how they can use them, so that my aging brain doesn't have to do all the heavy lifting in this area where it is weak.

Oh, btw, I've had some really good advice from eworld the past few weeks. Thanks folks!

 

[iserith]

Consider that in D&D 5e, players don't "use skills" as was commonly done while playing D&D 3.Xe. Rather, they describe what they want to do with reasonable specificity - what they want to achieve and how they set about that - and, sometimes, the DM will ask them to make an ability check which may or may not have a skill proficiency that applies. Oftentimes, there may not be an ability check at all. The character either succeeds or fails outright as determined by the DM. Only when the DM establishes that there is an uncertain outcome and a meaningful consequence for failure does he or she call for an ability check. To that end, it's almost always better for players to never want or ask to roll. If success is their goal, the optimal move is to try to remove uncertainty and/or the meaningful consequence for failure by way of acting within the setting. Failing that, hopefully they have engaged in a task that falls under the better of their ability scores or in areas where they have applicable skill proficiencies.

To help you with application of skill proficiencies, you might try just asking for the ability check, then permit the player to add whatever skill proficiency he or she thinks is appropriate to the description the player already offered. (As opposed to trying to add description to get a bonus after the DM has called for the ability check.)