Do you allow Acrobatics and Athletics to be used interchangeably?

[DEFCON 1]

There are times when Dexterity (Athletics) can be appropriate − slow, small, cautious, sensitive, precise, aim, like an archery trick shot.

But ‘Acrobatics’ as a separate skill lacks a reason to exist. Heh, a person who takes the socalled ‘acrobatics’ cant even perform basic acrobatic maneuvers, which require jumping and climbing.

By contrast, the Athletics skill covers everything relating to gymnastics, jumping, pull ups, climbing rope, carrying another acrobat, and so on.

Sure it has a reason to exist. The base rules assign skill to ability score, so in order to be a physically gifted DEX person you need Acrobatics as an available skill for that person to select. Your suggestion of Dexterity (Athletics) above doesn't come up in the basic rules, that's an Variant rule choice. And then at that point, whether something is a Strength (Athletics) check or a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check comes down to how any individual DM decides actions get split up.

Now I agree with you that I think having Athletics and Acrobatics as separate skills is kind of pointless, which is why I've eliminated Acrobatics as a skill in my games. But I also freely admit that I use the Variant Rule for putting ability and skill together, so doing that removal makes sense. But I don't have any illusions that what I'm doing is part of the basic game-- it's not. I'm in full-on Variant territory, which is why I have no issue that the basic rules keeps both skills based on their current rules explanation.

 

[billd91]

There are times when Dexterity (Athletics) can be appropriate − slow, small, cautious, sensitive, precise, aim, like an archery trick shot.

But ‘Acrobatics’ as a separate skill lacks a reason to exist. Heh, a person who takes the socalled ‘acrobatics’ cant even perform basic acrobatic maneuvers, which require jumping and climbing.

By contrast, the Athletics skill covers everything relating to gymnastics, jumping, pull ups, climbing rope, carrying another acrobat, and so on.

Of course they can provide basic acrobatic maneuvers. You don't need to make a strength (athletics) check to do a backflip, you don't need to do a strength (athletics) check to roll up onto a table to see a target over the bar fight, and you don't need to do a strength (athletics) check to keep your balance as you run along a precarious rooftop. Those are all better handled by a dexterity (acrobatics) check.

If we're going to get into gymnastics, the obvious little secret here is you can expect a competent gymnast to have better than average strength and dexterity and be proficient in both athletics and acrobatics.

 

[SkidAce]

If we're going to get into gymnastics, the obvious little secret here is you can expect a competent gymnast to have better than average strength and dexterity and be proficient in both athletics and acrobatics.

Quoted for emphasis...

 

[SkidAce]

Do you allow to a certain degree and in some cases Acrobatics and Athletics to be used interchangeably?

Freely interchangeably, as in at will, whenever one is called for the other can be subbed?

No.

Specifically interchangeable, much like a grapple, or other relevant circumstance?

Yes.

 

[guachi]

. You're perfectly free to call for a Dex (acrobatics) check to run across branches through trees by considering it a balance check, particularly if they're not really gaining height (and thus not really climbing) and not jumping to span significant distances.

Exactly. The walking and running would be Athletics. But I'm sure most would have it an automatic success.

But the Acrobatics is for how you move - balanced and upright.