Gaining skills at higher levels issue

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

So, one of the things that bother me about 5E is when characters gain proficiency in skills at higher levels and how they are "instantly" as good as a comparable character who has had the skill since the beginning.

Consider a Fighter 16 who decides to multiclass to a Ranger. He learns one skill from the Ranger list and selects Investigation, Nature, or Stealth (skills not in the Fighter skill list) when earning Level 17. He suddenly knows Nature, for example, with the full +6 proficiency bonus! Now, a fledgling character would only have +2, so why would such a higher level character instantly acquire such ability when they have, probably, never used it before???

Any thoughts? Does anyone house-rule newer skills at higher levels with lower proficiency bonus? I realize it is hardly a major issue, just a peeve of mine and wondering what others think...

 

[Draegn]

In my game when a player learns a new skill they start at level 1. They can increase their skill level over time if they desire to do so. I also have many more skills than the current edition does. Many of these are occupational and derived from backgrounds as a means to colour the characters during creation. As a thematic example of what I try to encourage in my game; a wizard might learn to smith jewelry and practice making rings until he is a master at it. For, it is easier for him to pour his will into the ring that he himself created by his own hand, rather than simply buying one from a shop.

 

[iserith]

You could choose not to use the optional feats and multiclassing rules.

Otherwise, this seems like a thing to "fix" with a fictional explanation as to why this is that you can personally swallow rather than a change to the mechanics.

 

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

I was thinking of just making it start at +2, and when your prof bonus goes up, so do all your skills as normal. So, the character might have a few skills slightly less than most of them. Then again, I might not worry about it... it ins't a big deal to be honest.

I wouldn't get rid of multiclassing! Half of the party is already multiclassed and they are only 5th and 6th levels!

 

[Shiroiken]

It is one of the compromises for the simplicity of the game. I don't think that there is any simple and good method of fixing it within the current design of the game. The best way of dealing with it in character is when they take the multi-class have them learn from an experienced NPC who enlightens them to their flawed technique ("THAT'S what I've been doing wrong!").

During the playtest they had several different options on how do work skills. The original one had a semi-skill point system but the first point was worth +2, which encouraged generalization. When they settled into the universal proficiency system we have now, they optioned that when you increased your proficiency, you could gain a new skill instead of increasing your proficiency; an interesting system, but it was complicated since your skill proficiency would be different than your save or attack proficiency. The last attempt removed skills altogether, leaving only "lore" that a character might know, granting a +10 bonus to any check (more or less making it automatic), which had some neat new concepts (cultural lore, forbidden lore, etc.), but most players liked having actual skills.

 

[Dausuul]

It takes roughly 200 encounters to go from level 1 to level 20.

At the recommended 6-8 encounters per day, that is 29 days. Nineteen levels in a month.

And you're objecting to the fact that someone's skill bonus can jump up sharply in that time span?

 

[Gladius Legis]

I really don't see the problem. At Lv. 16 you're practically a demigod. I also despise 3e's skill points.

 

[Satyrn]

Otherwise, this seems like a thing to "fix" with a fictional explanation as to why this is that you can personally swallow rather than a change to the mechanics.

"The character has always been skilled at this, it's only become story-relevant now."

It's like how, 5 seasons into the show, we learn that Xena was a Valkyrie before she ever met Hercules, and has always had all the Valkyrie skills even though we never saw it.

.

 

[Thyrwyn]

Another possible explanation is that +6 at 16th level is roughly comparable to a +2 at 1st level, and therefore learning the skill later provides the same comparable benefit

 

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

It takes roughly 200 encounters to go from level 1 to level 20.

At the recommended 6-8 encounters per day, that is 29 days. Nineteen levels in a month.

And you're objecting to the fact that someone's skill bonus can jump up sharply in that time span?

You know, I have seen people use this before and it is partially what inspired my thread about Running WotC Adventures.

It is ridiculous to believe someone is going from "zero to hero" in a month of adventuring. And yeah, it doesn't really fit with my sense of believability, even if it is a fantasy game.