Here's my list. Not bothered by Thieves tools and sleight of hand being separate, but lots of other things do bother me.
- Strength – Athletics, Grappling
- Dexterity – Acrobatics, Sleight, Stealth
- Constitution – Endurance
- Intelligence – Arcana, Knowledge, Investigation, Medicine, Machinery, Tactics
- Wisdom – Bonding, Focus, Insight, Survival
- Charisma – Deception, Galvanizing, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion
There are three proficiency levels for skills and tools -
Dabbler,
Skilled, and
Expert. This already exists in the core rules; this section just helps formalize it into a true system.
- Dabbler means you use 1/2 your proficiency bonus
- Skilled means you use your proficiency bonus as normal
- Expert means you use half-again your proficiency bonus (not double as in the core rules)
Skilled is gained normally by all characters while
Expert and
Dabbler are generally less common and granted through various feats and class features.
On your character sheet, use a
horizontal line in the skill bubbles to denote dabble proficiency, a
checkmark for skilled, and an
x for expert.
New & Removed Skills
Animal Handling (Removed)
Rolled into the new skill Bonding, with some bonuses tied to feats or backgrounds
History & Religion (Removed)
Combined into the new Knowledge skill.
Perception (Removed)
Perception is now a passive score instead of a skill. Your perception score is equal to 10 + Proficiency bonus + Wisdom modifier.
Most uses of active perception are moved to Investigation, though Focus may also be used for others.
Endurance (New)
Endurance is split off from Athletics for activities involving any active, long-term exertion of physical effort that are less about "bursts of strength" and more about combating fatigue.
Endurance checks may also be used for resisting the effects of torture or pushing beyond normal limits to continue fighting.
Focusing (New)
Focusing is the mental analogue of Endurance. It may come into play in a variety of situations, but it is most commonly used with the revised Concentration rules, making it a very useful skill for all spellcasters.
Grappling (New)
Grappling is separated from Athletics. It follows the same rules otherwise with soem expansion from homebrew content.
Knowledge (New)
Holds all common forms of knowledge that individuals may acquire through normal formal academics or pursuit of hobbies, including history, politics, and religion.
Skilleddenotes someone who has an above-average general education level as a result of spending time in a university setting or some equivalent activity.
Different backgrounds may provide advantage to specific types of knowledge checks.
Machinery (New)
Governs all advanced knowledge of machinery and non-magical mechanics, generally including the latest scientific and mathematical principles and how they are applied to non-magical devices and constructs.
Bonding (New)
Provide long-term care, raise/train animals and crops, provide mentorship to others. Sometimes used in conjunction with Medicine for helping others recover from illness and injuries.
Tactics (New)
Tactics replaces the Hero Point system from the DMG using the original functionality of Inspiration. It allows you to situationally use your bonus action or reaction to adjust advantages between yourself or your opponent in combat based on battle precognition.
The DC for accomplishing this can vary substantially by context, and it can sometimes lead to contested skill checks, similar to Grappling, as you attempt to outmaneuver your opponent.