D&D (2024) How would you change skills in 5.5e

[Incenjucar]

Strength for intimidate is weird because the actual scary thing about strength is demonstration of destructive power, which is available for every stat but maybe Con.

 

[Minigiant]

Strength for intimidate is weird because the actual scary thing about strength is demonstration of destructive power, which is available for every stat but maybe Con.

Demonstration of power is CHA.

If you don't look and act threatening, your threat is weak.
Str based threats hinge on you being stronger than the foe and in D&D 1/2 the MM is has Strength higher than a humanoid fighter PC.

Str Intimidation would be STR vs STR and thus only effective against wimps.

Browbeat/Bullying (STR) vs NPC's Browbeat/Bullying (STR)
Intimidation (CHA) vs NPC's Insight (WIS)

 

[Pauln6]

Again the issue with Variable Abilitiies on Skill Checks is that the 5e skill list wasn't designed for it.

You can't have both Acrobatics and Athletics and swap out STR or DEX. Same with Persuasion and Intimidate and STR or CHA.

The skill list has to be designed for one or the other and will be clunky at anything else.

As 5e is an entry game and designed to be beginner friendly, the best model is to just add skills that using other ability scores.

Add a Browbeat or Bullying skill for Strength intimidation. An Endurance skill for marathon running, treks, and withstanding pain. A Piety skill with religious faith. A Demolition skill for Strength based BREAKIN' STUFF!

5e simplified the list too much. Sure some skills needed to be downgraded to tools or combined into 1 skill. But they cut too much and expanded too little.

I mean there's no Appraisal skill or Haggling skill for a game about selling raided gold, art, and gems.

The you fine tune skills, the more complicated it becomes to build higher level characters. We have always allowed characters to justify using a different ability for checks. The only contentious ones are acrobatics and athletics, which were clearly intended not to be interchangeable. Why not use charisma for a knowledge check if you are trying to persuade an academic to open up about their subject, why not use Dexterity for investigation if you are trying to feel for smooth cracks in a wall etc? It can improve player engagement.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

You can't have both Acrobatics and Athletics and swap out STR or DEX. Same with Persuasion and Intimidate and STR or CHA.

There is nothing stopping you. And nothing breaks. DnD skill system is not a finely-tuned engine of balance and sophistication - it's an afterthought.

I mean there's no Appraisal skill or Haggling skill for a game about selling raided gold, art, and gems.

Because there is no economy. It goes from exploring a random cave netting you a year's worth of wages, to a month later you being worth more than small nations.

 

[Pauln6]

As an aside, I wish they had kept morale in monster stats to give them an intimidation DC.

 

[Minigiant]

There is nothing stopping you. And nothing breaks. DnD skill system is not a finely-tuned engine of balance and sophistication - it's an afterthought.

It's broken from the start. But the 5e system halfway works.

Alarting it fundamentally breaks it. None of the DMG skill variants actually work if you add feats or multiclassing or MANY subclasses and subraces.

 

[delericho]

Four changes, I think:

As noted by the OP, Medicine needs some significant work. Maybe allow it to work somewhat like the Bard's "Song of Rest" ability - a successful Medicine check during a short rest allows a character spending hit dice to roll one extra, or something like that?

I'd be inclined to replace the current expertise (double prof bonus) with A5e's expertise dice, allowing multiple levels of skill there. And if someone gets a proficiency from multiple sources, instead of being allowed to pick another, they get an expertise die.

I'd also eliminate the Perform skill. That would necessitate turning things like song, oratory, and the like into 'tool' proficiencies, but I think I could live with that.

But the big one would be to eliminate the 'social' proficiencies (Intimidate, Persuade, Deception). Replace these with proficiencies in various social groups (soldiers, nobles, tradespeople, criminals...), with all characters getting at least some groups (and none getting all of them). That should help split up the social pillar, so that it isn't totally dominated by the one character who is the nominated 'face'.

 

[delericho]

Perception: passive perception should either be at -5 or disadvantage. Distractions, darkvision, less than bright light, etc all impose disadvantage, and the "passive" perception is impacted by those far more often than not. What percentage of time a character would need to are a passive perception test are they sitting idly in a well lit area, doing absolutely nothing else?

I'd suggest instead that the rules should make it clear that there are some things (many things?) that passive perception simply cannot detect.

That said, the DMG could really use a very long and in-depth set of guidance on where the boundaries between Perception and Investigation lie, and, basically, how to handle characters finding things out in their world.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Alarting it fundamentally breaks it. None of the DMG skill variants actually work if you add feats or multiclassing or MANY subclasses and subraces.

How? How would any of it break? 'instead of using Cha for Intimidation, you can use Str' just replaces all references to Cha with Str. NOTHING HAS CHANGED besides there being more room for character concepts to actually do stuff you'd expect them to be able to do.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

That said, the DMG could really use a very long and in-depth set of guidance on where the boundaries between Perception and Investigation lie, and, basically, how to handle characters finding things out in their world.

Definitely. Right now it's...

Player: 'I'm going to search for secret doors'
GM: 'Alright, roll Investigation'
Player: 'Oh, uh, I'm not a Wizard so I have no reason to have Int. What if I just step into the room and randomly glance around?'
GM: 'Finally! Then you can roll Perception as intended!'