D&D (2024) They need to bring back Gather Information in One DnD.

[FallenRX]

This was prompted by me viewing this clip here.
Where players were struggling to figure out how to learn about the world and infomation in a setting, or to gather information on how to investigate a scenario. Andi realized what was missing from 5e/One Dnd, is the old Gather information skill.

In every other edition of DnD even the original, their has been a way for players to actually gather information from rumor tables, and learn about how to investigate or navigate in a setting, to learn about the world.

In the Original DnD it was this mechanic.

Such activity as advertising will certainly gain the notice of the locals and begin a chain of rumors. So will almost any other unusual activity. Even the departure of a party from a town is likely to be noticed. Obtaining such news is usually merely a matter of making the rounds of the local taverns and inns, buying a round of drinks (10–60 Gold Pieces), slipping the barman a few coins (1–10 Gold Pieces) and learning what is going on. Misinformation is up to the referee. Legends will be devised by the referee as the need arises, but they are generally insinuated in order to lead players into some form of activity or warn them of a coming event.

This loosely carried on in B/X-ADnD.

In later editions it became this.

Gather Information (Cha)CheckAn evening’s time, a few gold pieces for buying drinks and making friends, and a DC 10 Gather Information check get you a general idea of a city’s major news items, assuming there are no obvious reasons why the information would be withheld. The higher your check result, the better the information.If you want to find out about a specific rumor, or a specific item, or obtain a map, or do something else along those lines, the DC for the check is 15 to 25, or even higher.

Even 4e had this in the Streetwise skill...until 5e.
5e mostly removed this mechanic from the game and it makes the game harder to run and play.

Before players had a good framework of how to interact with the setting to learn info about whats going on, and get knowledge on rumors, NPCs, or things they are interested in, and DM's can use this framework to prep around this, making it easier for them.
Now we dont have this, so a lot of new players, are just lost in space, not knowing how to interact or engage espeically in a more open scenario without a way to gather information about what they are interested in.

And DM's lost a way to prep hooks in a player-driven manner, and a way to prep content and guide players too it. Its harder to run floating NPCs since their is no actual good player driven way for players to just find these NPCs, you basically have to shove them in their face, and kinda rail them into them. And it feels bad, and not quite good at all.

The lack of this basic mechanic that has been featured in most editions of DnD is startling and the effects of it has lead to moments when players are just flailing around not even knowing a basic default method of engaging with the world and setting, in a meaningful way.
And i hope that we get it back in One DnD/5e 2024, because it would make the lives of players and DMs a bit easier, and open up more doors to nonlinear play?
How do you feel about this?

TLDR: Gather information was a cool player driven mechanic for players to learn and interact with information and characters in the world, and they removed it from 5e despite being a mechanic in most editions of the game, and its left a terrible hole in DnD's gameplay loop and i think it should comeback proper.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

That is already one of the new mechanics in the glossary under a different name.

 

[tetrasodium]

This was prompted by me viewing this clip here.
Where players were struggling to figure out how to learn about the world and infomation in a setting, or to gather information on how to investigate a scenario. Andi realized what was missing from 5e/One Dnd, is the old Gather information skill.

In every other edition of DnD even the original, their has been a way for players to actually gather information from rumor tables, and learn about how to investigate or navigate in a setting, to learn about the world.

In the Original DnD it was this mechanic.

This loosely carried on in B/X-ADnD.

In later editions it became this.

Even 4e had this in the Streetwise skill...until 5e.
5e mostly removed this mechanic from the game and it makes the game harder to run and play.

Before players had a good framework of how to interact with the setting to learn info about whats going on, and get knowledge on rumors, NPCs, or things they are interested in, and DM's can use this framework to prep around this, making it easier for them.
Now we dont have this, so a lot of new players, are just lost in space, not knowing how to interact or engage espeically in a more open scenario without a way to gather information about what they are interested in.

And DM's lost a way to prep hooks in a player-driven manner, and a way to prep content and guide players too it. Its harder to run floating NPCs since their is no actual good player driven way for players to just find these NPCs, you basically have to shove them in their face, and kinda rail them into them. And it feels bad, and not quite good at all.

The lack of this basic mechanic that has been featured in most editions of DnD is startling and the effects of it has lead to moments when players are just flailing around not even knowing a basic default method of engaging with the world and setting, in a meaningful way.
And i hope that we get it back in One DnD/5e 2024, because it would make the lives of players and DMs a bit easier, and open up more doors to nonlinear play?
How do you feel about this?

TLDR: Gather information was a cool player driven mechanic for players to learn and interact with information and characters in the world, and they removed it from 5e despite being a mechanic in most editions of the game, and its left a terrible hole in DnD's gameplay loop and i think it should comeback proper.

That's definitely a missing skill. 5e skills were wayy too condensed and wound up being "do everything" in a lot of cases. Knowledge and awareness* related skills especially, maybe the social ones too. It kinda takes the wheels off the whole "you guys are a team who needs to lean on each other when three to five players in a five person group say "oh I'm proficient in that" for almost every skill check because there was no reason for anyone to diversify.

I get and accept that a small 2 player group can have some painful holes in skills, but that makes for easy solutions kile allowing extra skills at chargen or via magic items followers etc from the gm.. taking things away from players is a much more difficult path that gets prone to generating player resentment
*ie Perception/investigate

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I do Charisma (Investigation) checks, it works perfectly well.

 

[FallenRX]

I do Charisma (Investigation) checks, it works perfectly well.

The problem is without it being a clear kinda player facing procedure, or skill or something.
It leaves new DM's/Players out in the woodwork, while players dont really know how to engage with it and you get them waffling around.

Its easy to retrofit in if you have experience with it from other editions i agree, but I think it should actually just be a part of the game and something the players/dm's know they can do.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Rumor tables remain a thing for a lot of tables.

But like @Tales and Chronicles, I allow the bard to go carousing and come back home with information based on Charisma checks.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Its easy to retrofit in if you have experience with it from other editions i agree, but I think it should actually just be a part of the game and something the players/dm's know they can do.

This could probably be accomplished by a sidebar in the 2024 PHB talking about how Charisma can be used for Investigation and when you'd want to do so.

 

[tetrasodium]

This could probably be accomplished by a sidebar in the 2024 PHB talking about how Charisma can be used for Investigation and when you'd want to do so.

There is also the problem of charisma being a bit of an S tier attribute compared to other sttribs like int. Also the attribute bonus for charisma based classes is going to quickly grow beyond what noncha classes who take an int skill like investigation are likely to get from attrib+Prof for a long time

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

The ''variant'' to use different abilities for skills is already in the PHB, but would benefit from being expanded into a full half-page explanation with multiple examples:

Constitution (Athletic) for long, exhausting exercises (rowing boats, marathons)
Charisma (Investigation) to gather information
Charisma (animal handling) to domesticate a beast
Strength (Intimidation) to coerce using strength
Intelligence (Medicine) for forensic analysis of a dead body

etc

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

There is also the problem of charisma being a bit of an S tier attribute compared to other sttribs like int. Also the attribute bonus for charisma based classes is going to quickly grow beyond what noncha classes who take an int skill like investigation are likely to get from attrib+Prof for a long time

I'm not sure it's a problem that different characters are going to be better at different things. Yeah, you want to send the charming face man out to gather rumors. But that ability isn't as useful when trying to piece together clues in a murder mystery or stopping the ogre with the greataxe from splitting everyone in two.