D&D 5E Why don't everything scale by proficiency bonus?

Tony Vargas · Jul 11, 2019

doctorbadwolf said:
It's a magical world. Any noble or person from a city with late medieval English or Muslim public education knows some bits and pieces of Arcana. Not enough to be trained, but certainly enough to make a check if the DM determines that there is a chance of success.

If that's how you see arcana, then it'd also make sense for them to pick up more such bits and pieces while adventuring.

doctorbadwolf · Jul 11, 2019

Tony Vargas said:
If that's how you see arcana, then it'd also make sense for them to pick up more such pits and pieces while adventuring.

Insofar as they'll learn things they can make note of and reference later, sure. They aren't going to become just generally more knowledgeable about the workings of magic unless they train in it, because they will always be neophytes with some bits and pieces of specific information.

It shouldn't increase every facet of their ability to leverage the Arcana skill. They're still very much a layman.

But as I said way back in this thread, if you think that everything should increase with level, just add +1 to all checks at levels 11 and 17.

doctorbadwolf · Jul 11, 2019

Mistwell said:
This is how a lot of those conversations go in our game:

DM: There is an eerie glow around the chalice which is decorated with a stag symbol.
Player 1: Hey didn't we hear something about a stag chalice from some wizard dude in that town a while back?
Player 2: Maybe? That was, like, last March in real time. Four character sheets ago for me.
Players shrug to DM
DM sighs
DM: OK just go ahead and make an Arcana check with advantage.

For us, something like would generally either have specific knowledge tied to it, or not, and that would determine if we just know that info without rolling, or whether we are rolling to try to remember what we learned previously without having to rest on it or go back to the source of information.

But we generally have someone with notes on stuff we've learned.

BookBarbarian · Jul 11, 2019

For this to work for me I'd have to have a list of what's "adventuring core stuff" and what's not.

Take the Wizard with the longsword example. Of course the wizard wouldn't get better with a longsword if they always fight with spells and never a sword. Likewise the fighter never casts spells. So both spells and weapon proficiencies seem to approaches to adventuring, not adventuring core.

I'd be alright with some things being defined this way and given some type of scaling.

it's interesting to think about anyway.

FrogReaver · Jul 12, 2019

BookBarbarian said:
For this to work for me I'd have to have a list of what's "adventuring core stuff" and what's not.

Take the Wizard with the longsword example. Of course the wizard wouldn't get better with a longsword if they always fight with spells and never a sword. Likewise the fighter never casts spells. So both spells and weapon proficiencies seem to approaches to adventuring, not adventuring core.

I'd be alright with some things being defined this way and given some type of scaling.

it's interesting to think about anyway.

To kick this off, any opposition to the following being included?

Athletics, stealth, perception, persuasion?

FrogReaver · Jul 12, 2019

Mistwell said:
My barbarian is simply never going to get better at arcana checks. His answer at level 1 and at level 20 is likely the same - I dunno, maybe poke it with something and see what happens?

Which is why my OP also proposed a method to opt out of the bonus for specific skills.

Fenris-77 · Jul 12, 2019

The first thing I'd add to an "adventure core" skills list is animal handling.

FrogReaver · Jul 12, 2019

Fenris-77 said:
The first thing I'd add to an "adventure core" skills list is animal handling.

Curious on why?

BookBarbarian · Jul 12, 2019

FrogReaver said:
To kick this off, any opposition to the following being included?

Athletics, stealth, perception, persuasion?

Oh my current Barbarian doesn't give flying flumph about persuasion.

FrogReaver · Jul 12, 2019

BookBarbarian said:
Oh my current Barbarian doesn't give flying flumph about persuasion.

I think you missed the part about being able to opt out of this bonus if you wanted to make a character completely terrible at one or two of the things. You would get some other kind of bonus instead.