D&D 5E Starter Set Character Sheet Revealed!

[Agamon]

Athletics looks wrong.
Strength Mod: +3
Proficiency Bonus on Strength changes this to: +5 (that's the base of +3 added to the proficiency of +2)
Proficient with Athletics (Str) should add another proficiency bonus to that for a total of +7, but it's only +2.

3+2+2=5 ?!?

There's no proficiency bonus to ability scores. That's just for saves. You don't add the prof bonus twice on anything, as far as I know.

 

[Ichneumon]

Athletics looks wrong.
Strength Mod: +3
Proficiency Bonus on Strength changes this to: +5 (that's the base of +3 added to the proficiency of +2)
Proficient with Athletics (Str) should add another proficiency bonus to that for a total of +7, but it's only +2.

3+2+2=5 ?!?

Ok, so either somebody screwed up the math, or there's something else going on.
Maybe 1st level are limited to +5 max. But then the level up info should point out the increases.

Maybe you only get the proficiency bonus once. But then, why have both an attribute and skill proficiency? Of course, that does give you a bonus to skills using that attribute if you aren't proficient with it, but then it's the exact same as being proficient with the unproficient skills if you have the attribute proficiency. It would make more sense to just say you are automatically proficient in all skills using (x) attribute. In this case, strength.

So long as you get to chose your skills, nobody in their right mind would waste a choice on a skill that won't get any better by being proficient.

Too bad this character is only proficient in the attributes of Strength and Constitution as there is a total of ONE skill that uses either of those attributes.

Obviously we need a little more info, but I'm betting someone just wrote down the wrong number, in which case, if true, we already need errata.

Athletics is fine (+3 STR, +2 prof). The Strength proficiency applies to saves, not checks.

 

[GravyFingerz]

If you like super super detailed minutiae that's awesome! I hope the game caters to you, I was given the impression that the base game would be a ... well a basic game with all that little fiddly stuff to come in the PHB or DMG. I wasn't aware basic games needed five different types of monetary values. I apparently was wrong. I admit defeat.

I'm sorry it troubles you. I could suggest ways around it, but I imagine it doesn't help when you wanted the basic game presented in a certain way.

 

[barasawa]

Thanks

There's no proficiency bonus to ability scores. That's just for saves. You don't add the prof bonus twice on anything, as far as I know.

I just thought of that and came back to post it, but you beat me to it.
Well, back to dinner.

 

[Agamon]

I just thought of that and came back to post it, but you beat me to it.
Well, back to dinner.

You are not the first person to post a mistake...today...not that I did it. No sir. Not me.

 

[Raith5]

If you like super super detailed minutiae that's awesome! I hope the game caters to you, I was given the impression that the base game would be a ... well a basic game with all that little fiddly stuff to come in the PHB or DMG. I wasn't aware basic games needed five different types of monetary values. I apparently was wrong. I admit defeat.

Personally I agree with you - I think it is strange on one level. But on another level the basic game is not just basic/simple, it is also game that has some small but specific calls outs to those folk who played the basic game back in the day. Im still disappointed that they did not go with the SP standard, but that is another topic.

 

[Unwise]

This will definitely be a part of the game that I'm going to rework for my home games. Quite possibly just let players select four 'Aspects' of their character that go along with their Background, rather than set skills. So let the Minstrel select something like 'My music soothes the savage beast' and thus it could apply in place of Persuasion, or Animal Handling, or any other rolls that apply to having things calm or quiet. I think I'll find that much more satisfying in the long run.

After I started playing a very simple RPG called PDQ, I now take this approach to skills in my games. It works really well indeed. Just to give an example, I GM a Firefly campaign and some of the PC traits are as follows:

- Preacherman (Religion, talking people down, guilt tripping, avoiding scrutiny etc)
- Eye for Trouble (Perception in dangerous areas, streetwise, picking that something is not right in a tense gangland meeting)
- Ex-Navy Pilot (Pilotting, military culture, interacting with jarheads, identifying military units, identifying ships capabilities, lingo)
- Slum Doctor (Streetwise with the very poor, good reputation with down and outs, medical skills, street drugs)
- Jock (Athletics, sports, getting on with meatheads, bullying the weak)

The first trick is, I think, to stop trying to link them directly to traditional skills. The players need to be on the ball to suggest when their traits will come into effect. For instance, in my games the Shepherd sometimes uses his Preacherman trait to give him bonuses for smuggling stuff past customs guards. After all, nobody suspects the monk.

Secondly, this works better with storyteller style players than power gamers. A powergamer will try for traits that are too broad and will allow profeciency bonus too often. The DM has to have a benchmark in his/her head that allows them to gauge how often a trait will come into play. For me, that benchmark is roughly as often as 2 D&D 5e skills at most. Otherwise, split it up.

The final thing of note is that this style of skill system really fleshes out a character. It makes the player sit down and think about their history and personality. It also makes a lot more sense than a traditional skill system. Lets say my PC is an ex-NFL player, in the traditional system I would take Athletics skill and it has not added anything tangible to my characters persona. For instance, it would not give me any bonus to a persuasion roll performed in a sports bar. As a trait however ex-NFL player means that I have the local sports buffs eating out of my hand as I regail them with stories about the superbowl we almost won.

I could go on for hours about the virtues of the PDQ skill system, I might even fork this off to a new thread to rant further.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I would just put a portrait box where the personality traits are. Much as I respect the lipservice to roleplaying, you don't need to write down your character's personality.

Except that you definitely want your DM to know precisely what your trait, bond, ideal, and flaw are--because he hands you out Inspiration (free Advantage on a future roll of your choice) for role-playing them.

To me, it attacks the fundamental relationship, statwise, of humans to the nonhuman races. Elves get a Dex bonus because the average elf is more dexterous than the average human (or so it has always been presented in D&D in the past, going back to at least the old Red Box Basic Set).

Now, the average elf is... as dexterous as the average human, and generally inferior otherwise (stat wise, anyhow- I do agree that racial traits mitigate this to some extent, but to me, that "some extent" is utterly insufficient to assuage my concerns on the topic).

I'm with you here.

Really? It's just de facto part of the base game? That's disappointing.

So, if I'm getting this right, you're expressing dissatisfaction that there is a place on your character sheet to put more money?!

(I get your complaint, it just sounds funny when it's put that way. )

There's no proficiency bonus to ability scores. That's just for saves. You don't add the prof bonus twice on anything, as far as I know.

Unless you are a bard or a rogue and have expertise.

 

[Ichneumon]

If you like super super detailed minutiae that's awesome! I hope the game caters to you, I was given the impression that the base game would be a ... well a basic game with all that little fiddly stuff to come in the PHB or DMG. I wasn't aware basic games needed five different types of monetary values. I apparently was wrong. I admit defeat.

Nothing on an equipment list will be listed with an EP or PP value. Those coins are only for treasure, and like gems or jewellery will be converted into gold at the first opportunity. They don't complicate the game at all, beyond giving PCs some other treasure types to find.

 

[Agamon]

Unless you are a bard or a rogue and have expertise.

Right, that's true. But literally speaking, that's Expertise not Proficiency.