D&D 5E How many skills?

[Paraxis]

It goes to the point. The important part is whether you can make the check at all, not necessarily whether or not you get a 10% bonus to that check. In this edition you can always try, and with good stats you are likely to succeed. There's no 'untrained' penalty. There's no downside to 'not getting' a skill.

Except there is the line in the description of the lock piece of equipment, "Without the key, a creature proficient with thieves' tools can pick this lock with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check". That leads me to believe that if you are not proficient with thieves' tools you can not attempt to pick the lock.

I honestly wish that line was not there as I prefer to let everyone try if they want, but that seems to limit some tasks to only those proficient in the skill or tool.

 

[Spooner6]

Except there is the line in the description of the lock piece of equipment, "Without the key, a creature proficient with thieves' tools can pick this lock with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check". That leads me to believe that if you are not proficient with thieves' tools you can not attempt to pick the lock.

I honestly wish that line was not there as I prefer to let everyone try if they want, but that seems to limit some tasks to only those proficient in the skill or tool.

There is a distinction between skills and tools. You can try to use all skills, and a subset of these skills you get a bonus (proficient). But for tools, you can only properly use tools you are proficient in. As a DM I would allow untrained tool use for simple task, a cheap simple lock that is more show than utility could be opened by anyone with a appropriate tool, but a quality lock would require specialized training.

that is my take on it, interested in others interpretation .

 

[Paraxis]

If people can't try to use any tool without proficiency then how do people play card and board games?

It's one of the silly things in 5e, it shouldn't take someone 250 days of downtime to learn to play cribbage, hearts, or spades. I could see things like chess or poker maybe so that if a proficient user goes against an unproficient user there isn't a roll the guy with proficiency just wins.

Again I just let anyone try anything, but sadly because of that one line in the description of lock that seems to be a house rule.

 

[Spooner6]

If people can't try to use any tool without proficiency then how do people play card and board games?

It's one of the silly things in 5e, it shouldn't take someone 250 days of downtime to learn to play cribbage, hearts, or spades. I could see things like chess or poker maybe so that if a proficient user goes against an unproficient user there isn't a roll the guy with proficiency just wins.

Again I just let anyone try anything, but sadly because of that one line in the description of lock that seems to be a house rule.

This is too my point exactly. I can play a skilled chess player in a game of Monopoly and have a reasonable chance to win, but if we are to play chess then I will lose every day and twice on Sunday. Thus if a task is simple enough anyone can use a tool but if it does require actual skill then proficiency is needed.

I think with these rules as with any RPG you need to use some common sense. Otherwise the rule book would have to dwarf Encyclopedia Britannica and people will still find fault.

In instances like this the PC's and the DM need to work out what is best for their group.