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

[Tony Vargas]

I think because of this it makes more sense to leave it at skills, but there's some ability scores I wouldn't be particularly opposed to increasing by level.

You could increase the /check/ by level, I suppose.

Then skill or proficiency gives a flat bonus, the scaling coming, indirectly, from level, via the stat?

Fewer numbers to write down.

 

[Slit518]

Of course. But if playing a flute had even a little bit to do with carpentry then surely you would at least be better at it than you were before you began your career.

What skills have even a little bit to do with adventuring? Because those skills you should be a little bit better at than when you first started adventuring. Right?

Hi, my name is Tim, and I am a Wizard. My goal is to become really powerful in the ancient arts and learn old, powerful magics.

I spend most of my career researching in libraries and museums, however, that can only get me so far.

So I spend another portion of my career meeting in lodges with other Wizards, sharing magical secrets.

However, I feel my progress has come at a bit of a stand still, so I must do the next best thing!

I am going to venture out to places of great magic, and see if I can unearth their secrets!

****

Hi, it is me, Tim again!

Boy, was that a journey that took me a decade and a half.

I met a lot of really neat people!

But there were a lot of scary times too!

Luckily, I never had to squash anything, well, maybe a big rat, but aside from that, all of the places I went to were uninhabited like they were for centuries before me!

One of the places required me to climb this really big wall which was slick with water, but that is okay, because I just levitated right up that obstacle!

Yeah, I did that cool spell, learned it from a Wizard many years back.

Another place had some gnarly looking water I might had to of swam through, but luckily I was able to teleport to the other side!

That spell? Learned it from a fairy just the night before.

In case you're wondering, I'm not very strong, so my Athletic skills aren't the best.

That is why I spent my formative years studying, to supplement my weaknesses!

Somebody once asked me if I would ever wield a sword.

Why wield a sword when you can cast a spell to do it for you?!?

I'm no good at History either, believe it or not.

But, I didn't have to worry, because my Divination game was on point!

Now, what way is North? I know! *casts a spell that tells him North*

As you can tell, Tim the Wizard is very excited to tell us about his journey that turned him from a simple Novice, to a Grand Master.

But, it seems Tim didn't improve on certain things. But why?

Perhaps it is because he relied too much on other things to get the job done for him?

Kind of like other characters who lack and have party members who can do it for them.

 

[FrogReaver]

You could increase the /check/ by level, I suppose.

Then skill or proficiency gives a flat bonus, the scaling coming, indirectly, from level, via the stat?

Fewer numbers to write down.

That has merit. It also helps keep the character concept roughly intact as you level. The gap between the things you are good at and the things you are not stays about the same (of course additional ASi's could be granted just as they are now in addition to this scaling).

 

[Garthanos]

In case you're wondering

Tim has a spell for everything

 

[FrogReaver]

Hi, my name is Tim, and I am a Wizard. My goal is to become really powerful in the ancient arts and learn old, powerful magics.

I spend most of my career researching in libraries and museums, however, that can only get me so far.

So I spend another portion of my career meeting in lodges with other Wizards, sharing magical secrets.

However, I feel my progress has come at a bit of a stand still, so I must do the next best thing!

I am going to venture out to places of great magic, and see if I can unearth their secrets!

****

Hi, it is me, Tim again!

Boy, was that a journey that took me a decade and a half.

I met a lot of really neat people!

But there were a lot of scary times too!

Luckily, I never had to squash anything, well, maybe a big rat, but aside from that, all of the places I went to were uninhabited like they were for centuries before me!

One of the places required me to climb this really big wall which was slick with water, but that is okay, because I just levitated right up that obstacle!

Yeah, I did that cool spell, learned it from a Wizard many years back.

Another place had some gnarly looking water I might had to of swam through, but luckily I was able to teleport to the other side!

That spell? Learned it from a fairy just the night before.

In case you're wondering, I'm not very strong, so my Athletic skills aren't the best.

That is why I spent my formative years studying, to supplement my weaknesses!

Somebody once asked me if I would ever wield a sword.

Why wield a sword when you can cast a spell to do it for you?!?

I'm no good at History either, believe it or not.

But, I didn't have to worry, because my Divination game was on point!

Now, what way is North? I know! *casts a spell that tells him North*

As you can tell, Tim the Wizard is very excited to tell us about his journey that turned him from a simple Novice, to a Grand Master.

But, it seems Tim didn't improve on certain things. But why?

Perhaps it is because he relied too much on other things to get the job done for him?

Kind of like other characters who lack and have party members who can do it for them.

Once you realize you can come up with a fictional character that pokes holes in any system then those examples become meaningless to you. Seriously, you can do what you just did to any system. I could make a character that uses my suggested level scaling and show D&D as it is can't accommodate that character.

The crucial question is which system is more typical of adventurers in general. That's the best we are going to do (at least with a "fair" character creation method). I tend to think the typical adventurers get better at basic adventuring tasks. Do you disagree? Do you think Tim the Wizard is representative of the typical adventurer, or even the typical wizard?

(by the way I'm all for a tacking on a module to my proposed one that lets you make some skills not scale with level in exchange for extra scaling in the same number. This helps with character concepts a lot).

 

[Tony Vargas]

Tim has a spell for everything

Tim the /Enchanter/ is not amused by this upstart, diluting his name recognition.

Seriously, though, Tim has plenty of hit points, in spite of never getting in a real fight.

 

[Garthanos]

Tim the /Enchanter/ is not amused by this upstart, diluting his name recognition.

Seriously, though, Tim has plenty of hit points, in spite of never getting in a real fight.

And my warrior Joe wonder how he avoided making Dex and Wis saves and Perception checks he must be pretty clever

 

[FrogReaver]

And my warrior Joe wonder how he avoided making Dex and Wis saves and Perception checks he must be pretty clever

Cleric Bob can't understand how he's no better at Religion than the day he started adventuring 20 years ago.

 

[Garthanos]

Cleric Bob can't understand how he's no better at Religion than the day he started adventuring 20 years ago.

You would have thought he would pick up something channelling divine power but I think its like real life ... zealots only know about their own religion and there isnt really much to know. Its heathens that study lots of religions.

 

[FrogReaver]

You would have that he would pick up something channelling divine power but I think its like real life ... zealots only know about their own religion and there isnt really much to know. Its heathens that study lots of religions.

Maybe or maybe your telling me he didn't learn enough about his own religion in 20 years to even get a +1 bonus...