D&D 5E Heavily used skill proficiencies

[Blue]

I find that both when I play and when I run, some skill proficiencies seem to come into play a lot more than others. Regardless if it's the DM calling for a specific check, or calling for an ability check and a player suggests a skill proficiency that would be relevant for how they are approaching it. I held off adding tool proficiencies because the poll was already rather long.

For example, I find when I run there's a lot of athletics, acrobatics, survival, investigation, perception and persuasion checks.

Please pick up to six, but don't feel like you must. The negative space of which ones come up infrequently across many tables will be just as interesting as which do come up.

So at your table(s) what skill proficiencies get applied to a lot of meaningful checks?

EDIT: Just noticed that when copying from the PHB that I typed in Intelligence. Please ignore, specifically looking at skill proficiency, not which ability checks get done the most.

 

[Helldritch]

About the same as you. Athletics, stealth and arcana are high on the list.

 

[Mistwell]

Athletics, stealth, investigation, perception, arcana.

 

[iserith]

It depends on the campaign. In my current hexcrawl, it's Survival because of the travel tasks (navigation, tracking, foraging), though we're seeing an uptick in Arcana, History, Nature, and Religion in this one because all the monsters are custom.

In my last dungeon-crawling game, it was Investigation and Perception because of searching for and figuring out secret doors and traps. There weren't a ton of unusual monsters in this one, so recalling lore wasn't something the players attempted as much.

In general, Athletics, Perception, and Stealth will be the real winners because they interact with specific rules (grappling and surprise).

 

[Minigiant]

When I DM.

Athletics.
Etiquette
Investigation
Perception
Stealth
Survival

 

[auburn2]

I find that both when I play and when I run, some skill proficiencies seem to come into play a lot more than others. Regardless if it's the DM calling for a specific check, or calling for an ability check and a player suggests a skill proficiency that would be relevant for how they are approaching it. I held off adding tool proficiencies because the poll was already rather long.

For example, I find when I run there's a lot of athletics, acrobatics, survival, investigation, perception and persuasion checks.

Please pick up to six, but don't feel like you must. The negative space of which ones come up infrequently across many tables will be just as interesting as which do come up.

So at your table(s) what skill proficiencies get applied to a lot of meaningful checks?

I voted athletics, persuasion, perception, investigation. I think these skills are used the most in my games but others like stealth, insight, history and intimidation are right behind.

I think it is easier to identify those that are not often used. They would be:

animal handling, arcana, nature and arguably acrobatics.

 

[Blue]

I think it is easier to identify those that are used less as opposed to those that are used more. I voted athletics, persuasion, perception, investigation. I think these skills are used the most in my games but others like stealth, insight, history and intimidation are right behind.

I think it is easier to identify those that are not often used. They would be:

animal handling, arcana, nature and arguably acrobatics.

I was thinking about putting up a poll about the least used. Medicine and Religion seem to be those in my games. Maybe after I let this one go, I'll put up a sister poll of least used.

 

[Shiroiken]

Most skills come up with similar frequencies, depending on the campaign and/or adventure. Social games obviously have more Persuasion, Deception and Insight (our group doesn't like intimidation much). Travel sessions use Survival and Athletics a lot, with some Acrobatics. Standard dungeons use Investigation a lot, because I use that for detecting traps and secret doors. Most sessions have some knowledge checks, but never a lot unless it's a mystery adventure, which is rare. The only things I see overused is Stealth and Perception, and for pretty much the opposite reasons: Stealth to gain surprise and Perception to avoid it. Persuasion is a bit above everything else, making it something of note.

While I have an issue with the overuse of Stealth and Perception, my real issue is with the "worthless" skills that pretty much never see play: Animal Handling, Medicine, and Performance. Animal Handling can be used to placate beasts, either in an encounter to control a mount/pack animal, but PCs usually just kill the beast and don't use mounts/pack animals much. Medicine is completely worthless thanks to Healer's Kit, Poisoner's Kit, and Herbalist's Kit, which can all provide the same use. Performance is similar to Medicine, as there are a ton of musical instruments that provide the same benefit. The tools option in XGtE helps but not enough for most players to bother taking the skills (which are more valuable than tools). The only one I've "fixed" is medicine by removing the Healer's Kit ability to stabilize automacally, and instead use it as a required item to avoid disadvantage (still doesn't make it great, as magic healing is pretty plentiful after a few levels).

 

[Maxperson]

Wow. I'm still the only one who picked religion. Given the prevalence of holy symbols on even commoners here in the real world, the game I run has religious symbology, holy days, etc. for the dozens of gods all over the place. That and I still use it for undead lore. It comes up a lot.

 

[MNblockhead]

Perception, Investigation by far the most used. Next most used are stealth and athletics/acrobatics. Third most, probably sleight of hand.