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<blockquote data-quote="NotActuallyTim" data-source="post: 6815612" data-attributes="member: 6804638">Athletics broad capabilities skew the entire skill system. It's by far more useful than every other skill in 5E, simply in terms of the many, many different activities it permits characters to engage in (swimming, running, jumping, wrestling, climbing, and marathoning. If DnD had bikes and basketball, Athletics would probably handle those as well).It's like that for a good reason: because breaking it up into smaller skills annoys players who don't want to take a million different skills. However, not breaking it up also annoys players who dislike unbalanced skill systems, in which one skill is more likely to be useful than every other skill in the entirety of the game. Hey, everybody, take Athletics so you can outrun the things that want kill you! Screw Medicine, we a have Cleric! To hell with Knowledge skills, we have Diviners! Don't take Animal Handling, that's what summoning spells are for! Intimidation? Just stab people. If they aren't scared after that, stab em again! etc.Every other skill is situational, or replaceable. But even in a game with Jump and Expeditious Retreat, Athletics is powerful enough to be useful, which puts it miles ahead of everything else. It is 100% the no brainer skill.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="NotActuallyTim, post: 6815612, member: 6804638"] Athletics broad capabilities skew the entire skill system. It's by far more useful than every other skill in 5E, simply in terms of the many, many different activities it permits characters to engage in (swimming, running, jumping, wrestling, climbing, and marathoning. If DnD had bikes and basketball, Athletics would probably handle those as well). It's like that for a good reason: because breaking it up into smaller skills annoys players who don't want to take a million different skills. However, not breaking it up also annoys players who dislike unbalanced skill systems, in which one skill is more likely to be useful than every other skill in the entirety of the game. Hey, everybody, take Athletics so you can outrun the things that want kill you! Screw Medicine, we a have Cleric! To hell with Knowledge skills, we have Diviners! Don't take Animal Handling, that's what summoning spells are for! Intimidation? Just stab people. If they aren't scared after that, stab em again! etc. Every other skill is situational, or replaceable. But even in a game with Jump and Expeditious Retreat, Athletics is powerful enough to be useful, which puts it miles ahead of everything else. It is 100% the no brainer skill. [/QUOTE]

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