D&D 5E Ability Score / Skill Rolls

[Oofta]

That is indeed easier if you are asking for both the ability and the skill being checked. I only ask for the ability, and I allow the player to decide if they have a relevant proficiency.

Yeah, somehow I see me asking for an intelligence check to see if they can figure out how a piece of complex machinery works and the player going "Nature check it is!"

 

[Oofta]

For my part, the player has to describe what he or she wants to do (e.g. recall the significance of the name based on their studies at the world's greatest libraries) before the DM can call for an Intelligence ability check, provided that there is an uncertain outcome and a meaningful consequence for failure. Once the player does that, it should be fairly obvious which skill proficiency may apply (i.e. History or Religion).

I don't see how this would work with knowledge checks. If it's history or religion all I would say is "do I remember anything about this name or recognize it." What else could you say? I think back to my studies? Okay, same thing. What if they don't have a detailed background? What if they aren't the kind of player that's into fluff?

Physical things are clearer, I just don't see a value to being so specific on how things are declared or what possible outcomes there are as long as I know what the player is trying to achieve.

 

[Charlaquin]

Out of curiosity, how do you handle it if the player lacks the information to make that determination?

For example, the character comes across a name in a dusty journal. The DM knows that this is the name of an obscure saint (or whatever) from long ago, but the character/player doesn't necessarily know that. Do you still ask for an Intelligence check or do you handle it some other way?

In the past, I would have asked the player if they’re proficient in History or Religion and told them what they’d know based on that proficiency, leaving out the check. More recently, I’ve embraced @iserith ‘s approach to knowledge/lore checks. If the player wants to know if their character has some piece of lore, they can describe an action, such as “I think back to my time studying at the royal library to see if this name means anything to me.” If that’s information that might be available at the royal library, I’ll call for an Intelligence check, and as with other checks, I let the player decide if they think one of their proficiencies is applicable. When in doubt, they can always ask, e.g. “I’m not trained in History, but do you think Religion would be applicable here?”

 

[Charlaquin]

Yeah, somehow I see me asking for an intelligence check to see if they can figure out how a piece of complex machinery works and the player going "Nature check it is!"

Sure, but is that really any different than you asking for an investigation check (or whatever) and them sneakily adding their bonus for nature instead? Or just saying a higher number than the actual total? A lot of what we do in D&D functions on the honor system.

 

[Oofta]

Sure, but is that really any different than you asking for a history check and them sneakily adding their bonus for nature instead? Or just saying a higher number than the actual total? A lot of what we do in D&D functions on the honor system.

Well if I thought nature or history would apply, I'd ask for either one.

I find that easier because as much as I try to describe the scene it's not always clear. Also, I'm playing with my sister who had never seen a D20 until about 3 months ago when we started up a family game online.

But I was just joking and you need to do whatever works best for you and your group.

 

[Charlaquin]

Well if I thought nature or history would apply, I'd ask for either one.

Right, but there’s no more stopping your players from adding their Nature bonus when you call for a History check then there is stopping mine from applying their Nature bonus when I ask for an Intelligence check. For that matter, there’s no more stopping players at either of or tables from just saying a higher number than they actually rolled. I don’t think it’s a big enough deal to worry about trying to police, especially since in my experience, most players want to play fair.

I find that easier because as much as I try to describe the scene it's not always clear. Also, I'm playing with my sister who had never seen a D20 until about 3 months ago when we started up a family game online.

Yeah, a lot of online tools do favor simply calling for skill checks. One of many reasons I prefer in-person. Obviously that’s not an option at the moment, but we make due.

But I was just joking and you need to do whatever works best for you and your group.

For sure!