Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="BookTenTiger" data-source="post: 8442919" data-attributes="member: 6685541">I'm thinking of shifting the way I ask for Ability Checks / Skill Rolls in my 5e game.Currently, a player will describe their character's action, and, if appropriate, I will then ask for an ability check, naming a specific skill or tool and the associated ability.For example:Player: Tarzarian the Barbarian wants to track where the orcs came from.DM: Go ahead and make a Survival Check.(In this case I don't call for an ability since Survival defaults to Wisdom.)Player: Vogue the Rogue wants to listen for any creatures beyond the door.DM: Go ahead and make a Perception Check.Player: Zirwad the Wizard wants to identify this strange glowing herb.DM: You can make a Nature Check or an Arcana Check.Player: Could I use my Herbalist Supplies?DM: Sure!Player: Biter the Fighter wants to find a way to bend the mechanisms of the porticullis in order to jam in.DM: Go ahead and make an Athletics Check, using Intelligence instead of Strength.These have all worked fairly well, but I find myself missing skills and proficiencies players really want to use. For example, the rogue in my game noted that I rarely call for an Acrobatics check. And the Barbarian said he rarely gets to use Survival.What I'm thinking of doing is only calling for Abilities, not Skills. I'll call for a Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma check, and then the Player will choose whatever Skill or Proficiency is appropriate.For example, if a character wants to look for something, I call for a Wisdom check. It's up to the player if they are using, say, Perception, Investigation, Survival, or some appropriate Tool (with DM approval, of course).Here's how this might look:Player: Vanger the Ranger tells the goblin boss to retreat before he gets his clan killed.DM: Go ahead and make a Charisma Check.Player: Can I use Persuasion?DM: Yep!Player: What does Wornok the Warlock know about these ruins?DM: Go ahead and make an Intelligence Check.Player: Can I use Arcana?DM: Eh, that wouldn't be appropriate for this roll.Player: Bartimer the Artificer wants to help guide the wagon over the bridge without hitting any rotting boards.DM: Go ahead and make a Dexterity check.Player: Can I use my proficiency in Vehicles?DM: Absolutely!My goals with this would be:1. Giving players more agency and control with using their skills and proficiencies.2. Allowing the characters to be heroic and do things they are good at more often.3. Sharing the narrative burden with players.One thing to note is that, in general, I trust my players not to "game the system" and try to use Athletics for every single check. At the same time, if they have invested heavily in Athletics, I want to reward them for coming up with creative ways to solve problems using Athletics.What do you think? Do you think this would work? Do you usually call for skills, abilities, or both?</blockquote>

Verification