Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lyxen" data-source="post: 8446353" data-attributes="member: 7032025">Wow wow wow, please be careful how you use that word, it is totally irrelevant here, or at least use a smiley.There are many examples even in the core books: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Otherwise, the DM compares the Dexterity (Stealth) checks of anyone hiding with the passive Wisdom (Perception) score of each creature on the opposing side.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the DM might have you make a Wisdom (Perception) check or an Intelligence (Investigation) check.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">To do so, it must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by your Strength (Athletics) check.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">, which requires a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check.</li> </ul>And this is just from a quick scan in the combat section.There are almost no cases where a pure ability check is shown in the core rules without a skill being mentioned, just a few of them, and as far as I know no example where it's an ability check where the skill to be used is left as a blank.It's still easier to ask for a Perception check since everyone knows that it's wisdom and it's written on the sheet that way anyway. And it's still quicker because the player will just check that line on his sheet to see whether he is proficient (and he usually will know) rather than scanning the list of skills and see which one might be applicable, especially if you need to sort out which one pertains to which ability.Moreover, I think the whole process is skewed here, it actually happens the other way around, with people knowing the skill and then trying it with another ability. Why ? Simply because the players are supposed to describe their actions, and these are done using verbs which usually correspond to skills, not to abilities.Simple but clear example:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Player: "I try to intimidate the guy"</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">DM: "Roll a Charisma (Intimidation) check" (or actually, usually "Roll an intimidation check", honestly who, in real life asks for "Charisma (Intimidation)" rolls, do you guys even say the parenthesis ? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" /></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Player: "Since I'm puffing my chest and flexing my muscles, can I use Strength instead ?"</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">DM: "of course, go ahead"</li> </ul>Honestly, from the description of the action, you have a much greater probability to hit a skill than an ability, the cases where the ability is in doubt come second, and the cases where the skill is in doubt come very, ver far down the line, at least at our tables (I'm not sure it has ever happened, to be honest, if the players want to use a different skill, they do a completely different description of their action).Be honest, did this EVER happen in your game ? Because it never happened to us and we've been playing 5e at least twice per week since it came out and it never did. And in any case, it's 5e, the DM will make a quick ruling, so how is that a problem ?</blockquote>

Verification