D&D 5E Beginner question / ability check + proficiency bonus

[psiconauta_retro]

Hello,

I'm doing my 1st bard ever and while reading the rules I find that the feature Jack of all trades says that you can add half your proficiency bonus to any ability check that doesn't already include your proficiency bonus.

I understand that "ability check" means about a roll for any of the 6 abilities alone (not saving throw or a skill roll) I haven't found where do the proficiency bonus is added to any ability check, I only see the proficiency bonus added to saving throws and skills.

The proficiency bonus can be added to an ability check? If yes, in which circumstances and where is this mentioned in the player manual?

Thank you very much in advance for your help!!

 

[Sage Genesis]

You misunderstood something: skills are also ability checks. (See page 174 of the PHB.)

In general there are only three types of d20 rolls which use the ability scores: attacks, saving throws, and checks (which includes skills).

So the Jack of All Trades would work on every type of skill, excluding those which already have the proficiency bonus. It would also work on initiative rolls, which are Dexterity checks.

 

[jeffh]

Okay, first of all skill checks are ability checks. Saving throws aren't, but in 5th Edition, skills are just specific ways of using ability scores. That's why 5th Edition skills are listed as, for example, Dexterity (Stealth) rather than just Stealth.

So, JoaT basically adds to all skills you aren't proficient in, plus the (rare IME) ability checks that aren't skill checks. It does not add to saves (notice how whenever saves are mentioned, the text carefully avoids the phrase "ability check", while this is not true of skills).

The one thing that's a matter of some controversy is whether JoaT adds to initiative rolls. Taking the text literally it seems pretty unambiguous to me that it should, but there seems to be some doubt as to whether this is intentional.

I can't think of a time when you would add your proficiency bonus to an ability check that wasn't under a skill other than via this ability.

 

[nomotog]

I can't think of a time when you would add your proficiency bonus to an ability check that wasn't under a skill other than via this ability.

Tool proficiency would be one. I also might be imagining, but I think there is a class ability that adds proficiency to an ability check of some kind?

 

[MerricB]

My article on how skills and proficiencies work: http://merricb.com/2014/07/08/a-primer-on-skills-and-proficiencies-in-the-new-dungeons-dragons/

Cheers!

 

[jeffh]

Tool proficiency would be one.

Of course. Now I feel silly that I missed that one.

 

[psiconauta_retro]

Wow, I didn't expect it would also include to initiative or attacks, to much more than I expected. Thanks a lot!

 

[jeffh]

It doesn't include attacks, and no-one said it did.

 

[psiconauta_retro]

Ok, so I misunderstood.

It doesn't apply to attacks or to saving throws.

It does apply to all skills you aren't proficient in + ability checks that aren't skill checks + initiative.

Right?

 

[Paraxis]

Ok, so I misunderstood.

It doesn't apply to attacks or to saving throws.

It does apply to all skills you aren't proficient in + ability checks that aren't skill checks + initiative.

Right?

Correct.