D&D 5E Focus on the DCs over how you beat them.

[Minigiant]

I think more focus needs to be placed on the DCs and not on the skills list and the bonuses. It seems that the journey is the less agreed upon aspect while few complain about the destination. No one is complaining about whether a typical lock is DC 15, DC 16, or DC 19. It's the skill aspect that causes grumbles.

So the DC generation system should be the core while the skill rolling aspect should be modules.

So the core says a typical lock is usually DC 16. Everyone gets that. The DMs and players both agree with that

1) DM 1 is using Skill Training +3, with smaller skill list, and the suggested ability score and skill. The player says "Salamander Stu uses his knowledge of Barlian crafts to unscrew the loadbolt in the lock. So DM 1 calls for a Dex check with a +3 bonus from Stu's Open Locks skill.

1d20 + the thief's Dex + 3 (Open Locks) vs DC 16 lock

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2) DM 2 is using straight Ability checks with the ability score he feels appropriate. The DMG warns that characters will fail often. The player says "Salamander Stu uses his knowledge of Barlian crafts to unscrew the loadbolt in the lock." The DM calls for a Int Check.

1d20 + the thief's Int vs DC 16 lock

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3) DM 3 is using Skill Training +3, with the large skill list, and the ability score and skill she sees appropriate. The DMG warns that the players will rarely get their skill bonus but frequently get to use their best ability scores. The player says "Salamander Stu uses his knowledge of Barlian crafts to unscrew the loadbolt in the lock". So DM 3 calls for a Int check with a +3 bonus for Stu's Barlian Lore skill.

1d20 + the thief's Ability mod + 3 (for the skill) vs DC 16 lock

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4) DM 4 is using straight Ability checks with suggested ability score, bell curve rolls, and bonus from class not skills. The DMG warns that characters will often often fail hard checks and success easy ones. The player says "Salamander Stu uses his knowledge of Barlian crafts to unscrew the loadbolt in the lock." The DM calls for a Dex Check plus Stu's +3 bonus for being a warlock.

3d6 + the thief's Dex +3 (warlock) vs DC 16 lock

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Have the part we can sort of agree on have the most focus. Allow everything else about skills to be variable.

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

Apparently this needs repeating quite a lot: there has to be a default setting for the core. Optional skill distributions and uses sound like a chapter of the DMG, but let there be a default setting for this, for magic, for combat, for everything!

 

[Minigiant]

Apparently this needs repeating quite a lot: there has to be a default setting for the core. Optional skill distributions and uses sound like a chapter of the DMG, but let there be a default setting for this, for magic, for combat, for everything!

There can still be a default skill setting for skills. It could be the current skill list and the suggested ability scores for them.

My point is that the real mechanical focus for skill should be the DCs and to remind DMs and players that there are other skill modules. Because in the grand scheme of things, what really matters is whether you open the locked door or not, not how you do it.

If you make the DCs low, characters will succeed often no matter with skill system you use. If you make it high, only the experts have a chance.

For example, if you use a DC 16 for a typical lock, a commoner has a 25% chance to open it and a rogue with the skill usually autosucceeds in the current skill system. If you don't like those odds, then the DC and action availability are the problem not how you rolled the check.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

This has worried me since the playtest has been available.

If you want to go with a modular approach. you either have to design each modular as a zero-sum affair or provide for a sliding scale for difficulties. And with each added module, the scale might have to be redone.

The whole thing becomes even worse if you consider the goal of being able for players to participate in the same game with charactes built using a different selection of modules.