Has anyone significantly house-ruled or altered the 5E skill system? Care to share?

Has anyone significantly house-ruled or altered the 5E skill system? Care to share your ideas?

Also, if you offer a critique of an idea you see here, please be consider being constructive. :)

Eh. Well, my two biggest house rules are:

(1) Odd stats offer an extra +1 to ability checks (NOT attack rolls or saving throws). This is because I want to differentiate odd stats so they are not a complete waste. So Str 19 is in fact different than Str 18, because Str 19 gives +5 to Athletics instead of +4.

(2) Open-ended rolls. If you roll a 20, you reroll again at +10 and take the highest, repeating again on a 20. So rolling 20, 20, 15 is like rolling a 35 (15 + 20) and rolling 20, 9 is still a 20. Likewise, rolling a 1 means you reroll again at -10 and take the lowest, repeating again on a 1. This is because I want a Shadow Monk who decides to stealthily murder everyone in a castle under Pass Without Trace for +17 to Stealth to have at least a chance of failing one of his stealth rolls, to create dramatic tension. The only way to completely eliminate the chance of failure is to be a Rogue with Reliable Talent.
 

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The playtest for 5e, D&D Next, separated out the ability score from the skill. This is a variant rule in 5e, but the skills are fairly tailored to their ability scores mechanically which makes this less useful. I'm not going to ask for a Dex (Athletics), I'll ask for a Dex (Acrobatics). It's still of some use - "could the acrobat of gotten through there?" - "make an Int (Acrobatics) roll to try and figure it out".

I've found that the skill I'm most likely to ask for a variant ability on is Intelligence (Stealth). Dexterity (Stealth) is for moving silently/smoothly to avoid notice; Intelligence (Stealth) is for choosing good travel routes that avoid notice overland. I'd probably also use Intelligence (Stealth) (with Intelligence (Survival) as an alternate) if you were trying to prep yourself to sneak past something with a good sense of smell, like a bear or a bloodhound or a black pudding. In those situations, Dexterity (Stealth) is just obviously inappropriate.
 


I use the "variable ability mod" variant in the DMG. All my player's character sheets have check marks next to their skills, but no adjusted scores. They just know to add their proficiency bonus to the ability mod I ask for, if the skill applies. So I'll ask for Ability Checks, plus X, Y, or Z skills if they have them. I've made it a point to always ask for the ability check, so that I'm in the habit of determining first what ability the check really applies to... and then only after I've figured out "Okay, what they are doing is a Wisdom thing" or "This is definitely a Constitution thing" do I think decide if there's also a skill or two that could apply to it.

Sometimes things that are usually set as one thing (like say Climbing and STR) to be varied based upon what exactly is around that might change which ability should apply. So areas where you could parkour up things I might ask for a DEX check, plus Athletics if they have it, rather than always STR. Some animal interactions I might have fall to CHA (Animal Handling) rather than always WIS, the lore skills (Arcana, Religion, Nature, History) can get applied to all the stats depending on what they are doing, etc.

The other thing I've done is adjusted the skill list to take out some that become a little superfluous due to this variable ability system, as well as add a few skills that I think benefit from this:

Removed
Acrobatics (usually now a DEX [Athletics] check)
Sleight of Hand (usually now a DEX [Deception] check)
Intimidation (usually now a STR [Persuasion] check)
Medicine (rolled into Survival)

Added
Commerce (applies to all information about money, commerce, and appraisal of goods)
Etiquette (applies to all knowledge and interactions with the nobility and high society)
Folklore (applies to all knowledge and interactions with common folks, lower class, criminal elements)
 

I'm considering having a "skill track" and granting more skill/tool/language proficiencies as characters gain levels. These proficiency points can be used on gaining expertise as well. I'm also thinking of switching to a ranked skill system, like 3E, while also moving all passive/defensive skill uses to Saving throws. Skills would only be used when a character is using them. This would make it so nobody is "punished" when they have a bad skill (aww, the assassin snuck up on you again because you're not trained in perception ...).


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I've found that the skill I'm most likely to ask for a variant ability on is Intelligence (Stealth). Dexterity (Stealth) is for moving silently/smoothly to avoid notice; Intelligence (Stealth) is for choosing good travel routes that avoid notice overland. I'd probably also use Intelligence (Stealth) (with Intelligence (Survival) as an alternate) if you were trying to prep yourself to sneak past something with a good sense of smell, like a bear or a bloodhound or a black pudding. In those situations, Dexterity (Stealth) is just obviously inappropriate.

Interesting point. I'd probably go with Wisdom (Survival) for that situation.
 

I use a simultaneous initiative system. At the top of the round, everyone broadly declares intended actions. If opponents are more intelligent than the PCs are collectively, I will wait until the players have declared intent before describing opponents' apparent intent. If they are less intelligent, and the players have given me a chance, I describe them first.

Then, everyone's turns are resolved individually but are considered simultaneous, so, for instance, killing an enemy will not prevent it from finishing its turn. Except:

1) Reactions interrupt turns as normal, but readied actions require a successful opposed initiative check to get the timing right.

2) Actions and bonus actions that affect another creature's options (such as shoving, grappling, or restraining) can do so, but require a successful opposed initiative check to get the timing right.

I mention all this, because, in this scenario, initiative is essentially an untrained skill.

Although I frequently use variations of the background-as-skill system, as well.

That's very similar to what I use, actually. Interesting differentiation between reactions and the Ready action. We just use an opposed Initiative check when it matters, like figuring out who hit first when one of the blows could be a killing blow.
 

I've been working out the specifics for my skill system for a while now. It's really just tweaks on the system, but some thoughts:

I have some situations where you must be trained to attempt a skill check. For other circumstances, if you are not trained, then a failed check is probably just failure, no chance of success. Whereas for a trained individual there are probably other consequences or complications, not just outright failure. Which ties into the next point:

I use a variation of Take 20, in that any task that you can succeed at, you eventually will, given enough time and no other serious consequences. The difference between the DC and your die roll is what sets the time period. So if you're trying to pick a lock before some guards arrive, you know that you can eventually pick it, you're just not sure how long it will take (since you don't know the DC).
Group checks are either by the best or worst in the group, depending on the situation. For example, Perception is probably the best in the group, with advantage to indicate the benefit of more people. Most of the time this is passive Perception. On the other hand, for stealth at the group it's the worst score, possibly with advantage if there's a way that the party could explain how the rest of the group is helping them. In most cases this is also a passive check.

I use passive checks a lot, this includes for times where they are skilled and the passive skill is too low, but they have the ability to succeed and there's no compelling reason to work through the checks. I call for an actual skill check only when the stakes are clear and it's necessary. For example, while exploring a cavern, I don't typically call for climbing checks if they are capable of success, trained, helping those that aren't trained, and they aren't rushing, etc.

I have a number of specific abilities that are more specialized. For example, one of the characters is a merchant, so they have proficiency in Wisdom (Insight), but expertise in Wisdom (Insight) checks to appraise an item. These are just noted on the sheet, and not a separate skill that's tracked for anybody else.

I add modifiers to skill checks based on your actions and what you tell me. So the more you can describe what you're trying to accomplish and how, the better your chances are likely to be.

I also will frequently use the three successes before three failures mechanic of death saves (I use it for a lot of things). In fact, advantage/disadvantage, death saves, and the exhaustion track are probably the rules I consider almost defining rules in this addition and appropriate them for many other circumstances.

Overall I really like the rules system as a whole, and the current skill system actually fits pretty well. I do allow alternate abilities for specific skills because I think it just makes sense. The old non-weapon proficiency system had far too many choices, and the problem with the increased number of choices is that you either can't pick enough of them, or people end up picking the ones that give them the best benefits, like in combat. We haven't come across a skill we think should be present.

The tool proficiencies don't come up too often, except for the Thief's Tools of course. But I like the concept.

I do allow learning another skill through training, although it takes a long time, and nobody has taken that up (it replaces the Skilled Feat).
 

Every skill can be used with int, wis, or cha, to talk to another expert in that skill, see through BS regarding it, ingratiate yourself with someone interested in that skill, figure out/recall something about it, etc.

the meathead can sometimes get around a social roadblock because they know all about caber tossing, and the guard is also into chucking big logs as a competitive sport, and they nerd out about Frenik Olafson, who recently threw like a really big log way further than anyone in the region had ever done before. Ie, Charisma (Athletics) check.

The FAce can get around the guard because the face is charming and funny. Charisma (Persuasion) check.

specific skill things:

Stealth: Make check as part of action that lets you hide. Ie, if you move into cover, you make a stealth check to do so stealthily, and end the movement hidden from view.

Acrobatics: reduce falling damage by amount = check result.

more later. I just got pummeled by my need to sleep, all of a sudden.
 

That's very similar to what I use, actually. Interesting differentiation between reactions and the Ready action. We just use an opposed Initiative check when it matters, like figuring out who hit first when one of the blows could be a killing blow.

Actually, I started using the basic system after reading someone's posts talking about it on EN World a couple of years ago. Could have been you.

But, back on topic, I always treat knowledge checks as passive; I find that feeding the players information just makes everything run smoother.
 

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