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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 6905898" data-attributes="member: 7006">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:RemovedAcrobatics (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)AddedCommerce (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)</blockquote>

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