D&D (2024) Intersection of skill & tool proficiencies

[GDGD]

The 2024 PH is clear that a character with both skill proficiency and tool proficiency gets advantage on their check when doing something that uses both. The obvious example is playing a musical instrument -- it's covered by the Performance skill and the specific instrument proficiency, ergo if you have both proficiencies, you have advantage on your check.

It seems a bit murky elsewhere, though, where these sort of intersections between skill and tool proficiency could occur. For lockpicking, do you have advantage if you have both thieves' tools proficiency and proficiency in Sleight of Hand?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

So I have played 1 session of 2024 and this already came up...and in a weird way.

Survival + navigator tools to find the way

 

[Yaarel]

I use "Nature" for science and math, including alchemy, (in other words natural philosophy), hence it can enhance the toolsets of Alchemist, Smith, Mason, and so on.

 

[Umbran]

It seems a bit murky elsewhere, though, where these sort of intersections between skill and tool proficiency could occur.

Yep. I think that's because players think of the darndest things, sometimes, such that skill & tool combinations ought to be considered by the GM, rather than laid our as rules-law.

 

[Tonguez]

They really should just bring in a Craft Skill to cover all basic Tool use

 

[Mistwell]

It seems a bit murky elsewhere, though, where these sort of intersections between skill and tool proficiency could occur. For lockpicking, do you have advantage if you have both thieves' tools proficiency and proficiency in Sleight of Hand?

Yes, I don't see why you wouldn't.

Similarly, I'd give advantage on a Utilize action to identify a plant if you were proficient in an Herbalism Kit and the Nature skill (lore about plants). Under the right circumstances, advantage to safely navigate if you have proficiency with a Navigators Kit and Nature (for weather) or Survival (avoid natural hazards), and advantage for using both proficiency with a Disguise Kit and Deception ("wear a disguise convincingly.")

Tools don't come up too often in our games, so I'd be happy to hand out advantage for overlapping uses to players who remember they even have the tool and use it appropriately.

 

[aco175]

For lockpicking, do you have advantage if you have both thieves' tools proficiency and proficiency in Sleight of Hand?

I thought you can have proficiency in thieves' tools from a background or such and not actually have the tools. I did see somewhere in 5.5 discussion that they were using sleight of hands skill with the tools. I have not started playing 5.5 so I tend to go with needing the tools in order to try and get lucky, and having proficiency gets you a better roll. I also have that you can try if you have proficiency but no tools and are trying something like a hairpin.

 

[MarkB]

Advantage on Deception combined with Jewelcrafter's Tools if you're a dark lord trying to fool an elven mastercraftsman into forging magical rings for you.

 

[Stormonu]

I'd kind of rather have it that having the tool (and proficiency) is standard. Lacking the tool or using inferior/improvised tools would inflict disadvantage or perhaps not allow for a skill check at all (it makes sense to me that if you don't have lockpicks or weren't proficient with them, you couldn't pick a lock and have to resort to bashing it or some other method, for example). Having superior tools would grant advantage, of course.

(I'd actually prefer if Tools added a fixed or die bonus (starting d4, maybe goes up with level and/or specialization?). That way you can still have situations where you've got the right skill, the right tools and be in the right place and it all works together.)

 

[ART!]

Advantage on Deception combined with Jewelcrafter's Tools if you're a dark lord trying to fool an elven mastercraftsman into forging magical rings for you.