D&D 5E New D&D Next Packet Is Available

[Klaus]

My group also prefers the "skills divorced from abilities" approach of previous packets. A few examples:

- Swim: add to a Strength check to swim upstream; add to a Con check to swim for long periods; add to a Dex check to avoid obstacles in rapids.
- Ride: add to a Dex check to guide your mount; add to a Wis check to care for a wounded mount; add to a Cha check to calm a panicked mount.
- Search: add to an Int check to look for clues; add to a Str check to dig up survivors in a cave-in; add to a Cha check to interrogate witnesses of a crime;

 

[Salamandyr]

For skills I want

Athletics
Stealth
Persuasion
Perception
Thievery
Lore

And that's it.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

My group also prefers the "skills divorced from abilities" approach of previous packets. A few examples:

- Swim: add to a Strength check to swim upstream; add to a Con check to swim for long periods; add to a Dex check to avoid obstacles in rapids.
- Ride: add to a Dex check to guide your mount; add to a Wis check to care for a wounded mount; add to a Cha check to calm a panicked mount.
- Search: add to an Int check to look for clues; add to a Str check to dig up survivors in a cave-in; add to a Cha check to interrogate witnesses of a crime;

I definitely agree with you, but I also think that we can have it both ways. What we have now is pretty easy to follow and adjudicate for new players and DMs. Then the DMG can recommend that DMs alter the needed ability check for something based on situation and to still allow skills to apply.

 

[Kinak]

I prefer having skills disassociated from stats as well.

But, to me, the worst part of this change is still rolling for the skill bonus. The big benefit, in my opinion, you get from associating them with attributes is that you can add the attribute and skill together in advance. Obviously, you can't do that with dice.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Klaus]

I prefer having skills disassociated from stats as well.

But, to me, the worst part of this change is still rolling for the skill bonus. The big benefit, in my opinion, you get from associating them with attributes is that you can add the attribute and skill together in advance. Obviously, you can't do that with dice.

Cheers!
Kinak

I quite like the dice.

 

[Kinak]

I quite like the dice.

I'm okay with the dice, I just think they remove the main benefit of matching up each skill with an attribute.

To me, the only real benefit of having each skill being associated to the same attribute all the time is the math. You can add up the attribute and the skill bonus in advance, listing it on your character sheet.

But if you're going to roll the skill bonus as a die, you don't save that math step and I don't see any reason to associate each skill with an attribute.

In other words, the dice themselves are fine, they just make assigning each skill to an attribute look silly to me.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[variant]

My group also prefers the "skills divorced from abilities" approach of previous packets. A few examples:

- Swim: add to a Strength check to swim upstream; add to a Con check to swim for long periods; add to a Dex check to avoid obstacles in rapids.
- Ride: add to a Dex check to guide your mount; add to a Wis check to care for a wounded mount; add to a Cha check to calm a panicked mount.
- Search: add to an Int check to look for clues; add to a Str check to dig up survivors in a cave-in; add to a Cha check to interrogate witnesses of a crime;

I agree. I don't like the automatic binding of skills to specific ability checks. The flexibility of how skills were done previously was one of the best parts of the new rules. In fact, it is this type of regression on the system that really frustrates me. They actually improved the concept of skills and then reversed their entirely awesome design... why?

 

[Obryn]

I quite like the dice.

I think the mechanic is really fun, but the math is terrible. A d20 just has too many sides for predictability.

-O

 

[Garthanos]

My group also prefers the "skills divorced from abilities" approach of previous packets. A few examples:

- Swim: add to a Strength check to swim upstream; add to a Con check to swim for long periods; add to a Dex check to avoid obstacles in rapids.
- Ride: add to a Dex check to guide your mount; add to a Wis check to care for a wounded mount; add to a Cha check to calm a panicked mount.
- Search: add to an Int check to look for clues; add to a Str check to dig up survivors in a cave-in; add to a Cha check to interrogate witnesses of a crime;

This, and big - time.

 

[RangerWickett]

I much prefer this skill system idea: https://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20110816

You have ranks. 1 is novice, 5 is master. If something is kinda hard, it might be rank 4. Anyone with 4 ranks auto-succeeds. Anyone with 3 ranks can try an easy roll to succeed. With 2 ranks you have to make a hard roll. Only 1 rank? You can be confident that you'll never succeed unless you do something clever to make the task easier.