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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tinker" data-source="post: 7450926" data-attributes="member: 46684">Absolutely. You can have the simplicity advantages of the core mechanic without any of the complexity of specific skills and DCs. If you're a fan of ability checks and don't want to remember any fiddly skill modifiers, you can just make every skill check an ability check. If you don't want to worry about setting DCs, have a default DC and depart from it as rarely as you like. If you want to do this entirely within the d20 framework, then a default DC of 16 or so is probably the closest you can get to the older skill check, in terms of a PC with a high ability score succeeding nearly all the time. If you want to modify the mechanics a little more to completely recapture the probability curve of older editions, then add the raw ability score to the d20 roll, and set DC to 22. For example, if I have an ability score of 11, I succeed at an old-school ability check on a 1 to 10, ie 50% of the time. Using raw score vs DC 22, I succeed on an 11-20, 50% of the time. If I have ability score 18, I succeed at an old school check on a 1-17, 85% of the time. I succeed at a DC22 check on a 4-20, also 85% of the time. I think* it is easier for a total newbie to get playing fluently if all the rolls are d20 plus mod vs DC, than if some of the rolls are d20 where you want under your stat (ability or saving throw) whereas others are d20 where you want to exceed a number you look up on a table (to-hit, turning undead) and others are a d6 (surprise, mostly) or a d% (thief skills) etc. etc. (my memory of AD&D is failing me after this but I'm sure there are more). Obviously those who are still fluent in AD&D (not me evidently, it has just taken me five minutes to check what the mechanic was for turning undead--but let's not get started on how the books are organised and indexed!) will find their use-worn tools sit well in the hand.*for a teenage or adult player, able without trouble to mentally sum two numbers each up to 20. I suppose if you're playing with young kids or others still grappling with basic arithmetic then 'which number is bigger' is an easier ask than 'add your mod to your die roll and then see which number is bigger'.</blockquote>

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