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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Volund" data-source="post: 7570206" data-attributes="member: 6872597">I still use a DM screen which allows me to hang player initiative cards on the screen. On the back of each card card I have a space for skill, tool, and language proficiencies and their bonus. This lets me use a passive check for proficient skills. If the player built their PC to be good at a particular skill, I try to weave that into the narrative instead of calling for checks, which slow the game down. A proficient skill always yields some sort of base information without a roll. After finding a religious symbol, if a PC had the religion skill and had a bonus of +3, I might say something like, "Momar, this symbol reminds you of other symbols associated with demonic cults you have seen before and been warned about. Would you like to spend more time studying it to see if you can remember anything else about it?" Unless it's obviously important to the player's goals at the moment, most of the time they say they'll just pocket it and study it later.If it is an important check, the group will throw their resources into succeeding. We generally let people work together for advantage on the check if it makes sense. Anyone can help push something, even without the athletics skill. For knowledge checks we have agreed that the PC's need to be proficient (or be a Jack of All Trades) in order to work together to gain advantage on a skill check. So for example, trying to figure out the meaning of a magic glyph, two PC's proficient in Arcana can work together, often with assistance from someone's guidance cantrip. The player with the best bonus usually rolls and then that's it. Nobody else gets to roll. I always give them some information regardless of the roll. "You can't identify exactly what it  does, but you think it's powerful and dangerous, meant to do grave harm to whoever triggers it." I occasionally use group checks when the collective effort of the group contributes to an overall effect, e.g. a group deception check to pass themselves off as a group of cultists, or a group intimidation check to get a quell an angry crowd, and of course group stealth checks. Since these take more time, I save these for when the outcome is significant and involves a heightened sense of tension.</blockquote>

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