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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Staffan" data-source="post: 9783971" data-attributes="member: 907">I think PF2 has a fairly good solve: guidance makes you immune to guidance for one hour (whether you use the bonus or not). So that means you save it for the rolls where it really matters, rather than just getting +1d4 on everything (or +1 in PF2, because of tighter math).I think it's mostly poorly explained, and part of that is because people often don't dig down even a little to understand how the game actually works.At its core, a check in 5e is d20+stat bonus vs a DC. That's the base mechanic. Then on top of that, you have proficiency: for stuff you're good at, you get a +2 (or more at higher levels) on top of that. And for convenience's sake, you include that +2 (or more) in the stats written on your character sheet. But it's fairly common, I believe, for people to don't quite understand where those numbers are coming from. They just know that they have a +4 or whatever to Perception. Why? I dunno.Another issue is the standard character sheet where many people miss the heading on that box above the skills: Saving Throws. And since they have the same names as the stats, that also causes confusion. Back in 3e (and 4e) when we had saves (/defenses) as a separate category from stats (Reflex, Fortitude, and Will), that sort of thing was never in question because a Reflex save is clearly not the same thing as a Dexterity check.Once I get around to running Draw Steel, it'll be interesting to see if skill tests cause as much confusion there as in 5e. The mechanics are very similar: roll 2d10 and add a characteristic (ability score). If you have an appropriate skill, add +2. Then check a table depending on task difficulty to see how well you did. The main differences are:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The +2 (which doesn't increase at higher levels by the way) is clearly a separate bonus for having an appropriate skill. The Director isn't going to tell you "Roll Arcana to see what you know about this magic society." They'll say "Roll Reason to see what you know about this magic society", and then you'll say "Can I add +2 for my Magic skill?".</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There are many more skills than in 5e: 57 defined ones across five different categories, and specifically allowing for open-ended skill addition (particularly among things like crafts). I'm normally a fan of short, tight skill lists, but I'm fine with it here because the baseline is a straight characteristic test, and having a skill is a bonus on top of that.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There's no implied connection between characteristics and skills the way you have in 5e. I mean, 5e does allow for using different skills with different stats, but it makes it clear that that's an exception.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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