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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 6575200" data-attributes="member: 82106">Why would anyone become proficient with an instrument then when they can instead have the Performance skill? It just isn't coherent. You can take me through an actual example of play where I would ever roll a check using Investigation? I can't. If you look for a physical clue, Perception. If you talk to someone, a social skill. If you research something, the requisite knowledge skill, etc. There is no action you can perform which corresponds to the abstract activity of 'Investigating', its not concrete AT ALL.In 4e you use Bluff to deceive people, that is QUITE clear. Disabling a trap doesn't REQUIRE tools, again 4e is entirely clear on this. Both in the writeup of thieves tools and the thievery skill it clearly states they grant a +2 bonus. Of course the DM is free to indicate that in some situations they are mandatory, but that would be specific rules for specific situations.As for knowledge skills in 4e, I don't think there's anything ambiguous about the uses of Arcana at all. Its a knowledge skill which is used whenever a character needs to know some item of arcane knowledge, or when certain specific actions are attempted, or perhaps more generally whenever any action is deemed to depend largely on skill with magic. Likewise with other knowledge skills, though Arcana is usually the one that has the most uses of this sort.</blockquote>