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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Xetheral" data-source="post: 9166842" data-attributes="member: 6802765">I of course agree with you on what the mechanics of to-hit rolls and skills checks are. I don't agree with you, however, that combat and skills necessarily "boil down" to application of those mechanics.Combat in 5e can be about trying to attack and deplete the enemy's HP before they deplete yours, but it doesn't have to be. For instance, if at a particular table the outcome of combat is rarely in doubt, then combat at that table is more about who the PCs fight, when, and why, rather than about d20 rolls. Examples include games where the challenge comes from trying to stack the odds in the party's favor prior to combat, or old-school-style games where the challenge comes from trying to avoid combat, or games where the players are skilled at having their characters seize the strategic initiative, or games where the DM frequently designs combat encounters with goals other than killing all the enemies.Each of those tables will experience the martial/caster divide differently from tables where combat does boil down to application of the combat mechanics to see who runs out of HP first.</blockquote>