D&D 5E When will WotC support unlinking abilities and skills?

[DND_Reborn]

This is something I thought about when reviewing the new UA Paladin pdf and saw this:

Peerless Athlete. You can use your Channel Divinity to augment your athleticism with divine favor. As a bonus action, you gain advantage on all Strength (Athletics) and Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks for the next 10 minutes.

Many tables (hopefully) support combining skills with different ability scores, breaking the "link" between the most common skill uses and the ability score. The UA feature specifies the typical "Strength (Athletics) and Dexterity (Acrobatics)". But as myself and others have pointed out, the game supports other combinations.

You want to sprint? Use DEX (Athletics). You want to run a marathon? Use CON (Athletics). You want to grapple a target with a lock, which doesn't require much strength? Use DEX (Athletics). You want to do a handstand? Use STR (Acrobatics).

Sure, you can argue these could all fall under the default STR (Athletics) and DEX (Acrobatics) instead, but I can just as easily justify why they could be, and should be otherwise.

For the UA Paladin feature, Peerless Athlete, why not just make it advantage on all Athletics and Acrobatics checks? I know if we use it, we will.

Just sharing some thoughts... thanks for reading.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Good point, bad (click-bait) thread title.

When they put up the survey I’ll mention this.

 

[kolya]

This is the templating that they use to refer to skill checks this edition. The rules never refer to Acrobatics checks, they always refer to Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks. The reason is that technically all skill checks are ability checks with a skill proficiency or expertise or anything sitting on top of the ability check as additional modifiers.
Using the optional rules for different abilities would override this association.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Good point, bad (click-bait) thread title.

When they put up the survey I’ll mention this.

Thanks and sorry! LOL I've changed the thread title.

 

[DND_Reborn]

This is the templating that they use to refer to skill checks this edition. The rules never refer to Acrobatics checks, they always refer to Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks. The reason is that technically all skill checks are ability checks with a skill proficiency or expertise or anything sitting on top of the ability check as additional modifiers.
Using the optional rules for different abilities would override this association.

Yeah, I understand that. Maybe Peerless Athlete should work for all STR and DEX checks instead of Athletics and Acrobatics then?

 

[Xenonnonex]

As has been mentioned that is the normal way of wording skill checks.

Using different abilities for the same skill is an optinal rule in the DMG. More people should actually read the DMG.

Just from these boards alone common sense is not at all common.

 

[Xenonnonex]

Yeah, I understand that. Maybe Peerless Athlete should work for all STR and DEX checks instead of Athletics and Acrobatics then?

Individual DMs are free to use whatever combination they F'ing want because this is an optional rule in the DMG.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Individual DMs are free to use whatever combination they F'ing want because this is an optional rule in the DMG.

Yikes! What is with the hostility?

Sure, it is an optional rule, which happens to make the most sense and avoids scenarios which otherwise don't make any sense.

 

[Guest 6801328]

As has been mentioned that is the normal way of wording skill checks.

Using different abilities for the same skill is an optinal rule in the DMG. More people should actually read the DMG.

While true, I wouldn’t mind seeing them encourage it’s use.

Just from these boards alone common sense is not at all common.

I know, right?!?! You’d think people would respond civilly and rationally to ideas they don’t agree with...that’s just common sense...but instead some people are so quick to go into attack mode.

 

[Xenonnonex]

Yikes! What is with the hostility?

No hostility bruv. I am Australian

Sure, it is an optional rule, which happens to make the most sense and avoids scenarios which otherwise don't make any sense.

Wizards words their class features according to what will be the most common applications. Edge cases are free to use the optional rules.