I have just started with D&D 5e and was wondering how to handle Ability checks and applying DC to them.
Rules say "For every ability check, the DM decides which of the six abilities is relevant to the task at hand and the difficulty of the task, represented by a Difficulty Class. The more difficult a task, the higher its DC."
So is this DC an absolute number that would would arise from the intrinsic properties of the object being interacted with or an individual DC reflecting not only properties of the object but also experience and backround or familiarity of the character with that kind of task?
A steep, slippery wall without crevices would be a very hard object to climb for all so I'd set a DC of 20. This DC is based on the features of the wall. An expert rogue with high DEX + Proficiency in Acrobatics would have a higher chance than the clumsy dwarfen fighter. Nevertheless the intrinsic difficulty of the task stays the same for all creatures, just that some are more capable of overcoming those difficulties.
But what if the party enters a hidden labratory of a Necromancer equipped with strange devices that serve an unknown purpose. The rogue and fighter would have no clue at all what those devices are made for. The mage would recognize without Ability Check that they obviously serve an arcane purpose.
So if all three characters wanted to find out more I'd call on an INT check (Arcana/Investigation) but would the DC be identical for all like in the above example?
The rogue has some expertise in poison making and would recognize the stills and vials, the mage would recognize even more of the devices and materials. The Dwar has never seen an Alchemist's lab before. Would the DC for the dwarf be like 30 as he has never seen somethinkg similar before, but 25 for the rogue who recognizes at least some of the equipment? The mage, however, is familiar with arcane labratories, but not Necromancing, so I'd assume there is still some challenge for him to find out the true purpose of the labratory and I'd make a DC of 15 for him.
Or would a single DC of - say, 25 - be applied to all (exotic, forbidden, secret type of sorcery not encountered that often) with the mage's expertise and familiarity being only reflected by his proficiency bonus in arcana and high INT modifier?
And if so, how would I apply the rogues familiarity with poison making? The rules for alternate ability scores deal with substituting ability like CON for STR etc. but how would I take a bit of his proficiency with a poisoner's kit into account?
Another Option would be to assign a global DC but allow Ability Checks only for those who would have at least a single clue - so let the mage and rogue roll but not the dwarf.
"A steep, slippery wall without crevices would be a very hard object to climb for all so I'd set a DC of 20. This DC is based on the features of the wall. An expert rogue with high DEX + Proficiency in Acrobatics would have a higher chance than the clumsy dwarfen fighter. Nevertheless the intrinsic difficulty of the task stays the same for all creatures, just that some are more capable of overcoming those difficulties."
You nailed it here (except climbing is an athletics check, the fighter is likely great at it - it's the first example of what athletics does, after all). DCs are static and don't change depending on the skill of the character attempting them. If you want a character to have a better chance of passing a particular DC but their stats don't reflect it, you could grant them advantage or an extra bonus on the check. Dwarves have an ability called Stonecunning that makes them proficient in the History skill and doubles the proficiency bonus, but only when the History check they're making is related to the origin of stonework. You could take that as an example and work from it.
Honestly though, I find that ability checks are usually reflected just fine in the stats and I don't often feel the need to give any extra help.
Something to remember is to only call for a check when there is a chance for success or failure. You can easily rule that the dwarven fighter would look at the alchemy table and throw their hands up with no chance of understanding what is going on, so no need to roll because they’ll fail no matter what. Or that the artificer with the alchemist subclass can understand it perfectly with just a glance, so there is also no need for a roll because they’ll succeed no matter what.
I have done varying DCs on a single check in instances where one character would likely have knowledge of the issue beyond what their proficiencies reflect. For example, we were playing a game where one of the players was raised as a pirate, and although she wasn't proficient in history, when the group encountered a ship flying a pirate flag they were given the chance to roll a history check to see if they recognized the colors, and for the pirate character the DC was lower than it was for everyone else.
It's fairly uncommon for me, though. Usually I just give Advantage to a character if I feel like they have some reason that they should perform that check more easily than the others... that's pretty much the literal definition of the word "advantage". It's a lot cleaner to as well, since you don't need to track separate DCs, plus everyone likes rolling with advantage, even if it's on something minor.
The GM decides a check is even possible. Not every character has to be allowed to make the check. Your last idea of just not letting the dwarf roll is the most well-supported by the rules.
Also remember that you can use advantage and disadvantage to reflect circumstances particular to a given character not reflected by general proficiency. For example, if you know that your necromancer studied at the same academy as the PC wizard, don’t lower the difficulty; give the wizard advantage.
As a DM, in my games I use the statement "every player that is proficient in skill X may roll now".
So, an Arcane Trickster Rogue that is trained in Arcana might very well recognize the strange devices in the Necromancer's lab, while the Sorcerer without Arcana skill, that just uses his powers without understanding much of the details, might not.
I have just started with D&D 5e and was wondering how to handle Ability checks and applying DC to them.
Rules say "For every ability check, the DM decides which of the six abilities is relevant to the task at hand and the difficulty of the task, represented by a Difficulty Class. The more difficult a task, the higher its DC."
So is this DC an absolute number that would would arise from the intrinsic properties of the object being interacted with or an individual DC reflecting not only properties of the object but also experience and backround or familiarity of the character with that kind of task?
A steep, slippery wall without crevices would be a very hard object to climb for all so I'd set a DC of 20. This DC is based on the features of the wall. An expert rogue with high DEX + Proficiency in Acrobatics would have a higher chance than the clumsy dwarfen fighter. Nevertheless the intrinsic difficulty of the task stays the same for all creatures, just that some are more capable of overcoming those difficulties.
But what if the party enters a hidden labratory of a Necromancer equipped with strange devices that serve an unknown purpose. The rogue and fighter would have no clue at all what those devices are made for. The mage would recognize without Ability Check that they obviously serve an arcane purpose.
So if all three characters wanted to find out more I'd call on an INT check (Arcana/Investigation) but would the DC be identical for all like in the above example?
The rogue has some expertise in poison making and would recognize the stills and vials, the mage would recognize even more of the devices and materials. The Dwar has never seen an Alchemist's lab before. Would the DC for the dwarf be like 30 as he has never seen somethinkg similar before, but 25 for the rogue who recognizes at least some of the equipment? The mage, however, is familiar with arcane labratories, but not Necromancing, so I'd assume there is still some challenge for him to find out the true purpose of the labratory and I'd make a DC of 15 for him.
Or would a single DC of - say, 25 - be applied to all (exotic, forbidden, secret type of sorcery not encountered that often) with the mage's expertise and familiarity being only reflected by his proficiency bonus in arcana and high INT modifier?
And if so, how would I apply the rogues familiarity with poison making? The rules for alternate ability scores deal with substituting ability like CON for STR etc. but how would I take a bit of his proficiency with a poisoner's kit into account?
Another Option would be to assign a global DC but allow Ability Checks only for those who would have at least a single clue - so let the mage and rogue roll but not the dwarf.
For a particular specific task, the DC should be unchanged for a particular ability (skill) check.
If somebody wants to use a different skill, then the DC might be different for use of that skill depending on how the skill would apply to the task.
The DM can decide that a task can only be performed if the PC is proficient in a particular skill.
If a PC has some particular knowledge that would make their chance better, then just give that PC advantage on the roll.
"A steep, slippery wall without crevices would be a very hard object to climb for all so I'd set a DC of 20. This DC is based on the features of the wall. An expert rogue with high DEX + Proficiency in Acrobatics would have a higher chance than the clumsy dwarfen fighter. Nevertheless the intrinsic difficulty of the task stays the same for all creatures, just that some are more capable of overcoming those difficulties."
You nailed it here (except climbing is an athletics check, the fighter is likely great at it - it's the first example of what athletics does, after all). DCs are static and don't change depending on the skill of the character attempting them. If you want a character to have a better chance of passing a particular DC but their stats don't reflect it, you could grant them advantage or an extra bonus on the check. Dwarves have an ability called Stonecunning that makes them proficient in the History skill and doubles the proficiency bonus, but only when the History check they're making is related to the origin of stonework. You could take that as an example and work from it.
Honestly though, I find that ability checks are usually reflected just fine in the stats and I don't often feel the need to give any extra help.
Something to remember is to only call for a check when there is a chance for success or failure. You can easily rule that the dwarven fighter would look at the alchemy table and throw their hands up with no chance of understanding what is going on, so no need to roll because they’ll fail no matter what. Or that the artificer with the alchemist subclass can understand it perfectly with just a glance, so there is also no need for a roll because they’ll succeed no matter what.
Thanks all for your answers :-)
I have done varying DCs on a single check in instances where one character would likely have knowledge of the issue beyond what their proficiencies reflect. For example, we were playing a game where one of the players was raised as a pirate, and although she wasn't proficient in history, when the group encountered a ship flying a pirate flag they were given the chance to roll a history check to see if they recognized the colors, and for the pirate character the DC was lower than it was for everyone else.
It's fairly uncommon for me, though. Usually I just give Advantage to a character if I feel like they have some reason that they should perform that check more easily than the others... that's pretty much the literal definition of the word "advantage". It's a lot cleaner to as well, since you don't need to track separate DCs, plus everyone likes rolling with advantage, even if it's on something minor.
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The GM decides a check is even possible. Not every character has to be allowed to make the check. Your last idea of just not letting the dwarf roll is the most well-supported by the rules.
Also remember that you can use advantage and disadvantage to reflect circumstances particular to a given character not reflected by general proficiency. For example, if you know that your necromancer studied at the same academy as the PC wizard, don’t lower the difficulty; give the wizard advantage.
As a DM, in my games I use the statement "every player that is proficient in skill X may roll now".
So, an Arcane Trickster Rogue that is trained in Arcana might very well recognize the strange devices in the Necromancer's lab, while the Sorcerer without Arcana skill, that just uses his powers without understanding much of the details, might not.