Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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I want to make sure my understanding is correct.
If my Rogue has proficiency in Thieves’ Tools and proficiency in Slight of Hand, he Does Not get Advantage to pick locks or disarm traps, because the pick/disarm rolls are made with the tool, not the skill. But he Would be able to add his Proficiency modifier to the pick/traps roll.
So when assigning Expertise at level 1, can he assign Expertise to Thieves’ Tools?
If my Bard has proficiency with his instrument and proficiency in Performance then he Does get Advantage for his Performance check to distract the guards by singing a loud, bawdy folk song.
Are there any other common combos? Proficiency with Caligraphy tools & Proficiency with Arcana to craft spell scrolls?
Honestly, I'm not sure about some of these, mostly because the rules are contradictory. I'll start with what I know.
You do add your proficiency bonus, and you can have expertise in Thieves' Tools.
You might use Sleight of Hand to pick locks, you might not. The Lock says you pick it with Sleight of Hand using Thieves' Tools, but Thieves' Tools make no mention of using Sleight of Hand.
This is not correct. Picking locks and disarming traps both generally use the Sleight of Hand skill, so if you have proficiency in both that skill and Thieves' Tools, you would add your Proficiency Bonus to the roll (once) and have advantage on the roll. If you only have proficiency in the skill, or only in the tool, then you'd add your Proficiency Bonus, but you wouldn't have advantage. Ability checks that use a tool without also using a skill aren't really a thing in 5.5e.
No. In 5.5e, Expertise is explicitly defined as something that you have with a skill. It's not possible to have Expertise with a tool in 5.5e. (This was different in 5e, in which Rogues, and only Rogues, had the option to take Expertise in thieves' tools.)
Yes.
Crafting spell scrolls doesn't require an ability check, so there's nothing to gain advantage on. You do need proficiency in one of those two things to craft a spell scroll, but having both doesn't provide any additional benefit in that regard.
As for other examples of skill/tool combos, it's generally up to the DM to determine which skill is appropriate, but the Tools section in the Player's Handbook's chapter on Equipment does list the ability score generally used for each tool, so in most cases it'll likely be a skill associated with that ability.
pronouns: he/she/they
Proficiency with a Disguise Kit and Deception would most likely grant Advantage. That's not codified so your mileage may vary, but it seems reasonable.
Proficiency in any tool will probably grant Advantage on things like Perception, Insight, Investigation, Persuasion, or Deception if you are also Proficient in skill in question and the tool in question is relevant. (e.g., a character with Proficiency in both Smith Tools and Investigate probably should be granted Advantage if they are carefully examining a dagger for clues about its manufacture, a character with Proficiency in both Playing Cards and Insight should probably get Advantage on their roll to win at a game by trying to read their opponent, a character with Proficiency in Forgery Kit and Deception would probably get Advantage).
It lists an ability score. None of them have an associated skill. So RAR Advantage is impossible.
Say way you want about the olden days, but the Basic/Advanced/2nd edition team wrote rule books that we’re comprehensible, and had information where you expected to find it.
The rules explicitly say that the DM determines what skill, if any, to use on an ability check. So, it's possible if the DM says it's possible.
pronouns: he/she/they
So yes, it is somewhat contradictory and requires trying to guess the designer's intent a bit.
That said, my interpretation is that the Ability listed is meant to be the default Ability to use when the DM is in a hurry and can't think of an appropriate skill and Ability.
I you want to be truly pedantic you could argue that the Ability listed means you can only use the tool to grant Advantage when rolling a Skill that uses that Ability (e.g., Proficiency with Smith Tools cannot be used to grant Advantage with Investigate because Investigate uses Wisdom and not Strength). However, it is quite clear that when you are making a Skill roll for a skill where you are proficient, such as Performance, you also have proficiency with the tool, such as a Musical Instrument, and the tool and skill use the same ability, such as Charisma, you get Advantage.
All actual examples of doing something with a tool are a Stat(Skill) check. Thieves Tools used to pick a lock are explicitly a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check.
While it's theoretically possible you might find some use for a tool where no skill makes sense, I might suggest those are things you shouldn't even have to roll for.
3e also had information where you expected to find it. I agree 5e rules writing leaves a lot to be desired.