Skill Examples (5A)

Starfox's 5th Edition Fan Page

You might have noticed that skills are incredibly fast and loose in 5th edition. The intention is that the GM has a lot more room to adjudicate what is right for their game. However, some may also find this freedom a little confusing. Below we have fleshed out the skills to some additional degree and provide options for that skill's use.

When the DC of a skill use has a list of several values, generally based on someone else's skills, always use the highest number.

Many checks have a difficulty equal to another creature's passive value. This is 10 + ability modifier + proficiency modifier. This avoid having to record the check result creatures achieve on tasks such as stealth and disguise. It also prevent a good roll carrying through an entire story; each time an opponent makes a check, there is a real danger of discovery. An opposed check is the same as a check against a passive value.

Strength

Strength measures bodily power and the extent to which you can exert raw physical force.

Athletics

The Athletics skill reflects aptitude in certain kinds of Strength checks. Examples include the following activities:

• You attempt to climb a sheer or slippery cliff, avoid hazards while scaling a wall, or cling to a surface while something is trying to knock you off.
• You try to jump an unusually long distance or pull off a stunt mid-jump.
• You struggle to swim or slay afloat in treacherous currents, storm-tossed waves, or areas of thick seaweed. Or another creature tries to push or pull you underwater or otherwise interfere with your swimming.
• You try to force a door open or closed.
• You try to drag or topple a heavy weight.

Climbing, Swimming. And Crawling While climbing or swimming, each foot of movement costs 1 extra foot (2 extra feet in difficult terrain). unless a creature has a climbing or swimming speed. At the DM's option, climbing a slippery vertical surface or one with few handholds requires a successful Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check. Similarly, gaining any distance in rough water might require a successful Strength (Athletics) check.

Catch a Falling Character

If someone falls, you can attempt to catch the falling character if they are within your reach. Doing so requires a successful Athletics check DC 15 + the falling creature's Strength bonus. If the creature would take falling damage, subtract your Strength (Athletics) check from the damage and split the remainder between you two.

Climbing

With a successful Athletics check, you can advance up, down, or across a slope, wall, or other steep incline (or even across a ceiling, provided it has handholds) at half your normal speed. A slope is considered to be any incline at an angle measuring less than 60 degrees; a wall is any incline at an angle measuring 60 degrees or more. A climb check that fails 5 or less means that you make no progress, and one that fails by more than 5 means that you fall from whatever height you have already attained. The DC of the check depends on the conditions of the climb.

You need both hands free to climb, but you may cling to a wall with one hand while you cast a spell or take some other action that requires only one hand. While climbing, you can’t move to avoid a blow, so opponents have advantage on their attacks against you. Anytime you take damage while climbing, make an Athletics check against the DC of the slope or wall. Failure means you fall from your current height and sustain the appropriate falling damage.

If you can brace yourself against another wall or surface, you gain advantage on the check. The use of pitons or hand-and-footholds placed before you climb grant advantage. If any of the surfaces are slippery (from rain, greased, polished, etc.) the checks are made with disadvantage. You can also try to climb at full speed by making the Athletics check with disadvantage.

Compare the task with those on the following table to determine an appropriate DC.

Climbing DCs

Climb DC	Example
5 (Easy)	Knotted rope,
10 (Moderate)	Very rough wall or ship’s rigging
15 (Hard)	Rough wall or tree
20 (Difficult)	Smooth wall with no handholds
25 (Very Difficult)	Polished wall
-5	Positive incline (60 degrees)
+5	Negative incline or overhang

Catch Yourself When Falling It’s incredibly difficult to catch yourself while falling. Make an Athletics check with a DC equal to the climb DC at disadvantage to do so.

Expeditious Climb In return for suffering disadvantage on your Athletics check to climb, you can move with such speed and vigor that you do not lose your Dexterity bonus to AC while climbing and climb at your full movement speed.

Rappelling: Climbing down a rope can be done at a much accelerated rate by rappelling. This requires a belt or other sturdy attachment point on your person. Rappelling is done at normal land speed with advantage, or at double land speed without advantage. A creature with climb speed still uses land speed to determine rappelling speed.

Feat of Strength

When the rules call for a Strength check, you can use Strength (Athletics). This includes tasks like bursting bonds, forcing open a stuck, locked, or barred door, move or tip an heavy item like a large rock, pillar, or statue.

Jumping

You can use the Acrobatics and Athletics skills to make jumps. You can make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check to hump farther. The DC is your Strength score. On a success you increase your effective Strength score for this jump by 2 and your effective Strength bonus by 1. For each 5 points of margin on the roll, you gain this bonus again.

Long Jump. When you make a long jump. you cover a number of feet up to your Strength score if you move at least 10 feet immediately before the jump. When you make a standing long jump, you can leap only half that distance. Either way, each foot you clear on the jump costs a foot of movement. This rule assumes that the height of your jump doesn't matter. such as a jump across a stream or chasm. At your DM's option, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check to clear a low obstacle (no taller than a quarter of the jump's distance), such as a hedge or low wall. Otherwise you hit it. When you hit an obstacle or land in difficult terrain you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to land on your feet. Otherwise you land prone.

High Jump. When you make a high jump you leap into the air a number of feet equal to 3 + your Strength modifier if you move at least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump. When you make a standing high jump, you can jump only half that distance. Either way, each foot you clear on the jump costs a foot of movement. You can extend your arms half your height above yourself during the jump. Thus. you can reach above you a distance equal to the height of the jump plus 1 1/2 times your height.

Swim

Make a Strength (Athletics) check once per round while you are in the water. Success means you may swim at up to half your base speed as your movement. If you fail by 4 or less, you make no progress. If you fail by 5 or more, you go underwater. Once you succeed by 5 or more, you have got a grip on the situation and need not make any more Strength (Athletics) checks until conditions grow worse.

If you are underwater, either because you failed an Athletics check or because you are swimming underwater intentionally, you must hold your breath. Each hour that you swim, you must make a Constitution save against the swim DC or gain a level of exhaustion.

Swimming DCs

Water Conditions	Swim DC
Calm water	10
Rough water	15
Stormy water	20

Climbing, Swimming. And Crawling While climbing or swimming, each foot of movement costs 1 extra foot (2 extra feet in difficult terrain). unless a creature has a climbing or swimming speed. At the DM's option, climbing a slippery vertical surface or one with few handholds requires a successful Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check. Similarly, gaining any distance in rough water might require a successful Strength (Athletics) check.

Swimming in Armor If you attempt to swim while wearing armor, you suffer disadvantage on your Strength (Athletics) check if your armor provides a penalty to Stealth checks. If a creature with a swim speed wears heavier armors, its swim speed is reduced in the same way as land speed.

Drowning Any character can hold her breath for a number of rounds equal to twice their Constitution score. If a character takes any strenuous actions (such as an Attack or Dash action), the remaining duration that the character can hold her breath is reduced by 1 round. After this period of time, the character must make a DC 10 Constitution save every round in order to continue holding her breath. Each round, the DC increases by 1.

If the character finally fails their Constitution check, they begin to drown. In the first round, they become incapacitated and their hit points are reduced to zero. Drowning characters make death saves as normal and might wake up and thus get a chance to pass a Swim check to get air. Characters who are or become unconscious while in water must begin making Constitution saves immediately. Once they fail one of these checks, they immediately drop to 0 hit points and begin making death saves.

It is possible to drown in substances other than water, such as sand, quicksand, fine dust, and silos full of grain.

Dexterity

Dexterity measures agility, reflexes, and balance.

A Dexterity check can model any attempt to move nimbly, quickly, or quietly, or to keep from falling on tricky footing. The Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Dexterity checks.

Acrobatics

Your Dexterity (Acrobatics) check covers your attempts to stay on your feet in a tricky situation, such as when you’re trying to run across a sheet of ice, balance on a tightrope, or stay upright on a rocking ship’s deck. The GM might also call for a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to see if you can perform acrobatic stunts, including dives, rolls, somersaults, and flips.

Agile Maneuvers

You can practice #Climbing and #Jumping using Dexterity (Acrobatics) in lieu of Strength (Athletics).

Diving Into Water

You can use the Acrobatics skill to safely dive into water without taking damage. You can safely dive into water from a height equal to twice your Acrobatics check. The difference in your check becomes your falling height and calculates your falling damage (if any).

Escape Bonds

Your training and flexibility in Acrobatics allows you to slip bonds and escape from grapples. The DC is the passive Athletics of the binder, 20 for simple manacles, 25 for masterwork manacles. By taking disadvantage on your Acrobatics skill check to escape bonds, you can do so without being noticed.

Kip Up

You can get back to your feet by doing a flip back onto your feet. With a successful Acrobatics check (DC 15), you stand up from a prone position as a bonus action and do not spend extra movement to stand. If you fail, you spend the normal amount of movement to get up. If you fail the roll by more than 5, you spend half your movement without getting up.

Maintain Balance

You can use Acrobatics to move on narrow surfaces and uneven ground without falling. A successful check allows you to move across such surfaces. A failure means you do not move. If you fail by more than 5 you fall. If you take damage while Maintaining Balance, you must immediately make another Acrobatics check at the same DC to avoid falling or being knocked prone. A balancing pole (8 sp, 10 lbs.) grants advantage on the balance check. If the surface is unsteady or slippery, such as wet stone or a slack line, you have disadvantage.

Balancing

Conditions	DC Modifier
Light Obstructions (gravel, sand)	DC 5
6" to 12" wide	DC 5
Severe Obstructions (cavern, rubble)	DC 10
2" to 6" wide	DC 10
Steep slope 45-60 degrees)	DC 15
1/10" to 1" wide	DC 15
Severely Unsteady (earthquake)	DC 20
1/10 inch wide or less	DC 20

Move through an Enemy Square

you can move through an enemy square with an opposed Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. When moving in this way, you move at half speed. If you do not succeed in your Acrobatics check, your movement for the round ends in front of the enemy’s square and you do not pass through. If you fail by more than five you fall prone in the last legal space before you enter the opponent's space.

Roll with Fall

When you deliberately fall any distance, even as a result of a missed jump, an Acrobatics skill check allows you to reduce the effective height of the fall by the result of the check. You become prone if you take damage from a fall.

Sleight Of Hand

Whenever you attempt an act of legerdemain or manual trickery, such as planting something on someone else or concealing an object on your person, make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. The GM might also call for a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to determine whether you can lift a coin purse off another person or slip something out of another person’s pocket.

Draw Hidden Weapon

When you draw a hidden weapon, make an Dexterity (Deception) check opposed by your foe’s passive Wisdom (Perception). If your check succeeds, you gain advantage on your next attack. If you fail, you draw the weapon but do not get advantage. If your check fails by more than 5, you drop the weapon. Hiding a weapon is a separate task, see Hide Object below. Once you have been seen drawing a hidden weapon, you suffer disadvantage on further tests to do so in the same fight.

Entertain

You can also use Charisma (Sleight of Hand) to entertain an audience as though you were using the Performance skill. In such a case, your “act” encompasses elements of legerdemain, juggling, and the like.

Feint

You can take an action to attempt to feint an adjacent character. Make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check against the target's passive Wisdom (Insight) or Wisdom (Perception). On a success you can grant advantage to one attack made against this target before the end of your next round. This can be an attack you or another creature makes. For every 5 points of margin, you can grant advantage on another attack.

Hide Object

You can hide an object on your person. You can do this as a part of palming an object or with a separate action with the same difficulty. A creature inspecting you can take an action to make a Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check against your passive Charisma (Sleight of Hand). A physical search gives a +5 modifier on this action.

A thumb-sized or smaller object (including thieves tools) gives you advantage and opponent's disadvantage. An object larger than a large dagger gives you disadvantage and observers advantage. You must also wear sufficient clothes or accessories to make the task credible. If you are wearing very heavy clothing, the DM may extend the size of objects you can hide.

An object crafted to look harmless at double the normal cost gives you advantage regardless of the objects size, as long as the object seems harmless and fits in the persona you are using. (The cost of enchanting the item does not change.) Examples include holy symbols with hidden features, items disguised as jewelry or ornaments, instrument cases with nefarious content, bladed boots, cane swords, umbrella shields, and fighting fans.

Palm Object

A DC 5 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check lets you palm a coin-sized object. The difficulty is 10 for a palm sized object, 15 for an object long as your underarm, and 20 for an even larger object. When you use this skill under close observation, your skill check is opposed by any observer’s passive Wisdom (Perception). You are assumed to notice if you are seen and abort the attempt, but if you fail by more than 5, you fail to notice that you are observed. You can do this in combat, but only if you are involved in a grapple. The object is assumed to be in another's possession, but not safely secured. A secured or attached object (such as a ring or earring) gives you disadvantage, while an unattended object gives you advantage.

Plant Item

This is the reverse of Palm Object and has the same difficulty. If you both palm and plant an object you have to spend separate actions and make separate rolls.

Stealth

Make a Dexterity (Stealth) check when you attempt to conceal yourself from enemies, slink past guards, slip away without being noticed, or sneak up on someone without being seen or heard.

Camouflage

You can use an action and your Stealth to hide creatures or object, who remain hidden until they move. You need to use materials from the environment to create a camouflage, which is hard in areas with little or no litter. The Perception DC to spot camouflage is your Passive Wisdom (Stealth).

Marathon Stealth

Using Stealth over long distances can quickly grow repetitive. To simplify the process, only make a Stealth check when circumstances change, such as moving from one terrain into another. The GM should always require Stealth checks at obstacles, such as when climbing a fence or wading a moat. Marathon Stealth cannot be used when within 40 ft. of an enemy.

Hide

If you begin your turn in stealth, you can spend an action each round to focus on hiding. Opponents suffer disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) check against your Dexterity (Stealth) to spot you. You cannot move while hiding.

Sneaking

As an action you can make a Dexterity (Stealth) check against the Wisdom (Perception) of any observer. This requires you to have cover, or that all observers are distracted, such as by Deception or having enemies closer than you are. You remain in hiding until the end of your next turn or until you attract attention to yourself. If an enemy during the enemy's turn is in a position such that you have no cover or concealment against them, they spot you.

If you make an attack you have advantage, but stop sneaking. If you begin a round sneaking you can remain sneaking without having to roll again as long as you do not attract attention to yourself.

Tail

You discreetly follow another person, using the city crowds, jungle foliage, or other cover to conceal your presence. You keep your quarry in sight, carefully monitoring him while remaining far enough in the background to evade his sight. Every ten minutes of your pursuit, make a Wisdom (Stealth) check against your target’s passive Wisdom (Perception). Other creatures can spend actions to make Wisdom (Perception) checks against your passive Wisdom (Stealth) to spot you.

Constitution

Constitution measures health, stamina, and vital force.

Constitution checks are uncommon, and no skills apply to Constitution checks, because the endurance this ability represents is largely passive rather than involving a specific effort on the part of a character or monster. A Constitution check can model your attempt to push beyond normal limits, however. The DM might call for a Constitution- based skill check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following. In these cases, you must use Constitution rather than the ability the skill is normally connected to.

• Constitution (Athletics) to hold your breath March or labor for hours without rest.
• Constitution (Survival) to survive without food or water
• Constitution (Persuasion) to quaff an entire stein of ale in one go
• Constitution (Investigation) to read a book burning the midnight oil.

Intelligence

lntelligence measures mental acuity. accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason.

An lntelligence check comes into play when you need to draw on logic, education, memory, or deductive reasoning. The Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, and Religion skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of lntelligence checks.

Lore

Many skills allow lore checks in their area of expertise. The GM may allow other skills to make lore checks, and even lore checks related to proficiencies. General rules for lore checks are given here, with specific descriptions in each skill.

Lore checks are almost always Intelligence checks. The difficulty depends on the obscurity of the information sought or the rarity of the creature to be identified. Making a Lore check is a bonus action. If dissatisfied with the result, you can try again as an action. If the Lore is connected to your race, class, or background, you have advantage on the roll, if it is alien you suffer disadvantage. If you succeed in recalling lost or unknown information you surmise the information on the spot. The GM is always free to embellish or add to the information gained, even adding untruths on lower rolls.

Lore

Condition	DC	Examples
General information	10	Are oysters really food?
Specific information	15	Are oysters appropriate food on a date?
Rare or ancient lore	20	Blue oysters produce black pearls
Secret lore	25	Feeding a blue oyster a chip of onyx causes it to make a black pearl
Lost or unknown information.	30	Blue oysters were created by aboleth in the distant past to farm material components for necromantic spells.

A common use of Lore is to identify a creature. The DC is usually 15 + 1/2 the creature's challenge. A common, well known, or notorious creature gives advantage on this roll. A very rare or secretive creature gives disadvantage on the check. As creatures of higher level are naturally rarer, this should be used with caution and only for creatures that are rare or secretive compared to the norm for their level.

A successful check allows you to remember a bit of useful information about that creature. For every 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC, you recall another piece of useful information.

Lore and Creature Types

Type	Description	Lore
Aberration	Aberrations are utterly alien beings often associated with the Far Realm.	Arcana
Beast	Beasts include all varieties of ordinary animals, dinosaurs, and giant versions of animals.	Nature
Celestial	Celestials are creatures native to the Upper Planes.	Religion
Construct	Constructs are made, not born. Golems are the iconic constructs.	Arcana
Dragon	Dragons are large reptilian creatures of ancient origin and tremendous power. Also in this category are creatures related to dragons, but less powerful.	Arcana
Elemental	Elementals are creatures native to the elemental planes.	Arcana
Fey	Fey are magical creatures closely tied to the forces of nature.	Nature
Fiend	Fiends are creatures of wickedness that are native to the Lower Planes.	Religion
Giant	Giants tower over humans and their kind. They are human-like in shape, though some have deformities.	History
Goblinoids	The races of goblinoids (goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears).	History
Humanoid	Humanoids are the main peoples of a fantasy gaming world, both civilized and savage.	History
Monstrosity	Monstrosities are monsters in the strictest sense. They defy categorization, and in some sense serve as a catch-all category for creatures that don’t fit into any other type.	Arcana
Ooze	Oozes are gelatinous creatures that rarely have a fixed shape.	Nature
Plant	Plants in this context are vegetable creatures, not ordinary flora.	Nature
Undead	Undead are once-living creatures brought to a horrifying state of undeath.	Religion

Legends and Stories

You know many tall tales and lays about important events. You can retry a failed Intelligence (History) #Lore check to quote legends and stories, but information gained this way might be biased, incomplete, or fictional.

Appraise Item

You can use #Lore to appraise the value of most items. Ordinary valuables use the #History skill, other skills cover items related to their field. If you succeed by 5 or more, you also determine if the item has magic properties, although this success does not grant knowledge of the magic item’s abilities. If you fail the check by less than 5, you determine the price of that item to within 20% of its actual value. If you fail this check by 5 or more, the price is wildly inaccurate, subject to GM discretion.

You can also use this check to determine the most valuable item visible in a treasure hoard or on a person. You find the highest value item whose item difficulty (above) you meet. You can also use this check to determine the rough value of an entire hoard with a roll against the highest item difficulty in the hoard.

Read Books of Lore

The information from books is much more substantial that that from ordinary #lore checks, but books are hard to read and understand.

Most documents are hand-written, often in obscure dialects and dealing with difficult subjects. A #Lore check is required to read a book in a long rest. A success allows you to absorb the subject of the book. If you fail by 5 or more, you cannot try to read this book again until you advance in level.

To answer specific difficult questions, extract obscure information, or other deep reading requires a better roll (one such data per 5 points of margin on the the roll) or further long rests and successful #Lore checks.

Arcana

Your Intelligence (Arcana) check measures your ability to recall #Lore about spells, magic items, eldritch symbols, magical traditions, the planes of existence, and the inhabitants of those planes. This covers aberrations, constructs, dragons, elementals, and monstrosities. Arcana covers all planes and all magic. The #Nature and #Religion skills also covers magic, but is focused of one particular area of magic as well as providing other lore.

Identify Magic

As an action, reaction, or bonus action you can identify a spell effect with an Intelligence (Arcana) check of DC 15 + spell level. If you do not see the spell being cast or a visible effect of the spell, you have disadvantage. If you spend an action (rather than a reaction or bonus action) trying to identify a spell, you have advantage.

Rarity	DC
Common	DC 10
Uncommon	DC 15
Rare	DC 20
Very Rare	DC 25
Legendary	DC 30

Identify Magic Item You can spend a short rest identifying a single magic item you are touching. You automatically learn its basic abilities, but risk falling under a cursed items curse.

With Arcana you can identify an item by studying its aura instead of touching it, which avoids most curses. Make an Intelligence (Arcana) check against the difficulty from the table. On a failure, you still identify the item, but suffer any curse or side effect. On a success, you identify the item as above, but avoid (and do not learn) any curse or side effect. With a success margin of 5, you also get a bad feeling about a cursed item. With a success margin of 10, you identify most curses or side effects. The GM may still keep certain effects hidden for plot reasons.

You can spend an action touching a magic item and make an Intelligence (Arcana) check to identify an item quickly, but do so with disadvantage and risk any curses or side effects.

Identify Magical Materials You can spend an action to identify materials manufactured by magic with an Intelligence (Arcana) check of DC 10 + spell level. You can only attempt this check once for each batch of materials. You can attempt this task with advantage during a short rest.

Analyze Magic Trap You can spend an action to attempt to determine the exact nature of a magical trap you know about. The DC of this check equals 15 + the level of the spell or 15 + 1/2 the challenge of a trap. If you succeed, you know what spell the trap triggers. If the trap triggers more than one spell, check separately for each one. This knowledge grants you no advantage for disarming the trap, but it does tell you what to expect should the trap go off. You can only attempt this check once for each trap.

Determine Spellcaster Power Observing an opponent cast a spell you can, as a reaction with a successful opposed Intelligence (Arcana) check, identify the opponent’s caster level and the highest spell level they can cast. If the spellcaster uses a feat or special class ability when casting the spell, that too is identified if you beat the difficulty by 5. If the opponent is a beast, fey, ooze or plant or casts druid and ranger spells, they can use Intelligence (Nature) as the difficulty of this task. If the opponent is a celestial, fiend, undead, or casts cleric, monk, or paladin spells, they can use Intelligence (Religion) as the difficulty of the task.

Magical Research You can work on designing new spells and magic items or reverse-engineer old ones. This is a special kind of downtime activity. Check with your GM if this is allowed in your game.

Identify Magical Creature

You can identify constructs, dragons, elementals, and monstrosities. See #Lore above.

Planar Lore

You can recall #Lore about the planes of existence with an Intelligence (Arcana) check. On the Inner Planes and the Far Realm you can use Arcana in lieu of #History to know of personalities, events, and history.

History

Your Intelligence (History) check measures your ability to recall #Lore about historical events, legendary people, ancient kingdoms, past disputes, recent wars, and lost civilizations. This covers giants, goblinoids, and humanoids and is a catch-all skill for the doings of such creatures both in the past and the present.

Determine Age of Construction

With a DC 10 Intelligence (History) check, you can identify and determine the age of ruins or structures. If the structures are more than 500 years old, the DC increases to 15. If they are more than 1000 years old, the DC increases to 20.

Identify Folk

You can identify giants, goblinoids, and humanoids. See #Lore above.

Know Historical Facts

You can delve into general historical knowledge with a Intelligence (History) #Lore check.

Local Knowledge

You know the local laws, customs, nobility and, significant places with a Intelligence (History) #Lore check.

Investigation

When you look around for clues and make deductions based on those clues. You make an Intelligence (Investigation) check. You might deduce the location of a hidden object, discern from the appearance of a wound what kind of weapon dealt it, or determine the weakest point in a tunnel that could cause it to collapse. Poring through ancient scrolls in search of a hidden fragment of knowledge might also call for an Intelligence (Investigation) check.

When you look around for clues and make deductions based on those clues, you make an Intelligence (Investigation) check. You might deduce the location of a hidden object, discern from the appearance of a wound what kind of weapon dealt it, find a hidden door or device, or determine the weakest point in a tunnel that could cause it to collapse. Poring through ancient scrolls in search of a hidden fragment of knowledge might also call for an Intelligence (Investigation) check.

Perception generally deals with creatures, while Investigation covers locations and objects, but there is some overlap.

Item Difficulty Investigation checks directed at objects have a DC 10 + the Ability modifier and proficiency bonus of the maker of that item. This can be assumed to be 10 for simple home-made items, 15 for most crafted items, 20 for masterwork craftsmanship and 25 or higher for unique items and heirlooms.

Crypto

Investigation can be used to read, write, and break encrypted messages. Codes are classed by the amount of time it takes to read or write a coded message-the more complex the code, the longer it takes write or to decipher a message. A check against the minimum DC is needed to code or decode such a message.

Breaking a code requires ten tomes as coding/reading a message and requires an Intelligence (Investigation) check against the passive Intelligence (Investigation) of whoever encoded the message. On a success you identify what code the message is in, but you cannot read the message. Reading the message has a DC of twice the minimum DC plus the passive Intelligence (Investigation) of the encoder. Fr each message you have identified as belonging to this code, the DC is reduced by one, but this bonus can never exceed the minimum DC. If you actually have a code page or book for this crypto, there is no ceiling on the code-breaking bonus you can accrue.

Coding examples	Time to Code	Minimum DC
A memorized code	1 action	5
A code requiring a page of text	1 minute	10
A code requiring a book	10 minutes	15

Detect Forgery

You can use the Intelligence (Investigation) to detect if a crafted good is real or a forgery. This generally requires time to examine the object in close proximity and an Intelligence (Investigation) check against item difficulty (see above).

Identify Artificer Powers

You can #Identify Magic using Investigation in lieu of #Arcana. When working with magic other than artificer magic and on technological items that duplicate spells or otherwise have strange abilities you have disadvantage.

Assess Damage

You can look over an item as an action and accurately measure how much damage the object has taken and how much more punishment it can take. With a successful check (the DC is equal to the object’s AC), the GM tells you the object’s hardness, how many hit points of damage it has taken, and how many more it can withstand before being ruined. This skill does not work on constructs or undead.

Evidence Analysis

After you have #Searched an area, you can spend a minute of time to try to reconstruct what happened there. Make an ´Intelligence (Investigation) check against the highest Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) among the opposition. On a success you get a general idea of events. For each 5 points of margin, you learn a significant fact. If you fail by more than 5, you draw the wrong conclusions.

Deduction

During a short rest, you can try to correlate what clues you have and describe the events you are investigating. As a player you must make a description of events as you think they are. The GM rolls your Intelligence (Investigation) check against the highest passive Intelligence (Investigation) among the opposition. On a success, the GM gives a general assessment of your case, rating it as entirely false, mostly false, somewhat true, or mostly true.

Cross Examining

Asking someone a series of questions to reveal what they know, and possibly to make connections the witness did not even realize they knew. This requires a cooperative target, convincing someone to accept a cross-examination is a separate task, usually using Charisma (Intimidation) or Charisma (Persuasion). A cross examination requires a short rest. Make a Wisdom (Investigation) check with a DC equal to the target's passive Intelligence (Deception) or Wisdom (Insight). A cooperative target has DC 5. Once successful, a cross examining gives a detailed account of the target's experiences. A cross examination that fails by more than five gives misleading conclusions, while a higher roll gives additional detail for every 5 points over the difficulty.

Even if you uncover that the target did something criminal, cross examination is not a confession and at best circumstantial evidence.

Search

As an action you can search a 15 ft. square area (all squares adjacent to you) for any hidden object. This includes traps and secret doors, but also clues, evidence, hidden treasures and such. The DM makes an Intelligence (Investigation) check for each object you can find.

Medicine

Autopsy

By combining medical knowledge with alchemical techniques, it is possible to gain a significant amount of information from a corpse without the use of magic. The Intelligence (Medicine) skill forms the basis of forensic pathology, and allows you to test the characteristics of blood and is required for certain advanced actions.

The table below indicates the type of information that can be gained with a Wisdom (Medicine) check (the check is made in secret by the GM, see retry), along with the DC of the check.

Nature of Information	DC
Cause of Death	10
Examine Injury	10
Time of Death	15
Presence of Foreign Substance or magic	15
Nature of Foreign Substance or magic	20

Performing an autopsy requires a short rest. You can spend additional hours to get a better result.

Time is the enemy of the pathologist. Every twelve hours that passes from the point of death adds 2 to the DC of any autopsy check. In a swampy or tropical environment, this penalty is doubled; in an especially dry environment it is halved. The spell gentle repose will preserve a body in its current condition for the duration of the spell.

If an attempt to hide the information was made, the check is opposed to the opponent's passive Intelligence (Medicine) check.

During the course of an autopsy, you may also make an Intelligence (Investigation) check check to notice any other physical evidence, as #Search.

First Aid

A dying creature can be stabilized so that it isn’t killed by a failed death saving throw. You can use your action to administer first aid to an unconscious creature and attempt to stabilize it, which requires a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check. A stable creature doesn’t make death saving throws, even though it has 0 hit points, but it does remain unconscious. The creature stops being stable, and must start making death saving throws again, if it takes any damage. A stable creature that isn’t healed regains 1 hit point after 1d4 hours.

Identify Medicine

You can take a bonus action to make an Intelligence (Medicine) check to identify and understand potions, oils, pharmaceuticals, drugs, and poison. The DC varies by rarity. If the substance has a save DC, that is also the identification DC. Otherwise use #Lore difficulties.

Malpractice

You need to use Charisma (Deception) and Medicine to effectively malpractice. Rather than performing first aid or some other form of treatment on a helpless or willing creature you intentionally bungle the job in order to ensure that the creature perishes or is severely injured.

You must spend an action and end your move adjacent to your patient to malpractice. You make the check as an action and deal hit point damage to the creature at the beginning of your next turn equal to your Medicine skill check. If under observation (including a conscious patient), also make a Charisma (Deception) check against observers' passive Wisdom (Insight) or Wisdom (Medicine), a failure on your part results in them detecting your malpractice and they may attempt to intervene. A suspicious observer may take an action to make a Wisdom (Insight) or Wisdom (Medicine) against your passive Charisma (Deception) If someone successfully performs a first aid check before the beginning of your next turn, the damage is negated.

Long-Term Care

Providing long-term care means treating a wounded person for a long rest:

• Each patient recovers an additional number of Hit Dice equal to your Medicine proficiency bonus.
• Each patient may add your Medicine proficiency bonus to any saving throw against any lasting debilitating effect they are currently suffering.

You can tend as many patients at a time as you Wisdom bonus plus your proficiency bonus. You can be your own patient. Each patient requires one application of a healing kit. You can give long-term care to ten times as many if you work at it full time, but then you are spending all your time at this and cannot provide for yourself. See also the downtime activity of recuperating.

Torture

Torture is a finely honed skill in some creatures’ repertoires, whether used to elicit information or simply for pleasure. However, torture is an unreliable means of gaining accurate information:

The victim will say anything to end the pain or frustrate his captors. You can use Wisdom (Medicine) against the target's passive Wisdom or Con Save DC to force them to speak. This takes a short rest of torture. Once they are speaking, you must make a Wisdom (Insight) check (DC 20, or as above) to elicit some useful information. For every 5 points you succeed by, you learn another piece of useful information. If you fail this check by more than 5, you gain false information. Once the torture is done, the target becomes dying. Creatures immune to critical hits, pain, or fear effects cannot be tortured.

Treat Ailment

You can spend an action and an application of a healing kit to treat a lasting ailment on a willing patient. A lasting ailment is any effect that requires further saving throws at a later time. This is commonly poison and disease, but also includes a number of spells and other effects. The patient becomes restrained for one round and can add your Medicine proficiency bonus to any further saving throws against that condition until their next long rest.

Triage

Triage is used to quickly diagnose a living creature's condition. Triage is an action that can analyze any creature within 10 ft. Touching a creature you triage gives a +10 bonus on the check. The DC is 10 + 1/2 the creature's level. On a success, you can grade the creature's condition as healthy (more than half hp, no harmful effects or conditions), hurt (conscious with less than half hp remaining, or with any harmful effect or condition), helpless, dying (this also gives approximate number of rounds until death), or dead. If the check is twice the DC, you can identify the exact effect or amount of damage and remaining points.

Nature

Your Intelligence (Nature) check measures your ability to recall lore about terrain, plants and animals, the weather, and natural cycles.

Draw Map

The character can draw a map that records the group's progress and helps the characters get back on course if they get lost. Such a map is highly idiosyncratic and hard for other's to use; making a map generally understandable requires lots of time and the proper artisan's tools.

Know Hazards

You can use #Lore to know about dangers in the environment you are traversing. On a result of 20 or more, you provide advantage on Wisdom (Perception), Wisdom (Survival), and Intelligence (Investigation) checks against a specific common hazard selected by the GM.

Know Environmental Dangers

A Wisdom (Nature) #Lore check will allow you to identify hazards of your current environment. Correctly identifying a hazard ahead of time gives advantage on checks to notice that hazard.

Identify Natural Creature

You can identify beasts, giants, and, plant creatures. See #Lore above.

Identify Natural Magic

You can #Identify Magic using Nature in lieu of #Arcana. If the magic is not natural you have disadvantage. Natural magic is that created by a beast, fey, ooze or plant. The druid and ranger classes also use nature magic.

Identify Value of Gems and Precious Metals

A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Nature) check will allow you to identify the value of a gem or precious metal, not including jewelry. If you fail the check by more than 5, you widely exaggerate or misidentify the item.

Know Geography

You can use #Lore (see above) to know about geographic locations. You knowledge focuses on terrain, flora, and fauna, but you will also know the locations and extent of settlement, if not much about what is inside each settlement.

Know Location

You can use Intelligence (Nature) #Lore checks (see above) to know where locations are relative to you, even without a map. With a map or rutter, you have advantage. With a faulty guide, you have disadvantage. This does not cover navigating in an area without landmarks, such as the sea or deep desert, that requires navigator's tools.

Read Map

Most maps are just sketches with invented notation and very hard to read (DC 20), but even commercial maps are not so easy to understand (DC 10). A failure means you are confused and uncertain. You can retry after taking a short rest. A failure by more than 5 means you misread the map.

Religion

Your Intelligence (Religion) check measures your ability to recall #Lore about deities, rites and prayers, religious hierarchies, holy symbols, and the practices of secret cults.

Identify Divine Magic

You can #Identify Magic using Religion in lieu of #Arcana. If the magic magic is not religious you have disadvantage. Religions magic is used by a celestial, fiend, undead, and the cleric, monk, and paladin classes.

Identify Mythical Creature

You can make #Lore checks to identify celestials, fiends, and undead.

Mythology

You know a wide amount of information about the gods and their various mythologies. You can make #Lore checks about gods, their servants, mythological beings, and spiritually significant places and events.

Outer Planar Lore

You can recall #Lore about the planes of existence with an Intelligence (Religion) check. On the Outer Planes you can use Religion in lieu of #History to know of personalities, events, and history.

Recognize Iconography

You are familiar with many of the gods and their iconography and can make #Lore checks to identify them. Even if your #Lore check fails, you can make an additional Wisdom (Religion) check to understand the alignment of the religion.

Wisdom

Animal Handling

When there is any question whether you can calm down a domesticated animal, keep a mount from getting spooked, or intuit an animal’s intentions, the GM might call for a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check.

You also make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to control your mount when you attempt a risky maneuver, applying your Animal Handling proficiency bonus to the animal's Dexterity (Acrobatics) and Strength (Athletics) checks.

Avoid Fall from Mount

You can react instantly to try to avoid falling or to land safely when your mount falls, rears, or bolts unexpectedly with a DC 15 Dexterity (Animal Handling) skill check. This usage does not take an action.

Control Mount in Battle

In place of your own movement, you can attempt to control a mount not trained for combat riding while in battle with a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check. If you do not use a hand to direct the mount, the DC becomes 20. If you fail the Animal Handling check, you can do nothing else in that round. You do not need to roll for mounts trained for combat, but it will not attack unless you use an action to activate a trick that involves attacking.

Fast Mount or Dismount

You can attempt to mount or dismount from a mount by making a Dexterity (Animal Handling) skill check. If you fail the Animal Handling check, mounting or dismounting takes half your movement. If you fail by more than 5, you spend half your movement but fail to mount. The difficulty depends on the size of the mount: Medium 5, Large 10, Huge 15, Colossal 20.

Racial Beast Affinities

Racial Affinity for Beasts

Race	Creature affinities
Boggard	Toad
Catfolk	Felines
Changeling	By father's race
Cyclops	Cockatrice, pig, goat
Dark Creeper	Bat
Dwarf	Ram, bear, raven
Elf, Aquatic	Aquatic shellfish
Elf, Drow	Spider, lizard
Elf, High	Cooshee, eagle, horse
Elf, Other	Cooshee, deer
Giant, Cave	Lizard
Giant, Cloud	Griffon, roc
Giant, Fire	Hell hound
Giant, Frost	Winter wolf
Giant, Hill	Dire wolf
Giant, Stone	Cave bear
Giant, Storm	Griffon, roc, shark
Gillmen	Hippocampus, squid
Gnoll	Hyena, hyaenodon
Gnome	Badger, weasel
Goblin	Wolf
Grippli	Frog
Halfling	Dog, pony
Hobgoblin	Leopard
Human	Dog, house cat, horse
Kitsune	Fox
Lizardfolk	Dinosaur
Locathah	Fish
Merfolk	Dolphin, porpoise
Orc	Boar
Ratfolk	Rat
Sahuagin	Shark
Skum	Oozes
Tengu	Blackbird
Vishanka	Snake

Racial affinities are cultural and physiological traits that make certain creatures easier to train. A matter of shared perceptions, modes of communication, social organization, and food preferences, these traits create a strong compatibility between certain intelligent races and species of creatures.

Any Animal Handling task directed at a creature you have beast affinity for has advantage—except the tasks described here that require beast affinity.

Animal Handling can be used as if it was the #Persuasion to befriend a creature you have beast affinity for. This takes an hour of work. A creature that is made friendly this way can be tamed and/or trained.

A familiar or companion normally chosen from a restricted list can always be a creature you have affinity for that fulfills the size and challenge requirements.

A tame beast will never attack a type of creature with racial compatibility, even if provoked. Such beasts are safe to have around children who have a racial affinity, and are often kept as pets in the home. Beasts consider creatures they have affinity for and know well to be pack mates and seek to protect them.

Other Affinities You can have an affinity for creatures that are not beasts. You treat such creatures as beasts for the purpose of the Animal Handling skill.

Read Beast

Many beasts rely on relatively simple tactics and maneuvers in combat. You can #Read Action against a beast using Animal Handling in lieu of Insight.

Placate Beast

You can silence an angry beast or convince it to leave you alone. You can attempt to influence a beast’s mood by offering it a treat appropriate to its appetite and making an Wisdom (Animal Handling) check against the beast's passive Charisma saving throw. If you do not have a treat to offer you have disadvantage. If you have a particularly succulent treat, you have advantage. If the check succeeds, the beast ignores you as long as you do not move close to it or its family. Failure means you cannot try again against the same target for 24 hours. Failure by more than 5 results in you provoking an attack from the creature. This skill works only against creatures of the beast creature type.

Spur Mount

You can spur your mount to greater speed as a bonus action with a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) skill check. Each attempt, successful or not, inflicts 1 hit point of damage to the mount. A successful Animal Handling check increases the mount’s speed by 10 feet for 1 round. Failure by 10 means your mount attempts tho throw you, see #Obedience Training. You can kill your mount this way.

Trick Instruction

You can teach a beast group of tricks with one week of work and a successful Animal Handling check against DC 15 + the beast's Charisma saving throw. An beast can learn one group of tricks for each point of its Intelligence score. See #Trick Orders for how to use tricks.

A beast that has been taught a specific trick and that is not with a handler and ends up in a situation where that trick would be appropriate, its handler can make a Handle Animal check without advantage to see if the beast performs the appropriate trick.

Trick Orders

You can order a beast to perform a specific trick. Each requires an action and a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check. The tricks are arranged into groups. An animal can be trained in certain groups of tricks (see Teach an Beast a Trick); ordering these tricks gives you advantage on the Wisdom (Animal Handling) check and allows the beast to add your Animal Handling proficiency bonus to any check required when executing the trick. If the beast is not accustomed to you, you have disadvantage on Trick orders. Against a beast that has a handler, the minimum difficulty of this is the handler's passive Wisdom (Animal Handling).

Combat Training

• Attack (DC 15) The beast attacks apparent enemies. You may point to a particular creature that you wish the beast to attack, and it will comply if able. Normally, a beast will attack only Beasts, Giants, Goblinoids, and Humanoids. Ordering a beast to attack another type of creature has a DC of 20.
• Bombard (DC 20) A flying beast can deliver projectiles on command, attempting to drop a specified item that it can carry (often alchemist’s fire or some other incendiary) on a designated point or opponent. The beast cannot throw the object, and must be able to fly directly over the target.
• Help (DC 10) The beast can use the Help action to aid a specific ally in combat. You may point to a particular creature that you wish the beast to aid, and it will comply if able. The beasts aid grants advantage on the helped creature's first melee attack or disadvantage on the first melee attack against the helped creature.
• War Mount (No DC) The beast counts as trained for war when used as a mount.

Discipline Training These tasks are very simple and master trainers generally do not bother to train beasts they expect to use themselves this way, in order to be able to tech other tricks. This means that their beasts are fidgety around strangers, which is often just what the trainer wants.

• Call (DC 5) The beast comes if called.
• Domestic (DC 5) The creature does not attack or bother other creatures.
• Serve (DC 15) A beast with this trick willingly takes orders from a creature you designate. The creature can instruct the beast to perform tricks using its own Wisdom but your Animal Handling proficiency bonus on the check instead of its own. The beast treats the designated ally as friendly. The beast can be taught recognize a number of creatures equal to its Intelligence score. It takes a week to change who the beast serves.
• Stay (DC 10) The beast stays in place, waiting for you to return. It does not challenge other creatures that come by, though it still flees or defends itself if attacked.
• Work (DC 5) The beast carries, pulls, or pushes a medium or heavy load and works until exhausted. Using a highly trained beast for work tends to demoralize the creature.

Guard Training

• Defend (DC 15) The beast defends you (or is ready to defend you if no threat is present), even without any command being given. Alternatively, you can command the beast to defend specific other creatures. The beast can be taught recognize a number of creatures equal to its Wisdom score When defending, it can cause one attack per round against an adjacent creature that attacks a creature it guards to be made with disadvantage.
• Guard (DC 15) The beast stays in place and prevents others from approaching. It makes threatening noise when it detects the approach of others it is not familiar with.
• Menace (DC 15) A menacing beast attempts to keep a creature you indicate from moving. It does its best to intimidate the target, but only attacks if the target attempts to move from its present location or take any significant action (particularly a hostile-seeming one). As soon as the target stops moving, the beast ceases attacking, but continues to menace.
• Watch (DC 10) The beast can be commanded to keep watch over a particular area, such as a campsite, and raise an alarm if it notices any sizable or dangerous creature entering the area.

Hunting Training

• Fetch (DC 10) The beast goes and gets something, usually small prey you just shot. If you do not point out a specific item, the beast fetches some random object. This trick also appears under show training.
• Hunt (DC 10) This trick allows a beast to use its natural stalking or foraging instincts to find food and return it to the beast’s handler. A beast can attempt Wisdom (Survival) checks to provide food for others or lead them to water and shelter and use the Help action to assist Survival checks made by its handler for these purposes.
• Search (DC 15) The beast seeks out unusual smells, noises, air currents, and other common elements signifying potential dangers or secret passages. When commanded, the beast uses its Perception skill to try to pinpoint the source of anything that strikes it as unusual about a room or location and goes on point. Note that because the beast is not intelligent, any number of strange mechanisms, doors, scents, or unfamiliar objects may catch the beast’s attention. If shown an example of what it is to detect, it can limit its search to that one thing.
• Seek (15) The beast searches an area for creatures. If you present an object worn by a creature in the area, the beast will seek for that specific creature.
• Track (DC 10) The beast tracks the scent presented to it. (This requires the beast to have the scent ability)

Independence Training

• Break Out (DC 15) On command, the beast attempts to break or gnaw through any bars or bindings restricting itself, its handler, or a person indicated by the handler. If not effective on its own, this trick can grant the target character advantage on skill or ability checks to escape bonds. The beast can also take certain basic actions like lifting a latch or bringing its master an unattended key. Weight and Strength restrictions still apply, and pickpocketing a key or picking any sort of lock is still far beyond the beast’s ability.
• Flee (DC 15) The beast attempts to run away or hide as best it can, returning only when its handler commands it to do so. Until such a command is received, the beast does its best to track its handler and any creatures with him or her, remaining hidden but within range of its sight or hearing. This trick is particularly useful for thieves and adventurers in that it allows the beast to evade capture, then return later to help free its friends.
• Get Help (DC 20) With this trick, you can designate a number of creatures up to the beast’s Intelligence score as “help.” When the command is given, the beast attempts to find one of those people and bring her back to you, even if that means journeying a long distance to the last place it encountered the target creature.
• Sneak (DC 15) You order the beast to make Stealth checks in order to stay hidden and to continue using Stealth even when circumstances or its natural instincts would normally cause it to abandon secrecy.

Obedience Training

• Exclusive (DC 15) The beast takes directions only from you until ordered otherwise. If a beast has both the exclusive and serve tricks, it takes directions only from you and those creatures you indicated. This does not prevent it from being controlled by enchantment spells (such as dominate animal), and the beast still otherwise acts as a friendly or helpful creature when applicable.
• Throw Rider (DC 20) The beast attempts to fling a creature riding it to the ground. Treat this as Shoving a Creature.

Show Training

• Bury (DC 10) A beast with this trick can be instructed to bury an object in its possession. The beast normally seeks a secluded place to bury its object. The beast can be instructed to fetch an item it has buried.
• Deliver (DC 15) The beast takes an object (one you or an ally gives it, or that it recovers with the fetch trick) to a place or person you indicate. If you indicate a place, the beast drops the item and returns to you. If you indicate a person, the beast stays adjacent to the person until the item is taken.
• Entertain (DC 15) The beast can dance, sing, or perform some other impressive and enjoyable tricks suitable to its species to entertain those around it. You can make a Charisma (Animal Handling) check as if it was a Charisma (Perform) check to entertain.
• Fetch (DC 10) The beast goes and gets something. If you do not point out a specific item, the beast fetches some random object. This trick also appears under hunt training.

Use Mount as Cover

You can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside your mount, using it as cover with a DC 15 Dexterity (Animal Handling) skill check. If you fail your Animal Handling check, you don’t get the cover benefit. If you fail by more than 5, you fall off your mount. Using this option is a reaction.

Perception

Your Wisdom (Perception) check lets you spot, hear, or otherwise detect the presence of creatures. It measures your general awareness of your surroundings and the keenness of your senses. For example, you might try to hear a conversation through a closed door, eavesdrop under an open window, or hear monsters moving stealthily in the forest. Or you might try to spot things that are obscured or easy to miss, whether they are orcs lying in ambush on a road, thugs hiding in the shadows of an alley, or candlelight under a closed secret door.

Perception generally deals with creatures, while Investigation covers locations and objects, but there is some overlap.

When a roll is made against passive Perception, it is usually not so important to learn who actually spotted the action. But in cases when it is important, all potential observers make Wisdom (Perception) checks. The high roller, and all who succeed against the triggering roll, notice the event. This can apply to other skills used as passive defenses, such as Investigation and Insight.

Read Lips

To understand what someone is saying by reading lips, you must be within 30 feet of the speaker, be able to see him speak, and understand the speaker’s language.

When you make the attempt, the GM makes the roll in secret (DC 20, but it increases for complex speech or an inarticulate speaker). You must maintain a line of sight to the lips being read. If your Perception check succeeds, you can understand the general content of a minute’s worth of speech, but you usually still miss certain details. If the check fails by 5 points or more, you draw some incorrect conclusion about the speech.

Spot

Perception has a number of uses, the most common of which is that passive Wisdom (Perception) sets the DC of an opponent’s Stealth check. You can also take an action on your turn to make a Wisdom (Perception) check a against hidden creatures' passive Dexterity (Stealth). If you are successful, you notice the opponent and point them out to your allies. If you fail, your opponent can sneak past you or attack when you are unaware.

Spot DCs

Detail	Perception DC
Hear the sound of battle	0
Notice the stench of rotting garbage	0
Detect the smell of smoke	0
Notice a conversation. A result of 10 allows you to hear what is said.	0
Notice a visible creature	0
Determine if food is spoiled	5
Hear the sound of a creature walking	5
Notice a whispered conversation. A result of 20 allows you to hear what is said.	10
Hear the sound of a key being turned in a lock	15
Hear a bow being drawn	20
Sense a burrowing creature underneath you	25
Notice a pickpocket	Opposed
Notice a creature using Stealth	Opposed
Perception Modifiers	DC Modifier
Distance over 40 ft.	-5
Through a closed door	-5
Through a wall	-10 or more
Asleep	Disadvantage

Survival

The GM might ask you to make a Wisdom (Survival) check to follow tracks, hunt wild game, guide your group through frozen wastelands, identify signs that owlbears live nearby, predict the weather, or avoid quicksand and other natural hazards.

Determine Distance

By concentrating for 1 minute, and making a Wisdom (Survival) DC 15 check you can determine the distance between two points within your line of sight. If the check fails, you cannot determine the distance. If you succeed, the GM tells you the distance in a reasonable unit of measure. If you fail the check by 5 or more, the GM adds or subtracts (at his option) 1d20 of the same units to or from your measurement. You cannot determine the distance between two towns down to the nearest foot, but you can judge how many miles separate them. You may also use this skill to determine the size and dimensions of a subterranean chamber that you cannot fully see, using echoes, and telltale rock formations (DC 20).

Find Path

One excellent use of the Survival skill is to allow quick movement through wilderness terrain. Whenever you are moving in trackless terrain you may attempt a DC 20 Survival check to locate a path through the terrain as though it were a road or trail for the purpose of determining your overland speed. This benefit also extends to your allies or traveling companions. If this roll fails by more than 5, you find a path to nowhere and get lost.

Fire-Starting

You can spend a minute and make a Survival check to start a fire. This can light a torch, lantern, campfire, even a bonfire. If you need to first gather fuel, that is a separate task with the same time and difficult but also depends on the environment. The DC is 15 in dry conditions, 20 when things are moist, and 25 or higher in a downpour. If you fail by more than 5, you need to gather new fuel, use another torch, or re-fuel your lamp to try again. If you have fire-making tools, such as a tinderbox or magnifying glass in sunlight, attempting to start a fire is an action instead of taking a minute.

Forage

The character can keep an eye out for ready sources of food and water, making a Wisdom (Survival) check when the DM calls for it. The Dungeon Master's Guide has rules for foraging.

Intuit Depth

By concentrating for five minutes, you can gauge your current depth beneath the earth’s surface. The GM makes this check in secret. If the check is successful (DC 20), you correctly deduce your depth. If you fail the check by 10 or more the GM gives a misleading estimate.

Know Direction

You can determine true north in relation to yourself with a DC 20 Wisdom (Survival) check. If you can see the sky or have a compass you have a +10 on this check. If you miss the check by more than 5, you misidentify which way is north.

Navigate

The character can try to prevent the group from becoming lost, making a Wisdom (Survival) check when the DM calls for it. (The Dungeon Master's Guide has rules to determine whether the group gets lost.) This does not cover navigating in an area without landmarks, such as at sea or in the deep desert, that requires navigator's tools.

Predict Weather

You can predict what the weather will be up to 24 hours in advance. For every 5 points by which your Survival check result exceeds 15, you can predict the weather for one additional day in advance. Later events, especially magic, can invalidate your prediction.

Survive Wilderness

You can substitute saving throws and ability checks made to avoid natural hazards with your Wisdom (Survival) check.

Track

A character can follow the tracks of another creature, making a Wisdom (Survival) check when the DM calls for it.

Tracking DCs

Surface Condition	Survival DC
Very soft ground	5
Soft ground	10
Firm ground	15
Hard ground	20
Condition	Survival Modifier
Every three creatures in the group being tracked	–1
Precipitation since the trail was made	Disadvantage
Poor visibility	+5

Cover Tracks You know not only how to find signs that mark the passage of men and animals but also how to make your own tracks more difficult to follow. Anyone attempting to track you and your group must not only beat the DC of the environmental conditions, but also your passive Wisdom (Survival).

Charisma

Deception

Your Charisma (Deception) check determines whether you can convincingly hide the truth, either verbally or through your actions. This deception can encompass everything from misleading others through ambiguity to telling outright lies. Typical situations include trying to fast-talk a guard, con a merchant, earn money through gambling, pass yourself off in a disguise, dull someone’s suspicions with false assurances, or maintain a straight face while telling a blatant lie.

If an opponent wants to believe you, is drunk or otherwise impaired, or you have convincing proof of your deception, you have advantage on the roll. If your deception is highly unlikely or the target mistrusts you, you have disadvantage on the roll.

Blend In

You can move into a large crowd of people and slightly change your appearance to resemble those around you. You may also use this Deception check as a Stealth check to “hide in plain sight.” However, you may only use Deception in this manner if there is a group of people nearby in which you can hide. For example, you could blend into a small group of beggars by grabbing a nearby filthy, soiled cloak, draping it over your shoulders, and sitting down amongst them. Obviously, this skill does not prevent anyone who witnessed your attempt from pointing you out to any pursuers or enemies.

Convey Secret Message

You can use Deception to pass hidden messages to another character without others understanding your true meaning. The DC of this check is 15 for simple messages and 20 for complex messages. If you are successful, the target automatically understands you, assuming you are speaking in a language that it understands. If your check fails by 5 or more, the message is misinterpreted. If the check fails against an observer's passive Insight check the observer notices something happening, if the check fails by more than 5 the observer understands the message conveyed.

Fast-Talk

With meaningless fast-talk and quick thinking you can sometimes converse your way out of a problem you talked yourself into. The use of fast talk happens after you have just failed a Persuasion or Deception check. If you have failed that check by 5 or more, you would normally have disadvantage on future attempts. However, with a successful fast-talk attempt, you are able to recover from your failure and regain the target’s (relative) trust. If, after your failed Persuasion check, you also fail on your fast-talk use of Deception, and you fail by 5 or more, you also deeply insult your target. If it was an attempt to influence a given creature’s attitude, you make the character’s attitude worsen by yet another step (so, two steps total since you failed by 5 or more on the initial Persuasion check), and if it was a request, you cannot make any other requests of the target for 24 hours. Once you attempt this skill use (successfully or not), you cannot use it against the same target again for 24 hours.

Feign Death

You can use a reaction to make a Charisma (Deception) check when you take damage. Make the Deception check with a DC equal to any observer’s passive Wisdom (Insight) or Wisdom (Perception). You fall prone and drop any items you hold during the attempt. You are prone, but are not considered helpless, as you can try to defend yourself against a coup de grace or similar attack at the last moment. If you attack an opponent who thinks you are dead, you gain advantage on your first attack against that opponent.

Feign Weakness

You attempt to convince your target you are weaker than you actually are through your actions and posture. If your opponent has seen you take an offensive action, you suffer disadvantage on this roll. If you are one size smaller than your target and have taken no offensive actions against it, you gain advantage on this skill use.

Distraction

As a reaction with a successful Charisma (Deception) check against the passive Wisdom (Insight) of observers, you can create a very short distraction, just enough to allow you or an ally to abort a failed #Sleight Of Hand or #Stealth check. An action so aborted can be attempted again on a later round. If you fail the Deception check by more than 5, those you attempted to distract realize where you are and that you were attempting a distraction.

Diversion

As an action with a successful Charisma (Deception) check against the passive Wisdom (Insight) of observers you create a diversion that draws everyone’s attention for 1 round. Allies flee until they are out of sight during this time can use #Stealth to hide . Unless you fail the Deception check by more than 5, those diverted do not realize you were intentionally making a distraction.

Obfuscate Spellcasting

You can spend an action to attempt to obfuscate a spell you cast before the end of your next turn, to hide its verbal, somatic or material components and thus make it harder for others to recognize that you are casting a spell. Make a Dexterity (Deception) check opposed by any observing creature’s passive Wisdom (Insight). You only make this Deception check at the time you cast the spell. A substitute Wisdom (Insight) with Intelligence (Arcana) (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard), Intelligence (Investigation) (Artificer), Intelligence (Nature) (Druid, Ranger), or Intelligence (Religion) (Cleric, Monk, Paladin) as relevant for the spell cast. If creatures can see the spell’s effect project outward from you, they know you cast a spell, but only after the casting finishes.

Lie

If you use Deception to fool someone, with a successful check you convince your opponent that what you are saying is true. Deception checks are modified depending upon the believably of the lie. The following modifiers are applied to the roll of the creature attempting to tell the lie. Note that some lies are so improbable that it is impossible to convince anyone that they are true, though the opponent might believe that you think you are telling the truth (subject to GM discretion).

Deception

Conditions	DC Modifier
The target wants to believe you	Advantage
The target is suspicious of you	Disadvantage
The target wants to believe you	Advantage
Lie is believable	–
Lie is unlikely	Disadvantage
Target is drunk or impaired	Advantage
You possess physical “proof”	Advantage

Play Role

Magic or a #Disguise Kit can change your appearance, but Deception is needed to act in a role. Only check this when you are using your role in a social contest, such as giving orders or making conversation. Make a Charisma (Deception) check against the opponent's Wisdom (Insight) to pull this off. If playing your role requires information you do not have or a relationship you are not aware of, you suffer disadvantage.

Seduction

Some enjoy sensual pleasures for the acts in and of themselves, while some use them as a means to a greater end. You can use the Deception skill to seduce others. You suffer disadvantage when attempting to seduce a creature that is not attracted to your race, culture, gender, or proclivities (such as a faithful spouse, one who only likes blonde-haired women, or someone who has taken a vow of celibacy). Before you can get to the point where a sated partner can be used for gather information, or if you are just seeking sensual pleasures, you must first get through the target’s defenses and lure him or her into intimacy. You must succeed at a Charisma (Deception) check against their passive Wisdom (Insight). When intimacy is about to begin, they can make a Wisdom (Insight) check against your passive Charisma (Deception) to notice something wrong at the last minute. This skill use requires an evening of socializing and usually somewhere private to retire to. If you successfully seduce a target, further attempts to seduce that person into your bed gain advantage. If you fail the check, however, you are rebuffed and may not make another seduction attempt against the same target for at least 1 week. After you have successfully seduced a target you may make one Deception check, instead of Investigation to gather information or Persuasion to suggest the target do something. Your seduced target makes regular reports to you, in attempts to keep your favor, about any specific topic you designate. You may have a number of partners that provides these benefits equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). A seduced creature that you snub or rebuff may become hostile.

Spread Rumors

Rather than seek out information, you can spread rumors of your own invention across town. Make a Deception check to create false rumors. For 1d3 weeks after this check, anyone looking for information regarding the topic of your rumor might uncover your falsehoods in place of useful information. If Investigation checks made by others are less than your Deception check, they uncover your rumor instead of the information they want. If they exceed your check by 5 or more they recognize your rumors as false.

Suggestion

You can use Deception and Persuasion together to make a request of a creature, without it even realizing you have made the request. You can gradually coax a target into thinking a suggestion is entirely its own idea, making the creature more likely to act on the idea than if you had suggested it outright. You discuss topics subtly relevant to the request, asking leading questions and narrowing the scope of the conversation so that the target eventually decides to take a specific action you have led it to. You first attempt a Deception check to convince the target that your request was actually its idea. If successful, you then attempt a Persuasion check to make the request of the creature, treating its attitude toward you as indifferent for this single request (regardless of its actual attitude).

Insight

Your Wisdom (Insight) check decides whether you can determine the true intentions of a creature, such as when searching out a lie or predicting someone’s next move. Doing so involves gleaning clues from body language, speech habits, and changes in mannerisms.

Comprehend Language

When trying to communicate with someone with whom you do not share a common language, you can watch his body language, listen for changes in his tone of voice, and use other subtle clues to determine the gist of what he is trying to say. A successful Intelligence (Insight) check allows you to pick up the basics of a conversation carried on in a foreign language. You must be able to see and hear the creature you wish to use this skill on.

The level of comprehension is determined by the result of the skill check:

Comprehend Languages

History Check	Level of Comprehension	Example
5	You can sense the general emotional tone of the creature.	This goblin is nervous about something.
10	You have a general sense of what the creature is talking about.	This goblin is nervous about the well water.
15	You pick up half the specific details about what a creature wants.	This goblin thinks the well water is poisoned.
20	You fully comprehend what a creature is trying to communicate.	This goblin is trying to tell us that the orcs poisoned the well.

Discern Secret Message

You may use Insight skill to detect that a hidden message is being transmitted via the Deception skill. See Deception for how this is done.

Hunch

This use of the skill involves making a gut assessment of the social situation with a DC 20 Wisdom (Insight) skill check. You can get the feeling something is wrong. This is always vague, you do not know what triggered the reaction, andthe feeling may come to you after the fact. This is not an action.

Read Action

You can read an opponent’s body language and eyes to determine the nature of their next action. As an action, you can attempt an Insight check opposed by your opponent’s passive Charisma (Deception) to read your foe’s intentions. If your check succeeds, you learn what your foe plans to do on her next action. You learn only general information, such as whether your foe intends to cast a spell, make an attack against a specific target, or flee. You do not learn exactly which spell she plans to use, but you do know their target. Note that the result of your action, and others’ actions, could cause the target to change her mind. You only learn what she is planning to do at the moment you act. If you do this successfully and warn the opponent's target (a reaction, unless you are the target), the opponent suffers disadvantage on their action.

Read Profession

You can use Insight check to read a target’s profession. You can examine the subtle physical and social traits exhibited by someone to determine their trade and relative level of skill. After studying someone for a minute, or as an action in combat, you may make an Insight check against their passive Charisma (Deception) to search for subtle clues, such as calluses on a person’s hand, his peculiar stance that indicates he studied at a fencing school, or the faint traces of spell components staining his fingers. On a success, you learn one of the following, generally in this order: what skills he is trained in, what classes he has levels in, what weapons he is proficient in, what his favorite spells are, what level he is, or what tools he is proficient in.

If you attempt to use this skill against a disguised person, this becomes an attempt to discover the use of a #Disguise kit.

Sense Enchantment

You can tell that someone’s behavior is being influenced by an enchantment effect even if that person isn’t aware of it. The usual DC is 25.

Intimidation

When you attempt to influence someone through overt threats, hostile actions, and physical violence, the GM might ask you to make a Charisma (Intimidation) check. Examples include trying to pry information out of a prisoner, convincing street thugs to back down from a confrontation, or using the edge of a broken bottle to convince a sneering vizier to reconsider a decision.

The normal DC of Intimidation attempts is equal to the target’s passive Wisdom save or Charisma (Intimidation) - the target chooses which to use.

Awe

You can use a Strength or Dexterity, etc., (Intimidation) check to show off your skill at arms, magic or any other pursuit that might impress an onlooker. You make an Intimidate as a bonus action while performing another action in an awe-inspiring manner. If your check succeeds, you gain advantage on all Charisma skills against that target for 1 round. For each additional five points over the target’s Wisdom score you achieve, you extend the duration of advantage on Charisma skill checks by one additional round. This is a mind-affecting effect.

Bully

You can lean on a target and force them to to act friendly towards you for 1d6x10 minutes. On a successful check, the target will possibly give you information you desire, take actions that do not endanger it, or offer other limited assistance. All of these actions are at the GM’s discretion and after the Intimidate expires, if the target feels you acted out of bounds the target treats you as unfriendly and may likely report you to local authorities.

Challenge

You can issue a challenge as an action, declaring your own merits and accusing your opponents of cowardice, you attempt to rile them into focusing on you. This affects a creature and if he is a leader it may affect his underlings.

• On a success, the creature takes a -2 penalty on attacks and save DCs on effects that does not include you as a target.
• If you succeed by 5 or more, the followers of the creature you challenged also suffer this penalty.
• If you succeed by 10, the followers of the creature you challenged suffer the penalty on all opponents, including you.

Challenge lasts for one minute, or until a creature is interacted with by another of its enemies.

Deadly Boast

As you hew through your enemies, you use threats, taunts, and a bloody display of your martial prowess to strike terror into your remaining opponents. If you defeat an opponent by dropping her from full hit points to zero hit points or by bringing them to instant death, you may make an Intimidate check against all foes of the same or lower level within 30’ as a bonus action. If your check succeeds, the foe gains the frightened condition for one round. For each additional five points over the target’s Wisdom score you achieve, they are frightened for one additional round. This is a mind-affecting effect.

Threaten

You make a threat of a physical (Strength) or more subtle nature (Charisma) against a target. As an action, make an Intimidate check against a target within 30’. If your check succeeds, the foe gains the frightened condition for one round. For every 5 points of margin the target is demoralized for an additional round.

Performance

Your Charisma (Performance) check determines how well you can delight an audience with music, dance, acting, storytelling, or some other form of entertainment.

Each of the nine categories of the Perform skill includes a variety of methods, instruments, or techniques, a small sample of which is provided for each category below. Choose a number of fields equal to your proficiency bonus you are proficient in. Performing in a category of Performance you know gives you advantage.

Performance

Perform Check	Performance Quality
10	Routine performance. This level of performance in public is akin to begging.
15	Enjoyable performance.
20	Great performance. In time, you may be invited to join a professional troupe and may develop a regional reputation.
25	Memorable performance. In time, you may come to the attention of noble patrons and develop a national reputation
30+	Extraordinary performance. In time, you may draw attention from distant patrons, or even from extraplanar beings.

Influence Crowd

Some performers are able to use their skills to not only earn money and impress an audience, but also to influence that audience’s attitudes (in a similar manner to using the Persuasion skill to change NPC attitudes). To influence the attitudes of a crowd, make a normal Performance check and treat the result exactly as you would the result of a Persuasion check to influence attitudes. You need not have a common language with the audience, and might even affect creatures lacking a language, at the GMs whim.

Obfuscate Spellcasting

Perform can be used in lieu of Deception to #Obfuscate Spellcasting as a part of a performance.

Persuasion

When you attempt to influence someone or a group of people with tact, social graces, or good nature, the GM might ask you to make a Charisma (Persuasion) check. Typically, you use persuasion when acting in good faith, to foster friendships, make cordial requests, or exhibit proper etiquette. Examples of persuading others include convincing a chamberlain to let your party see the king, negotiating peace between warring tribes, or inspiring a crowd of townsfolk.

The DC of Persuasion tasks is generally the target's passive Will Save or passive Wisdom (Insight). You cannot use Persuasion against a creature that does not understand you or has an Intelligence of 3 or less, tough the GM may allow such checks with disadvantage in favorable conditions. Your GM may rule that certain foes are immune to this skill use, such as fanatics who are inspired by religious or political fervor, raging barbarians, and other hateful enemies.

Bargaining

An item is worth only what someone will pay for it. To an art collector, a canvas covered in daubs of random paint may be a masterpiece; a priestess might believe a weathered jawbone is a holy relic of a saint. The target can use passive Intelligence (History) or Intelligence Tool (relevant proficiency bonus) if this is better than the standard difficulty for Persuasion (above). You can usually just accept the list price and avoid bargaining. Some merchants may insist on bargaining or refuse to bargain, depending on culture and personality.

When selling the normal price is 50% of the value. A success raises the price to 75%. A failure cuts the price to 30%. When buying, the normal price is 100%. A success raises the price to 150%. A failure lowers the price to 65%. If you refuse an offer you bargained yourself into, you get a bad reputation in that marketplace, and all bargaining checks the next week suffer disadvantage.

If the bargaining check succeeds by 10 (minimum difficulty 25) you can convince the buyer the item is something other than what it is and worth an exceptional price. This is a form of fraud ad may come back to haunt you, but is also very profitable, as determined by the GM. You need not use this opportunity.

Bribery

A character can attempt to bribe an NPC for a much better Persuasion result. The formula to bribe a target is their level squared x10 gp.

A bribe of this value or greater grants advantage on a Persuasion check or allows for a reroll on a failed attempt. Some NPCs might be greatly offended by attempted bribes and this could cause disadvantage however. Bribery generally do not work when Bargaining with professional merchants who understand economics, but might work on nobles and other buyers unaware of how commerce works.

Wisdom (Insight) or Intelligence (History) can be used to find out if bribery is applicable and to know the right bribe.

Complicate

Sometimes you find it to your advantage to delay the resolution of a specific discussion for a while (or even indefinitely). Every time you attempt to complicate a situation in order to delay resolution you make a single Charisma (Persuasion) check. The other participants in the discussion make opposed Insight checks; if you succeed, then you can prevent any of the discussion’s participants from coming to agreement for a single day, without seeming to be interfering. Each participant that beats your Persuasion check realizes what you are doing.

The danger associated with this activity is directly related to the importance of the situation. Complicating the negotiations between two countries on the brink of war exposes you to a high degree of risk. Similar actions taken to delay the discussions of a sea captain and a merchant so that your party can get onto a ship carry a fairly low degree of danger.

Gather Information

You can use Charisma (Persuasion) to gather information about a specific topic or individual. To do this, you must spend at least 1d4 hours canvassing people at local taverns, markets, and gathering places. The DC of this check is the passive Charisma (Persuasion) of the local leader of the creatures you are gathering information about. The information you get depends on the degree of success; a failure gets how the target likes to be described, a success gains basic truthful information, and for each five points of margin on the roll you learn one piece of obscure or secret information. The GM might rule that some topics are simply unknown to common folk.

The opposition are allowed an opposed Charisma (Persuasion) check to hear about your meddling. You can focus on overhearing conversations, drawing inferences from peoples’ behavior, and spying on others. You suffer disadvantage on your attempts, but you avoid leaving any clues about the information you seek.

Influence Attitude

You can change the initial attitudes of non-player characters with a successful Persuasion check. Influencing attitude suffers disadvantage against creatures of any attitude other than indifferent - moving someone from friendly to helpful is hard and usually requires actions rather than words. Influencing attitude takes at least a few minutes of interaction and thus cannot be done in combat. You can do further attempts to Influence Attitude once per short rest you spend along with the target. An attitude shift caused through Persuasion generally lasts for 1d4 hours but can last much longer or shorter depending upon the situation (GM discretion).

There are five different attitudes, from worst to best: hostile, unfriendly, indifferent, friendly, and helpful.

A hostile creature may attack you, and is not interested in talking. Creatures start out hostile towards known enemies, such as enemy soldiers, bandits and prey, and races and religions hostile towards one another.

An unfriendly creature dislikes you, and any Persuasion checks against such a creature is at disadvantage. Creatures that are not used to strangers are generally unfriendly towards anyone they do not know. People used to dealing with strangers, such as merchants, nobles, and service providers are only hostile to known rivals.

An indifferent creature has no particular attitude and is open to forming one based on impression. Creatures that do not suffer from xenophobia or prejudice are indifferent to all they do not know.

A friendly creature is well disposed towards you, and Persuasion tasks against a friendly creature generally has advantage. This does not apply to bargaining or influencing attitude.

A helpful creature is close to you and will offer reasonable help unasked. Once a creature’s attitude has shifted to helpful, the creature gives in to most requests without a check, unless the request is against its nature or puts it in serious peril. Persuasion tasks against a helpful creature have advantage, but may later worsen their attitude if they feel you took advantage of them.

Success If you succeed, the character’s attitude toward you is improved by one step.

Failure If you fail the check by 5 or less, the character’s attitude toward you is unchanged. If you fail by more than 5, the character’s attitude toward you is decreased by one step. If they end up unfriendly or hostile, they don't want to spend any more time socializing.

Genuine Interaction

You can use Persuasion in lieu of #Deception for #Seduction and #Spread Rumors, providing you genuinely ally care for the one you are romancing or believe the rumors you spread.

Make a Request

If a creature’s attitude toward you is not hostile, you can attempt to make requests of the creature. This is an additional Charisma (Persuasion) check, with one of the following modifiers. Some requests automatically fail if the request goes against the creature’s values or its nature, subject to GM discretion.

Requests

Request	Check Modifier
Give simple advice or directions	+5
Perform a short service of no more than a minute	+5
Reveal an unimportant secret	-5
Perform a service lasting more than an hour	-5
Give dangerous, lengthy or complicated aid	-10
Reveal secret knowledge	+10

Parley

Using your skills of persuasion, you call for a temporary halt to fighting. On a success, the enemies are willing to accept your surrender. On a success of 5 or more your enemies halt to listen, but they remain alert and ready for a trick. You may then use other interactions as normal. Your foes still take actions on their initiative counts, either to negotiate with you, or to steel themselves to renew the attack- this generally requires a Charisma (Intimidation) check against your passive Charisma (Persuasion).

You have disadvantage on this check if the enemy are hostile or unfriendly, as normal. If you are winning the fight, do not suffer disadvantage trying to start a parley. If the enemy is clearly beaten, or have lost their leader, the DM may even give you advantage. If you parley in a situation that seems to erupt into a fight, but has not yet done so, you have advantage.

Language

Learning languages, you also absorb some knowledge about the culture and know what to do and what not to do. When communicating with a creature whose native language you speak, creatures who would normally start out with an attitude of unfriendly to outsiders are indifferent instead. Particularly isolated communities unused to a stranger speaking their language might even improve from indifferent to friendly in this way. Note that magical translation does not give the cultural background needed to gain this result.

Human Languages in Greyhawk

The languages of Greyhawk have roots that go back to ancient roots. Learning these root languages facilitates the understanding of languages that grew out of that root. Many root languages are lost and not taught.

Human Languages

The following languages are spoken by different human cultures of The World of Greyhawk:

Common Speech

Imagine US English if there had been no British English, only a mix of other tounges The trade tongue of the Flanaess and the standard language of World of Greyhawk campaigns. Spoken in the central and south-west Flanaess, it is the universal second language of the Flanaess and spoken by most people to one degree or another. Common is a mix of Oerdian, Suel, and Flan, with Baklunish loan words and grammatical influences.

The culture associated with the Common Tunge is generally called the Common Culture, but sometimes the more fancy expression Cosmopolitan Culture is used to mean the same thing.

As you travel the world speaking Common, the language changes from region to region, incorporating more and more old regional languages. For a regular traveler, this is not an issue, as you have time to pick up the changes along the way. Traveling by teleport or similar fast means, each version of Common you encounter is hard to decipher.

• Amedi: The trade tounge of the Amedio jungles, this is mix of Suel with Olman, Draconic, and Flanaess Common.
• Cant Not quite a language, more a jargon used by rogues and hobos to convey double messages in a conversation. The language is secret and hard to learn by ear alone. Like the Common Speech itself it varies from region to region and takes a little while to pick up. The language has no written form, but signs discreetly carved to be noted only by those in the know are used to indicate dangers and opportunities.
• Hawkish: Spoken in Greyhawk and on the Wild Coast, Hawkish seems jaded and snide to outsiders.
• Keoish: This widespread dialect of Oeridian in the large and rich Selintarn valley in the south-west of the Flanaess, based on the speech of the ancient Kalgonite tribe, has absorbed local Kalgonite, Diembre, Suel, and Flan expressions. It is spoken in and around Keoland, and is the forerunner of the Common tongue.
• Mongrelman: A group of misshapen humanoids found in the Underdark and Netherworld. This language has a lot in common with various surface languages and can be a good introduction to Aklo for surface dwellers.
• Polyglot: A mix of Tuov, different tribal languages, Olman, and Flanaess Common. A trade tongue of northern and western Hepmonaland. Sort of the "Common" of that area, but less a separate language than the Common Speech of the Flanaess.
• Urnanthal : Fantasy German. Spoken in the lands of Urnst and in the Bandit Kingdoms, this dialect of Common developed separately from that in Keoland, but is remarkably similar, just sounding a bit rustic.

Baklunish

Spoken by the civilized successor states of the Baklunish Empire in the north-west of the Flanaess. Written Baklunish is very uniform. The spoken tongue has dialects, and it is generally quite easy to place a speaker by his accent, but most speakers can understand each other quite easily.

Chakji

Spoken by arctic peoples, hunters in the Land of Black Ice and arctic regions beyond. They live as fisher-folk or pastorals following herds. Generally reclusive but friendly once found, not much is known about them.

Flan

The language of the original natives of the Flanaess, spoken as a secret language by peasants and tribes people everywhere. Only a few remote lands, mostly in central northern Flanaess, still have Flan as a first language.

• Burnevian is the language spoken in the Burneal Forest to the far north-west in the Flanaess, bordering the land of Black Ice.
• Druidic: The druids' tongue of the Flanaess shares roots with Flan, but it is specialized and static, focusing only on the natural world. It also preserves many elements of Primordial. Druidic is a secret language, especially in its written form.
• Uirtag: A dialect of Flan in the north. Reputedly spoken by short-statured, blue-painted Flan aborigines with poison-tipped spears in the Burneal Forest.
• Ur-Flan: A dialect of flan with influences from Necril. The Ur-Flan was a civilization with Flan roots characterized by necromantic magic and small castle-cities. They were destroyed by the Aerdy and no known living people speak this dialect today, but it can be found in ancient writing and spoken by ancient undead.

Oerdian

The language of the recently dominant human people, now spoken mostly in the feudal areas of the central and eastern Flanaess. What is termed oerdian today is the dialect of Furyondi, tough this selection is arbitrary and mainly chosen because this dialect is the ones most accessible to the University of Greyhawk.

• Aerdi: The original dialect of the Aerdy, the main tribe who settled the Great Kingdom, especially the southern and central parts. Aerdi is sometimes refereed to as "High Oerdian" and was the court language of the Great Kingdom.
• Diembri: What is now Andoran was mainly settled by the Diembri tribe, worshippers of Pholtus. In the time of the empire, this dialect was considered rustic, but with the emergence of the republic, Diembri is now the official language of Andoria.
• Ferral: An old Oeridian tribal language now spoken only by officials of the Iron League. Ferral is used for military command purposes and is not a living language. Many fear that infiltration by agents of the Scarlet Brotherhood has compromised this code-tongue. The main interest in Ferral today is that it is the basis of signaling.
• Keolandish: This widespread dialect of Oeridian, based on the speech of the ancient Kalgonite tribe, has absorbed local Kalgonite, Diembre, Suel, and Flan expressions. It is spoken in and around Keoland, and is the forerunner of the Common tongue.
• Nyrondese: This Oeridian dialect is spoken in rural areas of Nyrond. It is the primary language of peasants, shopkeepers, and other common folk who distrust outsiders.
• Velondi: A dialect of Oerdian, originally spoken by the Vollar tribe of Oerdians, it is still spoken in Veluna and western Furyondy.

Olman

Olman slaves of the Sea Princes or Scarlet Brotherhood speak this strange tongue, their masters hate it. Its huge, complex "alphabet" is really a vast set of pictographs. It is heard most often in the western Sea Princes' lands and in the depths of the Amedio Jungle.

• Amedi: Naturalized Olman and Suel of the Amedio Jungle speak this corrupt form of Ancient Suloise with Olman influences. Its few written symbols are Suloise alphabet characters.
• Tlaman is the language of the yuan-ti of Hepmonaland and their slaves. It is largely derived from Olman with phrases from Touv and Yuan-Ti, altered to be best pronounced with forked tongues. It uses essentially the same pictographs as Olman, and an Olman speaker can understand approximately two-thirds of Tlaman.

Osirian

The language of ancient Erypt, a land dominated by the dead and by the ruins of a glorious past. This is actually several different languages of the early, mid, late, and current Osirian cultures.

Paynim

A second language family of the western plains, Paynim is spoken over a very wide area.

• Ordai: This dialect shared by the Wolf and Tiger Nomads bears some resemblance to Ancient Baklunish, but it is most similar to dialects spoken among the distant Paynims. Its written form is based on Baklunish script.
• Ulagha: The language of the Uli is a debased form of Paynim. If written, it is usually in Abyssal characters.

Rhopan

Unrelated to any other human language, Rhenne speak Rhopan. A melodious language well suited to poetry, songs, and curses.

Suel

The language of the ancient Suel civilization and their few surviving modern descendants. An important historical and magical language. The main concentration of modern speakers is in the Tilvan peninsula in the north-east and the Drawmidj Ocean region.

• Amedi: Only Suel of the Amedio Jungle speak this corrupt form of Ancient Suloise with Olman influences. Its few written symbols are Suloise alphabet characters.
• Cold Tongue: A dialect of Suel spoken by the Suel barbarians of the north-east. It is usually written using Dwarven runes.
• Lendorian: This obscure dialect of Suloise (influenced by Common and full of nautical terms) was spoken in the Lendore Isles by humans before they were deported by elves in 583 CY. Only human refugees know it now. It has no relation to Elvish and is not written.
• Qudran: Spoken in the desert lands on the far side of the mountains of the Nippon Territories and in the Bright Desert.
• Zankri: Spoken by the divine caste of Zindia, descendants of Suel invaders.
• Derrosh: is a combination of Dwarven and Suloise, spoken by the derro, evil subterranean dwarfs.

Tuov

The trade tongue of Hepmonaland and the language family of the Tuov peoples.

• Polygot: A mix of Tuov, different tribal languages, Amedi, and Common. A trade tongue in northern and western Hepmonaland. Sort of the "Common" of that area, but less a separate language than the Common tongue of the Flanaess.

Zindran

Spoken in Zindria, the civilized jungle nations south and west of the Amedio jungle.

• Zankri: A dialect of Suel used by the magic cast of Zindia, descendants of Suel invaders. This language has very few similarities to Zindran and is mostly used in hymns and magical texts.

Demi-Human Languages

The languages of non-human humanoids, from giants to gnomes.

Dwarf

An ancient language related to Primordial and thus to the elemental powers of creation. It is written using runes, which are keys to magical power, especially curses and enchanted objects. Sagas are not written down but learnt by heart. Dwarf is closely related to Giant and its various dialects.

• Cloud Giant: The giants of air consider themselves nobility. Their language has links to Auran.
• Cyclops (Ghol-Gan): Cyclops are one-eyed prophetic giants that once had an empire of their own, called Ghol-Gan.
• Derrosh: is a combination of Dwarven and Suloise, spoken by the derro, evil subterranean dwarfs.
• Fire Giant: These black giants have the stature of huge dwarfs, and much of the same mindset. There is even similarity in language, tough Fire Giant also has Ignan influences.
• Frost Giant: A model for the Thillonrian barbarians, frost giants are warriors and raiders.
• Hill Giant: Just one step above ogres, other giants look down on hill giants and their language is primitive.
• Ogre: Ogres are degenerate creatures speaking a pidgin version of Giant.
• Stone Giant: Relatively friendly, Stone Giant is one of the more accessible dialects of Giant. It has influences from Terram.
• Storm Giant: The royals of giantkind, their dialect is the most advanced. Their language is related to Aquan.

Elven

Elven is an old language of uncertain origin. The long life of elves means the language changes slowly—elven dialects differ in the specialized words for each environment and in idioms and tone deliberately introduced to set tribes apart form each other.

• High Elven: A successor language of Grey Elven, this is the language of elven nobility and the high elves of civilized elven nations. This is the version of elvish most taught to other races.
• Grey Elven: The noble elves that built the first cities in what is today the Hellfurnaces. Mostly a dead language, used on some ceremonial occasions.
• Fey Elven: Spoken by elves of the Feywild and carries influenced from Primordial.
• Drow: A mix of elven and the various language of demons and the Underdark, used by the dark elves. Drow has had a strong influence on Undercommon.
• Drow Sign: Drow have a of signs and poses, used in battle and intrigue. Each house has their own dialect, hard for outsiders to understand, but there are also common signs used by many. Speakers of elvish (even Drow) cannot understand Drow Sign unless they learn it as a separate language.
• Wood Elven: Wood elves speak this dialect. It has influences from Sylvan, about a third of conversation is legible between the languages.
• Gruach: Wild elves speak this dialect, looked down on by other elves. It has influences from Beast Speech, speakers can communicate greetings and simple concepts with each other.
• Shadar-Kai: A language granted to the elves moving to the Lendore Isles by intervention of the goddess Sehanine. It is a mix of Elvish and Celestial. It lacks any similarity to the human Lendorian language.
• Genie On the edge between elemental languages and elvish.
  • Ifrit: The mirage-like fire elves live in the Sea of Dust and Bright Dessert, but many think they are a myth. The language has many influences from Ignan.
  • Oread: Elves of mountain vales and slopes. The language has many influences from Terran.
  • Sylph: Elves of cloud and mountaintops, these winged creatures are a legend few know the truth of. The language has many influences from Auran.
  • Undine: Sea elves, the most well known of the elemental elf tribes. The language has many influences from Aquan.
  • Kryas: Ice elves, reclusive elves of the north. The language has many influences from both Auram and Aquan.
• Gnome: Sometimes called low elvish, this is the language of servants and common folk in the Feywild. Gnome is a low-status language compared to Sylvan and Elvish. Related to Dwarf, Sylvan and Elvish, but also to Goblin. Its spoken form is sort of the trade tongue of Fairy, but has less penetration that Common has on Oerth. Gnomish is written using Elvish letters or in a series of rebuses and improvised pictograms intermixed with letters from other languages. Basically, each gnome has their own version, but strangely most other speakers can also read simple texts without too much trouble.
  • Barbegazi: Ice gnomes of the north speak this language.
  • Caligni: Dark Folk speak a language named after their masters, the Caligni. Are Dark Folk the gnomes of the Shadowfell? The languages show similarities.
  • Goblin: Goblin is strangely similar to Gnome, with influences from Giant. Spoken by bugbears, goblins, and hobgoblins. Less common speakers include norkers and xvarts. Not a united language, Goblin has one dialect for every tribe.
  • Halfling: A malleable language, today's Halfling has much Common in it.
  • Kobold: Small reptilian miners and trappers, the Kobold tongue is a mix of Draconic and Goblin.
  • Korred: A wild fey relative of gnomes.
  • Svirfneblin: Deep gnomes live in the Netherworld, their language is influenced by Aklo and Undercommon. One of the most accessible languages of the Underdark.

Monster Languages

Aklo

Also called Undercommon, Aklo is variant of Sylvan with influences of what might be Deep Speech. Aklo is the language of unseelie fairies and the trade tongue of the Netherworld. Aklo is not really a root language for the Netherworld, that might possibly be Deep Speech or Aboleth, but Aklo is a much more common and useful language. The languages of the Aklo language group are widely different, communicated by different means (sound, light, vibrations, scents, psychic) by different creatures.

• Aboleth: The aboleth once had an ocean-spanning civilization and created the skum. Theirs is a language of illusion, scent, and tentacles.
• Beholder: Eye tyrants are often telepathic, but loathe to risk having another beholder invade their mind. Their language uses their eyestalks for signaling, but they can revert to normal speech as well.
• Deep Speech: The language of aberrations, an alien form of communication originating in the Far Realms. When written by mortals it used the gnomish pictograph, as the only way to properly convey the language is with esoteric symbology. It is an extremely complex highly contextual language, reliant heavily on more than just sound, tone, and inflection. It utilizes body language, scents, trilling, gurgling, and a whole manner of unpleasantries that most mortals struggle with. Is this the language of the Far Realm, or a for refugees of the far realm? Sages can't agree on this. All this makes Deep Speech an almost useless language to normal folk.
• Drow: A mix of elven and the various language of demons and the Underdark, used by the dark elves.
• Elder Thing : Spoken by the Great Race of Yith, this language might be found in written form in the ruins of their civilization, if Yithians ever lived on Oerik.
• Encephalon: Encephalon gorgers (sometimes known as cranial vampires or star vampires) are brain-consuming creatures. A large part of their language is transmitted by exposing patterns in their otherwise transparent bodies.
• Flail Snail: Exotic inhabitants of the netherworld, and among the least hostile of all aberrations, but still very hard to communicate with. Flail snails major means of communication are the slime trails they leave. Two flail snails deep in conversation move in a circle, following each others' lime trail.
• Flumph: Fungous floaters originating in another star system, Flumph sometimes appear as messengers or explorers.
• Grimlock: A race of blind humanoids perfectly adapted to navigating in the Underdark.
• Gug: Huge humanoids similar to giants common in the Dreamlands and Netherworld.
• Illithid: Mind-flayers are mysterious humanoids with cephalous heads.
• Mongrelman: A group of misshapen humanoids found in the Underdark and Netherworld. This language has a lot in common with various surface languages and can be a good introduction to Aklo of surface dwellers.
• Myconoid: Spoken by myconoids, a hierarchy of different animate fungi.
• Nagaji: Spoken by naga and nagaji.
• Skum: Monstrous fish-men, once serving the Aboleth but today often their own masters.
• Svirfneblin: Svirfneblin or Deep Gnomes live in the Netherworld. Similarities to Gnomic makes this a rather accessible language from the Aklo language family.
• Vegepygmy: A race of small fungous humanoids speak this language.

Draconic

Draconic is one of the oldest languages; early draconic humanoids had a civilization before the gods fully entered the world. Today Draconic speakers are mostly debased primitives. The Draconic spoken by true dragons is considered the purest.

• Babbler: Primitive dinosaur-kin, babblers are close to beasts.
• Boggard: Frog-folk.
• Bullywugs: Monstrous frog-folk.
• Kobold: Small reptilian miners and trappers, the Kobold tongue has been influenced by Goblin.
• Lizardfolk: The most common Draconic-speakers, lizardfolk are hunter-gatherers often found in swamps.
• Tlaman is the language of the yuan-ti of Hepmonaland. It is largely derived from Olman with phrases from Touv and Yuan-Ti, altered to be best pronounced with forked tongues. It uses essentially the same pictographs as Olman, and an Olman speaker can understand approximately two-thirds of Tlaman.
• Troglodytes: Underground lizard-people. Believed close to primordial Draconic humanoids, but debased.
• Yuan-Ti: Serpent people once had a primordial civilization that used this language. Today it is rare even among the Yuan-Ti who mostly speak the degenerate Tlaman.

Astral

The hypothetical lost root language of the languages of the deep astral plane that scholars think splintered into Celestial and Infernal. The best a student of the Astral can do is to learn Celestial and Infernal.

There are claims that Astral and Primordial have a root language, the Words of Creation, a language whose words are so precise they can only be spoken once, ever, at the creation of the world. Primordial being scoff at the idea that the universe started with something as structured as words.

Note that Abyssal is now in the Primordial language family, since demons are now Primordial beings.

• Celestial: The language of the higher spheres.
• Daemonic: The language of fiends that are not devils.
• Garuda: Garuda are bird-like outsiders of good.
• Infernal: The language of devils.
• Modron: The language of modrons and other creatures of pure law. This is an algorithmic language of almost pure logic.
• Samsaran: Celestials living in physical form on the material plane.
• Slaadi: Slaadi are chaotic frog-like outsiders native to the chaotic regions of the Astral.
• Sphinx: Sphinx is a mysterious language, suited to philosophical discussions and statements. Potentially this could be the oldest of all languages, a mixture of Astral and Primordial, close to the original Words of Creation.
• Lendor Elvish: A language granted to the elves moving to the Lendore Isles by intervention of the goddess Sehanine. It is a mix of Elvish and Celestial.

Primordial

The earliest "language" of the ethereal realms, Primordial is not a language for conversation, it is more suited to dramatic exclamations and words of power. The other languages of this family are more mundane and suitable for everyday use.

• Abyssal: The language of demons and the Abyss. This language is a development of Primordial, making it capable of conversation, if limited one. With demons becoming ethereal beings, their language is a development of Primordial, not Astral.
• Aquan: The language of water.
• Auran: The language of air.
• Druidic: The druids' tongue of the Flanaess shares roots with Flan, but it is specialized and static, focusing on the natural world. While related to Flan, it is also close to Primordial.
• Ifrit: The mirage-like fire elves live in the Sea of Dust and Bright Dessert, but many think they are a myth. The language has many influences from Ignan.
• Ignan: The language of fire.
• Oread: Elves of mountain vales and slopes. The language has many influences from Terran.
• Sylph: Elves of cloud and mountaintops, these winged creatures are a legend few know the truth of. The language has many influences from Auran.
• Sphinx: Sphinx is a mysterious language, suited to philosophical discussions and statements. Potentially this could be the oldest of all languages, a mixture of High Astral and Primordial. Or it might not be.
• Terran: The language of earth.
• Undine: Sea elves, perhaps the most well known of the elemental elf tribes. The language has many influences from Aquan.

Shadowtongue

The language of creatures native to the Shadowfell.

• Caligni: Dark Folk speak a language named after their masters, the Caligni. Are Dark Folk the gnomes of the Shadowfell?
• Necril: A language of undead and the Shadowfell, Necril is a useful language for necromancers because of its large vocabulary on the subject.
• Rhopan: Unrelated to any other human language, Rhenne speak Rhopan, as does some natives of the Shadowfell.
• Shadar-Kai: Spoken by the shadow fey, it is closer to elvish than to Shadowtounge.
• Shae: Shae, and the half-Shae known as Fetchlings are spirits of shadow.
• Ur-Flan: A dialect of flan with influences from Necril. The Ur-Flan was a civilization with Flan roots characterized by necromantic magic and small castle-cities. They were destroyed by the Aerdy and no known living people speak this dialect, but it can be found in ancient writing and spoken by ancient undead.

Sylvan

Also called First Speech or Fey, Sylvan is the language of the fey, including dryads, brownies, and leprechauns. It is also the root language for the languages of many intelligent plants. It uses the Elven alphabet.

• Treant: Spoken by treeants and animated trees.
• Wood Elven: Wood elves speak this dialect of elvish that has influences from Sylvan, speakers can communicate greetings and simple concepts with each other.
• Wrang: is spoken by the natives in the Nippon Territories. It originated as Nipponese, but has absorbed Celestial, Qudran and, Zindran
• Beast Speech is spoken by beastfolk using of vocalizations, body postures, scents, and alterations of fur patterns. Beast-folk are common in Nippon and Wrang, rare otherwise. Non-beastfolk can communicate only very simple topics in their dialects. Civilized forms of Beast Speech with less animal influences become more and more similar to Nipponese.
  • Adlet: Wolf-folk speak Adlet. Rarely seen in Flanaess.
  • Banderlog: Baboon-folk. Rarely seen in Flanaess.
  • Catfolk: Catfolk are adventurous. They are uncommon, but not unseen, except when they want to be.
  • Chike: Crocodile-folk. Rarely seen in Flanaess.
  • Girtablilu: Scorpion men. Exist in the Bright Desert and Erypt.
  • Gnoll: Hyena-folk, relatively common in Flanaess.
  • Gruach: Spoken by wild elves, who are not beast-folk at all. Gruach is a mix of Elvish and Beast Speech.
  • Leonine: Lion-folk. Rarely seen in Flanaess.
  • Nipponese: The common tounge of Nippon, a land with many anthropomorphic animals to the west of the Pearl Sea. It has many influences from Beast Speech, but without the physiological oddities. Still, this is a sublte language where context and posture convey much of the information. It can be written in several alphabets, most commonly using Celestial pictograms.
  • Orc: Orcs or pig-folks add squeals and snorts to their Sylvan.
  • Sciurian: Squirrel-folk. Rarely seen in Flanaess.
  • Tabaxi: Catfolk native to jungles. Are these the same as Catfolk? Who knows. Very reclusive.
  • Tanuki: Tanuki-folk. Rarely seen in Flanaess.
  • Thriae: Humanoid bees.
  • Vanaran: Monkey-folk. Rarely seen in Flanaess.
  • Vishkanya: Snake-folk. Not the same as Yuan Ti. Rarely seen in Flanaess.influences.
• Tengu Tengu and its dialects is the Beast Speech of bird-like creatures. Tengu are flightless humanoid avians reminiscent of crows or ravens. The most common birdfolk by far, their language is the most well known avian beast speech.
  • Aarakocra: Reclusive eagle-folk.
  • Eblis: Intelligent, non-anthropomorphic cranes.
  • Kenku are related to Tengu and might be just a Tengu culture. They can mimic the sound of anything they hear and use these sounds to communicate. A kenku asking for money might make the sound of coins clinking together, and a kenku referring to a busy marketplace can reproduce the cacophony of hawking vendors, barking dogs, bleating sheep, and the cries of street urchins. When mimicking voices, they can only repeat words and phrases they have heard, not create new sentences. To converse with a kenku is to witness a performance of imitated sounds.
  • Shibaten: Duck-folk.
  • Strix: Hexapetal winged humanoids, hostile to humans. Syrinx is also owl-folk, of the same or a different kind.

Tool Kits

All tool kit proficencies can be used to identify items relating to or made with that tool kit. For example, smith's tools gives #Lore and can #Assess Damage, #Detect Forgery, and #Identify Magic about items made of iron and about a smiths tools and workshop, including anvils, bellows, charcoal, and the various sands and liquids used in the craft. Likewise, proficiency in a type of vehicle lets you do the same with regards to vehicles and suitable routes of travel.

Alchemist's Tools

Alchemists tools are used to craft poisons, medicine, and alchemical items.

You can gather the poison of a living or recently dead creature with a natural poison. Make a Dexterity (tool proficiency) check against the creature's passive Strength save. On a success, you have collected enough raw material to craft 1d4 doses of the poison, plus another dose for every 5 points of margin. Crafting the poison from what was salvaged requires the normal time, but has no cost.

Crafting Tools

See Downtime Activities: Crafting an item.

You can create shoddy, temporary versions of mundane items. Spend short rest and make an Intelligence (tool proficiency) check, the difficulty is the value of the item in gold pieces. If you have a destroyed item to work with, halve the DC while lack of any suitable materials doubles the DC. A jury-rigged breaks on any d20 roll of 1 involving the item. Jury-rigged items have no resale value fall apart after 24 hours.

Disguise Kit

You can create a disguise for yourself or another. This usually takes a short rest and you can work on a number of disguises equal to your proficiency bonus with the disguise kit. A very simple disguise, making someone less distinctive can be made in a minute.

Use Intelligence + proficiency bonus when making disguises. Creating a generic character like a servant, waiter or laborer at DC 10. Creating a disguise of a particular role, such as a city guard, has a DC of 15. Imitating a particular person has a DC of 25. If you have access to appropriate clothes and accessories, you gain advantage.

If you don’t draw any attention to yourself, others do not get to make Perception or Insight checks. If you come to the attention of people who are suspicious (such as a guard who is watching commoners walking through a city gate) the disguise is tested. If you are impersonating a particular individual, those who know that person gain advantage on their Perception or Insight checks. Furthermore, they are automatically considered to be suspicious of you, so opposed checks are always called for. When a disguise is tested, observers can make an Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (insight) against the 10 + the disguised character's Charisma modifier + the proficiency bonus of the creator of the disguise.

The effectiveness of a disguise depends in part on how much of a change is attempted. This affects both the initial disguise check and the difficulty of penetrating the disguise.

Situation	Disguise Modifier
Disguised as different gender	-1
Disguised as different race	-1
Disguised as different age category	-1
Disguised as different size category	-5

Gaming Set

See Downtime Activities: Gambling.

Musical Instruments

A character proficient in a musical instrument can stage a #Performance using Charisma + Proficiency bonus. Depending on the instrument, this might use some other ability, such as Dexterity for a stringed instrument or Constitution for a wind instrument.

Thieves Tools

Used to open locks and disable traps. A trap cannot be moved once it has been set up; all a disabled trap is good for is scrap.

• As an action you can #Search using proficiency in theives tools in lieu of Investigation.
• As an action, you can try to analyze a known trap. This reveals the entire stat block of the trap. The DC is the same as for disabling a trap, but there is no danger.
• You can deploy trap that has been crafted and is ready to be set up can be deployed. It takes short rest to set up a trap, and requires an Intelligence (Thieves Tools) check with a of DC 15 + 1/2 the Challenge level of the trap. Failing by 10 or more means you are caught in the trap. Traps that depend on terrain features, such as a pit trap, can only be deployed if such a terrain feature is available. Traps can also be deployed in just one minute, but such makeshift deployment is much less effective; halve the Perception and Disable Device DCs of the trap.

Vehicles

The DM might call for a Dexterity check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: Control a heavily laden cart on a steep descent Steer a chariot around a tight turn.

Vehicle proficencies are keyed to one medium of travel, usually road or water. Frequently traveled routes have a DC of 5, up to 10 for secondary routes, 15 for routes less traveled, and 20 or more for off-route travel. Sail and animal travel uses Wisdom, muscle-powered vehicles like carts and canoes use Strength. A successful roll indicates normal travel time. A failure increases travel time by 25%, while a failure by more than 5 indicates some kind of mishap. Every 5 points over the DC saves 10% travel time.