Skills
Skills represent your character's learned abilities and areas of expertise. When you make an ability check, you may add your proficiency bonus if you're proficient in the relevant skill.
Skill Proficiency
Characters gain skill proficiencies from their class, background, and sometimes ancestry or feats. When making an ability check using a skill you're proficient in, you add your proficiency bonus to the roll.
Proficiency Bonus by Level:
- Levels 1-4: +2
- Levels 5-8: +3
- Levels 9-12: +4
- Levels 13-16: +5
- Levels 17-20: +6
Core Skills
System 5 includes 18 core skills, each tied to a specific ability score:
| Skill | Ability | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Acrobatics | Dexterity | Balance, tumbling, and avoiding falls |
| Animal Handling | Wisdom | Calming, controlling, and training animals |
| Arcana | Intelligence | Knowledge of magic, spells, and the planes |
| Athletics | Strength | Climbing, jumping, swimming, and grappling |
| Deception | Charisma | Lying, disguising intent, and fast-talking |
| History | Intelligence | Knowledge of historical events and legends |
| Insight | Wisdom | Reading emotions, detecting lies, understanding motivations |
| Intimidation | Charisma | Threatening and coercing through fear |
| Investigation | Intelligence | Finding clues, solving puzzles, and deduction |
| Medicine | Wisdom | Diagnosing illness, treating injury, stabilizing dying creatures |
| Nature | Intelligence | Knowledge of terrain, plants, animals, and weather |
| Perception | Wisdom | Noticing hidden objects, creatures, or dangers |
| Performance | Charisma | Entertaining through music, dance, or acting |
| Persuasion | Charisma | Honest influence through diplomacy and tact |
| Religion | Intelligence | Knowledge of deities, religions, and the undead |
| Sleight of Hand | Dexterity | Pickpocketing, planting objects, and manual trickery |
| Stealth | Dexterity | Hiding and moving silently |
| Survival | Wisdom | Tracking, foraging, navigating, and wilderness survival |
Using Skills
Ability Checks
When you make an ability check with a skill, roll 1d20 and add:
- Your ability modifier
- Your proficiency bonus (if proficient)
- Any other bonuses from features, items, or spells
Expertise
Some class features (like the rogue's Expertise) allow you to double your proficiency bonus for certain skills.
Passive Checks
Your passive score for a skill is: 10 + all modifiers you'd normally add. Passive Perception is the most commonly used passive check.
Advantage and Disadvantage
Some circumstances grant advantage (roll 2d20, take higher) or disadvantage (roll 2d20, take lower) on skill checks.