Proficiencies Alternative

All creatures have Proficiencies, which reflect the impact that training and experience has on the creature's capabilities. Proficiencies are divided into three types, detailed in the table below.

Proficiency Type	Proficencies	Rank Bonus
Primary Proficiencies	Skills, Weapon Categories, Saving Throws, Tools, and Magical Traditions	+1 per Rank (+2 per Rank for Tools)
Secondary Proficiencies	Languages, Mounts, Vehicles, Armor, and Shields	Improved Proficiency Grade

Proficiency Ranks

Proficiency Ranks indicate how much training and experience that a creature has with a given Proficiency. The number of Ranks you have determines what bonus is added to ability checks using skills, saving throws, and when using certain equipment such as weapons and tools.

Determining and Gaining Ranks

A Protagonist's starting Proficiency Ranks are determined during character creation, and an NPC's Proficiencies appear in its stat block. Additional Proficiency Ranks are acquired as a creature gains levels
Your Class determines how many Ranks you gain and which Proficiencies you can gain Ranks in.

Secondary Proficiencies

Secondary Proficiencies aren't used in any checks and don’t scale numerically with Ranks. Instead, each has three tiers of proficiency, called Proficiency Grades.
Untrained. If you have no Ranks in a Secondary Proficiency, you are untrained and may suffer penalties or be unable to receive certain benefits associated with the Proficiency.
Proficient. If you have 1 Rank in a Secondary Proficiency, you are Proficient and can use certain features associated with that Proficiency. For example, if you're Proficient in Armor, you can use Medium Armor.
Adept. If you have 2 Ranks in a Secondary Proficiency, you are Adept and can use improved or advanced features associated with that Proficiency (alongside any benefits of being Proficient). For example, if you're Adept in Armor, you can use Heavy Armor.

Maximum Bonus

A creature's Maximum Bonus caps the total base bonus they can add to a d20 roll after combining their Ability Modifier and Proficiency Ranks.
Base Bonus = Ability Modifier + Bonus from Ranks in the chosen Proficiency
If your Base Bonus would exceed your Maximum Bonus, reduce it to your Maximum Bonus instead. Bonuses from magic items, spells, or temporary effects are applied after this cap and may exceed it.
Your Maximum Bonus increases with your level, as described below.

Level		Max Bonus
1-3		+6
4-6		+7
7-9		+8
10-12		+9
12-15		+10
16-18		+11
19-21		+12
22-24		+13

Level		Max Bonus
25-27		+14
28-30		+15
31-34		+16
35-38		+17
39-42		+18
43-46		+19
47-50		+20

Skill Proficiencies

Each ability covers a broad range of capabilities, including skills that creatures can be proficient in. A skill represents a specific aspect of an ability score, and an individual's Ranks in a skill demonstrates a focus on that aspect.
For example, a Dexterity check might reflect a character's attempt to pull off an acrobatic stunt, to stay hidden, or to palm an object. Each of these aspects of Dexterity has an associated skill: Acrobatics, Stealth, and Thievery, respectively. So a character who has Proficiency Ranks in the Stealth skill is particularly good at Dexterity checks related to sneaking and hiding.

Skill List

The skills related to each ability score are shown in the following list (No skills are related to Constitution). See a Skill's description in the later sections of this chapter for examples of how to use a skill associated with an ability.

Ability	Skills
Strength	Athletics
Constitution	None
Dexterity	Acrobatics, Stealth, Thievery
Intelligence	Arcana, Investigation, Nature, Society, Religion
Wisdom	Insight, Medicine, Perception, Wilderness
Charisma	Deception, Engagement, Intimidation, Persuasion

Sometimes, the GM might ask for an ability check using a specific skill—for example, "Make a Wisdom (Perception) check." At other times, a player might ask the GM if proficiency in a particular skill applies to a check. In either case, an individual can add bonuses from their Proficiency Ranks to ability checks that involve that skill. If the individual lacks any ranks in the skill, they make a normal ability check.
For example, if a character attempts to climb up a dangerous cliff, the GM might ask for a Strength (Athletics) check. If the character has Ranks in Athletics, bonuses from their Ranks are added to the Strength check. If the character lacks Ranks in that Proficiency, they just makes a Strength check.

Saving Throw Proficiencies

Proficiency Ranks in a saving throw allows you to add their bonus to that type of Save. For example, proficiency in Will saves lets you add bonuses from your Proficiency Ranks to Will Saves.
Protagonists typically gain Ranks in Saving Throws every other level. NPCs can have saving throw Proficiency Ranks as well, as detailed in their Stat Blocks.

Equipment Proficiencies

Creatures can gain Proficiency Ranks with various equipment, allowing them to more effectively wield or use that equipment.

Equipment Type	Proficiency Type	Usage
Weapons	Primary	If you have Proficiency Ranks in a Weapon Category, you add your Rank Bonus to attack rolls you make with weapons in that category. You can still wield a weapon even if you lack any Ranks in its associated category, but your attack rolls won't gain the aforementioned bonus.
Armor	Secondary	You suffer penalties while wearing an armor for which you fail to meet the required Proficiency Grade (see Armor and Shields).
Shields	Secondary	You gain the Armor Class benefit of a shield only if you meet the required Proficiency Grade for it (see Armor and Shields).
Tools	Primary	If you have Proficiency Ranks in a tool, you add your Rank Bonus to any ability check you make that uses that tool. When using a tool with which you lack any Ranks, you make a normal ability check. If you meet certain a certain Passive Rating threshold with a tool, you can also bolster the application of a skill in very specific circumstances (see Tools).
Mounts	Secondary	You suffer penalties when you ride a mount for which you fail to meet the required Proficiency Grade (see Mounts and Vehicles).
Vehicles	Secondary	You suffer penalties when you drive a vehicle for which you fail to meet the required Proficiency Grade (see Mounts and Vehicles).

Magic Proficiencies

Your proficiency with a Magical Tradition determines how effectively you cast spells associated with it. You add your bonus from Proficiency Ranks with the tradition to spell attack rolls and use your Passive Ratings to set the DC for any saves associated with your spells from that tradition. For example, If you have a +2 Intelligence modifier and 4 Ranks in the Arcane tradition, your spell attack rolls with Arcane spells are made with a +6 bonus, and the Save DC for your spells is 16.
If a spell is a part of more than one tradition, and you have Ranks in both traditions, use whichever bonus is higher when determining your spell attack roll or Save DC. The key ability for Magical Traditions varies depending on the tradition, and is described in the Magic and Spells section of this chapter.

Language Proficiencies

You must be Proficient with a language with to speak it, and Adept with the language to read and write in it. You cannot use tomes, Spellbooks, or Spell Scrolls written in a language that you are not Adept with.