Skills
The main set of skills stays the same, with the addition of Endurance (Constitution). Under each of the broad, base skills, are multiple specialized skills. At character creation, a character can gain 3 of these specialized skills - which grants them a higher proficiency bonus in those narrow specializations.
Strength
Athletics
Athletics is broken down into four subskills: Climbing, Jumping, Mining, and Swimming.Climbing
Scaling cliffsides or reaching rooftops, few characters have lasting careers without the use of climbing out of trouble.Jumping
Jumping allows characters to leap in great bounds horizontally, or try to attain great heights vertically. You can add your Proficiency bonus to your Strength score when calculating long and high jump distance.Mining
Extracting minerals and metals from the ground is a staple in worlds where iron and steel see kingdoms rise and fall. This is a new use of the Athletics skill. DMs should set DCs based on how long it would take, or how difficult it would be to extract valuables. Failure results in half yields.Swimming
Crossing rapid streams, delving into the lair of a black dragon, or communing with mermaids, few are the characters who stay dry forever.Dexterity
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is broken down into five subskills: Balance, Diving, Escapology, Aerobatics, and Tumbling.Balance
Crossing narrow bridges, riding choppy seas, or running across ice, most characters actively avoid trying to fall prone.Diving
Sometimes a belly flop is fine, but most characters want to avoid taking damage when falling into the water. Slipping unnoticed into the water to evade a dock guard might come in handy for port rogues.Escapology
Between spider webs and bounty hunter manacles, a quick Escape is sometimes the better part of valor.Aerobatics
Tumbling and swimming are great for characters darting around foes on the ground and underwater, but Aerobatics helps airborne characters do the same. DMs should set DCs similar to those skills for flying creatures.Tumbling
Avoiding damage from a big fall or sliding through an opponent's legs, mobile characters can often find a need to tumble.Sleight of Hand
Sleight of Hand includes three subskills: Concealment, Juggling, and Pickpocketing.Concealment
While pickpocketing is great for liberating things from less observant targets, Concealment is great for making sure perceptive individuals aren't going to notice objects you've hidden. The DM should set the DC based on the size of the object and how difficult it would be to hide.Juggling
Whether catching something to prevent it from falling or entertaining a crowd, it's not an uncommon skill for those with quick reflexes to pick up.Pickpocketing
Planting evidence or filling your pockets with the possessions of others, Pickpocketing is a staple in every major city.Stealth
Stealth is broken down into two subskills: Camouflage and Tailing. While both are used for hiding in different situations (staying still vs moving) the usual rules for stealth still apply as per page 177 in the Player's Handbook.Camouflage
Hiding in place like a great cat stalking prey, Camouflage is a great tool for staking out targets or keeping your party hidden while resting.Tailing
Wanting to move and not be noticed isn't just for Rogues. Keepers of Law or Bounty Hunters can find it useful for tracking targets. Either way, if you plan to move and be hidden Tailing is a useful skill to know.Constitution
New Skill: Endurance
Endurance is a completely new main skill based on Constitution. The Barbarian, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, and Ranger classes can add Endurance to the list of skills they can choose from. Endurance checks are made when your character needs to push their bodies beyond normal limits. Holding your breath, marching for days, going without sleep or food, and resisting the effects of alcohol are all times when one would roll an Endurance check. Endurance can be broken down into three subskills: Environmental Adaptation, Pain Tolerance, and Running.Environmental Adaptation
Over time, your body and mind have adapted to an environment. When using your Endurance skill to resist the naturally occurring effects of that terrain, you can use adaptation instead. For example, in a desert, you could use it to resist a lack of water or overwhelming heat. When picking this expertise, select one type of terrain or environment. You can take this expertise multiple times, selecting one new environment each time. The terrains available to Rangers via the Natural Explorer trait (Player's Handbook, pg. 91) are the options you can choose from, each time you take the Environmental Adaptation expertise. Note that new environments may be discovered through play that can be added in the future.- Arctic
- Coast
- Desert
- Forest
- Grassland
- Mountain
- Nautical
- Swamp
- Underground
- Nautical
Pain Tolerance
Information is power, and to that end, torturers consider information extraction an art. Pain Tolerance allows you to resist their craft. The DM should use Endurance or Pain Tolerance as the skill to resist Torture.Distance Running
Sprinting short distances is fine, but sometimes characters need to cover vast distances without rest. Distance Running allows you to maintain your pace. DMs should use Distance Running to allow characters to cover greater distances overland than usual, with failure resulting in exhaustion.Intelligence
Arcana
Arcana is broken down into five subskills: Abberation Lore, Construct Lore, Elemental Lore, Monstrosity Lore, and Arcane Spell Lore.Aberration Lore
Aberrations are the strange and unusual creatures of the far realms. Experts can spend decades learning about these creatures but often end up going insane from picking up forbidden knowledge.Construct Lore
Wizards are often considered fragile or frail, their strength in the arcane leads them to have powerful bodyguards made of stone, iron, or flesh. These constructed guardians will fight to the death for their masters.Elemental Lore
Airy assassins, powerful Efreeti, and alien gem-eating mounds of rock, the elemental planes spit out all manner of unusual creatures. But their long history and ties to the creation of existence make them a well-studied group.Monstrosity Lore
While natural creatures like wolves and bears are well known to all, there are rarer beings like hydras and centaurs that inhabit the lands. With unusual abilities like turning characters to stone from a paralyzing gaze or dissolving metals with only a touch, it's the wise hero who knows about these beasts.Arcane Spell Lore
A wizard pulls out a pinch of sulfur and bat guano. Woe to the hero who doesn't identify a fireball spell before experiencing it first-hand.Artificer's Lore
Wizards and Artificers sometimes turn their focus to technology and alchemy. With this skill, you gain knowledge related to magic items, alchemical objects, and technological devices.History
History is broken down into 10 subskills: Humanoid Lore, Giant Lore, Dragon Lore, Regional Lore, Ancient Lore, Appraising, Bureaucracy, Heraldry, and Law.Regional Lore
How old is the Empire? What are the laws regarding open magic in Sembia? Who is the consulate from Thay in Damara? Only a fool would go into a kingdom without knowing anything about it. When picking this skill, select a region from the Lore Regions below. You can take this skill multiple times, selecting one new region each time.- Ecrenvia*
- Ithellon*
- Edheren*
- Sirastir
- Enos
- Baleburne
- Nebano
- Thostadia
- Falorest
- Nocia
- Irondel
- Laupsia
- Peklia
- Lumarast
- Jasvikia
- Biedonia
- The Divide
- Upper Maw
- Lower Maw
- Sea of Shards*
- Sapphire Sea
Humanoid Lore
Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and the other races of the world have raised empires, toppled kingdoms, forged alliances, and broken them with each other.Ancient Lore
Is that statue historically relevant to the people who made the dungeon you're in, or is it something that was added in a later age? Knowing who built things and why can give greater insight into how they can help you now.Giant Lore
Uncertain which giant sitting in a circle is the leader? Can't tell a Storm and a Cloud giant apart? Perhaps picking up the Giant Lore skill would help your hero avoid these confusions.Dragon Lore
Everyone thinks they know all about dragons, but the creatures are so prolific and create so many half-breeds that filtering fact from fiction is difficult. A smart hero would want to study them.Appraising
Knowing the cut of a gem, the difficulty in casting a bronze statue, or the elegance of a wooden box, allows you to understand exactly how ripped off you're going to get from the merchants in town.Bureaucracy
A hero gains an understanding of the ins and outs of governments, politics, and those who pull the strings behind the scenes. Characters who train in bureaucracy long for the safety of dungeons.Heraldry
You see a shield emblazoned Party per pale or and vert, a dragon sergeant sable. Does it belong to the evil baron from the next county or the benevolent king in your debt? Knowing means the difference between being celebrated or captured.Law
Knowledge of the rules and regulations, and the consequences when your party members break them.Investigation
Investigation contains three subskills: Cryptography, Information Gathering, and Deduction.Cryptography
Cryptography is used when someone wants to hide information inside something else. Characters can pick up the hidden meaning in a story, a password drawn into a painting, or a message left for a member of a hidden society.Information Gathering
Walking around town, picking up rumors, is a common adventurer past time. Plying locals with booze to get secrets out of them is a great cover for getting drunk in town.Deduction
The ability to see connections between seemingly random facts, and the process of reaching a decision or answer by evaluating known facts.Nature
Nature is broken down into 9 subskills: Beast Lore, Fey Lore, Ooze Lore, Plant Lore, Botany, Cartography, Geography, Geology, and Poison. Note that new nature lores may be discovered through play and become available.Beast Lore
Lions, Tigers, and Bears. And Giant Rats. And Dinosaurs. Prepared characters are ready for any of these horrors nature decides to throw at them.Fey Lore
The Seelie and Unseelie courts are something no rational character will want to delve into, but rarely do you interact with these strange beings of your own volition.Ooze Lore
One would think that Oozes don't have much lore behind them but the Oozeologists of the worlds disagree. These creatures have a tendency to inhabit exactly the places where characters need to go.Plant Lore
While farmers grow wheat and rotting wood grows new mushrooms, there are more mobile threats to the world.Botany
If it's not walking, talking, and thinking but it's still a plant, those trained in botany know all about it. Farmers, cooks, rangers, and scholars tend to fill out their ranks.Cartography
There's a big difference between being able to read the lay of the land in person, and reading a map. Knowing how to create and read maps is especially important for adventurers wanting to explore new lands.Geography
Knowing how and why mountains form, what rocks lay under the ocean, and which side of trees moss tends to are all skills useful to those who trek through the wilds. You can read the lay of the land faster than any map.Geology
No dwarf worth their salt would be caught dead not knowing the differences between rock types. If you plan on delving through caves or deep underground, it's advised you listen to their knowledge.Poison
Is a substance safe to touch? To breathe? To apply to your weapon? Not all poisons are created equal and their dangerous nature means understanding them makes you much safer.Religion
Religion is broken down into seven subskills: Celestial Lore, Fiend Lore, Undead Lore, Ceremony, Divine Spell Lore, Prophecy Lore, and Zeal.Celestial Lore
Angels are powerful creatures and it's an old hero's adage: don't anger anyone who can vaporize you in a beam of concentrated holy light.Fiend Lore
Devils? Demons? It's ill-advised to trust either, but knowing which one sticks to their word and which doesn't will save your life.Undead Lore
A skeleton stands before you, a few strands of hair clinging to the dome of its skull. A quick check will tell you if you should rush a disposable guardian or if you're about to be disintegrated by a powerful lich.Ceremony
Watching a priest perform a ritual in the center of town is something most wouldn't consider unusual. Those keen of eye and armed with the knowledge of the hidden rituals of Tamoachan would know something evil is afoot.Divine Spell Lore
A priest raises their hands, calling out for a powerful being to lend them power. With your hefty knowledge of divine spells, you'll know if they're summoning a fiendish weasel or casting a magical darkness.Prophecy Lore
Characters deal with prophecies regularly, but it usually involves seeking out wise old mountain dwellers for their knowledge. Cut out the middle prophet by learning about them yourself.Zeal
A priest needs to communicate with the followers of their God. Zeal allows them to pass religious messages along with their sermons, similar to Bards using the Perform skill with an audience.Wisdom
Animal Handling
Animal Handling consists of five subskills: Entomology, Falconry, Horsemanship, Kenneling, and Shepherding.Entomology
Your knowledge of insects and arachnids allows you to identify the small ones and convince the big ones to let you ride them.Falconry
Working with majestic birds, you can train them to send messages to other cities, find food, or if your size allows, ride them.Horsemanship
Many an adventurer has swung a sword from horseback, but these creatures need to be trained to wade into battle. Understanding your mount will go a long way towards keeping it from flinging you off.Kennelling
While others know how to deal with animals and even ride them, learning kennelling will allow you to keep and breed them. Many lords will have large kennels of canines with which to hunt.Shepherding
While not as glamourous as a giant spider, eagle, wolf, or horse, the shepherd deals with herding groups of animals. A rider can calm a horse, but a shepherd can calm a whole herd of cows, sheep, or goats.Insight
Insight is broken into two subskills: Empathy and Combat Sense.Empathy
A bard might understand how to make others see their point of view with a silvered tongue. Empathy will let you understand how someone else is feeling without having to press them as forcibly. A more subtle art, certainly.Combat Sense
Everyone knows to take the high ground, but there are hundreds of battlefield strategies that can keep adventurers alive. Likewise, understanding that your opponent also knows these tricks is an equally useful tool.Medicine
Medicine is broken down into four subskills: Apothecary, Massage, Forensics, and Veterinary.Apothecary
Ointments, medicines, and unguents are all different ways of solving what ails the common man who can't afford to down a healing potion whenever they get a headache. Being trained in the skill allows you to separate real cures from snake oil.Massage Therapy
Physical therapy is not only a useful skill medicinally, but many a powerful ruler has had their ear swayed when they were in good moods during a skilled massage.Forensics
Looking at a battlefield and being able to determine which side won, where the victors went and who might have survived takes as sharp a wit as being able to look at a corpse and determine the cause of death. Such a skill can help keep the same fate from befalling the characters.Veterinary
While many medicines apply in a general way between humans and horses, understanding the specific differences between the two can help you apply medicine to animals.Perception
Perception is broken into three subskills: Eavesdropping, Guarding, and Tasting.Eavesdropping
Listening through a door, from a distance, or around a corner is not an easy task. Another one of those skills that urban adventurers find useful.Guarding
You have an ever-watchful eye that can spot movement or any other irregularities around you. You keep a perfect watch, able to tell friend from foe and patiently guard your surroundings.Tasting
Wow, you can really taste the poison! Every lord, king, or emperor will be glad they have royal tasters specially trained in picking out the dangers lurking within their food.Survival
Survival consists of 10 subskills: Find Water, Fire Mastery, Fishing, Foraging, Regional Navigation, Rope Mastery, Skinning, Tracking, Trapping, and Weather Sense.Find Water
It's recommended that characters take time to drink a few times in an adventuring day. In some of the more dangerous regions of the world that can be hard to do. Being trained to find water can help mitigate this risk.Fire Mastery
Something even a child is taught and one of the basics of survival, you know how to start, stop, or enlarge a fire. Also, you can easily determine how long a fire has been burning.Fishing
Let others eat berries. Find yourself some of that delicious flaky food. A staple in any port location, many adventurers will supplement their dried foods with fish.Foraging
No water nearby? Can't hunt because the animals in the forest belong to the king and his evil henchmen? If you're going to end up eating berries, it's a good idea to know the difference between the ones that will make you feel better and the ones that will leave you sick.Region Navigation
Can't see the forest for the trees? Finding the Underdark keeps twisting around in circles? An ocean all around you and no idea where you are? Take some time to learn how to navigate the world and never feel lost again. When picking this skill, select a region from the Regional Lore expertise. You can take this skill multiple times, selecting a new region each time.Rope Mastery
You might not want to kill your foes, but they certainly can't be allowed to walk around freely. Why not tie them up with a rope? Or tie off a rope as an impromptu ladder for those times you're in the dungeon and a ladder cannot be found.Skinning
Animals need to be skinned before becoming the leather armor that ends up protecting your more lightly armored friends and warming more northern peoples. It is recommended for DMs to set the DC based on how difficult removal is and to reward failures with lower yields.Tracking
Not everyone can be so lucky as to track foes through wet mud or snow. Being skilled in spotting the tell-tale signs of your prey through the best and worst of conditions is useful to most adventuring groups.Trapping
If the whole 'slowly chase animals and shoot them with arrows' thing isn't working for you, try luring them with some bait into a trap! It is advised that the DM sets the DC based on how plentiful creatures are in the area.Weather Sense
Storm's a brewin' and you can tell! Know what the weather will be like in a few hours or even a few days, if you're really good at it.Charisma
Deception
Deception is broken into five subskills: Acting, Boasting, Disguise, Fast Talking, and Mimicry.Acting
From impressing audiences in the amphitheaters of large cities to tricking mob bosses in sewer lairs, the skill of Acting can be plied widely across the land.Boasting
Drunks from taverns across the world, trained or otherwise, flood the ears of passers-by with the Boasting skill. Of course, every single boasted tale is absolutely factual as well!Disguise
This is the ability to apply pigments, makeup, and prosthetics to literally make someone look unlike themselves. The DM should set the DC according to how difficult it would be to make the target look like something else.Fast-talk
Your lips are just as quick as your wits, and combining both throws people off of the intent of your words and directly where you want them (provided they don't notice your duplicity).Mimicry
Calling out to a goblin tribe, mimicking their war boss, and having them let prisoners loose is a great test of your Mimicry skill. Of course, sounding like someone isn't enough to convince people you are them but it's a start.Intimidation
Intimidation is broken into two subskills: Torture and Savagery.Torture
Extracting information from a source by force. The DM should use a Constitution or an Endurance (Pain Tolerance) roll to set the DC for using this skill.Savagery
Talking to barbarians, tribal creatures, and other so-called 'uncivilized' societies require a different set of skills from playing around in a court. The Savagery skill is used in the same way that Etiquette is used in civilized places or Zeal in locations of faith.Performance
Performance is broken down into seven subskills: Comedy, Dancing, Entertainment Mastery, Pantomime, Oratory, Poetry, and Singing.Entertainment Mastery
You have mastered a form of entertainment appropriate to specific situations. When picking this subskill, select a style. You can take this subskill multiple times, selecting one new style each time. You can use this subskill to perform in a way that is particularly fitting to a specific situation. If you use an instrument you are proficient with, you gain advantage to your skill check.- Tavern Music - jolly or raucous songs of simple nature
- Ceremonial - fit for weddings, funerals, or other rituals
- Storytelling - telling great stories that inspire others
- Emotional - music that makes people laugh or weep
- Concerto - exquisite performance for the high classes
