Skills Defined

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.

### 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.

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.

By suffering disadvantage on your Acrobatics skill check to escape bonds, you can do so without being noticed. A GM may also decide that this is a complex skill challenge.

Kip Up: You can get back to your feet by doing a flip back onto your feet. With a successful Acrobatics check (DC 20), you stand up from a prone position as a bonus action and do not spend extra movement to stand.

Maintain Balance: You can use Acrobatics to move on narrow surfaces and uneven ground without falling. A successful check allows you to move at half speed across such surfaces. If you take damage while using Acrobatics, 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.

Move through an Enemy Square: you can move through an enemy square by using Acrobatics with an opposed Acrobatics vs. Dexterity 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. Your GM may subject you to an opportunity attack instead of ending your movement.

Roll with Fall: When you deliberately fall any distance, even as a result of a missed jump, a DC 15 Acrobatics skill check allows you to ignore the first 10 feet fallen. You become prone if you take damage from a fall. At DC 25 you can ignore 20 feet of falling damage.

### 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.

Control Mount in Battle: In place of your own movement, you can attempt to control a light horse, pony, heavy horse, or other mount not trained for combat riding while in battle with a DC 20 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check. If you fail the Animal Handling check, you can do nothing else in that round. You do not need to roll for horses or ponies trained for combat.

Fast Mount or Dismount: You can attempt to mount or dismount from a mount of up to one size category larger than yourself as a bonus action by making a Dexterity (Animal Handling) skill check. If you fail the Animal Handling check, mounting or dismounting takes an action. You can’t use fast mount or dismount on a mount more than one size category larger than yourself.

Guide Mount with Knees: You can guide your mount with your knees so you can use both hands in combat. Make a DC 10 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check at the start of your turn. If you fail, you can use only one hand this round because you need to use the other to control your mount. This does not take an action.

Mounted Leap: You can get your mount to leap obstacles as part of its movement with a DC 15 Widsom (Animal Handling) skill check. If the Animal Handling check to make the leap succeeds, make a jump check using your mount’s Athletics skill or your Animal Handling, whichever is lower, to see how far the creature can jump. If you fail your Animal Handling check, you fall off the mount when it leaps and take the appropriate falling damage (at least 1d6 points). This usage does not take an action but is part of the mount’s movement.

Placate Beast: If you have a tasty morsel or other treat, you can silence an angry beast or convince it to leave you alone. You can attempt to influence a beast’s mood by giving the creature a day’s worth of edible food appropriate to its diet and making an DC 10 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check. If the check succeeds, the beast ignores you to devour the food. If you exceed the DC by 10, the target will regard you as friendly the next time it encounters you. Failure results in you provoking an opportunity attack from the creature and you cannot try again against the same target for 24 hours. This skill works only against creatures of the beast creature types.

Spur Mount: You can spur your mount to greater speed as a bonus action with a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) skill check. A successful Animal Handling check increases the mount’s speed by 10 feet for 1 round but deals 1d3 points of damage to the creature. You can use this ability every round, but the mount becomes fatigued after a number of rounds equal to its Constitution score. This ability cannot be used on a fatigued mount.

Stay Mounted: You can react instantly to try to avoid falling when your mount rears or bolts unexpectedly or when you take damage with a DC 10 Dexterity (Animal Handling) skill check. This usage does not take an action.

Study Beast: Animals rely on relatively simple tactics and maneuvers in combat, allowing you to get a handle on their plans with a close study of their actions and bearing. You may make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check against an animal as an action. The DC of this check equals the creature’s passive Deception (10 + Deception bonus). If the check succeeds, you know one of the creature’s abilities or gain either a +1 bonus on attacks or Armor Class against the creature as you learn to anticipate its actions in combat. If you fail, you cannot try again against the same creature type for 24 hours.

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. You can’t attack or cast spells while using your mount as cover. If you fail your Animal Handling check, you don’t get the cover benefit. Using this option is a reaction, but recovering from this position is a bonus action (no check required).

Teach an Animal a Trick: You can teach an animal a specific trick with one week of work and a successful Animal Handling check against the indicated DC. An animal with an Intelligence score of 1 can learn a maximum of three tricks, while an animal with an Intelligence score of 2 can learn a maximum of six tricks.

The following tricks can be taught to animals by training the animal for a week and making a successful Handle Animal skill check against the listed DC.

Aid (DC 15): The animal can use the Help action to aid a specific ally in combat. You may point to a particular creature that you wish the animal to aid, and it will comply if able. The animals aid grants advantage on the roll if applicable.

Attack (DC 15): The animal attacks apparent enemies. You may point to a particular creature that you wish the animal to attack, and it will comply if able. Normally, an animal will attack only humanoids, giants, or other animals. Teaching an animal to attack all creatures (including such unnatural creatures as undead and aberrations) counts as two tricks.

Bombard (DC 25): A flying animal 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 animal cannot throw the object, and must be able to fly directly over the target.

Break Out (DC 20): On command, the animal 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 animal 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 animal’s ability.

Bury (DC 15): An animal with this trick can be instructed to bury an object in its possession. The animal normally seeks a secluded place to bury its object. An animal with both bury and fetch can be instructed to fetch an item it has buried.

Come (DC 15): The animal comes to you, even if it normally would not do so.

Defend (DC 20): The animal defends you (or is ready to defend you if no threat is present), even without any command being given. Alternatively, you can command the animal to defend a specific other character. When defending you, it can cause one attack per round against an adjacent creature that attacks you to be made with disadvantage.

Deliver (DC 15): The animal 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 animal drops the item and returns to you. If you indicate a person, the animal stays adjacent to the person until the item is taken.

Detect (DC 25): The animal is trained to seek out the smells of explosives and poisons, unusual noises or echoes, air currents, and other common elements signifying potential dangers or secret passages. When commanded, the animal 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 animal is not intelligent, any number of strange mechanisms, doors, scents, or unfamiliar objects may catch the animal’s attention.

Down (DC 15): The animal breaks off from combat or otherwise backs down. An animal that doesn’t know this trick continues to fight until it must flee (due to injury, a fear effect, or the like) or its opponent is defeated.

Entertain (DC 25): The animal can dance, sing, or perform some other impressive and enjoyable trick to entertain those around it. At the command of its owner, the animal can make a Charisma (Performance) check to show off its talent. Willing onlookers or those who fail an opposed Insight check suffer disadvantage on Perception checks to notice anything but the animal entertaining them. Tricksters and con artists often teach their animals to perform this trick while they pickpocket viewers or sneak about unnoticed.

Exclusive (DC 20): The animal takes directions only from the handler who taught it this trick. If an animal has both the exclusive and serve tricks, it takes directions only from the handler that taught it the exclusive trick and those creatures indicated by the trainer’s serve command. An animal with the exclusive trick does not take trick commands from others even if it is friendly or helpful toward them (such as through the result of an animal friendship spell), though this does not prevent it from being controlled by other enchantment spells (such as dominate animal), and the animal still otherwise acts as a friendly or helpful creature when applicable.

Fetch (DC 15): The animal goes and gets something. If you do not point out a specific item, the animal fetches some random object.

Flank (DC 20): You can instruct an animal to attack a foe you point to and always attempt to be adjacent to (and threatening) that foe. If you or an ally is also threatening the foe, the animal attempts to flank the foe, if possible. It always takes opportunity attacks when possible. The animal must know the attack trick before it can learn this trick.

Flee (DC 20): The animal 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 animal 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 animal to evade capture, then return later to help free its friends.

Get Help (DC 20): With this trick, a trainer can designate a number of creatures up to the animal’s Intelligence score as “help.” When the command is given, the animal attempts to find one of those people and bring her back to the handler, even if that means journeying a long distance to the last place it encountered the target creature.

Guard (DC 20): The animal stays in place and prevents others from approaching. It makes threatening noise when it detects the approach of others it is not familiar with.

Heel (DC 15): The animal follows you closely, even to places where it normally wouldn’t go.

Hunt (DC 20): This trick allows an animal to use its natural stalking or foraging instincts to find food and return it to the animal’s handler. An animal with this trick may attempt Wisdom (Survival) checks to provide food for others or lead them to water and shelter. An animal with this trick may use the Help action to assist Survival checks made by its handler for these purposes.

Perform (DC 15): The animal performs a variety of simple tricks, such as sitting up, rolling over, roaring or barking, and so on.

Maneuver (DC 20): The animal is trained to use a specific combat maneuver on command. An animal must know the attack trick before it can be taught the maneuver trick, and it only performs maneuvers against targets it would normally attack. This trick can be taught to an animal multiple times. Each time it is taught, the animal can be commanded to use a different combat maneuver.

Menace (DC 20): A menacing animal 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 animal ceases attacking, but continues to menace.

Seek (DC 15): The animal moves into an area and looks around for anything that is obviously alive or animate.

Serve (DC 15): An animal with this trick willingly takes orders from a creature you designate. If the creature you tell the animal to serve knows what tricks the animal has, it can instruct the animal to perform these tricks using your Animal Handling bonus on the check instead of its own. The animal treats the designated ally as friendly. An animal can unlearn this trick with 1 week of training. This trick can be taught to an animal multiple times. Each time it is taught, the animal can serve an additional creature you designate.

Sneak (DC 15): The animal can be ordered 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.

Stay (DC 15): The animal stays in place, waiting for you to return. It does not challenge other creatures that come by, though it still defends itself if it needs to.

Track (DC 20): The animal tracks the scent presented to it. (This requires the animal to have the scent ability)

Throw Rider (DC 15): The animal can attempt to fling a creature riding it to the ground. Treat this as a trip combat maneuver that applies to all creatures riding the animal, and that does not provoke opportunity attacks. An animal that knows the throw rider and exclusive tricks can be instructed to attempt to automatically throw anyone other than its trainer who attempts to ride it.

Watch (DC 15): The animal 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.

Work (DC 15): The animal pulls or pushes a medium or heavy load. You can attempt to push an animal to perform a trick that it does not know, but the skill attempt is made with disadvantage. The GM may not allow the roll at all if the attempt is too unrealistic.

### 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.

Identify a Spell or Spell Effect: You can identify a spell effect that is in a fixed location with an Intelligence (Arcana) check of DC 15 + spell level. If you are not proficient with the Arcana skill, you have disadvantage on checks for this skill use. If you are proficient with the Arcana skill and see the components used, you gain advantage on this skill use.

You can identify a magic item with an Intelligence (Arcana) check depending on the rarity of the item. If you are not proficient with Arcana, you suffer disadvantage on this skill use.

On a failed roll, the character must wait at least 24 hours before attempting a new Arcana check to identify the item.

Identify Magical Materials: You can identify materials manufactured by magic with an Intelligence (Arcana) check of DC 15 + spell level. If you are not proficient with the Arcana skill, you have disadvantage on checks for this skill use.

Planar Lore: You can recall general lore about the planes of existence with an Intelligence (Arcana) check DC 15. If you are not proficient with the Arcana skill, you have disadvantage on checks for this skill use.

Identify Supernatural Creature: You can identify aberrations, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, monstrosities, oozes and undead with a DC of 15 + their challenge rating. If you are not proficient with the Arcana skill, you have disadvantage on checks for this skill use. 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.

Analyze Magic Trap: After you (or an ally within 30 feet) discover a magic trap using the Perception skill or by other means, you can attempt to determine the exact nature of the trap using detect magic and the Arcana skill. The DC of this check equals 20 + the trap’s challenge rating. 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. If you are not proficient with the Arcana skill, you have disadvantage on checks for this skill use.

Determine Spellcaster Power: Observing an opponent cast a spell or use a spell-like ability in action, you can, as a reaction, with a successful Arcana check, identify the opponent’s caster level and the highest spell level they can cast with a DC 20 skill check. If the spellcaster uses a feat or special class ability, that too can be identified with a successful Arcana check DC 20.

### Athletics

Your Strength (Athletics) check covers difficult situations you encounter while climbing, jumping, or swimming. Examples include the following activities:

Jumping: You can use the Athletics skill to make jumps. You can make a long jump with a number of feet equal to your skill check. You can make a high jump equal to your skill check result divided by four.

Creatures with greater than 30’ movement gain advantage on any running jump check.

Pole Use: If you use a pole as part of an Athletics jump check you gain advantage on the check (but must drop the pole).

Faster Base Movement: Creatures with a base land speed above 30 feet have advantage on Acrobatics checks. Creatures with a base land speed below 30 feet suffer disadvantage on Acrobatics checks made to jump. No jump can allow you to exceed your maximum movement for the round.

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.

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

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. You also do not gain the benefits of a shield while climbing. 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. If any of the surfaces are slippery (from rain, greased, etc.) the checks are made with disadvantage. You can also climb at full speed by making the Athletics check with disadvantage. The use of pitons (or a climber’s kit) grants advantage.

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.

Catch a Falling Character While Climbing: If someone climbing above you or adjacent to you falls, you can attempt to catch the falling character if he or she is within your reach. Doing so requires a successful Athletics check DC 20 (possibly more or less by circumstance). If successful, you must immediately attempt a climb check equal to the climb DC. Success indicates that you catch the falling character, but his total weight, including equipment, cannot exceed your heavy load limit or you also fall.

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.

Slow Descent: It is possible to slow your descent if you fall. You might attempt to grab ahold of rocks, branches or vines when falling. If you make a DC 15 Athletics check, you are able to reduce your effective falling height by 10’. At DC 25 you can reduce your falling height by 20’.

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.

If you are underwater, either because you failed an Athletics check or because you are swimming underwater intentionally, you must hold your breath.

You can hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to twice your Constitution score, but only if you do nothing other than movement or free interactions.

If you take an Attack action or other strenuous action, the remainder of the duration for which you can hold your breath is reduced by 1 round. (Effectively, a character in combat can hold his breath only half as long as normal.) After that period of time, you must make a DC 10 Constitution save every round to continue holding your breath. Each round, the DC for that save increases by 1. If you fail the Constitution save, you begin to drown. The DC for the swim check depends on the water, as given on the table below.

Each hour that you swim, you must make a DC 20 Constitution save or gain a level of exhaustion.

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.

Additionally, if a creature with a swim speed wears heavier armors, its swim speed is halved.

Drowning Rules

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 0.

When characters are drowning, they make death saves as normal, with the exception that three successes do not cause them to regain consciousness. Drowning characters die when they accumulate three failed death saves regardless of successes.

Unconscious characters must begin making Constitution saves immediately upon being submerged (or upon becoming unconscious if the character was conscious when submerged). 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.

Swing on Vines: The deep forests and jungles of the world are choked with hanging vines and flexible branches. Some characters can use these objects as impromptu ropes and swing lines, giving them the ability to move with incredible speed, far removed from the dangers of the forest floor.

In order to use Athletics in this manner, there must be sufficient flexible branches and vines for you to grasp and they must be long enough to allow you to swing between trees. For this reason, this skill use can only be used in forest, jungle, and some swamp terrain (specifically, swampy forests). The DC of moving along using this skill use is a base of 20. Failure by 4 or less means you do not move but can try again (having missed your next hand hold); failure by 5 or more results in you falling (and possibly taking falling damage).

### 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, then you have advantage on the roll.

If your deception is highly unlikely or the target mistrusts you, then 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. This allows you to make a Deception check by creating a quick disguise. 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 into which you can escape. 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. Other creatures that hear the message can decipher the message by succeeding at an opposed Insight check against your Deception result.

Deceive or 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 believability 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).

Disguise: Your Deception check result determines how good the disguise is, and it is opposed by others’ Perception or Insight check results. 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), use the character’s passive perception as your DC.

You get only one disguise attempt per use of the skill, even if several people are making Perception checks against it.

The effectiveness of your disguise depends in part on how much you’re attempting to change your appearance.

If you are impersonating a particular individual, those who know what that person looks like gain advantage on their Perception checks. Furthermore, they are automatically considered to be suspicious of you, so opposed checks are always called for.

Disguise a Weapon: You can hide a weapon on your person, often in plain sight by making it appear as some ornament or other harmless keepsake. When you strike with it, you may surprise your enemy and gain advantage on your attack. When you do so, make an Intelligence (Deception) check opposed by your foe’s passive or active Perception check. If your check succeeds, your opponent is considered surprised in regards to your next attack. Anyone who searches you must make a Perception check opposed by your Deception check to find the weapon. They gain no special bonus on this check— unlike with weapons hidden using the Sleight of Hand skill because you have physically modified the weapon in order to disguise it.

Fast-Talk: With meaningless fast-talk and quickthinking you can sometimes converse your way out of a problem you talked yourself into. The use of fasttalk 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 the next time you take damage. Make the Deception check with a DC equal to any observer’s passive Perception check. As a rule of thumb, only opponents directly engaged against you should gain an active check, unless you are actively being observed by a group. 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. Once your action ends, your foes know that you are alive.

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.

Feint in Combat: See the combat section for more on this use.

Impressive Distraction: With a successful Intelligence (Deception) check, you create a large obvious distraction that draws everyone’s attention for 1 round. The DC of this check is equal to your opponent’s passive Insight score. Allies are able to use the Stealth skill or to flee until they are out of sight during this time. There may be opponents who were aware of you or your allies before you make this attempt, if any of your allies attempt to attack those opponents during this round, that attempt negates the beneficial effect of this skill use.

Obfuscate Spellcasting: When casting a spell, you can attempt 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 Perception check (spellcasters gain advantage on their Perception check). Each observer who fails to beat your Deception check fails to determine that you are casting a spell. If creatures can see the spell’s effect project outward from you, they know you cast a spell. You must perform this Deception check at the time you cast the spell.

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 your bed. You must succeed at a Deception check with a DC equal to their Wisdom score (or opposed by Insight). 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 (otherwise checks are made with disadvantage). 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 more than one active seduced partner that provides these benefits equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

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. This is always treated as far-fetched circumstances, resulting in disadvantage on the check. 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).

### 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.

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. If you are not proficient in the History skill, this attempt is made with disadvantage.

Identify Humanoid Creatures: You can identify humanoid creatures with a DC of 10 + their challenge rating. If you are not proficient with the History skill, you have disadvantage on checks for this skill use. 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.

Know Historical Facts: You can delve into general historical knowledge with a DC 10 Intelligence (History) check. Lesser-known facts are a DC 15 and relatively rare facts DC 20. Obscure or “lost” information may impose disadvantage on this check.

Local Knowledge: You know the local laws, customs, nobility and, popular locations with a DC 10 Intelligence (History) check. With a DC 15 you can pick up local rumors or other less well known information. A DC 20 check is needed for more obscure information.

Appraise Art Object: A successful DC 10 Intelligence (History) check will allow you to identify the value of an art object. If you fail the check by more than 5, you widely exaggerate or misidentify the value of the item.

### 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:

The GM may feel free to rule that some cultures, languages, etc., are so alien that they impose disadvantage on the skill check.

Discern Secret Message: You may use Insight skill to detect that a hidden message is being transmitted via the Deception skill. In this case, your Insight check is opposed by the Deception check of the character transmitting the message. If you succeed by 4 or less, you know that something hidden is being communicated, but you can’t learn anything specific about its content. If you beat the DC by 5 or more, you intercept and understand the message. If you fail by 4 or less, you don’t detect any hidden communication. If you fail by 5 or more, you might infer false information. You suffer disadvantage on this skill check if you do not have all of the pieces of information related to the secret message (words, pages, codes, etc.).

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 from another’s behavior that something is wrong, such as when you’re talking to an impostor. Alternatively, you can get the feeling that someone is trustworthy.

Read Target: You can sometimes 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 Deception check 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, use a ranged attack against a specific target, or flee. You do not learn exactly which spell she plans to use, but you do know their target. You may then take your action as normal. 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.

You may also use this skill in combat to attempt to determine your foe’s next attack. By knowing where the attack is coming from, you can gain a measure of defense against it. You may make a Perception check as a reaction when your foe attacks or takes a harmful action. This is an opposed roll against the foe’s attack roll. If you are successful, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC against that attack.

You can also use an 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 three rounds, you may make an Insight check at DC 20 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. If your check succeeds, you determine what classes someone has levels in and what professions or crafts he practices. If you attempt to use this skill against a disguised person, your Insight check made at disadvantage, as you might falsely predict their disguised attempt. On a successful check, you notice that your subject seeks to conceal his true identity otherwise you get the information the disguised person wishes to provide. If you exceed the check by 10 or more you make an educated guess at the total character level (but not racial Hit Dice).

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.

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. The DC of this check is equal to the target’s Wisdom score. 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.

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 kill an opponent outright by dropping her from positive hit points to death (negative hit points equal to their Constitution score), you may make an Intimidate check against another foe within 30’ as a bonus action.

The slain foe must have been able to fight when you cut her down. A paralyzed or otherwise helpless opponent does not qualify for this use of the Intimidate skill. The DC of this check is equal to the second foe’s Wisdom score. 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/Intimidate: You make a threat of a physical (Strength) or more subtle nature (Charisma) against a target. As an action, make an Intimidate skill check against a target within 30’. The DC of this check is equal to the second foe’s Wisdom score. 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 mindaffecting effect.

You can also use this skill to 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, the target treats you as unfriendly and may likely report you to local authorities.

You gain advantage on threatening targets if you are one or more sizes larger, and suffer disadvantage if you are one or more sizes smaller.

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 Intimidate to force an opponent to act helpfully toward you or speak truthfully with a successful check. The target makes an opposed Constitution or Wisdom save (target’s choice) to resist. The NPC then provides Information based on your success or failure. A failure by 5 or more results in the target providing false information. You can make this check only once per day against a particular target, and its effects last until the next day.

You cannot take 20 on this check. Creatures immune to critical hits, pain, or fear effects cannot be intimidated in this way.

### 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.

Appraise Item: You can use the Investigation skill to appraise the value of most items. A DC 10 appraise check determines the value of a common item. A DC 15 determines the value of uncommon items. 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. Particularly rare or exotic items might increase the DC of this check by 5 or more.

You can also use this check to determine the most valuable item visible in a treasure hoard or on a person. The DC of this check is generally 20 but can increase to as high as 30 for a particularly large hoard.

You can also use this check to determine the rough value of an entire hoard with a DC 20 check.

Detect Forgery: You can use the Investigation skill 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 equal to or greater than the DC achieved when crafting the forgery.

Determine a Magic Item’s Properties: You can use Investigation to determine a magic item’s properties in lieu of the Arcana skill. When you do so, you suffer disadvantage on the check.

Gather Information: You can use Intelligence (Investigation) 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 depends on the obscurity of the information sought, but for most commonly known facts or rumors it is 10. For obscure or secret knowledge, the DC might increase to 20 or higher. The GM might rule that some topics are simply unknown to common folk.

While seeking out news and information, you can choose to keep a low profile. You 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. If you fail your Persuasion check by 5 or more, you are automatically noticed as someone seeking information about the subject.

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.

### Medicine

A Wisdom (Medicine) check lets you try to stabilize a dying companion or diagnose an illness.

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 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 Medicine check (the check is made in secret by the GM, see retry), along with the DC of the check.

Performing an autopsy requires approximately three hours. At the end of this time, you can make two checks (typically cause of death and examining the injury that caused death). Each additional check takes an additional thirty minutes to perform.

Cause of Death can be useful when you want to know if the crushing damage came after the victim was poisoned. This only provides general information: “She died as a result of decapitation” or “She appears to have died of natural causes.” To obtain more specific details, you must make an additional check to examine the injury or determine the nature of foreign substances.

Examine Injury allows you to obtain information about a specific wound. If you make the check, you determine the basic cause of the injury (a narrow blade, a small blunt object, teeth). If your check beats the DC by 5 or more, you gain specific details about the weapon that caused the injury (a double-edged dagger with a six-inch blade). If your check beats the DC by 10 or more, you gain information about the manner in which the wound was inflicted (the attacker was left-handed, about six feet tall, and probably grabbed her from behind).

Presence of Foreign Substances reveals whether the victim had drugs, poison, or high levels of alcohol in his system when he died. As with a cause of death check, this information is not specific; it simply determines that something unnatural was present at the time of death.

Nature of Foreign Substances allows you to determine the specific nature of any substance you have identified. You must discover the presence of foreign substances before you can attempt to determine their nature.

Time of Death reveals when the victim was killed. This is an imprecise science at best. If the user does not possess proficiency in Arcana, time of death can only be determined to within 4d6 hours. With access to Arcana, the time can be pinpointed to within 1d6 hours. You cannot try again after a failed roll. If you miss the check by 10 or more points you may come to a false conclusion, otherwise you will just be unable to obtain any useful information.

Special: 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.

Certain poisons and drugs may be harder to detect than others. The GM should consider the poisons that exist within the game world; those that are difficult to trace could increase the DC of checks made to determine cause of death, presence of foreign substances, and nature of foreign substances by up to 5 points.

During the course of an autopsy, you may also make a Perception check to notice any unusual details about the corpse. There may not be any; but perhaps you will notice a few threads of cloth caught under the victim’s fingernails, or a small tattoo that will prove to be relevant later. It is up to the GM to determine whether there are any facts to be discovered, and if so, what the DC of the check should be.

Diagnose: When preparing to treat someone, you can examine their wounds or condition and determine several facts about the poison, disease, or condition affecting her and a rough estimate of their hit points (25% crippled, 50% injured, 75% battered, or mostly unharmed). You cannot use this skill to know the hit point totals of creatures, merely there relative health in relation to those hit points.

If a detrimental condition or effect had a saving throw you may attempt to diagnose it. At the start of your next turn the GM makes a secret Medicine check for you with a DC equal to or exceeding the DC of the spell or effect that caused the detrimental condition.

On a successful check, you determine the nature of the problem, the future effects, the amount of potential harm or hindrance it will cause (for example how much damage it will do), and its potential duration.

Note that rare or exotic conditions or effects may have a higher DC, at the GM’s discretion.

If your skill check is 10 or higher than the DC, the GM will suggest a potential cure for the condition. If your skill check is 10 or lower than the DC, you misdiagnose the patient’s problems. The GM provides you with incorrect information regarding the nature of the problem, the amount of potential harm/hindrance caused by the effect, and its potential duration. A successful diagnosis grants you advantage on subsequent attempts to aid the victim. A misdiagnosis causes disadvantage to such skill checks.

First Aid: You usually use first aid to save a dying character. A character receiving first aid may use either their death save check or the practitioner’s Medicine check as his death save result.

Identify Drugs/Pharmaceuticals: The Medicine skill can be used to identify and understand pharmaceuticals. The DC varies by rarity.

Malpractice: You must also be proficient in Deception to use Medicine in this fashion. Rather than making a Medicine check to perform 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 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 the creature is helpless this is considered a coup-de-grace attack. If under the watchful eye of others (including your patient), your Medicine check is opposed by another’s Insight or Medicine, a failure on your part results in them detecting your malpractice and they may attempt to intervene. If someone successfully performs a first aid check before the beginning of your next turn, the damage is negated.

Provide Long-Term Care: Providing long-term care means treating a wounded person for a day or more. If your Medicine check is successful, the patient may expend Hit Dice and automatically gain the maximum result.

You can tend as many as six patients at a time. You need a few items and supplies (bandages, salves, and so on) that are easy to come by in settled lands. Giving long-term care counts as light activity for the healer.

You cannot give long-term care to yourself.

Treat Deadly Wounds: You must expend a use from a healer’s kit to perform this task. You suffer disadvantage on your check if you lack a healer’s kit.

When treating deadly wounds, you can restore hit points to a damaged creature. Treating deadly wounds forces a character to expend a use of their daily Hit Dice. These Hit Dice are rolled as normal.

Treat Disease: To treat a disease means to tend to a single diseased character. Every time the diseased character makes a saving throw against disease effects, you make a Medicine check. The target may use your Medicine check or their own save roll as their saving throw against the effect.

Treat Poison: To treat poison means to tend to a single character who has been poisoned and who is going to take more damage from the poison (or suffer some other effect). Every time the poisoned character makes a saving throw against the poison, you make a Medicine check. The target may use your Medicine check or their own save roll as their saving throw against the effect.

### Nature

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

Dungeoneering: A Wisdom (Dungeoneering) check will allow you to identify underground hazards with a DC of 10 plus the hazard’s CR (or listed Perception DC). In addition, you can determine slope (DC 10) and depth underground (DC 15) using this skill.

Identify Natural Creature: You can identify beasts, giants, and, plants with a DC of 10 + their challenge rating. If you are not proficient with the Nature skill, you have disadvantage on checks for this skill use. 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.

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. If you fail the check by more than 5, you widely exaggerate or misidentify the item. If you are not proficient in Nature, you suffer disadvantage on this skill use.

Know Geography: A DC 10 Wisdom (Nature) check will allow you to know your relative location geographically or on a map. You can find other locations with a DC 10 check if they are well-known.

Less known locations are a DC 15 and relatively unknown locations are a DC 20. Secret locations impose disadvantage on this check.

### Perception

Your Wisdom (Perception) check lets you spot, hear, or otherwise detect the presence of something. 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.

Notice Someone/Something: Perception has a number of uses, the most common of which is an opposed check versus an opponent’s Stealth check to notice the opponent and avoid being surprised. If you are successful, you notice the opponent and can react accordingly. If you fail, your opponent can take a variety of actions, including sneaking past you and attacking you.

Perception is also used to notice fine details in the environment. The DC to notice such details varies depending upon distance, the environment, and how noticeable the detail is. The following table gives a number of guidelines.

Identify Weak Spot: As an action, make a DC 25 Intelligence (Perception) check to pinpoint a weak spot in an object or weapon. This object must be in your threatened area in order for you to examine an object closely enough. If you succeed, you gain advantage on sunder attempts against that weapon or a +2 bonus to damage against an object. If you can examine the object in your close proximity for at least one round, you gain advantage on this check.

You can also use this skill against armor. As an action, make a DC 25 Intelligence (Perception) check against a foe who stands in your threatened area. If you succeed, you gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls against this foe for the rest of the encounter. For this check to be effective, your target must have an armor or natural armor bonus to Armor Class from some type of observable physical armor. Your GM may judge that certain protective measures, such as bracers of armor, provide an armor bonus but are not subject to this use of Perception. As a rule of thumb, this Perception check works only against suits of armor and natural armor, not magic devices that offer similar protection in a different form.

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. (This use of the skill is language-dependent.)

When you make the attempt, the GM makes the roll in secret (DC 25, 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.

### 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 one category of perform that you are proficient in when you choose proficiency in the Perform skill. Other proficiencies may be added through training. Other performances may be available at the GM’s permission.

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). This use of the Perform skill can only influence NPCs whose attitude toward you is indifferent or friendly, and any attempts to influence hostile or unfriendly NPCs in this manner automatically fail. 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 the attitudes of indifferent or friendly NPCs in the audience.

### 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.

Bargaining and Negotiating: 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. Bargaining is a complex skill check. The DC of the skill check is equal to the target’s Wisdom score.

Generally when reselling an item, the starting value a PC can get for it is 50%. By bargaining and haggling, additional results are possible.

Successes & Item Value

Three Successes Before Two Failures: 55%

Five Successes Before Three Failures: 60%

Seven Successes Before Four Failures: 65%

Ten Successes Before Five Failures: 75%

If a character fails one of the extended checks, they simply use the previous bargain value for their item.

Generally there are only a few buyers for each type of good in a typical community. PCs should not be able to try again with dozens of other vendors until they succeed at higher results. If they do, there should be consequences such as time and possibly offending the local merchants and becoming banned from doing any business in that community.

When negotiating, a character may attempt to gain a better deal or value for a contract or service. They make a complex skill check similarly to bargaining, but against a DC equal to the NPC’s Charisma or Wisdom score (whichever is higher).

Bribery: A character can attempt to bribe an NPC for a much better Persuasion result. The formula to bribe a target is their challenge rating2 (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.

Calm Emotions: You can use Persuasion to diplomatically talk your way out of a potential fight.

When dealing with an NPC who is ready to make an attack, make a Charisma (Persuasion) check with a DC 25, to bring him to his senses. If you succeed, your opponent stops to consider your words, though he remains hostile. Your GM has the final say in determining if your Persuasion skill has any use in a situation—as a rule of thumb, this skill works in any situation that arises in a neutral or safe setting with a hostile NPC who otherwise has no particular reason to seek your death. You cannot use Persuasion against creatures that do not share a language with you or have a specific reason to attack (you attacking them or trespassing). If your opponent has not been given a good reason not to fight, you suffer disadvantage on this skill use.

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.

Influence Attitude: You can change the initial attitudes of nonplayer characters with a successful Persuasion check. The DC of this check depends on the creature’s starting attitude toward you.

Success – If you succeed, the character’s attitude toward you is improved by one step. For every 5 by which your check result exceeds the DC, the character’s attitude toward you increases by one additional step. A creature’s attitude cannot be shifted more than two steps up in this way, although the GM can override this rule in some situations.

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.

You cannot use Persuasion against a creature that does not understand you or has an Intelligence of 3 or less.

Persuasion is generally ineffective in combat and against creatures that intend to harm you or your allies in the immediate future. Any attitude shift caused through Persuasion generally lasts for 1d4 hours but can last much longer or shorter depending upon the situation (GM discretion).

Make a Request: If a creature’s attitude toward you is at least indifferent, you can attempt to make requests of the creature. This is an additional Persuasion check, using the creature’s current attitude to determine the base DC, with one of the following modifiers. 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. Some requests automatically fail if the request goes against the creature’s values or its nature, subject to GM discretion.

Parley: Using your skills of persuasion, you call for a temporary halt to fighting. Your enemies may halt to listen, but they remain alert and ready for a trick. As an action, you call for an end to the fighting and make a Charisma (Persuasion) check with a DC 20. If you succeed, your opponents ready actions to attack when you or your allies attack or take a threatening action.

You may then parlay as normal with your foes. Your GM may consider your foes to remain active on their initiative counts.

If your foes appear to have the upper hand in combat, you suffer disadvantage on this check. If your opponents appear to be losing, you gain advantage on this check.

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. In addition, you must share a language with your opponents or otherwise have some means of communicating with them or you suffer disadvantage on this check.

Gather Information: As per the Investigation skill, but you can use Charisma (Persuasion) instead. Using the skill in this manner uses your charm or social standing to coerce individuals to come forth with information. Bribing the common folk or plying them with free drinks might grant advantage on the check.

### 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 Supernatural Creature: You can identify aberrations, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, monstrosities, oozes, and undead with a DC of 15 + their challenge rating. If you are not proficient with the Religion skill, you have disadvantage on checks for this skill use. 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.

Recognize Holy Symbol: You are familiar with many of the gods and their symbols. You can make a Wisdom (Religion) check to recognize them.

Mythology: You know a wide amount of information about the gods and their various mythologies. You can make a Wisdom (Religion) check to recall facts.

### 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: You can draw a hidden weapon as a free interaction as part of your movement with a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check.

This skill use is opposed by the Perception skill of those observing.

Entertain: You can also use 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.

Hide Object: A DC 10 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check lets you palm a coin-sized, unattended object.

Performing a minor feat of legerdemain, such as making a coin disappear, also has a DC of 10 unless an observer is determined to note where the item went.

When you use this skill under close observation, your skill check is opposed by the observer’s Perception check. The observer’s success doesn’t prevent you from performing the action, just from doing it unnoticed.

You can hide a small object (including a light weapon or an easily concealed ranged weapon, such as a dart, sling, or hand crossbow) on your body. Your Sleight of Hand check is opposed by the Perception check of anyone observing you or of anyone frisking you. In the latter case, the searcher gains advantage on the Perception check, since it’s generally easier to find such an object than to hide it. A dagger (or other smaller weapon) is easier to hide than most light weapons, and grants you advantage on your Sleight of Hand check to conceal it. Heavy or baggy clothing (such as a cloak) grants you advantage on the check as well.

Disguise Weapon: You hide a weapon on your person, or make it appear as some ornament or other harmless keepsake. When you strike with it, you may surprise your enemy and leave her vulnerable to your attack. You may only hide a light or one-handed weapon on your body. Hiding weapons larger than this suffer disadvantage on your Sleight of Hand check.

Each weapon you hide in this manner gains a separate skill check.

Later, when you make an attack with the hidden weapon, if it was not detected you gain advantage on your first attack. Anyone who searches you must make a Perception check opposed by your Sleight of Hand check to find the weapon.

Plant Item: If you try to place an object on a creature (such as a pin on his clothes or something in his pocket), you must make a Sleight of Hand check.

The opponent makes a Perception check to detect the attempt, opposed by the Sleight of Hand check result you achieved when you tried to deposit the item. An opponent who succeeds on this check notices the attempt, regardless of whether you planted the item.

Palm Item: If you try to take something from a creature, you must make a DC 20 Sleight of Hand check. The opponent makes a Perception check to detect the attempt, opposed by the Sleight of Hand check result you achieved when you tried to grab the item. An opponent who succeeds on this check notices the attempt, regardless of whether you got the item.

You cannot use this skill to take an object from another creature during combat if the creature is aware of your presence.

### 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.

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 Dexterity (Stealth) check opposed by your target’s Wisdom (Perception) check.

Note that if you follow several people traveling as a group, every person you pursue makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Victims consciously looking for someone tailing them gain advantage on their check.

If you exceed the first check by 10 or more you do not need to make an additional check for that person for 1 hour.

### 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.

Avoid Getting Lost/Avoid Natural Hazards: You can use the Survival skill to avoid getting lost or avoid natural hazards and you make a Wisdom (Survival) check whenever the situation calls for one.

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. If you move at three-quarters your normal movement rate, you can make a Survival check with a -5 penalty to destroy signs of your passage (you may take 10 on this). Anyone attempting to track you must not only beat the DC of the environmental conditions, but their own check must equal or beat yours. If they fail to do this, they cannot track you.

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, as an action, 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.

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 5 or more the GM adds or subtracts (at his option) d% feet to or from the current depth.

Know Direction: You can determine true north in relation to yourself with a DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check.

Track: To find tracks or to follow them for 1 mile requires a successful Wisdom (Survival) check. You must make another Survival check every time the tracks become difficult to follow. If you are not trained in this skill, you can make untrained checks to find tracks, but you suffer disadvantage.

You move at half your normal speed while following tracks (or at your normal speed by suffering disadvantage). The DC depends on the surface and the prevailing conditions, as given on table.

1 For a group of mixed sizes, apply only the modifier for the largest size category.

2 Apply only the largest modifier from this category.

Survive in the Wilderness: You can keep yourself and others safe and fed in the wild. See Table: Survival DCs by Task for DCs for various tasks that require Survival checks.