Birch Skill Checks
In trying to make the game feel a little bit grittier, I came up with (something that probably isn't original in any way shape or form) the idea of two different types of checks: Quick and Adept.
Quick Checks
Quick Checks are ones made during combat time; you're in the heat of the moment and only have mere seconds to act. It could go totally awesome, or it could totally backfire. A Quick Check is made using a D20 and adding your proficiency modifier and ability modifier. My hope is the consistent nature of a 5% chance of rolling any number makes it reflect the chaos of a combat situation and that sometimes you get lucky (or don't).
Adept Checks
Adept checks are made outside of combat and are to reflect and showcase a characters knowledge, training and skills. An Adept Check is made rolling 2D6 and adding your relevant ability modifier and proficiency bonus for that skill. Adept checks can also be affected by other class abilities/resources such as Expertise or the spell Bless or a Bardic Inspiration. These checks are to show off what some characters such as Rogues are good at, and to show what people have trained characters for. It doesn't make sense that a high level Rogue could fail at something that could be easy technically for them due to some weird outlier percentage.
All of this boils down to what I believe for characters; if somebody is good at something, let them be good at it but also as Brian Murphy once said, "it's Lord of the Rings, not Looney Toons" and that the DM should be setting a realistic standard of what is acceptable to be rolled for and what isn't. Based on an article from the Alexandrian about skills (link here Mark), the DCs for rolling would be as follows:\
- DC 4: Easy
- DC 8: Average
- DC 12: Moderate
- DC 16: Difficult
- DC 20: Implausible
This scale to me, feels more appropriate as it really highlights two important things in my mind: both ends of that spectrum. Sometimes as a DM you need a player to roll for something so having a small chance of failure at least on paper is something they can pass by. Without any additional bonuses to the roll, on rolling 2D6 a player has just over an 8% chance of failure (technically 8.34%) but even a character proficient in that skill basically removes that obstacle if even slightly and it only goes up the more proficient they are.
Compare that to a D20 roll from an untrained character and that sits at a whopping 15% of failing something that should be easy (reduced only to 10% if they are trained).
On the other end of all of that, is Implausible.\ I, as a DM, don't ever want to call for a roll that is impossible.
If players want to do something that is incredibly unlikely to happen and want to put the resources like class abilities, potions, spells etc into making it happen then I want to reward a player/party for that but I don't want them to just do absolutely insane things because I let them roll for it. Having Implausible be within the realm of possibility for something but having the ultimate decision come down to me as a DM whether something is impossible or implausible feels like a good balance.
I'm still working things out obviously, and all of this is still just in the idea phase (I even considered just bringing back the saves from 3e, I mean I still am too, but you know) but I'm really hoping to make everything feel relevant to your character and to have things all tie into each other and to make sense (as much as I can).
If anybody who is better at math than me (and if I ever upgrade this blog so I can post images, I promise to post my Any Dice attempts at math) wants to come in and correct me on anything then yes, please do so.