Page 175 - Player's Handbook

before you apply it. For example, the rogue's Expertise is holding dosed. In situations like these, the outcome
feature doubles the proficiency bonus for certain ability is determined bya special form of ability check,
checks. If a circumstance suggests that your proficiency called a contest.
bonus applies more than once to the same roll, you still Both participants in a contest make ability checks
add it only once and multiply or divide it only once. appropriate to their efforts. They apply ali appropriate
By the same token, if a feature ar effect allows you bonuses and penalties, but instead of comparing the
to multiply your proficiency bonus when making an total to a DC, they compare the totaIs of their two
ability check that wouldn't normally benefit from your checks. The participant with the higher check total wins
proficiency bonus, you still don't add the bonus to the the contest. That character ar monster either succeeds
check. For that check your proficiency bonus is O, given at the action or prevents the other one from succeeding.
the fact that multiplying O by any number is still O. For If the contest results in a tie, the situation remains the
instance, if you lack proficiency in the History skill, same as it was before the contest. Thus, one contestant
you gain no benefit from a feature that lets you double might win the contest by default. If two characters tie in
your proficiency bonus when you make Intelligence a contest to snatch a ring off the fioor, neither character
(History) checks. grabs it. In a contest between a monster trying to open
In general, you don't multiply your proficiency bonus a doar and an adventurer trying to keep the doar dosed,
for attack rolls or saving throws. If a feature ar effect a tie means that the door remains shut.
allows you to do so, these same rules apply.
SKILLS
ABILITY CHECKS Each ability covers a broad range of capabilities,
An ahility check tests a character's ar monster's innate induding skills that a character or a monster can be
talent and training in an effort to overcome a challenge. proficient in. A skill represents a specific aspect of an
The DM calls for an ability check when a character ar ability score, and an individual's proficiency in a skill
monster attempts an aclion (other than an attack) that demonstrates a focus on that aspect. (A character's
has a chance of failure. When the outcome is uncertain, starting skill proficiencies are determined at character
the dice determine the results. creation, and a monster's skill proficiencies appear in
For every ability check, the DM decides which of the six the monster's stat block.)
abilities is relevant to the task at hand and the difficulty For example, a Dexterity check might refiect a
of the task, represented bya Difficulty Class. The more character's attempt to pull off an acrobatic stunt, to paIm
difficult a task, the higher its DC. The Typical Difficulty an object, or to stay hidden. Each of these aspects of
Classes table shows the most common DCs. Dexterity has an associated skill: Acrobatics, Sleight of
Hand, and Stealth, respectively. So a character who has
TVPICAL DIFFICULTV CLASSES proficiency in the Stealth skill is particularly good at
Dexterity checks related to sneaking and hiding.
Task Difficulty DC The skills related to each ability score are shown in
Veryeasy 5 the following list. (No skills are related to Constitution.)
Easy 10 See an ability's description in the later sections of this
Medium 15 chapter for examples of how to use a skill associated
Ha~ 20 with an ability.
Very hard 25
Nearly impossible 30 Strength Wisdom
Athletics Animal Handling
To make an ability check, roll a d20 and add the Dexterity Insight
relevant ability modifier. As with other d20 rolls, apply Acrobatics Medicine
bonuses and penalties, and compare the total to the De. Sleight of Hand Perception
If the total equals or exceeds the DC, the ability check Stealth Survival
is a success-the creature overcomes the challenge Charisma
at hand. Otherwise, it's a failure, which means the Intelligence Deception
character or monster makes no progress toward the Arcana Intimidation
objective ar makes progress combined with a setback History Performance
determined by the DM. Investigation Persuasion
Nature
CONTESTS Religion
Sometimes one character's or monster's efforts are Sometimes, the DM might ask for an ability check
directly apposed to another's. This can accur when both using a specific skill-for example, "Make a Wisdom
of them are trying to do the same thing and only one (Perception) check." At other times, a player might ask
can succeed, such as attempting to snatch up a magic the DM if proficiency in a particular skill applies to a
ring that has fallen on the fioor. This situation also check. In either case, proficiency in a skill means an
applies when ane of them is trying to prevent the other individual can add his ar her proficiency bonus to ability
one from accomplishing a goal-for example, when a checks that involve that skill. Without proficiency in the
monster tries to force open a doar that an adventurer skill, the individual makes a normal ability check.

PART 2 I USING ABIUTV SCORES
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