skills & tool kits

[Degwerks]

If you have a race or class that lets you choose any skill to become proficient in, can you instead choose a tool kit? Like lockpicks or disguise kits.

[hymer]

If you have a race or class that lets you choose any skill to become proficient in, can you instead choose a tool kit? Like lockpicks or disguise kits.

By the rules, no. But there's no reason the DM shouldn't allow it if asked. Looking at the feat Skilled, it considers skill and tool proficiency interchangeable.

Edit: But you'd probably be better off getting that tool proficiency from your background. Tool profs and languages can be learned via downtime activity. Skills can't, and so are considered slightly more valuable.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Agreed. The rules don't intend for skill/tool/language/instrument proficiencies to be interchangeable in most cases.

As a DM, I don't see why I should let you switch them because not having enough skills could potentially unbalance your character (it's much harder to write challenges that are amenable to tool users).

As a player, I've never felt like I was lacking tool proficiencies, when you get two from your background and sometimes more from race and class.