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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Possible proficiency variant (half-proficiencies)



prabe
2019-10-27, 04:39 PM
Considerations:
It feels to me as though Intelligence is too de-emphasized, too devalued, as an ability. It feels to me as though the cost of learning new things is too steep, especially if a campaign doesn't feature a lot of downtime (and 200 days is a lot of downtime at a stretch). I also don't want to devalue the Bard class's Jack of All Trades feature. Also, though the skills list is pretty streamlined compared to prior editions, there are still a lot of tool proficiencies, and I tend to let PCs use them a little out-of-the-box/off-label (such as using proficiency with water vehicles to recognize that an apparent wrecked vessel is ... something other than that, or using proficiency with mason's tools to figure out how to demolish a building).

Proposal:
Every character starts with a number of half-proficiencies equal to their Intelligence modifier. If applied to a skill or tool, these provide a bonus equal to half the character's proficiency bonus; if applied to a language, they give something like a passing familiarity with the language, but the character might need to make an Intelligence check to understand any given instance of the language (DC variable: a relatively simple sign might be DC 10, if it needed a roll; a complex passage from an academic text might be DC 25 or higher). These starting half-proficiencies may not be stacked to provide a full-proficiency (see next paragraph).
Half-proficiencies stack with any other feature that adds half a character's proficiency bonus, but because both round down, this can never result in the combined bonus being better than the proficiency bonus (and will often be slightly worse).
Whenever a character's proficiency bonus increases, they gain a half-proficiency, which they can use to acquire a half-proficiency in a new skill or to turn a half-proficiency into a full-proficiency. A character may not have more proficiencies at half-proficiency than their Intelligence modifier (minimum 1).

If added to an ongoing campaign, I would allow (and strongly encourage) players to revise their characters to reflect the rule. In some ways, this seems to devalue some Feats, particularly those that give new skill/tool proficiencies or languages, but the half-proficiency mechanic is slow, while those Feats are all-at-once. I don't see any real conflict with the more skills-based classes (bards and rogues), but this be a bit much of a boost for wizards.

Is there something I'm missing here, that's a potential problem? Outside opinions appreciated. Thanks.

Old Harry MTX
2019-10-28, 01:50 AM
Does this apply only to skills or even to ability checks, such as Jack of all trades?

prabe
2019-10-28, 10:10 AM
Applies to skill or tool proficiencies, or to languages; stacks with Jack of All Trades (and any other similar ability). Since halves round down, this plus Jack of All Trades is never better than proficiency, and is sometimes (when proficiency bonus is odd) worse.

It wouldn't apply to any sort of straight ability check (like a STR check to get out of Entangle).

Leathalsandwich
2019-10-30, 04:40 PM
This seems annoying for bards since they are getting one of their better features over written by a new mechanic

prabe
2019-10-30, 09:20 PM
This seems annoying for bards since they are getting one of their better features over written by a new mechanic

I'm actually worried about that. It's why this stacks with Jack of All Trades. You don't think that makes it less annoying?