Changes

Each ability covers a broad range of capabilities, including skills that acharacter or a monster can be proficient in. A skill represents a specificaspect of an ability score, and an individual’s proficiency in a skilldemonstrates a focus on that aspect. (A character’s starting skill proficienciesare determined at character creation, and a monster’s skill proficienciesappear in the monster’s stat block.)

For example, a [[#Dexterity|Dexterity]] check might reflect a character’s attempt to pulloff an acrobatic stunt, to palm an object, or to stay hidden. Each of theseaspects of [[#Dexterity|Dexterity]] has an associated skill: [[#Acrobatics|Acrobatics]], [[#Sleight of Hand|Sleight of Hand]],and [[#Stealth|Stealth]], respectively. So a character who has proficiency in the [[#Stealth|Stealth]]skill is particularly good at [[#Dexterity|Dexterity]] checks related to sneaking and hiding.

The skills related to each ability score are shown in the following list.(No skills are related to [[#Constitution|Constitution]].) See an ability’s description in thelater sections of this section for examples of how to use a skill associatedwith an ability.

Sometimes, the GM might ask for an ability check using a specific skill.For example, “Make a [[#Wisdom|Wisdom]] ([[#Perception|Perception]]) check.” At other times, a player mightask the GM if proficiency in a particular skill applies to a check. In eithercase, proficiency in a skill means an individual can add his or her proficiencybonus to ability checks that involve that skill. Without proficiency in theskill, the individual makes a normal ability check.

For example, if a character attempts to climb up a dangerous cliff, the GMmight ask for a [[#Strength|Strength]] ([[#Athletics|Athletics]]) check. If the char acter character is proficientin [[#Athletics|Athletics]], the character’s proficiency bonus is added to the [[#Strength|Strength]] check.If the character lacks that proficiency, he or she just makes a [[#Strength|Strength]] check.

Normally, your proficiency in a skill applies only to a specific kind ofability check. Proficiency in [[#Athletics|Athletics]], for example, usually applies to [[#Strength|Strength]]checks. In some situations, though, your proficiency might reasonably apply to adifferent kind of check. In such cases, the GM might ask for a check using anunusual combination of ability and skill, or you might ask your GM if you canapply a proficiency to a different check. For example, if you have to swim froman offshore island to the mainland, your GM might call for a [[#Constitution|Constitution]] checkto see if you have the stamina to make it that far. In this case, your GM mightallow you to apply your proficiency in [[#Athletics|Athletics]] and ask for a [[#Constitution|Constitution]]([[#Athletics|Athletics]]) check. So if you’re proficient in Athletics, you apply yourproficiency bonus to the [[#Constitution|Constitution]] check just as you would normally do for a[[#Strength|Strength]] ([[#Athletics|Athletics]]) check. Similarly, when your [[SRD5:Half-Orc|half-orc]] [[SRD5:Barbarian|barbarian]] uses adisplay andisplay of raw strength to intimidate an enemy, your GM might ask for a [[#Strength|Strength]]([[#Intimidation|Intimidation]]) check, even though [[#Intimidation|Intimidation]] is normally associated with[[#Charisma|Charisma]].