Handbooker Helper: Ability Checks, Proficiencies & Saving Throws 

That's exactly what it is. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. :)

#additionalknowledgeacquired

4e actually altered the saving throws into passive "defenses" to fix this confusion, making it so that it was always the actor who rolled. People lost their shit.

G.I. JOE! @@talahar123

Ability check: "I would like to do this". Saving throw: "Something is happening to your character - how well do you react?"

I honestly dont think players really need to understand that if they are new. Just tell them what they need to throw and what they need to add. Later in the game they will understand that by their own

Made me cackle

I can relate lol

About to start my first campaign after wanting to for years. How has it been for you? Any pointers for a noob?

Bardic training is flat-out the most comprehensive education available in a D&D world. It's the reason the class meshes so well with the Noble background. "Oh yes, we're sending Charlotte to Dalewind College this year. They have just the most _exciting_ program! History, rhetoric, philosophy, music, fencing, even a little arcane training! She will make simply the most _ideal_ wife!" *Five Years Later* "No, darling. No wedding bells in the _immediate_ future, it would seem. Though Charlotte and her ... _exotic_ little friends have apparently just killed a dragon. So we're very proud."

Excellent little story based explanation. Might I steal for explaining to my group? @@nickwilliams8302

No. I have already registered the copyright and will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law should you try this. You have been warned. Just kidding. Knock yourself out.

They might as well rename the class “Protagonist”.

Is this for starting bards or just higher level ones? Asking because I’m a bard and I’m just starting out

That’s the point! :D

Hey Matt!

Are these things Decided my the Game master?

@@landonsumlin2685 The proficiency bonus is decided by the character level (as prescribed in in the handbook, unless the DM specifically says otherwise) and skill proficiencies are determined by various things like class, background, feats, probably spells you might be under etc. as specified in the players handbook. Again, unless the DM says otherwise.

@@landonsumlin2685 Every single aspect of the entire game is decided by the Game master, so yes

Can't you also gain different proficiencies when you level up?

@@TieflingKumasi Yes, for example when you pick the Lore bard subclass: > When you join the College of Lore at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with three skills of your choice. Rogue and bard also give expertise in a few skills at various levels. For bard: > At 3rd level, choose two of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies. > At 10th level, you can choose another two skill proficiencies to gain this benefit. You can also take feats like Skilled (3 proficiencies) or Skill Expert (1 proficiency + 1 expertise + 1 stat increase), or multi-class into rogue (like Fearne did in C3 for the proficiencies). Or the feat Squat Nimbleness gives proficiency in Acrobatics or Athletics (your choice). Various other feats give tool proficiencies, like Chef for Chef's tools or Artificer Initiate for artisan's tools. Tool proficiencies can also be learned during downtime, so they don't need to "cost" anything in terms of the limited number of things you can grab on the way to level 20.

From the time it took from me watching the video to reading the comments, I already forgot it was Difficulty Class and have been still reading DC as "Dice Check."

I would have said difficulty check XD

I disagree. The channel is "Critical Role", not "Critical Role and friends".

I disagree too

I disagree with your guys' disagreements. Rachel Seeley was very good in this video. :)

So the production crew and others aren't a part of Critical Role? Makes sense. I honestly enjoy these types of Handbooker Helper.

Insight check.

THANK YOU! I only have one ear, and for a minute I thought my headphones were busted.

mid/side micing to the rescue!

Rasmus Bækgaard Okay I thought I was going crazy when listening to this audio.

Could have been worse, they could have aggressively noise gated the mic so we miss half of what she said.

YIKES

Verliesen und Drachen? Good to see you were here!

Handbook Handbook Handbook Handbook-er helper Handbooker helper *ding*

I think it is all Sam

Sam did confirm it was all him

_"Bards suck."_ ~ Nott the Brave

Probably already recorded, edited, and scheduled for release sometime later.

You think they can schedule *the* Emmy Award Winning Sam Riegel? (singing) "You've got another thing comin'"

I mean, I'm sure the list of riders in his contract is extensive.

Where is your book of puns and dirty lymric?!? Do your homework, or no quickbuild for you!

I'm sure you have found the answer by now but for others looking at the comments: There are only Ability checks. When requested by DM, you roll a d20 and add your corresponding ability modifier of the requested ability or skill to that roll. If you are proficient in that skill you add your proficiency bonus too. If you aren't proficient in the requested skill, you just use the corresponding ability modifier. You usually (and if you haven't, you should) have already marked the proficiency extra into the skills you are proficient in. Example: At level 1 I say "I examine this strange symbol painted on the wall". DM might call for Religion (Intelligence) check. I roll an 8 on d20 and check my Religion skill on my character sheet. I am proficient in Religion so my modifier for it is 2 for my Intelligence of 14 PLUS my proficiency modifier of 2 for level 1 proficiency bonus, therefore totaling +4 and making my score for this ability check 8+4=12. DM then checks/decides if it is a success or failure. In the above example, +4 is what should read as your Religion skill modifier in your sheet so that when asked for ability check, you just add that number instead of having to calculate in two numbers.

well, what's your dexterity modifier, if it was a plus one, then yes the three would be included; if it was a plus three then you would add the extra two.

damn, shots fired. XD

Wth needs to know those things...? I need to know important things like what happens if I jump off a 1000 foot cliff or what magical poop looks like...The rest is just filler.

Ouch, . . . but funny and in plenty of moments so true. We jest with you CR!

I'm sure they do but simply forget due to the pressure of being on camera. Seems like there might a bit of drinking and smoking going on too.

Roll, modifier and proficiency. Speaking of which, I am kinda confused on something myself. How so you tell if someone's saving throw is better than the thing affecting them.

@@tapestixxy8531 Thanks for clearing that up. As for the saving throw, I think if you succeed on a saving throw, you take less or no damage, or not affected by a spell or poison

Soothed, sedated.

That depends on the caster - the DC of spells is calculated as: 8+proficiency bonus+spellcasting ability bonus

Girls, Guts, Glory needs to be the next show under the Critical Role banner.

+4 to hit means that when rolling for an attack, you add 4 to whatever you roll. For example, if i had +3 to hit and i rolled a 14, the attack roll would be a17

Thanks matt!

if you watched Stream Of Many Eyes she was part of one of the groups there, Girls Guts Glory, an all girl group. Their story on that stream was very good and hilarious.

@Follow the howl i was a dumbass 2 moths ago XD

Yeah, but its not an ability. You write tha down in your proficiancy box(near tu the proficiancy weapons and languages) :] At leastvthats what I know :P Hooe it helped you a little

Paladins? Paladins.

paladins dont get extra prof. they only get wis and charisma some fighters get Wis extra, rogue gets wisdom extra and Monk gets all of them

Every class starts with 2 saving throw proficiencies. Some classes get an additional save proficiency at a higher level. And then monks get proficiency in all saves at level 14. Paladins don't get additional save proficiencies, but they do get the Aura of Protection feature at level 6, which gives them and every ally within 10 feet a bonus to saving throws equal to the paladin's Charisma modifier.

Only multiclassing into certain classes will allow you more skills to gain proficiency in (Rogue and Bard each get you a proficiency in 1 extra skill and it's from the class's list of pickable skills). For saving throws, you only get the two from the class you started in, unless you take the Resilient feat which lets you choose one to gain proficiency in. You can also take feats to gain more skill and tool proficiencies.

There is a multi-class table in the Player's Handbook that shows which proficiencies you gain when multiclassing: Typically just weapon and armor proficiencies, except picking Bard, Ranger, and Rogue allows you to pick a skill from those classes' skill list.

This table tells you which additional proficiencies you get when you multiclass: www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/customization-options#MulticlassingProficiencies

All monster abilities have a DC (the number you have to reach to "pass" the saving throw) available to the Dungeon Master in the Monster Manual or other such materials. As for traps, the DM will set a reasonable DC for what the trap entails.

Up to the DM, but I'd say that's an acrobatics check because it's something you're doing (trying to stay balanced) rather than something being done to you (some kind of trap or weather based spell, for example)