How to Adjudicate Ability Checks & Skills in Dungeons and Dragons 5e 

I’ve told my players that their descriptions of their character’s actions may reduce the DC if it reasonably would make the check easier. A DC 15 investigation check to find the hidden key becomes a DC 10 because they said they look around the desk. It becomes a 5 when they say they look under the desk and a 0 (no roll) when they say i pull the desk away from the wall.

"I want to go look at this suit of armor to see if I know anything about it." "There is a plaque that tells you about it's history."

This is a really good video. Saving Throw is Reactive, Ability check is Proactive -- as an easy guideline, and what you guys said. More DM's need to listen to this video - especially the only role when outcome is uncertain and carries a consequence.

I like the mention of automatically succeeding if you're specific enough. I usually like to write into my quests that something like a secret passage can be found with a DC15 Investigation Check OR if a player checks the wall behind the altar, for example. When players start to catch on, they end up not only using more natural language, but they also pay more attention to room descriptions and ask more questions about the surroundings.

The athletic character has no issue getting over the fence while the wizard has to work a little more. And all I see in my head is the scene from Hot Fuzz where Nicholas leaps and flips over the fences and Danny barrels through one, falling flat, and slowly falls over the next.

Player: "I perceive the desk with a roll of 25!" DM: "The desk is about three feet wide and two feet deep, and the base stands 40 inches off the ground. You perceive it is made from black walnut and is lacquered. The lacquer is rather shiny, so you feel this desk is no more than five years old. You would approximate its value between 250 and 300 gold pieces." And this is why I don't DM. I am too much of a smart ass.

The most important skill for a DM is to ensure that players feel like their choices matter. This includes all the choices they made while creating their character, including picking skill proficiencies. When a DM does not call for skill checks, or uses them incorrectly, it makes those player choices seem insignificant. ❤️

Natural 20s on ability checks doesn't mean automatic success, and a 1 doesn't mean an automatic failure.

One of the best D&D channels around, honestly you guys are so helpful to new players/DMs. I can just turn your video on and listen which is soo helpful for someone who works a lot. Keep up the awesome videos!! I know so many people really appreciate them and you guys

I just started playing D&D again with my brother and nephew, and these videos have very helpful. Thanks guys

I’d love to see a video on plots for home brew games. That would be fun.

Stated this to my players "Rolling a natural 20 on charming a Red Dragon doesn't mean that she'll suddenly be on your side, it means she gives a little chuckle and says "You're funny, I'll eat you last..." So now they're not going to be the obvious focus of the Dragon's ire but she's still going to kill them if they're the last one standing.

Excellent vid... Suggestion, if a player just says, "I make a perception roll." The DM can just say, " you notice the flies buzzing around you because you smell. " The point is that the player should be more specific.

I just finished my first session as a DM last night. Lasted 5 hours and two one shots i wove together. My players had a ball, the pacing was good and i never felt out of my league. Yall have helped me as a player countless times and now also as a baby DM. Tons of gratitude for your delivery and quality of information. Keep it up dudes.

I really love your stuff. You guys have really delved into the theory of DnD and have really nailed it. I send a lot of your videos to my newer players because you deliver your information in such a digestible manner. Even a video like this that is directed for DMs feels like it is a great lesson for players on how THEY can use their skills (like attempting to help or use passive knowledge). Mad love!

i let unprocifient help checks slide because ive had idiots talk to me while i was solving a hard problem and their dumb thoughts have lead me to normally unthinkable solutions.

Part of the reason DM's rolled the D20 in older versions of the game was to avoid meta-gaming. Well explained topic.

First time DM, this has been so helpful.

*Relevant and Supportive Comment*

Great info in a compact package! My players love to roll so I let them roll on some of the "automatic" checks you mentioned, but the DC is always really low.

No channel has helped me grasp 5e more than this one. You guys are knowledgeable, thorough, articulate, and pragmatic in your approach to both the game and these informational videos, and have really helped demistify the most intimidating elements of 5e for me. Thank you!

I think I'd adjudicate a 20 on "convince king to abdicate" similarly to how you're describing; the king isn't going to give up their kingdom, but the character might have made an interesting point, and the ruler would be interested in keeping an ear open to their wit/philosophy on other occasions. If a player has multiple occasions--four or five attempts, maybe--and particularly if the player has been reflecting world events and in-universe religion, philosophy, folklore, or social norms, that becomes interesting, not destructive. If the player manages to hit a series of high DC checks without fucking it up, hell--the player might just convince the ruler that he needs to worry after his eternal soul in a monastery, that the free life of a minstrel is greater, that the realm should be in the hands of a gifted and respected scion of the previous dynasty. Think about David and Saul, great story there! Sometimes, lean into the silliness of a die roll and find a unique story moment that creates real meaning.

the way you two sit shoulder-to-shoulder across the table from the camera has huge “your father and I have something important to discuss with you” energy

I could listen to you guys talk about D&D all day. Thanks for the tips on this

Unless the gnome is a 20th level barbarian and had enlarge active on them. As always results may vary.

I have been essentially binge watching your channel the last few weeks... and I am just so enamoured with the way you guys do day time television listening so differently.

What a great video! Thanks so much for taking the time to explain this in a simple and in depth way.

This might be one of the most informative videos y'all have put out. I've always had trouble knowing when and how to apply skill checks.

Good video, guys! Your channel is my #1 favorite RU-vid resources for D&D knowledge. I've learned so much about this game directly from you guys.

Just started my second campaign (1 session deep) with a separate group of players from my first campaign (9 sessions deep) and these sorts of videos are the ones that make GMing SO much easier and smoother, especially for a novice like me. Thanks for all the great content!

This was extremely helpful! I'm running my first session this weekend and needed some last minute reminders on how to use these checks. Thanks dudes (:

Please let's not forget how the game designers themselves wanted us to use Skill Checks (something that has remained as an "optional" rule in the DMG, but that was at the core of D&D Next's playtest evolution): Ability Scores and Skills should be something that you combine based on the circumstances and the fiction of the game. Strength + Intimidation to scare off someone, Dexterity + Athletics to throw a boulder at a dragon, Charisma + History to appeal to a person's ancestry in order to persuade them, or Intelligence + Medicine when determining what caused a person's death.

The way I see it an ability check is something the player does. While a saving through is something external happening TO the player.

Another fantastic & informative ep, Dudes!

I like to solve the group roll problem by saying that while they were all so focused on that one thing, something else happens behind them, such as the ambush involving two seperate groups has one group distracting while the other sneaks up behind for a surprise attack. It tends to nudge a group towards not all rolling at once and doesn't break immersion that much.

I've just started as a Dm and your videos have helped me out alot! thanks for the quality content!

Man, you guys jammed a lot into one take there. Impressive.

Thanks so much for this video!! I'm running my first adventure ever tomorrow as a DM. Oh and all my PC and myself have never actually played. This was the biggest worry I had. Knowing when to call and how to set DCs. Thanks again so much for all your work!!

Once again, your videos are masterfully presented with many new intriguing ideas of how to look at the game and how to DM! I would recommend this video to even players to better understand what can be done in terms of ability check! Well done!

I wish my DM would watch this - they made me roll to find a leaf in a standard medieval setting with a nature-oriented character. A 7 failed. All in all, it took 20 minutes of game time.

Thank you for the tomato reference guide😭😭 I have such a hard time nailing down DnD terms!! I helped my daughter similarly with tornados: watches & warnings always confused her; which one means run to the basement😂 she'd ask. So i simplified it for her. Whenever Indiana weather gets wonky i tell her: we have ingredients to make a taco [a "Watch" has been issued, conditions are favorable for a tornado] OR "Delilah, we're eating tacos!" [meaning a "Warning" has been issued, ergo a tornado sighting and/or touch down--runnn for that basement!]. 😊So i love analogies! They clear up a muddy picture so nicely!! THANK YOU❤!

"Noodly" is my new favorite word. :)

this was a great vid :) made me feel a bit better about how im doing with ability checks at the moment and some ways to improve my play style and also better prepare for when i next dm

Thank you for doing these guides, Dudes, they are fun, informative and well made :D

You guys are in my top three for DND guides, next to Mercer and Colville. Good shit guys keep it up!

Great advice and bravo on those documents. Good resources!

Group checks for the "let me try" problem is a great idea. I don't know why I never thought of it before.

Group check just changed my brain. Will watch your longer vids from now on.

this was incredibly helpful as a new DM!!

Great tips Dudes! Going to help me so much in tomorrow’s game. Thanks

one of the best dnd videos on yt

This is exactly the video I needed, thank you!

I love videos like these. Not as sexy as a "top ten best ____" list, but as a new DM its gold. I'd love more in this vein

For Deception/Insight and Perception/Stealth contests, I consider it that the deceiver/hider is setting the DC for the insight/perception check. This means ties go to the the insighter/perceiver.

This was actually helpful! Thank you.

This was very useful, thanks!

I loved the way this was broken down, well thought out and put together and helpful for anyone looking to fine tune there process or get to grips with it. The only thing i was not so keen on was the tomato breakdown for stats it does not quite fit some of their roles but for using as a quick judgment on the fly or learning it for the first time i can see it being really useful still. Oh and just so you know my wisdom check told me google could find me at least 1 tomato fruit salad recipe and i found many...lol Still working to catch up on your campaign but enjoy it and all the work you put into the way you will break things down

Very Helpful guys. Thanks.

This gets to the core of being a good DM. You can have all the intricate dungeons, monsters, traps and puzzles and story twists you like, but if you can encourage your players to roleplay their characters naturally with positive encouragement, and cut down on mechanical dice rolling, everyone is going to have more fun.

I really wish I'd found yall when I first started DMing. Between this and the common mistakes for camapigns video ive picked up some amazing new ways to run my campaign

Good information As a DM in 3.5 and still learning 5e this is helpful

That "don't roll if failure has no consequence" thing is exactly what so many people need to hear. I've heard too many people say "you shouldn't roll if there's no chance of success", which is simply nonsensical and takes away character agency. It's the opposite of what you should do. Even if you can't succeed, you can always make things worse. Whereas on the flip side, if failure has no consequence then success is guaranteed, so there's no point in making the party go through the motions and waste your players' time.

really appreciated this video as a new dm.

This list is very helpful! Thanks so much. Always confused me as to setting my own DCs for ability checks. I always set the DC to 10 and then calculated environmental conditions which would help or hinder the roll. -2 for helpful conditions (good weather, plenty of time to succeed) and +4 for hindering conditions (poor lighting, strong wind, being in combat) etc But now I have a base level I can look at and adjust more accurately :)

Hey guys! Love the video series and it has been very helpful in navigating the DM waters. I struggle with coming up with a DC on the fly and always second guess myself (Was that DC 15 too hard? Too easy? etc). I found what really helps me is using the help action to get each player to describe what they are doing, then I'll use the highest roll of the players involved and give them advantage. This seems to involve my entire party without them all wanting to roll separately.

Thanks for yet another great walk through. As a DM switching to 5e from 1e after a LONG break, the DC concept was bugging me. Now I think I have a good grip on it. Also the table Monty put together of examples is fab. Thanks for that as well. GG guys.

This a huge help for my homebrew campaign. I'm incorporating alot of interaction with the environment and characters.

I almost always use a "2 at most" rule when players want to all do the same thing, unless a group check like 5 people stealthing is applicable. Essentially, I say "choose 2 people to make the check, or 1 with advantage", and then explain, after the result, "as the party does this, the best attemp among you results in..." Essentially, the players who didn't role might have still had their characters doing stuff, but only the best result was used as it represents the best the party as a whole could have attempted in that moment.

In the base rules (not using the variant of crit fails and successes on skill checks) a nat 20 on your charisma roll would just be the highest number possible, giving you the best odds of succeeding on the check. This is great, it means that a nat 20 isn't an automatic success on impossible achievements. It also makes players more reliable at things they should be good at. The rogue who rolled a nat 1 on their stealth isn't suddenly an idiot who outs themselves, they just got their modifier plus one, and may still be stealthier than the paladin in plate armor. It also means that saving throws make more sense. If you have the strength of an ox then you shouldn't fail that DC 10 strength save.

As you mentioned about unspecified DCs I was hoping you guys could make a video about about when players decide to destroy inanimate objects. It gets very complex when it comes to natural armour, hitpoints, damage resistances/reduction and thresholds. Was hoping you guys could simplify it

9:10 here the Dudes discus the results of a check, sounding like it's always either pass/fail. Personally, I like to set a DC, but account for multiples of 5 above or below that number, as degrees of success or failure. If a player's goal is something quite hard, the DC is high, and all multiples below the DC denote increasingly harsh failure, but if it was simple, the multiples above denote increasingly helpful success. For example, if a player wants to jump across a chasm in an icey cave, I might decide that the DC is 15 if their goal is to land on their feet, but if they describe that they want to land on the ledge and climb up, I might lower the DC to 10. With the DC of 15, a 10 denotes them falling into the gap, but with the DC of 10, a 15 denotes them hitting the ledge with a firm enough grip to grant them a bonus against slipping on the ice as they climb up. I think this system works because it encourages my players to think of the solutions within their reach. After all, it seems to me that in real life, when you aim high and fail, your failure is always worse, you know? Not to be a pessimist...

I like to do checks+ where theres obvious information, but even if they fail they'll get the CORE information needed. But a pass will give them additonal information on the the problem that'll give them an advantage on future checks or combat or puzzles. Also specifics in investigation like "What does it feel like, what direction is the blood splatter, how deep is the wound" will either give an auto pass or a DC reduction.

This is really useful thank you so much.

Another great video. Thanks Dudes!

very helpful thanks guys

Thanks for the links!

My 3 players about to be 5 to 9 loved my first off cuff session. This helps a lot since I've played for less than a year. I love story telling and having fun with friends. So I am excited to let them interact with the world I create and push the plot however they see fit. I've got less than a week before we start rolling for damage. Can't wait to have more fun with my siblings, coworkers, and friends.

Yes THIS is the video I need as a first time DM.

In regards to everyone wanting to roll in a situation where it’s not a group check I just say that the 1 or 2 players rolling represents the groups best effort.

The spread sheet is great!!

Group check is cool. Ty for that

I love this natura language tip and will use this from here on. Also, I'm using "noodly" as a common term now. Thanks again

Kelly really needs to get into voice overs

i like the idea that a barbarian can do a minor help by holding the light to illuminate the text for the wizard giving him a +2 to dice rolls to help in arcana. but only boosting the natural die to the maximum of a 20 (a dirty +2), not the modifier +2 allowing it to be a max 22. because advantage increases the odds it doesn't raise the the maximum possible score. advantage is basscally a dirty (+5)

Great content. Generated a hours worth of d&d rule debate while watching this video. Big fan keep up the good work!

Maybe it's just because I love spreadsheets, but that's massively useful. Thanks a ton

In my games the only thing a nat 20 is an automatic success for is combat, for skill/ability checks and saves it's just a number. I do like the idea that if someone insists on making a check which is impossible that the nat 20 just means they may not have to suffer the consequences.

I think a good way to prevent the "impossible doers" is to remind players crit successes and fails don't exist on ability checks. This is very important on group checks because players who might be garunteed to fail or succeed (due to expertise or negative modifiers) will still have to roll the dice for appearances sake to not give away the DC if you are trying to build the suspense. Their nat 20 might still be a failure, and that nat 1 could still be a success.

RAW.. crit success or crit fail are only on roll to hit. Skill checks... NO nat 20 is just the best result possible for the situation, including the PC's bonuses to the roll. You do not automatically get what you want.

Love you guys

I joined a group where someone always had guidance and the other two DMs would let them use it all the time. When I started running the current game i had to break them of the habit. No, you dont get to give them guidance instantaneous checks, like perception. This caused some consternation until I explained to them that guidance is for when you know someone is going to do something, or attempting to learn/find something. It is not for situations where the player has that split second to notice or remember something.

Please cover what ability check is best to place in disadvantage when using the spell Hex from the warlock class

No matter the topic of dnd, the dudes are on it. You two are boss 👍

I discovered at one point that by default locks have a DC 15 to pick, and I found that really helpful.

That was so GOOD!

Love your videos. Watches almost all of them. Helped me a lot getting ingto dnd. Could i ask a favor? Could you guys make a video or a brief explanation on making a good duelist? Thankd

This video should be mandatory for all new D&D players, DM's alike. Good stuff. It helped me refresh my DM's hat as it's been a long rest since I DM'd last.

Great breakdown video thank you guys! I def have some players that constantly roll without asking and it's a delicate conversation everyone to remind them:/ ~Dan

Very solid philosophy for calling for ability checks, and one I generally try to apply in my own DMing experiences. One other variant condition for calling for ability checks I sometimes use (Inspired by similar mechanics in other systems) is what I usually call a "Simple Success Check". This is the sort of check I sometimes call for when the characters are attempting a task where there wouldn't be a chance for failure, but how well they are able to perform the task could have consequences to the narrative. An example would be if the party is going through a dungeon that is being regularly patrolled (ala older editions' wandering monster rules) and the Rogue needs to pick a lock. The Rogue isn't under a hard time limit to do so, but how long he takes is potentially going to effect the party's progress - If he takes longer there's more chance a guard patrol is going to stumble across the party. In a case like that I might call for the Rogue to make a roll not to determine whether or not they can pick the lock, but to determine how long it's going to take them. In cases like the above example, I'd probably also give the character the option on whether or not they'd like to follow through with picking the lock after they've made the roll and have an idea as to how long it would take their character to pick said lock ("With an 8 on your roll to pick the lock your character knows that this is a fairly tricky lock that will take them a good hour of finagling to pick, do you want to take that time to pick it or do you guys want to try and find a faster option?").

With rolls where theres a difference between rolling a 5 and a 20, even though I might say the same thing, I will have them roll the die behind the dm screen. This is big for perception and checking traps, and discourages everyone from rolling "next" on a low roll because they dont know if there are no traps or if the rogue is just daydreaming.