Proficiency

Overview

Proficiency represents the training and learning an individual has in a respective area and subject. This provides a variety of bonuses, mainly and most often that an individual may add a proficiency bonus to the ability checks or contests that involve that proficiency. There are some exceptions to this, mainly armor, which often do not require any rolls. Additionally, some proficiencies represent a character's level rather than specific knowledge in one subject. Proficiency therefore comes in three different variants: level-based, simple and tiered.

Proficiency Bonus

Your proficiency bonus can't be added to a single die roll or other number more than once, However it may be doubled or halved for example, before you apply it. If a circumstance suggests that your proficiency bonus applies more than once to the same roll or that it should be multiplied more than once, you nevertheless add it only once, multiply it only once, and halve it only once.

Level-based Proficiency Bonus

Proficiency in weapons and spellcasting is determined by your character level, providing a fixed bonus. If something refers to your proficiency bonus, without referencing anything else, like a skill, it refers to this bonus.

Level	Proficiency Bonus
1	+2
2	+2
3	+2
4	+2
5	+3
6	+3
7	+3
8	+3
9	+4
10	+4
11	+4
12	+4
13	+5
14	+5
15	+5
16	+5
17	+6
18	+6
19	+6
20	+6

Simple Proficiency Bonus

Proficiency in armor is either or, meaning that either you have it and gain the proficiency bonus or you don't. For armor, this means being able to wear it effectively, easing the burden of carrying it and maneuvering in it.

Tiered Proficiency Bonus

Proficiency in skills, tools, languages and performances come in tiered progression, determining a characters skill level. The tiers are: Trained, Skilled, Expert, Master and Legend, providing a proficiency bonus of +2, +4, +6, +8 and +10 respectively. Each time you gain proficiency in a skill, tool, language or performance, you increase your tier one step, increasing its level.

Tiered Proficiency Gain per Level

At 1st level, for each point of Intelligence modifier you have, you may choose two proficiencies of your choice from the tiered proficiencies to gain or lose proficiency in.

When you gain proficiency from Intelligence gain, you may either increase the tier of a proficiency you already know by one, or gain the trained tier in a proficiency of your choice. When you lose proficiency from Intelligence gain, you must decrease the tier of a proficiency you already know by one.

This works retroactively, such that when you permanently increase or decrease your Intelligence modifier, you may either choose one tiered proficiency that gains a tier or one that loses one.

After 1st level, every level you gain lets you choose one proficiency of your choice from the ones you already know, and increase its tier by one.

Proficiency Generalization

Some tiered proficiencies have sub-proficiencies which must be chosen instead, like languages. These determine how your general knowledge in a subject is applied. For example, proficiency in languages does not automatically make you more proficient in every language you speak, but rather gives a choice between becoming more proficient in one of the the ones you know, or learn a new one and becoming trained with it.

However, these sub-proficiencies often overlap in skill and proficiency, i.e. your proficiency generalizes. Learning languages usually becomes easier the more languages you learn, each new increasing one's ability to learn another.

Each time you gain proficiency in a tiered proficiency with proficiency generalization, you may choose an amount of sub-proficiencies equal to your current tier's proficiency bonus. Each sub-proficiency is increased separately in their own tiers, such that being Skilled in languages means that you may either choose three languages that you are trained with, or one that you are skilled with and one that you are trained with.

Additionally, you may only achieve a tier in a sub-proficiency equal to your proficiency tier plus one. For example, you have to be at least an expert linguist, to be masterful in a language, i.e. the expert proficiency tier is required for the proficiency to have mastery in a sub-proficiency.

Tier	Proficiency Bonus	# of sub-proficiencies
Trained	+2	1
Skilled	+4	3
Expert	+6	7
Master	+8	13
Legend	+10	21

Skill Proficiencies

Skill proficiencies describe the character's knowledge, ability and training in certain specific areas, such as Acrobatics, Coercion or History. Skill proficiencies are tiered proficiencies, as described above, and tends to be the main way to alter ability checks.

This is done either by being called upon by the DM demanding a certain type of check, or asked by a PC when an ability check is called for, if an alternative can be used. Note that skills are separate from ability scores, meaning that even skills seemingly only used for physical purposes can be used with mental ability scores. For example, a Wisdom Athletics roll might be asked for by a PC to determine if they can find the safest route to climb up a steep cliffside.

Below is each skill proficiency listed, as well as the main features they cover. Some have effects that affect passive featurs, like Brawn and carrying capacity, and some grant synergistic Tool proficiencies, like Alchemy and Alchemy supplies.

Synergistic Tools

Each time you gain a tier in a skill with a tool proficiency associated with it, you receive a tier in the associated tool. However, if more than one tool is associated with the skill, you may only choose one that increases.

For example, when gaining proficiency in the Geography skill, the character must choose between Cartographer's Tools or Navigator's Tools.

List of Skill Proficiencies

Acrobatics

Acts and knowledge related to agility, balance, motor coordination and acrobatic stuns, such as dives, rolls, somersaults, and flips.

• Dexterity Contests
  

Dexterity saving throws are replaced with Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks, contested by either an ability skill check, spellcasting check or a set DC.

Alchemy

Acts and knowledge related to alchemical substances, concoctions and chemicals like acids, antitoxins, oils, perfumes, potions, salts, powdered metals, and purified water.

See Alchemy Supplies.

• Possible Activities
  • Purification. Your knowledge of alchemy enables you to purify water that would otherwise be undrinkable. As part of a long rest, you can purify up to 6 gallons of water, or 1 gallon as part of a short rest.

Animal Handling

Acts and knowledge related to training, calming, handling, intuit, rearing and domesticating animals and beasts.

• Animal Training
  

Proficiency with the Animal Handling skill makes attempts to train and rear wild animals easier, as well as increases the amount of possible tricks you can learn trained animals.

Arcana

Acts and knowledge related to arcane magic, spells, items, creatures, symbols and the planes of existence.

• Arcane Spellcraft
  • Proficiency with the Arcana skill allows a character to identify cast arcane spells, identify & craft arcane magic items and more easily read, transcribe and prepare arcane magic.

• Identify an Arcane Spell
  • As a reaction, a character may attempt to identify a cast arcane spell.

• Craft Arcane Magic Items
  • When crafting arcane magic items you may add your Arcana skill Proficiency bonus during the creation process.

• Identify an Arcane Magic Item
  • When attempting to ascertain the properties of an arcane magic item you may add your Arcana skill Proficiency bonus.

• Arcane Spell Research
  • When studying, researching, crafting or copying (into a spellbook or a ritualbook) a arcane spell, you may add your Arcana skill Proficiency bonus to the associated check.

Athletics

Acts and knowledge related to running, throwing, climbing, jumping, and swimming.

• Endurance
  • Athletics increases both the amount of Endurance Points a character has, as well as lets you add your Athletics Proficiency bonus to your Endurance checks.

• Movement Speed
  • Athletics increases your Modified Speed.

• Throwing Distance
  • Athletics increases the distance at which you can throw an object.

Brawn

Acts and knowledge related to brute strength and fortitude, like forcing open doors, breaking locks, pushing a wagon, tip over a boulder or withstanding pain and poison (including alcohol).

• Carrying Capacity
  • Brawn increases your Carrying capacity.

• Strength Contests
  • Strength saving throws are Strength (Brawn) ability checks. Meaning, your proficiency in the Brawn skill is applied to the ability check.

• Constitution Contests
  • Constitution saving throws are Constitution (Brawn) ability checks. Meaning, your proficiency in the Brawn skill is applied to the ability check.

Coercion

Acts and knowledge related to how to influence someone through acting in good faith, making cordial requests, or exhibiting proper etiquette, or through overt threats, hostile actions, and violence.

Deception

Acts and knowledge related to how to hide the truth, either verbally or through your actions.

Economics

Acts and knowledge related to production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

Engineering

Acts and knowledge related to how to design and build machines, mechanical devices, structures, and other items.

See Engineering Kit.

Geography

Acts and knowledge related to the lands, features, places, inhabitants, the relationships between people and their environments and phenomena of the planes.

See Cartographer's Tools and Navigator’s Tools.

• Possible Activities
  • Craft a Map. While traveling, you can draw a map as you go in addition to engaging in other activity.

Tool Proficiencies

List of Tool Proficiencies

Alchemist’s supplies

• Alchemist's supplies include two glass beakers, a metal frame to hold a beaker in place over an open flame, a glass stirring rod, a small mortar and pestle, and a pouch of common alchemical ingredients, including salt, powdered iron, and purified water.
• Alchemist's supplies enable a character to produce useful concoctions, such as acids, alchemist's fire, antitoxin, oil, perfume, or soap.

Engineering Kit

• The engineering kit contains wrenches, hammers, a handful of screw drivers, a few slabs of iron, a torch, and an assortment of screws, nails, nuts, bolts, springs, and cogs, as well as ink, a quill, paper, magnifying lenses, calipers, rulers, protractors and a scale.
• An engineering kit is used to design and draw up inventions and ideas, to then put those designs into practice through creation. With it you can manufacture complicated devices, inventions and other items.
• Possible Activities
  • Repair. You can restore 5 hit points to a damaged mechanical object for each hour of work. Depending on the complexity of the design, you may have to roll a Intelligence (Engineering) check, decided by the DM.
    • For any object, you need access to the raw materials required to repair it. For metal objects, you need access to an open flame hot enough to make the metal pliable.