Tool Proficiencies | 5e Dungeons and Dragons | Web DM
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
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Tool proficiencies! How the heck do you use em as a player? What do they mean - what's the difference between perform and use musical instrument proficiency?! Today, we're opening this kit up, explaining how to use tool proficiencies as a player and how to apply them as a DM too.
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just let them use their highest stat for all tool proficiency related rolls.....I mean, why not? if they are proficient, they use their highest stat to add to their proficiency bonus because you're talking about a few points here Jim, even charisma for thieves tools because you are the charmer of all locks, the key to your heart and the key to your bedroom door are the same key Jim now come on
You guys are clearly proficient in green screens
they aren't trying to hide it lol...
@@TheCliffy007 You are clearly not proficient in humor.
I just wish Jim's lighting was a little better. Pruitt almost blends in.
I’m gonna take a 20
Need to work on Jim's white balance... He looks pastier than usual.
I always thought that Weaver's tools were one of the better tools for certain builds. Specifically Changelings since they can't shapeshift their clothes. XGE says you can craft an entire outfit in a long rest so being able to craft the uniform of the Royal guard is gonna make impersonating one a lot more practical.
That character could make for one of the best tailors in the realms, due to inherit understanding of various physiques and how clothes can be made to fit better/comfortably.
Matt Lynn and being able to change their own body to their customer’s, so they can just make an absolute perfect fit. Same idea but more fantastical use.
But what the heck are you going to do with all these real clothes outfits you're making? The advantage of shapeshifting is that it's instantaneous, and no need for all those resources needed!😁
(I guess you could use one of those rolling clothesracks...)
@@KickyFut you dont want to have a bag of holding full of clothes of costume changes?
@@novaiscool1 Um... No, I'd prefer not.
It's brilliant how they did such a great job making the guy look like they're still on set. Also it's hilarious to me that Pruitt is flexing his airpods but has a little shirt clip mic while Jim is using cheapo headphones but has a really, really good mic. They really are each others Yin and Yang.
The whole segment on Cobbler's tool is great, and quite relevant for my current character!
I told the DM going into our game that my half-orc drunken master monk was a cobbler, and that O wanted to use it for the parties benefit.
So far, I have made for my allies:
1 secret compartment Boot (paladin secret dagger)
1 pair of steel toe boots (squishy wizard needed these)
1 pair of cleated boots (low dex cleric couldn't stay on her feet!)
And I'm working on incorporating a naturally glowing fungus into a pair of boots so my Firbolg friend can have "blinky shoes" and see in the dark a little bit!
Tools are what you make of them!
Awesome!!!!!
Please, for the love of all of the gods of the multiverse, PLEASE DO NOT introduce heelys to the world of D&D!!!! :D
@@matthewforish711 Why would you give me such a good idea, and then tell me not to do it?
@@luiken3 "Some people just want to watch the world burn."
@@matthewforish711 The first rule of D&D is NEVER give someone ideas unless you want to see them do it
My group doesn't have anyone who can pick locks, but our Dragonborn has carpenter's tools proficiency. He has cracked a fair number of locked drawers and chests for us.
As a journeyman carpenter, I condone this message
Good lord... .
So...they cannot unlock the door, but they can undoor the lock ? :)
@@mattfitzgerald7836 I can not unlock the door, but I can remove the lock from the door.
I have a Tool proficiency. I love all their songs!
History and Tool Proficiencies, example:
Thieves Tools, Hist. Prof., = "Holy crap...this safe is a Benzington 5000...glad I caught that, these things have booby traps from stock on tilt."
Basically this: th-cam.com/video/MsTZrWcudhk/w-d-xo.html
Character concept: instead of a skill junky, he’ll be a handy man. Proficient in the most tools one can be. Tim “The Toolman” Taylor.
I built an artificer around this concept for a colony building survival game
Tim "The Toolman" Taylor, ANY Background (2), Autognome (2), Alchemist Artificer 3 (4), Phantom Rogue 3 (1 + 1 Wild), Forge Cleric 1 (1), Battlemaster Fighter 3 (1), Drunken Master 3 (1), and 1 Bard. Taking a feat in Skilled (3), Chef (1), Artificer Initiate (1). In total, there'll be 2+2+4+1+1+1+1+3+1+1+= 17 + any one tool/day and 1 musical instrument. Toolman the Phantom Drunkern Alchemist, also Skilled Chef.
Or an an Elven Race and Phantom Rogue for any two/rest. Because there's 17 Artisan tools, 6 standard tools, 4 Gaming sets, and too many instruments.
@@xiongray the upside of the bard multiclass is that he can didgeridoo me
@@chasebalcziunas4289 Had to look that up and it cracked me up.
The funniest thing about this comment is that Home Improvement is on right now in my house.
OMG. I have never been this early before. Hi I love your show!
Thank you for saying so!!
Wholesome
Same for me on both counts. Love the work!!
Ayye just hit level 6 in our ebberon campaign, my artificer has tool expertise bby 😎😎😎
The monkey shines. Reminds me of the time the party rogue glued a gold piece to the cobblestone outside their bar just to see who might try picking it up. And then pick their pockets with mage hand.
That's a neat trick, thank you, definitely gonna use it
We once voluntarely failed a brew with the paladin's breer's kit, that the result was closer to rocket fuel than alcohol, highly inflammable and caused diarrea. I sneaked into the garrison and stuck it at the bottom of their water reserve. The guard was notably less present that night.
I've been running a high seas campaign for over 3 years now, and i mandated as part of my parties build that they all take a trade skill. The intention behind that would be that everyone has something that contributes to the welfare and repair of the ship they have. My players have solidly ran with it, almost everyday out to sea without encounters, they spend downtime working on personal projects, or joint projects. I.E. My fighter/smith smelted and created filigree for jewelry, while the Fighter/jewelcrafter faceted a sapphire to set in it. Then our Artificer/Alchemist and Wizard etched runes and enchanted the jewelry. This is just one example of the things they all work on together.
Recently got into D&D with a small group - we play online now we have so much extra time on our hands with lockdowns and working from home and so on.
We ran LMoP and I offered to be DM. Took to it real quick; everyone had a great time and I'm loving DMing. Even managed to slot in a bunch of homebrew stuff, like I fleshed out Old Owl Well and Thundertree into much larger places with a much more involved story to tell. We just finished the campaign and I'm putting together a completely homemade campaign for our next one, so everyone can keep playing their characters.
I don't think I'd have been able to do all this if it wasn't for you guys! Having a huge library of videos to help me a grip on things has been super helpful, and really improved both the sessions we play and the planning I do before hand.
Thanks a bunch :) Always look forward to your new videos and being able to use DnD as a creative outlet has made this pretty shitty year so much more bearable. It's been a real highlight of my week and you guys were a big part of enabling that.
Thanks for the kind words! Go you for taking the step and putting together a great game! Keep it up!
@@WebDM Thank you! :D
Embrace magic that USES tools not replaces them.
"You can't expect a rules book to have all the rules and then be manageable." ::picks up the 3.5 Rules Compendium in confusion::
And yes, I know it doesn't have EVERYTHING.
I saw two guys playing Starfleet Battles at a gaming convention. Their rulebooks looked like a multivolume encyclopedia.
I was literally just boasting to my friends that I used my tool proficiency for something helpful, then this comes up.
I like how Jim's hands are disappearing off the side of the frame. Funny to see the green screen shenanigans, but hey, at least they won't die of covid-19.
"Grab my TOOLs, I know the pieces fit..."
You are my favorite person!!!!
one thought I had on the subject of repairing objects and mending: player 1's armor needs repair, player 2 says "oh, I have Mending!". Problem is, the latch from the buckle is missing, missing parts are not fixed with repair.
Maybe WebDM isn't the place for this but, I would love to see you two disagree an entire episode over a subject and attempt to sway eachother's opinion over the subject perhaps.. maybe just agree to disagree in the end, maybe discuss how you two would handle this disagreement at the table and how you live with the compromise. Not necessarily an episode about disagreement but an episode over a subject you two absolutely do not agree on. If there is an episode already like this I would love someone to point it out to me :)
Keep up the great work!
This is kind of an excellent idea!
@@WebDM two people who disagree on something have a civilized discussion on the internet in 2020? I'll believe it when I see it and I do really want to see it. Do eeeeet! Please? :)
One might even be able to use thieves TOOLs to pry open your third eye
Re: Dex/Cha and Performance/Instrument; I was thinking through a new character - a rogue that was a guitarist before he was an adventurer, and with higher dexterity than charisma - and that got me thinking about the various combinations of dex and cha checks with proficiency in performance vs. guitar and what situations would call for each. Here's what I came up with.
Dex (perf) - the music isn't the main point of the performance, such as playing while on stilts
Dex (tool) - technical demonstrations (scales, etc), or performances that impress other players of that instrument but might not appeal to laymen
Cha (perf) - the instrument is involved but isn't what makes the performance great, perhaps great stage presence but simply okay guitar playing
Cha (tool) - the character is a flashy wizard of their instrument in ways that appeal to everyone, like doing tricks (playing behind their back) or ratcheting up the sex appeal while playing (Tim Cappello, the saxophonist from Lost Boys th-cam.com/video/A1dY6OkPb7E/w-d-xo.html)
Look at that thumbnail. Im a man and i may be pregnant just from looking at it.
Thank you...?
This was me when Pruitt said "all about the soles"
Making a character right now around the concept of a card cheat. Gaming set proficiency supplemented by deception and slight of hand and the Lucky feat.
Lumberjack Jim got everyone all hot 'n bothered.
Take me, Lumberjim
For me, the question of what Ability to apply to a tool use roll is kind of backwards. There aren't actually "skill checks" or "tool use checks" in 5e, only Ability checks with the possibility of applying a proficiency modifier. Even attack rolls and saving throws are just very particular applications of Ability checks.
What players should be doing is _declaring actions._ That is, telling the DM and other players what their character is trying to do (intent) and how they are trying to do it (approach). If the DM decides that an Ability check is required (ie. the approach _might_ succeed, but it also might fail), then they ask themselves what the limiting factor is. What Ability of the PC would cause the action to fail if it is not sufficient?
So, if a character wants to cut down a tree to bridge a chasm before the pursuing Orcs can catch up to the party, I'd say the limiting factor is STR. At which point, the player remembers that Woodcutter's Tool proficiency and asks if it applies (or the DM remembers). Which it quite clearly does. DM tells player to roll a STR check, adding their proficiency modifier.
So tool proficiency would be redundant if the character is proficient at the ability?
@@hugofontes5708 Characters in the fifth edition of the tabletop role-playing game known as Dungeons and Dragons ("D&D")are primarily defined - at least mechanically - by six "Ability Scores" or "Abilities".
@@hugofontes5708 the tool proficiency would be redundant if the tool in question isn't needed for the check. Proficency in Athletics doesn't mean you know how to use Woodcutter's tools to efficiently cut down a tree but would probably grant a bonus if the tree was rotten or thin enough to be knocked over without the use of specialized tools.
Thank you for changing Pruitt's "resting" position. As much as I would love to meet him face to face, having him stare into my soul while Jim spits D&D knowledge was a bit unsettling.
As always, great episode! Y'all are the reason I got a game going with a bunch of friends -- all really new / never played, and even the people who thought they wouldn't have fun ended up having a blast. Onward!
This is such an awesome topic to cover! It’s such an easily overlooked thing, but DMs that properly use these in helping to define characters and adding them into skill challenges makes a world of difference!
a heavy tool use character for me is my changeling warlock. in addition to having a disguise kit to make sure his impersonations have details to be convincing he also has weavers tools to make the outfits he needs himself. and then a forgery kit to make sure has has any convincing documents he needs for that person
My party, two weeks ago completed an encounter by cooking a meal for the large Intelligent Fey Toad that was trying to eat them. Had some insanely lucky rolls, on the skills checks for 1) convincing the toad to wait for a meal, if it wasn't good enough then he could eat them 2) gathering ingredients 3) cooking 4) presentation. Was interesting, certainly not what I had planned but the players came up with it, and I ran with it.... and the rolls let it happen.
The lighting makes me think you guys aren't even in the same room
😂
I was going to say "Bob Ross is performance art," and then you said it lol.
I finally have a forgery and calligraphy kit so this video is timed perfectly!
Eyyyy!
Last time I was this early I caught my boyfriend cheating.
Ex-boyfriend...?
I really appreciate all the content and hard work you guys have put into the channel even during the pandemic! Kept me sane.
Thank you so much Alex! Keeps us sane, too.
See? Now THOSE are top notch puns. I didn't even know they were happening till halfway through.
Teaching! Charisma is used with tools when teaching.
There IS overlap with Sleight of Hand and Thieves Tools in things like backalley Con games with rigged equipment, etcetera
I highly encourage the use of tools when I'm DMing and this gave me even more ideas.
It's been too long since watching you guys. Your the best 👍
Thank you so much!! Thanks for joining us
I had a player join late for a campaign once at level 8 and he picked a dwarf cleric with an adamant warhammer for a weapon. He was also proficient with mason tools and the man would not hesitate to level entire walls in a couple of rounds. That was the first time I really started thinking about tools in 5E and I love putting them to use nowadays. Loved this episode to let me think about them even more!
Looking back on this one, you can justify asking for a Charisma tool check for anything involved in marketing, selling, or publicly displaying the products and wares produced by that tool kit.
"This is my work. It's much better than what you'd get from that asshole Dave down the road."
Currently playing a School of Swords/artisan/bard with chef feat. It's tons of fun playing around specific spells that a chef would use such as prestidigitation and heat metal
Lol Pruitt and Jim managed to stumble into the plot twist of an episode for Case Closed with that food poisoning bit.
Can't tool and skill proficiency just stack? It be like having expertise
This reminds me of a surprisingly fun campaign I ran where all of the players had a different trade for example brewer, black smith, leather worker, etc and they were trying to build up an old run down town to make it their home and facing many different and unique challenges along the way.
I recognize and appreciate the need for green screen, but (and this isn’t a bad thing) I was getting strong Space Ghost Coast to Coast feelings.
Jewelers tools + mending. Every time find busted gems. Mend. Jewelers tool to refine. Sell.
Second! Looking forward for tools :)
If someone has cooking tools, and uses a cast iron pan, does it still only deal one damage as an improvised weapon?
Part of Jim's waving left hand disappearing and being cut in half is very distracting.
Any insight on how to use artificer tool expertise vs normal tool proficiency?
Best use of tool proficiency in a movie I can think of is the final fight in Three Amigos when the town used their weaver tool/disguise kit proficiency to bamboozle the bad guys
I'm impressed, they are so knowledgeable and in sync that they can have headphones in still have a informed and cohesive conversation about tools
Did no one make a “What a tool” joke?
Well, now that you mention it... .
One of my backup characters is a Ranger who can make their own arrows, there's a took proficiency for that.
I love Tool Proficiencies! My DM is a "bit less enthusiastic" about them.
Yeah, I went crazy happy when I opened XGtE and read about tool ideas!
All this talk about using tools out in the field brings up another point: this is the kind of thing that hirelings are useful for. Your party may not know how to build scaffolding or mend armor, but they could pay someone who does. If the party is plunging into a dungeon multiple times, and navigating certain terrain or dungeon obstacles is a pain, they could bring along a bunch of workers and have them solve the problem. Building ladders, boats and docks, dig ditches or wells, even turn a temporary camp into a small compound with log cabins and stables for horses. If a dungeon level is flooded, bring people with buckets, or have them construct some kind of pump system to drain the area.
The opportunity cost of taking tool proficiencies, compared to the opportunity cost of simply paying NPCs to do the work for you. It's a choice players should think long and hard about.
Maybe the adventurers attract raiders because of their larger presence, find themselves hiring men-at-arms to defend the encampment while they continue to explore the dungeon. Just ideas.
@@migthulhu Oh, absolutely. Once you start taking hirelings out into the wilderness, they'll begin demanding protection from the monsters (especially when the PCs are dungeon delving). It's these kinds of things that provide DMs a good gold sink, once the party has had a few adventures and levels under their belt, and need a reason to spend gold beyond just equipment (that they'll probably max out for mundane stuff very quickly).
By the time the dungeon gets cleared out, they may have a hamlet on their hands, or even a full village. Villages need a lord to protect them and collect taxes, so suddenly the PCs transition from just building a camp to building a stronghold (or repairing one, if the dungeon they cleared had a stronghold attached to it).
@@Bluecho4 brilliant
Forget the 13th Warrior, you only need 3 Amigos to transform a town into an effective bsttlefield.
Sew, old woman, sew like the wind!
"Calligraphy is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a broad-tipped instrument, brush, or other writing instrument. A contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious, and skillful manner"."
it has nothing to do with cartography or maps...
Dammit, I'm too early to read more info in the comments while watching xD
The (insert color)-screen background is so weird. I’m so glad I’m not stoned or tripping while watching this. I’d totally be freaking out.
Now, on the Sleight of Hand tangent, I see it as also being used to be able to discreetly cast a spell with only a somatic component without being noticed. I don't know how you guys feel about that, but it makes sense to me, at any rate.
Definitely and also, this might be where the confusion mentioned in the video comes from, sleight of hand is what you would roll to attempt to pick a lock discreetly. Whether or not you pick the lock would obviously be determined by the Thieves' Tools, but avoiding attention would be determined by sleight of hand.
@@TankDerek Yeah, that's a really good point.
12:33 When Pruitt made that joke I had to pause because I have made a cleric cobbler.
I just made an Artificer Battlesmith with 1 level in Forge Cleric, with the Skilled Feat. And they have SOOO MANY TOOL PROFICIENCIES, and Expertise in ALL of those.
ah yes, dark soles
Every time I see a 13th Warrior reference I like you guys a little more.
On our patreon podcast, we did a video commentary on 13th Warrior. Excellent film!
The ranger in my party loves to identify potions with their proficiency in herbalism kit and alchemical tools before the wizard can get to them. Ticks the wizard off every time lol
As much as I miss the in-person chemistry, you guys have by far the best use of editing to make your videos look as normal as possible. Well done, take an inspiration dice.
For me I had the tools provide little bonuses like using cooks utensils can let you make special meals that grant temporary HP or for musicians instruments to create little performance that grants Bard like inspiration onto them or whatever type of song/event they preform. So an example for rolling is 1-4 is poor quality or -2, 5-9 is lesser quality or -1, 10-14 is common or 0, 15-19 is higher or +1, 20-24 is greater or +2 and 25-30 is masterful or +3 to the benefits the crafted item provides
What about adding the proficiency bonus again to skills using the tool proficiency. Seems like a good and not broken way of making it mechanically worth it
There are two components to a check using tools, 1. How much experience do you have using the tools? 2. How much knowledge do you have about what you are using the tools for?... In this sense, the check requires two rolls, an intelligence check and a check using the tools. This is how I do it. Let's say the DC to accomplish the task is DC15. The player rolls two checks, first an intelligence check at DC9. This DC is 6 less than the original DC. If the check succeeds, then the check with tools is done at DC9 too. Ultimately the probability to succeed is a little better doing this method. However, if the intelligence check fails, the tools check is done at DC17. This is 2 greater than the original DC. So there is a penalty for not knowing how to use the tools in this particular situation. You can a bit of an advantage if you pass the knowledge check and a bit of a penalty if you do not...... By the way, this method gives due value to knowledge skills, which current rules do not.
I think this simple solution works rather well: Make two rolls. Roll once using a related skill, for example a dex check for an attempt at picking a lock. Grant a +1 bonus or -1 penalty for every 2 above or below 10 on the roll. Now make the tool roll and add the bonus or penalty. This is basically a way to say the player is either working in a positive or detrimental environment.
Calligraphy + History + Language might be useful for identifying or replicating cultural aspects for social situations.
Here I am just grateful that my players occasionally use their tool proficiencies to solve problems! Normally they just stab or evade stuff ahahaha
Warlock, bards and paladins use charisma to charm the weave to cause magic beyond spell slots and material components.
Warlock your Eldritch patron found you charming
Paladin your devotion and charm gained you smites as a gift from charming your patron
And bards your expertise of sound music and performance has charmed and induced magical effects.
Charisma can radiate from a person without a word or action.
Some people exude charisma even when they should not.
1 step higher A ELDER OR ANCIENT DRAGONS CHARISMA CAN WARP THERE ENVIRONMENT AND SWAY THE WEAVE TO THERE WILL.
A GOLD DRAGONS CHARISMA ALLOWS IT TO PASS AS ANY HUMANOID FORM IT TAKES.
Absolutely loved this video… now that d&d has become trendy, or cool etc I find it really hard to watch the same carbon copy mat mercer replica hyper confident person pushing 5E stuff out. You can really tell that you guys are just gamers wanting to talk about the game without trying to be cool etc.
They add more to characters for many situations if you look at them than more of the mechanical benefits. My cleric swapped out the gaming set in the soldier background for cooking utensils. The players like it more than just having trail rations, and it goes well with the monk's survival skills. I even use Gentle Repose on the butchered meat to keep it fresh.
Calligraphy Tools proficiency is the most powerful ability in 5e
I used to play AD&D back in the day, haven't really played since but want to get back into it. 5E has kinda confounded me in some stuff, but this makes sense...
IF I'm understanding it right.. (if I'm not please correct me on this)
The way I'm thinking about it is...
IRL I'm a locksmith. AD&D that's a dex and knowledge skill, preferably with a proficiency, no matter if I'm picking or repining locks... Doing surgery, ALSO a dex / knowledge skill... also with a proficiency.. But you probably don't want your locksmith operating on you and you don't want to try to get a cardiologist to help you in a lock out in an ideal situation... especially if the don't even have the right tools in either case.
BUT, given the same level of dex skills, I can (and have) teach a surgeon to pick basic locks provided they learn the tools and practice... Same as, if needed, I can use a basic suture kit because I've been taught enough to have a BASIC understanding and I've practiced.
Even without a specific specialty, there's a better chance for success, and with, having the right tools can make a difference.
So in addition, looks like it could be used as "I might not be the PC you WANT, but you're bleeding, no one here can heal you, so, it's either me or the clumsy fighter with the sausage fingers, who's never even seen a suture kit before, stiching you up... Who you want?"
I'm listening to this in April 2022, and I have to say...there are vanishingly few TH-cam channels whose content is continually useful, and from which I can always gain inspiration. But WebDM's content is constantly a source of inspiration. Thanks!!
Been watching for at least a couple of years, and this is the first incorrect statement I've noticed - so wicked applause before my small clarification!
'Round about 5 minutes, you ask about whether one can pick a lock with a Dex check, rather than thieves' tools, and state that the answer is "maybe."
Bear in mind: skills and tool proficiencies are, in themselves, ability checks. People who have played White Wolf games might think of them like a "specialty" in that attribute check. This is why they're expressed as Intelligence (History) or Strength (Athletics). According to the rules: Dexterity (Thieves' Tools) is the same thing. One certainly COULD use a Dex check to pick a lock; however, the trained "thief" will be able to add their proficiency bonus (or even double their proficiency, for those who have Expertise). This makes the tool-using thief far more likely to pull it off than, say, the dextrous acrobat bard.
In active play (and outside the specific rules), there's also the consideration of whether a roll is even possible without the appropriate tools. This is where it gets murky. Magic notwithstanding, one can't forge a sword without blacksmith tools. Could one straighten a bent horseshoe? Maybe with a couple of rocks to hammer it on and a Strength check... Could one pick a lock without thieves' tools? Maybe with some hairpins and luck. In either case, I (at my table) would allow the roll - probably at higher DC, and certainly at disadvantage.
I'm also a fan of the "additional benefit" mentioned in Xanathar's guide. If a character attempts to pick a lock, having proficiency in both Sleight of Hand and Thieves' Tools, and they have not specifically looked for traps before doing so, I may hand them an Investigation check anyway, or give them something like: "You feel the lock begin to turn - and then meet with a slight resistance. Others might not have detected it, but your well-trained fingers note that there might be more than simple tumblers to this mechanism." As Xanathar's states, this "pseudo-Expertise" goes a long way to make players interested in both tool AND skill proficiency.
Anywho, just a small observation on my part, with my two coppers' worth added in. Thanks for the great content, guys! Keep it coming!
13th Warrior is most excellent, but for best D&D movie I have to put in for Flight of Dragons (1982) cartoon. Cover art makes it look like a kids movie, but it is not. If you haven't seen it I HIGHLY recommend.
I’ve got to give a shout out to my DM Jarred. I showed up to my first campaign with my highly intelligent Dex human fighter.
His background was as a chef/tavern owner with cooking proficiency.
Then picked up Alchemist with battle master. And since then have taken feats prodigy, skilled and a few UA skill feats and picked up Poisons, tinkering, jewellery, arcana, herbalism and spent all of my excessive down time foraging and crafting.
He was very fair when stating allowed of these tools over lap so he would give me extra bonuses. For instance when making poisons... my alchemy, cooking, herbalism, poison, Dex and intelligence all help so he would give advantage and extra benefits (less wastage means more applications of poison, alchemy helps in raising DC of poison save) he has always let me play my character the way I want without affecting the other characters/players.
*tips fedora* thanks DM
As a crafter I really dislike how material construction is handled in dnd.
50% of the material cost and 5 gold worth of work each day?! The actual FUCK. That's not how any product is made.
To make a heavy crossbow I need to spend 25 gold in materials and 5 days crafting. What costs 25 gold in a crossbow.
Or. Chainmaille, something that I've actually made. It costs 75 gold. So I buy 37 gold and 5 silver worth of wire and take 7 days and few hours of endless work to make it. Or! Be a forge cleric and make it in an hour.
What magic wire do we need?
Yes. Chainmaille takes a lot of time to make but you can do it passively at down time.
It's just... really anti crafty game
I've been working on a homebrew project, that expands on the tools, and stuff you can do with them. The idea being that the higher your level (and thus prof bonus), the more things you can do with them. Examples being: high calligraphy ability makes it faster (and possibly cheaper) to copy/write spells; high woodcarving ability grants an attack/damage bonus against plants and wooden constructs; or weaver's tools allowing one to craft camouflage gear in an environment, granting a bonus to stealth.
I would say the difference between a CHA tool check and a performance check while holding tools is that a tool check creates something while entertaining. Perform with chef's tools- juggling knives, CHA chef's tools check- benihana.
My character has a set of smithing tools and I'll be making use of them due to 2 circumstances that befell the group:
1. Our metallic equipment disintegrated because of a corrosion/rust spell
2. A dwarf got us banned from the nearby "surplus shop"
After he (the dwarf) makes the forge and (if needed) smelter, I can get to work
Xanathar's Guide have a bunch of suggestion on how to use Tools proficiency that I find works really well! Giving exemples of when a specific Tool proficiency could come in handy!
Like, for exemple, if one character has Painter's Tools proficiency and they visit a manor or cathedral that has lots paintings, they could make an Intelligence Check PLUS proficiency bonus to identify the artist who made those paintings, maybe how much they are worth, that kind of stuff! Additionally, let's say this same character also has proficiency in History, and they look at a painting of some kind of battlefield, or the portrait of an historical figure, something like that. That character could combine the fact that they are proficient in BOTH Painter's Tools AND History to give themselves an advantage on that role, to identify which war is being represented in the painting, or who is the historical figure.
And that's just one example off the top of my head! But basically, the idea is: If an activity involve the Tools the character is proficient in, you can make him roll an ability check or a skill check with proficiency bonus, even if the skill in question is one they wouldn't be proficient with normally. IF they are proficient in that skill as well, however, then add an advantage roll on top of it!
Still need mending as an Artificer as 1, quick-fix in the field when you can't stop to pull out your tools, and 2, cos it's basically cure wounds for my homunculus servant which is a facsimile of my deceased daughter and my Artificer doesn't handle well when she get hurt.......
IDK it was so funny to me, but Jim's volume was low and Jon's agreeing with the occasional *"MMMHMM"* was really loud, and it sounded like a deep-fried meme of Jon being super condescending. lol.
What in your opinion is the true difference between "proficient" and "expert" when it comes to tools? Just wondering if you could gain "expertise" in a tool that you were already proficient in starting off at level 1? Wouldn't using it almost day-in-and-day-out in your adventuring eventually make you an "expert" in it by say level 8-10 or so? I know there is a feat for that and certain classes gain expertise as they gain levels. However, as an example, a dwarf fighter has proficiency in say mason's tools and spends most of his adventuring career in dungeons surrounded by caves, walls and doors made of stone and is always using his tools to (as you said) figure out how to creatively take apart, circumnavigate and otherwise destroy objects in those caves and dungeons should eventually become an expert in it. Wouldn't he? Also how about double "proficiency", first in their race they belong to and then as a class. Example, a dwarf can be proficient in smith's tool as a racial trait, but when he "receives the calling" and chooses to become a Forge Domain Cleric he also gains proficiency in smith's tools as his character class. Could that possibly make him an expert by say level 3 or so since he was already proficient in those tools using them for the first 40 to 50 or so years of his life before becoming a Forge Cleric and getting more and possibly even specialized "instruction" in those tools? In my opinion there should be a way similar to "leveling experience" where expertise could be gained by any character for using their tools ... eventually.
I’m relatively new to dnd and was planning a dwarf fighter.
Far as I can tell, tool proficiency is as useful as the Swiss army cantrips of predigistation druidcraft etc. they may not come up often but it’s VERY useful when they do.
RIP that purple obsessed guy in water deep. I turned his wall yellow.
TLDR; Tools are how things are made, your players are creating characters that would have learned a useful trade skill at some point in their life and there are tools to represent those skills. Let your players be MacGuyver...trust me its way more fun than telling them no...sometimes you have to sacrifice your Suspension of Disbelief as a DM so that your players can really explore their characters or rescue a failing RP or Exploration moment.
I usually find something for every tool that can be done during a normal long rest down time that either aids in the next day's travel or creates minor items to help them with dungeoneering or minor combat helpers (smoke bombs, special arrows). For example, a character that has cobblers tools increases the party's overland travel speed (extra hex every other day on road, ever 3rd day in wilderness, 4th in rough mountains); a character with an herbalism kit I allow to make a poultice or tea for team that gives them 1d4 temp hit points for the next day or advantage on saves vs poison; Thieves Tools should allow you to create similar effects to an Alarm spell except there is a chance it doesn't work (opposed check, char set DC with their tool use check). I make it absolutely mandatory that a character with a Brewers Kit is constantly working on special beers, wines, and spirits, meaning they can almost always create a flammable liquid, poison, or anesthetic. Blacksmiths tools, if a character has some scrap metal, they can setup a little crucible and create extra arrow heads or caltrops (1d6 arrow heads or 1d12 caltrops), Leatherworkers and Tailors can actually create extra bow strings, provide similar comforts to a cobbler but more for reducing the effects of temperature or precipitation, or aid in creation of disguises. But then again, I prefer to run a very apocalypse now kind of game where players NEED to expunge every advantage they can and players that understand true Guerilla warfare will be massively successful in those games. Quite honestly, if a character has an Idea of how to use tools that doesn't seem completely outlandish, let them roll and let them know the approximate DC...this clearly communicates your expectations of the use of tools to your players. Also, when your players are struggling with a non-combat obstacle, look at all of your player's tools think of a way that tool can help them and show them the way. You should only have to do this once or twice per player to get to think about their tools more. When a player is asking you about minor things they would like for their character, look at what tools they have or tools they could buy and things their character could already do with those tools to achieve what they are looking for...if someone wants their rogue to have a more batman feel with gadgets but they don't want to be an artificer; great, tinker tools plus some other tool kits and time (if the device does not alter your own movement or cause damage, the skill check is only to determine how long it takes to make the item)
I hate that y’all have to use a green screen, but I have to say that the sound quality and volume for the both of you is superb! STUPENDOUS! No sarcasm, just airing out the old words.
Disguise kits to create a fake immobile army from a distance from scratch.
Disguise a horses cart and its horse as a dragon to acare off villagers.
Disguise kits to hide traps and reinforcements.
Disguise kits to create false fronts of buildings in a very brief period of time. "That keep MUST be magical! Don't go anywhere near it, it just appeared overnight!" = camping semi-long term unmolested.
I just got the idea that you could incorporate your proficiency mod twice. You have the roll, your Ability Score, the Skill Proficiency modifier and the Tool Proficiency modifier.