If you’re walking in on the middle of this series, there’s an index here.

Second Edition proficiency checks are simply ability checks, with a modifier applied to the target score. You suffer a penalty if you don’t have proficiency on everything, and you can’t perform the proficiency without the necessary tools, you can specialise further for bonuses or to allow special abilities (like point blank range use of ranged weapons).

Now, the basics are already folded into the ability check rules: Without proficiency, you cannot have full success. But specialisation has to be sorted, and exactly what a proficiency is needs to be sorted.

Important points from Second Edition: They’re specific, they usually require tools (sometimes to learn them – like a library – sometimes to perform them – like a smithy), they require formal training.

This places a ban on these things in terms of ability checks: If they require training, you can’t do it with an ability check, you need to seek training and get a proficiency. This is neat to me! But I’m not sure what ability checks are actually for now, and we’ll have to come back to that.

So, proficiency is sufficient training to succeed at simple tasks in low risk circumstances, and to have a chance to perform them well at all in high risk circumstances.

Specialisation – I feel like mastery is a better name, given that’s what they talk about in the PHB – is sufficient training at a specific subcategory to do this with a bonus, increasing the likelihood to pull it off in high risk circumstances. You get mastery by taking additional proficiency slots, but that only equates to a +1 bonus in the original. Weapons get a damage bonus.

This feels stingy, but if you’re allowed to sink as much into mastery as you want (at a cost), and have a strong ability score, you’re approaching 5% failure rate. Bonus damage should be reflected in non-weapon proficiencies too.

When you attempt a task, consider whether it requires training, or whether anyone can do it. If it requires training, you need proficiency. If it anyone can do it or you have proficiency, and it is a simple task or the consequences of failure are negligible, you succeed. If it is complex or the consequences of failure are significant, perform an ability check.

To perform an ability check, roll 1d20. If the result is less than your ability score, you succeed but face a consequence. If it is not less than your ability score or the result is 20, you do not succeed and face a consequence. The game master chooses the consequence.

If you have proficiency, roll 2d20. If both dice are a success, you succeed without consequence. If you have a disadvantage, roll 2d20 and only take the lowest score.

If an item, ability or mastery grants you a numerical bonus, it is subtracted from the result of the roll. If your result is less than zero, you get greater effect than intended. You can always trade advantage for special effect or greater effect, by negotiation with the game master.

The actual proficiency rules are a part of the advancement and maybe character creation rules. The average profile is 5 slots to start, plus an additional slot every 3 levels, and I don’t see why to vary except perhaps as a bard’s special ability. So it looks something like this:

At first level, you have 5 proficiency slots. you gain a proficiency slot at 3rd, 6th, 9th 12th, 15th and 18th levels. The first proficiency slot you spend gains you proficiency, and for each slot spent thereafter you gain a +1 mastery bonus. Examples are (will be) given of proficiencies and bracketed are examples of mastery.

Proficiencies do not leap unbidden and fully realised into your mind. After first level, you must train, study, and practice to learn a new proficiency or gain further mastery. This occurs during downtime (refer to downtime section).

The proficiency list will be a suggestion and I’ll probably pluck it straight from the PHB, maybe supplemented by Birthright as I want some from 9th level concerned with domain play. My gut is they’re just available, but are useless until you have land, mainly because you can choose these useless proficiencies to tell a story about an exiled noble or the like. I’ll come back to lists later, I think.

So, the Ability Check continues to take form. This is still fun! This has been a part of the Advanced Fantasy Dungeon Series! Let me know your thoughts on this approach, whether I’ve overlooked anything glaring, or anything of the sort!

Idle Cartulary

6th April 2022