While adventuring, you will often try to take actions or overcome obstacles that challenge your character’s abilities, skills, or expertise. Whenever the outcome of your actions is uncertain or contested, the DM must decide what happens, often relying on the roll of a die to determine the results of an action. There are three main task resolution rolls in the game: the check, the saving throw, and the attack roll. This chapter covers how to use checks. Attack rolls and saving throws are used mainly against opponents in combat encounters, and will be covered separately in the combat section of the rules.
How to Make a Check
Using dice to determine the outcome of an action is called “Making a Check.” To make a check, roll a d20 and add your Check Modifier, plus any other applicable bonuses and penalties:
Check Result = 1d20 + Check Modifier.
The DM will set a success threshold, called a Difficulty Class (DC), based on the difficulty of the task. If your check result equals or exceeds the check DC, you successfully accomplish the task. The DM typically describes what happens as a result of making the check, though they may allow you to describe what your character does on a success.
When to Make a Check
The DM decides when a situation requires a check. Not every action requires a check, and not every obstacle entitles a character to make a check. During the course of play, players decide what their characters do, and the DM narrates the results of their actions. Only when the outcome of a task is uncertain and the results are both interesting and impactful should the DM call for a check. Conversely, players do not get to request a check to adjudicate their actions. Sometimes the DM simply decides how the player’s action plays out, without allowing a check to modify the result.
Typically, the DM should only call for a check if there is a possibility of success, a possibility of failure, and there are interesting consequences on both a success and a failure. For routine tasks performed without pressure or consequences, you can assume that a skilled character will succeed without needing to make a die roll. An unskilled character will automatically fail if the task is beyond their abilities; otherwise they will succeed after an appropriate period of time, provided there are no consequences for trying over and over again.
Let it Roll: As a narrative and gameplay device, once you have made a check to determine the outcome of an action the results of that action stand. Typically you cannot try again at a task until the situation materially changes – if it was a task that could be repeated without consequence you should not have made a check to determine the result in the first place. The same applies on the success side: if you succeed at a task, you generally don’t need to make another check to keep the results active unless the situation materially changes. For example, if you successfully hide from a group of guards you won’t need to repeat that stealth check until the situation materially changes (for example, their commander enters the room with news that there is an intruder in the palace, leading the guards to suddenly start an active search for you).
Working Together: Generally a single obstacle should warrant a single check. If multiple characters in a party all want to make an attempt, then they can team up to make the attempt. Don’t make a separate check for each character. Only the character who’s leading the effort—or the one with the highest check modifier—makes a check. All other helpers can use the Help activity to grant the leader a bonus on the check.
A character can only provide help if the task is one that he or she could attempt alone. For example, picking a lock is a trained-only task, so a character who lacks that training can’t help another character in that task. Moreover, a character can help only when two or more individuals working together would actually be productive. Some tasks, such as threading a needle, are no easier with help.
Group Checks: When a number of individuals are trying to accomplish something as a group, the DM might ask for a group check. In such a situation, the characters who are skilled at a particular task help cover those who aren’t.
To make a group check, everyone in the group makes a check determined by the DM. This may be the same check for all characters, or the DM may allow different characters to make different checks reflecting the different ways they contribute to the group effort. If at least half the group succeeds, the whole group succeeds. Otherwise, the group fails.
Group checks don’t come up very often, and they’re most useful when all the characters succeed or fail as a group. For example, when adventurers are navigating a swamp, the DM might call for a group check using a combination of the nature skill and athletics skill to see if the characters can avoid the quicksand, sinkholes, and other natural hazards of the environment. If at least half the group succeeds, the successful characters are able to guide their companions out of danger. Otherwise, the group stumbles into one of these hazards.
Check Results
Succeeding on a check generally means the task results in an outcome favorable to the character. They achieve what they were trying to accomplish and can proceed with their intended course of action without major complications. For example, a character who succeeds on a lockpicking check opens the lock without alerting the guards on the other side of the door. Depending on the circumstances, however, the results might be more limited. For example, a character is trying to persuade a guard to open the gate for them before attackers arrive. They succeed on their task, which means they have convinced the guard this is a good idea. But the guard is afraid of getting in trouble for disobeying orders, so he offers to go fetch the captain instead. Not exactly the result the characters wanted, but it moves them closer to their goal.
Failing on a task means an unfavorable result or a complication. A failed check should still move the story forward, but in a way that makes things harder for the player characters. For example, a character making a check to kick down a simple wooden door may still succeed in getting through the door, but because of the failed check their pursuers were able to close the distance. Also, the guards on the other side of the door heard the noise and had time to prepare.
Degrees of Success: Depending on the task, there might be several degrees of success the character can achieve. A check result significantly higher than the DC might confer a higher degree of success, while a check result far below the DC may result in worse consequences. Generally, degrees of success should be based on +/- 5 or 10 increments above and below the DC.
Making Task Checks
When attempting a task, characters can lean either on raw talent or on technical expertise.
Basic Check: (1d20 + Basic Check Modifier) vs. Task DC
Basic Check Modifier = Proficiency Bonus + Ability Modifier + other bonuses and penalties.
Expertise Check: (3d6 + Expertise Check Modifier) vs. Task DC
Expertise Check Modifier = 2x Proficiency Bonus + 1/2 Ability Modifier + other bonuses and penalties.
For a basic check (relying mostly on talent), a character’s check modifier is:
Basic Task Modifier = Proficiency Bonus + Ability Modifier + (other bonuses and penalties)
For a skilled check (relying on trained skill, knowledge, and expertise), a character’s check modifier is:
Skilled Task Modifier = 2 x Proficiency Bonus + 1/2 Ability Modifier + (other bonuses and penalties)
Remember, always round down for 1/2 ability modifier.
For many checks, the character attempting the task can decide whether to use their Basic Task Modifier or Skilled Task Modifier for the task. However, there are some tasks that rely more heavily on technical expertise to complete (for example, picking a lock or tending to wounds). For these tasks, characters may only use their Skilled Task Modifier. The DM ultimately decides whether a task is sufficiently complex or specialized to require a skilled check.
Additionally, some tasks are simply impossible to attempt without the required knowledge or training (for example, picking a complex lock). The DM may rule that a character must be at least Trained in a relevant skill to attempt these tasks.
Skills
While your character’s ability scores represent their raw talent and potential, skills represent their training and experience at performing certain tasks.
Technical Checks
Successfully completing a task usually requires a mix of training/skill (proficiency bonuses) and raw talent (ability bonuses). But the relative importance of each varies depending on the technical complexity of the task. Some tasks can be completed based on raw talent alone (such as using raw muscle to bend the bars of a cell door), while others require specialized knowledge and training for a character to even attempt (such as picking a complex lock). Following are the general
Raw Ability: Modifier = Ability Score – 10
Low Complexity: Modifier = Proficiency Bonus + Ability Score – 10
High Complexity: Modifier = 2 x Proficiency Bonus + Ability Modifier
Trained Only: Only characters who are Trained in the skill can attempt this task.
Rules for Noncombat (Skill) Checks
Human ability scores range between about 8 and 22 (-2 and +12)
Human proficiency bonuses range between +0 and +14 (?)
- Trained +4
- Expert +8
- Master +12
- Legendary +16
For high skill, proficiency controls: 1/2 ability score + proficiency = +16
Having relevant domain knowledge above and beyond what is typical for your level of expertise can grant an additional +2 bonus
Joe average: +0 bonus
Untalented journeyman: +4 bonus
Run of the mill master: +12 bonus
World record holder (limits of human potential in a fair competition unaided by magic): +21 bonus
DC 5:
DC 10:
DC 15:
DC 20:
DC 25:
DC 30:
DC 35:
DC 40: limits of human ability unaided by major
Rules for Noncombat (Skill) Checks
Take 10
When your character is not being threatened or distracted, you may choose to take 10. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, calculate your result as if you had rolled a 10. For many routine tasks, taking 10 makes them automatically successful. Distractions, pressure, or threats (such as combat) make it impossible for a character to take 10. In most cases, taking 10 is purely a safety measure —you know (or expect) that an average roll will succeed but fear that a poor roll might fail, so you elect to settle for the average roll (a 10). Taking 10 is especially useful in situations where a particularly high roll wouldn’t help (such as using Climb to ascend a knotted rope, or using Heal to give a wounded PC long-term care).
Take 20
When you have plenty of time (generally 2 minutes for a skill that can normally be checked in 1 round, one full-round action, or one standard action), you are faced with no threats or distractions, and the skill being attempted carries no penalties for failure, you can take 20. In other words, eventually you will get a 20 on 1d20 if you roll enough times. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, just calculate your result as if you had rolled a 20. Taking 20 means you are trying until you get it right, and it assumes that you fail many times before succeeding. Taking 20 takes twenty times as long as making a single check would take. Since taking 20 assumes that the character will fail many times before succeeding, if you did attempt to take 20 on a skill that carries penalties for failure (for instance, a Disable Device check to disarm a trap), your character would automatically incur those penalties before he or she could complete the task (in this case, the character would most likely set
off the trap).
Partial Success
If your check result is 4 or less below the DC, you achieve a partial success.
The effect of a partial success depends on the task. For many repeatable skills, a partial success represents incremental progress towards achieving the goal. You work out some piece of the puzzle or try a dead end, but you still need to keep going to actually achieve your objective. Mechanically, nothing happens (no negative consequences, other than taking longer than expected), and you can make another attempt.
For nonrepeatable skills, a partial success might represent maintaining the status quo. There aren’t negative consequence, but you also don’t achieve everything you hoped.
For checks that need a binary outcome, the partial success rule does not apply.
If you roll a 16 or higher on a check that does not allow partial success, convert the d20 result to a 20. If this is still not enough to reach the DC, you fail the task. This means that you will always have at least a 25% chance to succeed on a check if it is possible for you to do so.