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I always thought the listing of using the tools with skills were cool when I got Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Thanks for the reminder, I'm going to make a Rock Gnome Artificer Cobbler now.... 👞🥾🥿👢👨🔧🧙♂
Tool proficiencies are just as useful as skill proficiencies. I’m playing a dwarf Forge Domain cleric, and man! I make so many things with my blacksmithing tools that have come in really handy, much more so than any of my skill proficiencies. I’ve made: a collapsible 10-ft ladder; armor reinforcement for our artificer’s mount; a lightless portable stove that conceals the light from a cooking fire; a simple space heater for cold weather; ballistas and ballista bolts for a town’s defense; and simple tools like horseshoes and nails that I freely gave to local farmers which turned into them giving us useful information and a place to sleep for the night. And one time, the artificer and I used our proficiencies with mason’s tools to perfectly collapse a tunnel into the Underdark, thereby saving the locals by ending the Duergar (*spit*) attacks. Tool proficiencies are great! Edit: next session, I’m going to make a block and tackle. Ain’t no advantage like mechanical advantage!
Some of these take a lot of downtime. Armor from scratch would take half a year as an artificer alone. Reinforcing it probably less time like a month. Then you have the lack of guidance on how much time a collapsible ladder would take. Do you take it as mundane? It has no cost reference so you cannot use the cost to calculate the time. This can lead to games where crafting is not worth, or games where giving magic items is not worth as crafting them is way easier to do.
This only goes as far as your DM allows it. Making things that have never before existed in the world? Creating things without phb/dmg values? The application of tools to non-standard situations like masons tools being used to destroy tunnels, unless it's a brick tunnel. DM fiat. Forge clerics get some advantage on this with their features.
Not a core book. If you don't have the money to spare then you are probably not going to buy it. Unless you pirate or look at one of the websites that just transcribed the rules illegally.
As ODDnanref said most of the community probably doesn’t have xanathars. Also my players never remember their skill proficiencies let alone their tools. I have to remind my rogue to use cunning action and evasion. But I can’t manage everyone’s sheet and run a game.
@@samuelwyatt7846 Well my druid constantly says that she can brew healing potions cheaper for the party. Warlock is going to potion shop to buy them anyways >-
@@ODDnanref Maybe. But I would argue, and have argued, that Xanathar's Guide to Everything is a more useful book for players and DMs than the DMG. I recommend picking it up instead, if you have to make the choice.
@@NateArnoldVideos While I agree. Reality is something that you cannot argue against. And the reality is that PHB, DMG and MM came out before Xanathar's. So some people just did not bother if they did not have the budget. Now, illegally finding the rules is possible and some do. So they should know a bit about it too.
I sometimes really wonder what people are doing in their games not reading one of the more essential books. I would argue it's *WAY* more important for DMs rather than "that one book that has cool subclasses in it" for players. --- Some points being raised below are valid, 100%, and I get that most newer DMs might struggle with a ruling here and there or may not have a full range of book options. However, 5e is super ubiquitous now and a simple 1 minute Google search for "5e tool checks" - which I just did to prove this point - will indeed provide you with a variety of answers of rulings in the books (even if you don't have them) as well as the relevant one from XGtE. Again, totally valid not to remember 1 out of 100s of rules in the books, but Google Fu is a life skill, even moreso than a DM one.
"This section offers various ways that tools CAN be used in the game." The whole premise of the video is that these are rules that are currently optional and now the general idea is being introduced as a base rule in the next edition. So even if someone read that book, there's no reason for them to have implemented it into their game.
Having played an Artificer, I am intimately familiar with these passages in Xanathar's. Also, recall that the All-Purpose Tool (or whatever its called) magic item from Tasha's can give you proficiency in any tool as an action. Its probably not intended, but there's nothing that says it doesn't impart the knowledge necessary to access all the benefits listed here.
I agree, I would like to see the tools in the OneD&D PHB to list a Short Rest and Long Rest mechanic and then let the rules be open ended with players describing how their proficiency with a tool can assist their Skill check and thus allowing them to roll with Adv.
This is one of the best unsung rules of the game. It's what made me fall in love with the disguise kit when I had previously written it off. I always thought it was just meant to make you look like someone/something else and that spells were much better at this. Xanathar's proved me wrong! Need to deceive, intimidate, or persuade someone? Use some makeup to make yourself look more striking and gain advantage to the roll! I ended up using this in a gambler build I made to great effect.
I've been team tools for years! I've always wanted tool proficiency and backgrounds to be more useful, so I've made a lot of rulings like these on the fly, but it's soooo nice to hear examples from the people that designed the actual mechanics!
I think a lot of players did not know about tools because 1) outside of the thieves tools DMs don’t talk about them much 2)XGE had them in the DM section not the player’s so many did not read them. If you are skill monkey (like Soul knife or lore bard) it is likely you have things here that will help. As far as getting them, outside of the backgrounds, race, and feats in 5e you can get them via training. In that case use XGE rules for downtime training.
Proficiencies are literally the other half of the skill list people complain about being missing in 5e (I've even had this complaint previously until I figured out most of what I was missing was just kind of hiding). You can make all kinds of checks with them that people never think of. You could make an intelligence or charisma language check to pick the right way of phrasing something in elvish or draconic or whatever. You could make an Intelligence martial weapons check to see if there's something fishy about that guy's sword, or a heavy armour check to see if that guy's plate is foreign or well used, or if the person actually knows how to wear it. Of course, it's on DM's to offer these checks, and frankly the books do a bad job of elucidating this to us. But as soon as they made skill and proficiency based checks just modified ability checks they split the skills of earlier editions into a bunch of different possible checks. Xanethar's is a great book, and the tool section is part of why. The only issue is, as pointed out, remembering all this as a DM, or having a place to put it on your sheet as a player. You also get, with each prof, a small ability that is often pretty interesting and useful.
This is a great reminder, I'd forgotten a bunch of these too. In addition to tool proficiencies, I allow players to treat all proficiencies like this - if you are proficient in martial weapons, you get proficiency bonus (and advantage, if a skill overlaps) on checks related to martial weapons, like recalling information about a famous sword or warrior (vs History). The high Int wizard that's trained in History still has the edge here, but it adds an opportunity for martial characters to know a few facts about the thing they do for a living, and if they actually take history themselves I'd give them advantage.
Right along with the Actions, Inventory, and Features & Traits tabs, D&D Beyond should have a "Proficiencies" Tab, wherein a player can add their tool proficiencies and each description from Xanathar's, along with the corresponding skills that would be affected. They want more use out of it? That'll do it!
This is a rule I use almost every session, and gets even crazier because one of my players is an Artificer with All Purpose Tools, allowing him proficiency in all tool checks. It may be a little excessive, but hey, it definitely makes it more fun, and it's always good when your players get to learn more about your world through History, Investigation, etc..
My latest character is an order of scribes wizard with the race mark of scribing gnome. I have never used calligraphers supplies so many times in a game! The amount of information I’ve gathered is great for uncovering clues and digging for lore! Not only that but it really fleshes out my character, making them feel more real at the table. Tools need to be used more often!
Outstanding! There are a lot of articles that are repeats of other stuff on UA-cam. This was completely original! And YES PLEASE put this on the next DM Screen. I have so many yellow stickies on the inside of the DM Screen and...AND a list of player actions on the OUTSIDE of the DM SCreen! I mean the art looks good but people need that reminder.
This is definitely something I am going to have to go through in depth, as we are trying to do more things like harvesting creatures, etc in the campaign. I know I never knew this was in Xanathars, and I can guarantee the DM in that group has no clue from the amount of "winging it" that is going on while he works things out. Thanks for finding this, Ted!
I’m so blown away! So in LotR when Aragon and Legolas are looking at the fight with the goblins and the riders of Rohan, they could have used survival and proficiency in weapons to explain the fight and determine where the hobbits went
When I was trying to get a lot of d&d info for my characters all on my phone, the Item list app had magic and mundane items from XgtE, and campaign specific items like the Rain Catcher from ToA. These 'flavor' texts were included in the associated tools, and made me a fan of making characters with different tool proficiencies.
I love tools because it gives more dimension to a character. It's brief but backgrounds grant tool proficiency but if you wanted to maximize it, you can alternatively give up additional languages because they share the same "space". You can have a total combination of 2 languages and/or tools.
Honestly, I have done this from the beginning, I also granted advantage when two skills ably to the same check, or even when tool proficiencies seemed reasonable to apply to an attack roll (like the proficiency with land vehicle when attacking such land vehicle).
I landed on the same idea -- this would be useful on a DM screen. Right next to the section with all the conditions. Individually, these tool ideas are pretty niche, but collectively, thet are flavorful. I haven't really read through X's guide, so welcome more reviews from it
One case where this can come up a lot is with musical instruments, usually players make performance checks and the actual instrument proficiency doesn't come into play so having proficiency in both giving advantage makes the tool prof matter more.
Don't forget the small things you can do with the tools that they have added that have nothing to do with skills. like Carpenter if you have enough wood you can make 5 arrows on a short rest or 20 arrows on a long rest. this is great for the RP and getting items. like in the game i'm a player in, i make potions as i'm prof in herbalism kit.
Carpenter tools are great you can just block of a door in a dungeon as well giving you the time to fortify a positon when there is a huge swarm of monsters swarming you. Also can certainly enhance party cohesion when others help the carpenter to work faster. I personally picked up cooking tools and made an extensive breakfast for the party 2 sessions ago. The rest of the party really liked it. I used a short rest to cook so neither proficiency nor a roll was required according to my DM.
I love Xanathars tools description especially for Artificer also using Origin Manager on Dwarf’s Combat Training and get a bunch of tools instead especially playing a caster is so great.
I'd give a player advantage on some deception checks if they are proficient with card games (by knowing how to hide their tell), or advantage on some insight checks (like attempting to discern a creature's likely course of action) if they are proficient with a type of strategy game such as go or chess.
These synergies make the MacGuyver build even more awesome. 2 levels of Knowledge Cleric gives you any toolset prof for 10 mins, 6 levels of Artificer gives you expertise in any toolset you have proficiency in. Add some Rogue levels for expertise in some of those synergy skills and now you have advantage + expertise in a 💩 ton of checks.
This is my favorite chapter in Xanathar's. I've been using this mechanic in my games for years. I was very disappointed when I had a DM who didn't want to use it; thought it was too complicated. 😕
I've been using the Xanathar's rules and so I've been well aware of this but I know that others do not bother with it so I wasn't surprised that people didn't know about it or forgot about it. Even if they aren't in the new rules the other bonus I will probably continue to use in addition to the advantage.
I haven't been a DM for long but I've been including this since I read this. I tell everyone I play with about this to incentivice tool profs and usage.
The trickiest part to using this is remembering as a DM and as a player when it might be relevant. The examples listed in Xanathars are just examples and you can come up with a lot more ways knowledge of tools can help you. I had a player try to open a glass case but she saw that it was unusual due to her proficiency with glassblowing tools. She determined it was magically reinforced and prompted an investigation. I’ve also had a player realize an NPC was lying because their knowledge of fabrics via weavers tools allowed them to spot inconsistencies in the npc’s clothing. The npc was a spy from another country trying to fit in with local fashion. Another you could use which isn’t listed is leatherworking or weavers for determining if a bridge or strap or rope is strong enough to hold a certain amount of weight.
If I remember correctly, there’s even a blurb where two characters, one with a relevant tool proficiency and one with the relevant skill proficiency can combine their efforts and use whoever’s modifier is highest to roll with advantage on a check.
I've been dming for years and years, and never knew that a spellcaster in heavy armour, and not proficient in it, cannot cast spells. I thought the only downside was the -10 movement for low str and the disadvantage on attacks and such. So I always allowed a caster to cast, but spell attacks had disadvantage whereas a saving throw spell was unaffected. My players never abused this, as none of us knew you couldn't even cast at all. An example of a dm not reading every rule, or making assumptions lol.
Reminder that from the DMG you only get apply your proficiency bonus to a check you have tool proficiency in if it actually USES the tool. This comes from chapter 8 in the “using ability scores” section under the “proficiency” heading. TLDR: from Xanathar’s you may get advantage on the check and additional benefits but from the DMG you don’t always get your prof bonus for the check
In context of OneDND, it seems to me that the point is now that you have advantage as soon as you have proficiency in both and it's relevant, meaning it is assumed by default that you WILL use the tools, instead of the DMG version.
Specific beats general. If the specific rule in Xanthar's states otherwise and your DM uses that rule the general rule in the DMG does not apply here. That is also a DND rule. Besides proficiency with a tool would also certainly mean having knowledge at the stuff you need to actually use said tool and this is then reflected in a way when you have for example proficiency in both herbalism kit and nature it demonstrates that you have huge knowledge about the whole matter at hand regardless of actually using the tool for a check right now.
Xanathar's is a really good book, please do read it. And fun fact, if you're a lvl 6 Artificer, you get expertise in any and all of those, as long as you use the tool you're proficient with.
Fun fact: my players recently found a necromancy artifact, when they took time to study it, they realized it was a fake and had a not on the inside indicating who had stolen the real one from the villain they'd just killed.
so in xanathar's there was this language of "you could consider giving your players advantage..." but in the new playtest UA, it's just "you get advantage". so it sent from being like an optional thing Dms can choose to do, to an official rule.
As soon as I heard you go over this the first time I automatically knew this was in XGTE Which confused me because I kept thinking: “how is this new?” 🤔
I've used the Xanathar's tables for tool uses, and I've sometimes been like 'oh you have this tool proficiency? Advantage on this roll.' But Players never remember what tool proficiencies they have, or at the least never ask if the tool could assist this check. I did miss the section on Tool Proficiency + Skill Proficiency giving advantage though. Xanathar's has some fantastic DM rule options, much like Tasha's, but they tend to be forgotten over the new player options.
Last nature check I did to identify herbs at a market stall. I did indeed ask my DM even beforehand since I let her know I want to buy herbs. So yes she said you can roll with advantage. And indeed that helped me a lot since that half orc selling the herbs was trying to scam customers into buying cheap weed for some expensive herb that looks really similiar. (To note I am playing a wood elf druid so she has proficiency in both nature and herbalism kit.)
Funny story my first dnd character from 2015 was a war wizard who used Dragon chess to determine how a person thinks in terms of fighting and planning. Our barbarian at the time would charge his peices forward all the time just as how he charged into battle, our rogue would try to set up traps and think three steps ahead just as he did for combat, and our paladin would do everything to protect his king even if it meant sacrificing everything. I used to create game plans for ambushes and even crafted my spell list around them we had the most fun when it came to combat because even though my wizard was a young kid (instead of going to his first year of college he decided to become an adventurer) he was seen as our parties battle master and all plans had to be finalized by him and gods forbid if you went and changed the plan. I would also get advantage on insight checks when it came to "interrogating" someone given I was the most respectful and had the most connections due to my noble background it was so much fun uncovering the political corruption through the way people moved a pawn on the board.
As someone playing a bard, picking proficiency in many musical instruments but then it seemingly meaning nothing when doing a Performance check, always felt weird for me. Giving advantage in these situations makes quite a lot of sense and serves to distinguish an expert performer.
Artificers getting the All-purpose tool will effectively get all these proficiencies, this will have advantage on a lot of skill checks. I do have to remind my GM of this, because like most D&D'ers, this section seems to have been overlooked by him.
I agree that this is cool and should be added to play - however... if a player does not see it on their character sheet, they will not remember to use it (lol they even forget what is on their sheet). There must be a better way to show this: x+y=z on their character sheet. Maybe make some slots behind the skill list? I guess worst case copy all the relevant combinations out of XG and give them to the player (seem like a lot of paper). I'm sure someone would come up with a workable solution.
I've taken to creating a Tool-use Document for my players and dms that show what everyone in a party can do with their tools, and how they get advantage and otherwise with their tools. When your barbarian uses the Demolition ability to kool-aid man through a wall, everyone is hype.
@@PrinceNocti Over youtube? Yes. Also, i customize the document for the party - This page is for the Barbarian's tools, these two pages are for the Artificer's, et c.
So does my rogue, when making a check to open a lock (thieves tools, slight of hand) get to roll: DEX +prof+prof (tool expertise) +5 (gloves of thievery) with advantage (proficient in slight of hand)
I remember these. For the most part they are too specific to influence proficiency choices, and the uses listed are/should be part of the skills to begin with.
I've been begging my players to use any of the downtime things in XGTE, especially crafting magic items and potions. I used the Pit Fighting rules recently for one of my players vs one of the Netherdeep rivals. I'll remind them tonight about the tool proficiency options.
i printed out this info, along with the pictures and basic description of the tool kits, then glued them to each side of a playing card. ran them through my schools laminator and was good to go
I think I am one of the few people who will go against the grain and just say that most of these things are so specific that the player won't remember them or they won't come up. If they do come up the DM might not remember them. If everyone remembers them and they do come up the only thing they grant is advantage and some extra info. If you have time to use a tool you also have time for someone to give you the Help action. The bonus info/automatic success doesn't really do much other than save some time. In the mason's tools example, they are granted a success in opening the door upon finding it, great, so you just saved a bit of time in rolling a few more dice and either getting a success, or the party trying something like blasting the door down. I will be surprised if someone has used a tool other than Thieves' or Tinkers' more than once or twice. And those 2 tools are used pretty much by a rogue and artificer only. Just make a Craft Skill and a Lockpick Skill and be done with it. Why go through all the trouble of someone having a Chief's Tools proficiency, and making them roll a check to see if they do their thing. They are proficient in chef's tools, that means they know how to use them. I don't have to "roll a check" in real life every time I want to make a sandwich or cook a chicken because I know how to cook. Make it an auto-success if they want to do something with their knowledge. Example: Someone has Forgery Kit prof. and they want to forge a letter. Great, just let them do it, don't make them roll for it, they know how to do it and they can do it, it just might take more time. What's the point in me being proficient in something like a trade if some random shmuck can come around, roll higher than me and be better when they haven't touched a forgery kit in their life.
I have let players add double proficiencies if they have a skill and tool that would apply to a check but it feels weird since tools aren't tied to a skill. It would help streamline the process if it were baked instead of hiding in a supplement.
It is also interesting because the new material refers to skill checks more like it is the default (instead of ability check). I wonder if checks will assume a skill then players can suggest a tool they have to gain advantage in ONE D&D
I do wish the thumbnail or title would have specified that this was starting off talking about One DnD, as my table is still on DnD 5e and there's no talks of updating.
Mountain Dwarf Artificer using Tasha's customised origins you can get a butt ton on Tool Proficiencies and get double prof with those.... your time has come
Did i miss the rule where they say you add your tool profiency to the skill check required without its profiency bonus. I do it with the bonus of both already. So if i have been doing it wrong. The only thing is you get disadvantage with the tool if you have no profiency with it.
Yeah somewhere its stated that you only add your proficiency bonus once. Features like expertise double your proficiency bonus and add the doubled bonus once, which is the hairsplittingest way to handle things, but that's the rule.
bard. instruments are also tools, so a bard playing on an instrument he/she i proficient in making a performance check would get advantage if they are proficient in performance.
Hello, Does someone know how this interaction work with the expertise? If I have expertise in the skill and only proficiency in the tool (or the contrary), how should I play that? Roll with proficiency and advantage? Roll with expertise only? Roll with expertise and advantage (this one probably only when expert in both the skill and the tool)?
Depends when you use the tool to craft or work on something the normal proficiency but if you roll a skill check that the tool also relates to you would roll with expertise. Both cases however give you advantage. At least that is how I would rule it. Maybe an example if you use the herbalism kit to brew some concoction but are also proficient in nature you roll with advantage and proficiency only but if you roll for acquiring said herbs via a nature check than you roll with expertise since that is more important here knowing which plant is which. The tool however stays relevant since it has components that help you obtain said herbs. That even applies to buying herbs since the tool has pouches to put the herbs in. I assume the pouches have special areas for special herbs so yes you would need to know which to put where.
So much of this UA boils down to "Hey idiot! Remember that rule in the phb, dmg, and Xanathar's we said was optional? Yeah, it's not optional anymore." It's genuinely shocking that this core book reprint is going to have so few system changes that calling it 5.5 is a gross overstatement.
Apart from the dumbass part, yeah I kinda agree, a few variant/optional rules are becoming the standard basically. But I expect significant rework of spells and class too.
I have this feeling . . that with some work, a player can put their charracter together to never fail. There is so mane possibilities to get advantage, that its almost impossible to fail. And . .. . . Is that Good?
If you as a player manage to pull that stunt of then I think they earned it really well. Since that requires a deep knowledge of the rules + picking the right choices + surviving till the level you would actually need to obtain all that stuff. Maybe it also requires a lot of money and the right party composition. So all in all that requires so many smart decisions they certainly earned it and will reflect their high level and the experience as well as education a character has made both on and prior to their adventure.
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I always thought the listing of using the tools with skills were cool when I got Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
Thanks for the reminder, I'm going to make a Rock Gnome Artificer Cobbler now.... 👞🥾🥿👢👨🔧🧙♂
So many of Xanathar's rules should be in the core books for sure. This is a step in a right direction.
I couldn't agree more!
Hopefully not the "reaction to identify a spell one" though, which makes it impossible to identify what you're counterspelling
Tool proficiencies are just as useful as skill proficiencies. I’m playing a dwarf Forge Domain cleric, and man! I make so many things with my blacksmithing tools that have come in really handy, much more so than any of my skill proficiencies.
I’ve made: a collapsible 10-ft ladder; armor reinforcement for our artificer’s mount; a lightless portable stove that conceals the light from a cooking fire; a simple space heater for cold weather; ballistas and ballista bolts for a town’s defense; and simple tools like horseshoes and nails that I freely gave to local farmers which turned into them giving us useful information and a place to sleep for the night.
And one time, the artificer and I used our proficiencies with mason’s tools to perfectly collapse a tunnel into the Underdark, thereby saving the locals by ending the Duergar (*spit*) attacks.
Tool proficiencies are great!
Edit: next session, I’m going to make a block and tackle. Ain’t no advantage like mechanical advantage!
Some of these take a lot of downtime. Armor from scratch would take half a year as an artificer alone. Reinforcing it probably less time like a month.
Then you have the lack of guidance on how much time a collapsible ladder would take. Do you take it as mundane? It has no cost reference so you cannot use the cost to calculate the time.
This can lead to games where crafting is not worth, or games where giving magic items is not worth as crafting them is way easier to do.
This only goes as far as your DM allows it. Making things that have never before existed in the world? Creating things without phb/dmg values? The application of tools to non-standard situations like masons tools being used to destroy tunnels, unless it's a brick tunnel. DM fiat. Forge clerics get some advantage on this with their features.
I've been doing this since Xanathar's came out. It's so reasonable and useful, I'm astounded that people didn't know or forgot.
Not a core book. If you don't have the money to spare then you are probably not going to buy it. Unless you pirate or look at one of the websites that just transcribed the rules illegally.
As ODDnanref said most of the community probably doesn’t have xanathars. Also my players never remember their skill proficiencies let alone their tools.
I have to remind my rogue to use cunning action and evasion. But I can’t manage everyone’s sheet and run a game.
@@samuelwyatt7846 Well my druid constantly says that she can brew healing potions cheaper for the party. Warlock is going to potion shop to buy them anyways >-
@@ODDnanref Maybe. But I would argue, and have argued, that Xanathar's Guide to Everything is a more useful book for players and DMs than the DMG. I recommend picking it up instead, if you have to make the choice.
@@NateArnoldVideos
While I agree. Reality is something that you cannot argue against. And the reality is that PHB, DMG and MM came out before Xanathar's. So some people just did not bother if they did not have the budget.
Now, illegally finding the rules is possible and some do. So they should know a bit about it too.
I sometimes really wonder what people are doing in their games not reading one of the more essential books. I would argue it's *WAY* more important for DMs rather than "that one book that has cool subclasses in it" for players.
---
Some points being raised below are valid, 100%, and I get that most newer DMs might struggle with a ruling here and there or may not have a full range of book options. However, 5e is super ubiquitous now and a simple 1 minute Google search for "5e tool checks" - which I just did to prove this point - will indeed provide you with a variety of answers of rulings in the books (even if you don't have them) as well as the relevant one from XGtE. Again, totally valid not to remember 1 out of 100s of rules in the books, but Google Fu is a life skill, even moreso than a DM one.
Money. I couldnt afford the books for a long time. Only played with basic rules and a starter set for a year
They say they weren't "core" books.
It's also a large amount of info. You can't expect most people, even DMs, to know everything.
Some people have proficiency in the Google Fu skill, or the D&D gaming set, but not necessarily both -- so they didn't get advantage on the check.
"This section offers various ways that tools CAN be used in the game."
The whole premise of the video is that these are rules that are currently optional and now the general idea is being introduced as a base rule in the next edition. So even if someone read that book, there's no reason for them to have implemented it into their game.
Having played an Artificer, I am intimately familiar with these passages in Xanathar's. Also, recall that the All-Purpose Tool (or whatever its called) magic item from Tasha's can give you proficiency in any tool as an action. Its probably not intended, but there's nothing that says it doesn't impart the knowledge necessary to access all the benefits listed here.
I feel like those should at the very least be included on the actual tools item description as well as the DM screen
I agree, I would like to see the tools in the OneD&D PHB to list a Short Rest and Long Rest mechanic and then let the rules be open ended with players describing how their proficiency with a tool can assist their Skill check and thus allowing them to roll with Adv.
This is one of the best unsung rules of the game. It's what made me fall in love with the disguise kit when I had previously written it off. I always thought it was just meant to make you look like someone/something else and that spells were much better at this. Xanathar's proved me wrong! Need to deceive, intimidate, or persuade someone? Use some makeup to make yourself look more striking and gain advantage to the roll! I ended up using this in a gambler build I made to great effect.
I've been team tools for years! I've always wanted tool proficiency and backgrounds to be more useful, so I've made a lot of rulings like these on the fly, but it's soooo nice to hear examples from the people that designed the actual mechanics!
I think a lot of players did not know about tools because 1) outside of the thieves tools DMs don’t talk about them much 2)XGE had them in the DM section not the player’s so many did not read them.
If you are skill monkey (like Soul knife or lore bard) it is likely you have things here that will help.
As far as getting them, outside of the backgrounds, race, and feats in 5e you can get them via training. In that case use XGE rules for downtime training.
Proficiencies are literally the other half of the skill list people complain about being missing in 5e (I've even had this complaint previously until I figured out most of what I was missing was just kind of hiding). You can make all kinds of checks with them that people never think of. You could make an intelligence or charisma language check to pick the right way of phrasing something in elvish or draconic or whatever. You could make an Intelligence martial weapons check to see if there's something fishy about that guy's sword, or a heavy armour check to see if that guy's plate is foreign or well used, or if the person actually knows how to wear it. Of course, it's on DM's to offer these checks, and frankly the books do a bad job of elucidating this to us. But as soon as they made skill and proficiency based checks just modified ability checks they split the skills of earlier editions into a bunch of different possible checks.
Xanethar's is a great book, and the tool section is part of why. The only issue is, as pointed out, remembering all this as a DM, or having a place to put it on your sheet as a player. You also get, with each prof, a small ability that is often pretty interesting and useful.
This is a great reminder, I'd forgotten a bunch of these too. In addition to tool proficiencies, I allow players to treat all proficiencies like this - if you are proficient in martial weapons, you get proficiency bonus (and advantage, if a skill overlaps) on checks related to martial weapons, like recalling information about a famous sword or warrior (vs History). The high Int wizard that's trained in History still has the edge here, but it adds an opportunity for martial characters to know a few facts about the thing they do for a living, and if they actually take history themselves I'd give them advantage.
Right along with the Actions, Inventory, and Features & Traits tabs, D&D Beyond should have a "Proficiencies" Tab, wherein a player can add their tool proficiencies and each description from Xanathar's, along with the corresponding skills that would be affected. They want more use out of it? That'll do it!
This is a rule I use almost every session, and gets even crazier because one of my players is an Artificer with All Purpose Tools, allowing him proficiency in all tool checks. It may be a little excessive, but hey, it definitely makes it more fun, and it's always good when your players get to learn more about your world through History, Investigation, etc..
these notes on tools should be included in their descriptions on d&d beyond.
My latest character is an order of scribes wizard with the race mark of scribing gnome. I have never used calligraphers supplies so many times in a game! The amount of information I’ve gathered is great for uncovering clues and digging for lore! Not only that but it really fleshes out my character, making them feel more real at the table. Tools need to be used more often!
Outstanding! There are a lot of articles that are repeats of other stuff on UA-cam. This was completely original! And YES PLEASE put this on the next DM Screen. I have so many yellow stickies on the inside of the DM Screen and...AND a list of player actions on the OUTSIDE of the DM SCreen! I mean the art looks good but people need that reminder.
I discovered this optional rule in Xanathar's on a recent re-read. It's made a really nice addition to the table.
This is definitely something I am going to have to go through in depth, as we are trying to do more things like harvesting creatures, etc in the campaign. I know I never knew this was in Xanathars, and I can guarantee the DM in that group has no clue from the amount of "winging it" that is going on while he works things out.
Thanks for finding this, Ted!
Definitely would love to see this in your Guide to Everything series!
I’m so blown away! So in LotR when Aragon and Legolas are looking at the fight with the goblins and the riders of Rohan, they could have used survival and proficiency in weapons to explain the fight and determine where the hobbits went
When I was trying to get a lot of d&d info for my characters all on my phone, the Item list app had magic and mundane items from XgtE, and campaign specific items like the Rain Catcher from ToA.
These 'flavor' texts were included in the associated tools, and made me a fan of making characters with different tool proficiencies.
I love tools because it gives more dimension to a character. It's brief but backgrounds grant tool proficiency but if you wanted to maximize it, you can alternatively give up additional languages because they share the same "space". You can have a total combination of 2 languages and/or tools.
Honestly, I have done this from the beginning, I also granted advantage when two skills ably to the same check, or even when tool proficiencies seemed reasonable to apply to an attack roll (like the proficiency with land vehicle when attacking such land vehicle).
Going through this list myself, and it's eye-opening! For every player and DM it's a must to know these things.
I landed on the same idea -- this would be useful on a DM screen. Right next to the section with all the conditions. Individually, these tool ideas are pretty niche, but collectively, thet are flavorful. I haven't really read through X's guide, so welcome more reviews from it
One case where this can come up a lot is with musical instruments, usually players make performance checks and the actual instrument proficiency doesn't come into play so having proficiency in both giving advantage makes the tool prof matter more.
Don't forget the small things you can do with the tools that they have added that have nothing to do with skills.
like Carpenter if you have enough wood you can make 5 arrows on a short rest or 20 arrows on a long rest.
this is great for the RP and getting items.
like in the game i'm a player in, i make potions as i'm prof in herbalism kit.
Carpenter tools are great you can just block of a door in a dungeon as well giving you the time to fortify a positon when there is a huge swarm of monsters swarming you. Also can certainly enhance party cohesion when others help the carpenter to work faster. I personally picked up cooking tools and made an extensive breakfast for the party 2 sessions ago. The rest of the party really liked it. I used a short rest to cook so neither proficiency nor a roll was required according to my DM.
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I love Xanathars tools description especially for Artificer also using Origin Manager on Dwarf’s Combat Training and get a bunch of tools instead especially playing a caster is so great.
Hope you're having a good Sunday Ted!
I'd give a player advantage on some deception checks if they are proficient with card games (by knowing how to hide their tell), or advantage on some insight checks (like attempting to discern a creature's likely course of action) if they are proficient with a type of strategy game such as go or chess.
These synergies make the MacGuyver build even more awesome. 2 levels of Knowledge Cleric gives you any toolset prof for 10 mins, 6 levels of Artificer gives you expertise in any toolset you have proficiency in. Add some Rogue levels for expertise in some of those synergy skills and now you have advantage + expertise in a 💩 ton of checks.
The 6 levels of Artificer, you can instead get 3 levels of Fighter Rune Knight and use the fire rune and get the same results.
This is my favorite chapter in Xanathar's. I've been using this mechanic in my games for years. I was very disappointed when I had a DM who didn't want to use it; thought it was too complicated. 😕
I've been using the Xanathar's rules and so I've been well aware of this but I know that others do not bother with it so I wasn't surprised that people didn't know about it or forgot about it. Even if they aren't in the new rules the other bonus I will probably continue to use in addition to the advantage.
I haven't been a DM for long but I've been including this since I read this.
I tell everyone I play with about this to incentivice tool profs and usage.
Sharing this with my play group this blew my mind
These tool bonuses from Xanithars is why I made a mountain dwarf fighter with like 9 tool Proficiencies.
The trickiest part to using this is remembering as a DM and as a player when it might be relevant. The examples listed in Xanathars are just examples and you can come up with a lot more ways knowledge of tools can help you.
I had a player try to open a glass case but she saw that it was unusual due to her proficiency with glassblowing tools. She determined it was magically reinforced and prompted an investigation.
I’ve also had a player realize an NPC was lying because their knowledge of fabrics via weavers tools allowed them to spot inconsistencies in the npc’s clothing. The npc was a spy from another country trying to fit in with local fashion.
Another you could use which isn’t listed is leatherworking or weavers for determining if a bridge or strap or rope is strong enough to hold a certain amount of weight.
Awesome callback! Passing this one on to my players.
Thank you for creating this. I’m new to D&D and had no idea.
I distinctly remember a blog and channel that went over what tools can do so I'm surprised I never really think about it.
If I remember correctly, there’s even a blurb where two characters, one with a relevant tool proficiency and one with the relevant skill proficiency can combine their efforts and use whoever’s modifier is highest to roll with advantage on a check.
I don’t recall seeing this
I've been dming for years and years, and never knew that a spellcaster in heavy armour, and not proficient in it, cannot cast spells. I thought the only downside was the -10 movement for low str and the disadvantage on attacks and such. So I always allowed a caster to cast, but spell attacks had disadvantage whereas a saving throw spell was unaffected. My players never abused this, as none of us knew you couldn't even cast at all. An example of a dm not reading every rule, or making assumptions lol.
You missed these? I have a tab open for all for sessions with this up. It's so f'ing useful.
I had completely forgotten about that in Xanathar! I always meant to use these but I didn't ever get the list printed out
Very helpful! My table has treated it as “add prof to the roll”
Reminder that from the DMG you only get apply your proficiency bonus to a check you have tool proficiency in if it actually USES the tool. This comes from chapter 8 in the “using ability scores” section under the “proficiency” heading.
TLDR: from Xanathar’s you may get advantage on the check and additional benefits but from the DMG you don’t always get your prof bonus for the check
In context of OneDND, it seems to me that the point is now that you have advantage as soon as you have proficiency in both and it's relevant, meaning it is assumed by default that you WILL use the tools, instead of the DMG version.
Specific beats general. If the specific rule in Xanthar's states otherwise and your DM uses that rule the general rule in the DMG does not apply here. That is also a DND rule. Besides proficiency with a tool would also certainly mean having knowledge at the stuff you need to actually use said tool and this is then reflected in a way when you have for example proficiency in both herbalism kit and nature it demonstrates that you have huge knowledge about the whole matter at hand regardless of actually using the tool for a check right now.
Xanathar's is a really good book, please do read it.
And fun fact, if you're a lvl 6 Artificer, you get expertise in any and all of those, as long as you use the tool you're proficient with.
Level 3 fighter rune knight with the fire rune does the same thing.
Fun fact: my players recently found a necromancy artifact, when they took time to study it, they realized it was a fake and had a not on the inside indicating who had stolen the real one from the villain they'd just killed.
so in xanathar's there was this language of "you could consider giving your players advantage..." but in the new playtest UA, it's just "you get advantage". so it sent from being like an optional thing Dms can choose to do, to an official rule.
As soon as I heard you go over this the first time
I automatically knew this was in XGTE
Which confused me because I kept thinking: “how is this new?” 🤔
I've used the Xanathar's tables for tool uses, and I've sometimes been like 'oh you have this tool proficiency? Advantage on this roll.' But Players never remember what tool proficiencies they have, or at the least never ask if the tool could assist this check. I did miss the section on Tool Proficiency + Skill Proficiency giving advantage though. Xanathar's has some fantastic DM rule options, much like Tasha's, but they tend to be forgotten over the new player options.
Last nature check I did to identify herbs at a market stall. I did indeed ask my DM even beforehand since I let her know I want to buy herbs. So yes she said you can roll with advantage. And indeed that helped me a lot since that half orc selling the herbs was trying to scam customers into buying cheap weed for some expensive herb that looks really similiar. (To note I am playing a wood elf druid so she has proficiency in both nature and herbalism kit.)
honestly, i already knew about all of these but now I have more of a clearer idea of what I can do with my battlesmith artificer
Funny story my first dnd character from 2015 was a war wizard who used Dragon chess to determine how a person thinks in terms of fighting and planning. Our barbarian at the time would charge his peices forward all the time just as how he charged into battle, our rogue would try to set up traps and think three steps ahead just as he did for combat, and our paladin would do everything to protect his king even if it meant sacrificing everything. I used to create game plans for ambushes and even crafted my spell list around them we had the most fun when it came to combat because even though my wizard was a young kid (instead of going to his first year of college he decided to become an adventurer) he was seen as our parties battle master and all plans had to be finalized by him and gods forbid if you went and changed the plan. I would also get advantage on insight checks when it came to "interrogating" someone given I was the most respectful and had the most connections due to my noble background it was so much fun uncovering the political corruption through the way people moved a pawn on the board.
yeah, that was from xanathar. lots of great things in that book xD
What if I have expertise in the tool? Can I use my expertise modifier and then roll with advantage?
I imagine you use whichever is highest
Yeah, generally you use whichever modifier is highest on the check.
As someone playing a bard, picking proficiency in many musical instruments but then it seemingly meaning nothing when doing a Performance check, always felt weird for me. Giving advantage in these situations makes quite a lot of sense and serves to distinguish an expert performer.
Artificers getting the All-purpose tool will effectively get all these proficiencies, this will have advantage on a lot of skill checks. I do have to remind my GM of this, because like most D&D'ers, this section seems to have been overlooked by him.
This rule has been in the game since Xanathar’s; and offers guidance how to use tools and other way.
I agree that this is cool and should be added to play - however... if a player does not see it on their character sheet, they will not remember to use it (lol they even forget what is on their sheet). There must be a better way to show this: x+y=z on their character sheet. Maybe make some slots behind the skill list? I guess worst case copy all the relevant combinations out of XG and give them to the player (seem like a lot of paper). I'm sure someone would come up with a workable solution.
I have always just allowed adding your prof to a roll if you have a Tool prof on top of the skill prof. Yes 4x is allowed if you have Expert on both.
I feel it should say the tool gives you advantage, so you get proficiency OR expertise if you have it on the skill.
I always keep this page up when posting my artificer. This should have been reprinted in Tasha's
I've taken to creating a Tool-use Document for my players and dms that show what everyone in a party can do with their tools, and how they get advantage and otherwise with their tools. When your barbarian uses the Demolition ability to kool-aid man through a wall, everyone is hype.
Would you be opposed to sharing this document?
@@PrinceNocti Over youtube? Yes. Also, i customize the document for the party - This page is for the Barbarian's tools, these two pages are for the Artificer's, et c.
@@danieltaber4924 did you dm the person or there is a link
Damn, my rogue has been missing out on advantage for thieves tools! She has expertise in both Investigation and Perception!
I know I'm a little late, but the Fighter Rune Knight can get expertise in all tools they have proficiency in at level 3 if they use the fire rune
So does my rogue, when making a check to open a lock (thieves tools, slight of hand) get to roll:
DEX +prof+prof (tool expertise) +5 (gloves of thievery) with advantage (proficient in slight of hand)
I remember these.
For the most part they are too specific to influence proficiency choices, and the uses listed are/should be part of the skills to begin with.
No one uses calligraphy *Cries un Tulok*
I've been begging my players to use any of the downtime things in XGTE, especially crafting magic items and potions. I used the Pit Fighting rules recently for one of my players vs one of the Netherdeep rivals. I'll remind them tonight about the tool proficiency options.
i printed out this info, along with the pictures and basic description of the tool kits, then glued them to each side of a playing card. ran them through my schools laminator and was good to go
a little unclear, but i am saying i made a card for each kit. we use them all the time
I think I am one of the few people who will go against the grain and just say that most of these things are so specific that the player won't remember them or they won't come up. If they do come up the DM might not remember them. If everyone remembers them and they do come up the only thing they grant is advantage and some extra info. If you have time to use a tool you also have time for someone to give you the Help action. The bonus info/automatic success doesn't really do much other than save some time. In the mason's tools example, they are granted a success in opening the door upon finding it, great, so you just saved a bit of time in rolling a few more dice and either getting a success, or the party trying something like blasting the door down.
I will be surprised if someone has used a tool other than Thieves' or Tinkers' more than once or twice. And those 2 tools are used pretty much by a rogue and artificer only. Just make a Craft Skill and a Lockpick Skill and be done with it.
Why go through all the trouble of someone having a Chief's Tools proficiency, and making them roll a check to see if they do their thing. They are proficient in chef's tools, that means they know how to use them. I don't have to "roll a check" in real life every time I want to make a sandwich or cook a chicken because I know how to cook. Make it an auto-success if they want to do something with their knowledge.
Example: Someone has Forgery Kit prof. and they want to forge a letter. Great, just let them do it, don't make them roll for it, they know how to do it and they can do it, it just might take more time. What's the point in me being proficient in something like a trade if some random shmuck can come around, roll higher than me and be better when they haven't touched a forgery kit in their life.
Well shit, now i have to read the 75 pages in the middle of Xanathar's that it sounds like none of us read.
My group has been using this rule since xanathar's came out. It's interesting to know that it's not as common as I thought.
The comments seem to confirm that
Artificer's Tool Expertese opens so many doors for them.
I have let players add double proficiencies if they have a skill and tool that would apply to a check but it feels weird since tools aren't tied to a skill. It would help streamline the process if it were baked instead of hiding in a supplement.
It is also interesting because the new material refers to skill checks more like it is the default (instead of ability check). I wonder if checks will assume a skill then players can suggest a tool they have to gain advantage in ONE D&D
Honestly, I never knew this but I didn’t have this book for the longest while
So i have to remove profiency with the skill when adding the number to the roll. I use sleight of hand for thieves tools all the time not dex.
Thank you.
Advantage or maybe a d4? Also I wonder how cover and flanking will be handled
I do wish the thumbnail or title would have specified that this was starting off talking about One DnD, as my table is still on DnD 5e and there's no talks of updating.
These rules exist in 5e, as optional rules in Xanathar's Guide
These things need to be on separate cards for dm's depending on what the players have
Im thinking half the backlash of "One DnD" is just to rules people forgot were already in the game lmao
most of the rules are not bad tbh
crit success/fail on skill checks is too often imo, but otherwise I haven't heard anything I disagree with yet
Think of all the advantages of being a dwarf rogue with prof bonus in 4 tools and skills with expertise at level 1?
Mountain Dwarf Artificer using Tasha's customised origins you can get a butt ton on Tool Proficiencies and get double prof with those.... your time has come
Xanathar's came out and gave us so much stuff, but if u talk to most of the "online" community its like they didnt even read it.
damb i really should've fully read through xanathar's before playing 3 artificers and always picking tool proficiencies on chars
Did i miss the rule where they say you add your tool profiency to the skill check required without its profiency bonus. I do it with the bonus of both already. So if i have been doing it wrong. The only thing is you get disadvantage with the tool if you have no profiency with it.
Yeah somewhere its stated that you only add your proficiency bonus once. Features like expertise double your proficiency bonus and add the doubled bonus once, which is the hairsplittingest way to handle things, but that's the rule.
bard.
instruments are also tools, so a bard playing on an instrument he/she i proficient in making a performance check would get advantage if they are proficient in performance.
Hello,
Does someone know how this interaction work with the expertise?
If I have expertise in the skill and only proficiency in the tool (or the contrary), how should I play that?
Roll with proficiency and advantage? Roll with expertise only? Roll with expertise and advantage (this one probably only when expert in both the skill and the tool)?
Depends when you use the tool to craft or work on something the normal proficiency but if you roll a skill check that the tool also relates to you would roll with expertise. Both cases however give you advantage. At least that is how I would rule it. Maybe an example if you use the herbalism kit to brew some concoction but are also proficient in nature you roll with advantage and proficiency only but if you roll for acquiring said herbs via a nature check than you roll with expertise since that is more important here knowing which plant is which. The tool however stays relevant since it has components that help you obtain said herbs. That even applies to buying herbs since the tool has pouches to put the herbs in. I assume the pouches have special areas for special herbs so yes you would need to know which to put where.
Really crazy how nobody knows about that from xanathars!
Great Video. I forgot too.
I feel like if you had both skills and tools required for a job, the d20 result can't be lower than a 5, like a weaker version of Reliable Talent.
What happens if u have expertise in both 👀
If there's nothing it says... What would u think it should do.
I love to read your answers
That's an easier answer than if you have expertise in one of them.
according to one DM, "Xanathars is optional"... like imagine telling players that hexblade is optional lol
So much of this UA boils down to "Hey idiot! Remember that rule in the phb, dmg, and Xanathar's we said was optional? Yeah, it's not optional anymore."
It's genuinely shocking that this core book reprint is going to have so few system changes that calling it 5.5 is a gross overstatement.
Apart from the dumbass part, yeah I kinda agree, a few variant/optional rules are becoming the standard basically. But I expect significant rework of spells and class too.
I have this feeling . . that with some work, a player can put their charracter together to never fail.
There is so mane possibilities to get advantage, that its almost impossible to fail.
And . .. . . Is that Good?
If you as a player manage to pull that stunt of then I think they earned it really well. Since that requires a deep knowledge of the rules + picking the right choices + surviving till the level you would actually need to obtain all that stuff. Maybe it also requires a lot of money and the right party composition. So all in all that requires so many smart decisions they certainly earned it and will reflect their high level and the experience as well as education a character has made both on and prior to their adventure.
Yo I need to print that
Time to create a character proficient in the binocular and dual-megaphone headset! What's that DM?: roll for perception!? -no,
I AM PERCEPTION!
yeah that's why homebrew isnt a thing
@@ChazTheYouthful I think that's why artificers *are* a thing!
*malicious laughter insues*
@@KrahzduulTheObliterator hey quick question is that a core class?
@@ChazTheYouthful In technicality, *yes*: that is, according to the 5.5e Tasha's rules. :)