Characters and monsters have a basic degree of competence in every skill. As a character advances in level, his or her degree of competence improves. A character's ability scores also affect his or her use of skills; a halfling rogue who has a high Dexterity is better at Acrobatics than a clumsy dwarf fighter who has a low Dexterity. When a creature uses a skill in the game, the outcome is determined by a skill check, a d20 roll that indicates whether—and sometimes how well—the creature accomplishes a skill-based task.
This section presents everything players need to know about skills.
- Skill Check Modifier: How to calculate a character's skill check modifiers, including how skill training works.
- Using Skills: How to make a skill check, what the target number is, and how to make a check without rolling a die.
- Knowledge Skills: General rules for the skills that determine how much a character knows about the Dungeons & Dragons universe and the creatures that populate it.
- Skill Descriptions: Explanations of what creatures can do with the game's skills, from Acrobatics to Thievery.