Learning New Proficiencies
Adventuring is difficult and dangerous work, with not a lot of chance for self-improvement. Sometimes, you just want a moment to relax and focus on your hobbies like picking up a new language, skill, tool, or weapon to keep your mind off the ancient evil hurtling towards the planet, who is intent on destroying all life. This proficiency system is meant for the purpose of learning additional proficiencies as you journey across the world and visit exotic locales and try new things.
Just because the life of an adventurer is filled with danger, doesn't mean you can't pick up a tool for retirement.
Training
In order to learn a new language, skill, tool, or weapon, you must train at least 4 hours a day. During this time you are practicing and, after you practice, you can attempt a Training Check in order to increase your understanding.
You can gain a new proficiency in a language, skill, tool, or weapon. The DM may decide that other proficiencies can be learned in this way.
Limited by Intelligence
You can only learn an additional number of proficiencies equal to double your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1).
Training a Proficiency
You must first select which language, skill, tool, or weapon you are going to be training and practicing, and then determine the appropriate ability for that proficiency.
The appropriate ability is based off of what is being trained on and the ability helps determine how quickly you can pick up the new proficiency. See the chart below.
Proficiency and Ability
| New Proficiency | Ability Required |
|---|---|
| Language | Intelligence |
| Skill | Varies |
| Tool | Varies |
| Weapon | Strength or Dexterity |
Skill and Ability
The ability for skills is determined by the ability most commonly associated with them, see page 174 of the Player's Handbook (2014) for more information.
Tool and Ability
The ability for tools is determined by the DM, though a chart further below provides suggestions.
Weapons and Ability
All melee weapons require Strength, unless they have the finesse property. All ranged weapons require Dexterity.
Training Your New Proficiency
Once you have selected what you wish to train, and have chosen the proper ability score, you can then spend four hours and at the end of practice, you can then roll a d20. This is your Training Check and on the result of a 1, you have successfully made progress on training your new proficiency. You can now roll a d12 instead of a d20 when you make your next Training Check.
The Training Check die continues to decrease in size on every result of a 1. This means that your Training Check die will begin as a d20, and then slowly get smaller as you increase your own understanding and make progress on your training. It goes from a d20 to a d12, d10, d8, d6, and last a d4.
Once you roll a 1 on a d4, you mark a Training Success and you must gain a number of Training Successes equal to your Proficiency Bonus. Once you gain a number of required Training Successes, you are considered proficient.
You can only make a Training Check once per day. If you practice for an additional 4 hours a day, for a total of 8 hours, on a result of a 1 or 2 on the die, you can make progress and move on to the next die. Spending additional time training has no additional effect on a d4.
Relevant Abilities
Your relevant ability modifier, that you choose when you first began training, allows you to automatically succeed and make progress on your Training Check a number of times equal to the ability modifier, up to a maximum of five times. This means that your die size automatically decreases a number of times equal to your modifier. See the chart below.
| Ability Modifier | Your Starting Die Size |
|---|---|
| +0 | d20 |
| +1 | d12 |
| +2 | d10 |
| +3 | d8 |
| +4 | d6 |
| +5 | d4 |
If you are a 2nd level Cleric with a +3 bonus to Wisdom and you wish to learn the Medicine skill, you would start out with a d8 for your Training Check. At the end of 4 hours where you practiced and studied medicine, anatomy, and health - you would then roll a d8. On a roll of 1, you would then move on to a d6 for the check. You would repeat this Training Check until you gained 2 successes on a d4 die.
Cost of Training
Every day you attempt to practice, it requires a certain amount of gold in order to cover supplies and materials needed. This cost does not cover the cost of purchasing a weapon or tool, and before you can begin training you must purchase one first. This cost is 2 gp per day, this covers materials, memberships, or other required goods. The DM may determine that certain services or supplies cost more.
Training Help
If you are able to find someone to help you train, when you roll your Training Check, you can make progress and move down to a smaller die on the result of a 1 or 2. If you spend 8 hours training with your helper, you can instead choose to re-roll the die and take either result.
A trainer provides no additional benefits on a d4.
Tools and Abilities
Below are suggestions for key abilities to be used to determine the starting die size for gaining a tool proficiency.
| Tool Set | Ability | |
|---|---|---|
| Alchemist's Supplies | Intelligence | |
| Brewer’s Supplies | Wisdom | |
| Calligrapher's Supplies | Intelligence | |
| Carpenter's Kit | Strength | |
| Cartographer's Tools | Wisdom | |
| Cobbler's Tools | Dexterity | |
| Cooking Utensils | Intelligence or Wisdom | |
| Climbers Kit | Strength | |
| Disguise Kit | Charisma | |
| Forgery Kit | Dexterity | |
| Gaming Sets | Dexterity or Wisdom | |
| Glassblower's Tools | Dexterity | |
| Gunsmith's Kit* | Intelligence | |
| Healer’s Kit | Wisdom | |
| Herbalism Kit | Wisdom | |
| Jeweler's Tools | Dexterity | |
| Leatherworker's Tools | Dexterity | |
| Mason’s Tools | Strength | |
| Musical Instruments | Charisma | |
| Navigator's Tools | Wisdom | |
| Painter's Supplies | Dexterity | |
| Poisoner's Kit | Intelligence | |
| Potter's Tools | Dexterity | |
| Scrollscriber's Supplies* | Intelligence | |
| Smith’s Tools | Strength | |
| Thieves' Tools | Dexterity or Intelligence | |
| Tinker’s Tools | Intelligence | |
| Wandmaker's Tools* | Dexterity, Intelligence, or Wisdom |
|
| Weaver's Tools | Dexterity | |
| Woodcarver's Tools | Dexterity |
*Tool created by Dump Stat Adventures
Variant Rules
A few variant rules are provided to better customize this system for your own table.
Variant Rule: Armor Proficiency
The DM may decide to allow characters to gain a proficiency in armor instead of taking the feats provided in the Player's Handbook. In order for a character to gain an armor proficiency, they must be proficient in at least one piece of armor from the previous category, except for light armor that does not have qualifications.
This means if you want to be proficient in a set of heavy armor, you must have at least one proficiency in light armor, and one proficiency in medium armor.
Variant Rule: Cost of Trainers
The cost of trainers can vary greatly depending on what you are working on, suggested prices are provided below. Common and Uncommon are for determining the rarity of teachers. In a major city, it might be difficult to find someone to train you in Survival though it might be easier to find a sage to help teach you an ancient or forgotten language.
The rarity of certain teachers and trainers is based on where you are and is determined by the DM. A trainer could take on many forms, from a prestigious library to an old monk to a retired adventurer offering training as payment.
| New Proficiency | Cost of Trainer per 4 Hours |
|---|---|
| Uncommon Language | 5 gp |
| Common Language | 2 gp |
| Uncommon Skill | 10 gp |
| Common Skill | 5 gp |
| Uncommon Tool | 6 gp |
| Common Tool | 3 gp |
| Uncommon Weapon | 5 gp |
| Common Weapon | 2 gp |
Variant Rule: Incremental Bonus
The DM may decide to give characters a partial bonus to their new proficiency based off of the number of successes they have made on their d4 die. This means if you have a +3 Proficiency Bonus and have only succeeded on your new proficiency two times, you can still get a +2 bonus to the roll instead of the full +3 bonus.
Credit
For more information about this, check out Dump Stat Adventures post - Learning New Proficiencies.