====== Example Ability Check DCs by Skill ====== ===== Acrobatics ===== 10 Maneuver quickly through a light crowd; rappel safely down a rope\\ 15 Do a standing flip; keep your balance in a sudden, strong earthquake\\ 18 Balance along a tightrope; swing from a chandelier \\ 20 Contort into a space too narrow for your body to fit through; escape basic shackles ===== Animal Handling ===== 10 Calm a warhorse startled in battle; de-escalate aggressive urban wildlife\\ 15 Calm a riding or draft horse startled by battle; de-escalate territorial wildlife \\ 20 Earn the immediate trust of urban wildlife; drive a warhorse into extreme peril \\ 22 Befriend hostile wildlife; drive an untrained mount into battle Arcana 10 Notice the telltale signs of a mage’s lab; pick out a spellbook among mundane tomes \\ 15 Detect places of latent magical energy; recall an uncommon arcane method \\ 18 Identify the purpose of an esoteric ritual circle; notice signs of planar disturbance \\ 22 Wow an archmage with your expertise; recreate a complex ritual from memory ===== Athletics ===== 10 Climb a rock face with obvious hand and footholds; climb a secured rope \\ 15 Climb a ship’s rigging in inclement weather; climb a cliffside \\ 18 Jump from a moving carriage to another; stay on a horse as it makes a daring jump \\ 20 Long jump while carrying a Medium or Small creature; climb an overhang ===== Deception ===== 10 Communicate a simple secret message to an ally \\ 15 Decipher a simple cipher or code \\ Deception is usually contested by a creature’s passive Insight. –2 Victim wants to believe the lie, as it’s convenient or beautiful –2 Victim trusts the liar deeply and implicitly +2 Victim stands to lose something from the lie +4 Victim is undertaking serious risk by believing the lie +10 Lie is far-fetched, and the victim would be a fool to take it at face value ===== History ===== 10 Recall famous legends about a specific region; remember the name of a famous hero \\ 15 Assess the historical importance of an ancient artwork; identify long-lost heraldry \\ 20 Know the childhood nickname of a famous noble; accurately recall an entire family’s genealogy dating back a century ===== Insight ===== Also see Deception.\\ 10 Assess the mood of someone not hostile to you \\ 15 Determine someone’s true opinion of you; learn someone’s current, most immediate desire \\ 20 Understand the general meaning of someone speaking a language you don’t know ===== Intimidation ===== 10 Push around someone you could take in a fight; force a battered opponent to surrender \\ 15 Verbally rebuke someone who holds authority over you; demoralize foes stronger than you \\ 20 Turn a threat back on someone more dangerous than you; demoralize a stronger foe while bloodied. ===== Investigation ===== 10 Notice an old and frequently-used secret door; find out what inn someone’s staying at \\ 15 Discern simple truths from a crime scene; find a specific passage in a daunting tome \\ 18 Identify patterns of thieves’ cant in a town; determine how long ago a recent event took place \\ 20 Get dangerous gossip on a well-known local; assemble a timeline of suspicious happenings going back as far as 6 months ===== Medicine ===== 10 Assess a broken bone or other obvious injury; stabilize a bleeding creature \\ 15 Identify the cause of death on a recent corpse; diagnose early signs of a plague \\ 18 Surgically remove a foreign object in a non-vital area; identify cause of death on an old corpse \\ 20 Keep a maimed or dismembered creature alive; amputate an infected limb ===== Nature ===== 10 Tell a poison berry from a safe one; identify contact hazardous plants such as poison ivy \\ 15 Intuit what kind of wildlife inhabits the surrounding environment; identify medicinal plants \\ 18 Detect signs of fey crossing or other woodland spirits; predict weather up to 7 days in advance \\ 20 Anticipate natural disasters from local animal behavior; assess the long-term health of a natural environment from a short examination ===== Perception ===== Also see Sleight of Hand and Stealth. \\ 10 Spot a hunter’s trap before bumbling into it; notice signs of a recent campsite \\ 15 Notice a well-concealed pressure plate; spot campfire smoke from a long distance \\ 20 Detect the rumbling of a rockslide or avalanche before it’s too late; hear flowing water from a long distance ===== Performance ===== 10 Earn room and board at a common inn; busk to impress passersby \\ 15 Give a performance that catches the attention of a potential patron; show off for a minor noble \\ 18 Draw a substantial crowd through busking; cause a massive distraction\\ 20 Give a performance worthy of a lavish party; win over a wealthy patron ===== Persuasion ===== 10 Get a lower price on common goods; bypass underpaid guards \\ 15 Make fast friends at a social gathering; recruit someone’s aid for minimal rewards \\ 18 Recruit someone untested into potential danger \\ 22 Lead folks into peril without fear; convince a noble to offer a loan with insufficient collateral ===== Religion ===== 10 Recognize a holy symbol or important site \\ 15 Sense the presence of a holy or unholy aura; identify signs of undead or fiends \\ 20 Convert someone with strong beliefs to your faith; recognize the rituals of long-dead religions ===== Sleight of Hand ===== Sleight of Hand is often contested by the passive Perception of the creature you’re trying to trick. \\ 10 Perform an amusing “magic trick”; palm a coin \\ 15 Make an object the size of a deck of cards “disappear” \\ 18 Hide a dagger† on your person \\ 25 Hide a shortsword† on your person \\ † or similarly sized weapon ===== Stealth ===== Stealth is almost always contested by the passive Perception of the creature you’re hiding from. The following modifiers are appropriate. \\ –2 The hider is wearing distinctive or bright garments \\ –2 The area is still and there’s little movement otherwise \\ +2 The hider is wearing common or subdued garments \\ +2 The area is active and there are distractions ===== Survival ===== 10 Determine which way is north aboveground; light a campfire; predict the weather; identify common plants \\ 15 Identify rare plants; determine whether food or water is safe to consume; determine which way is north belowground \\ 20 Light a campfire in the driving rain; figure out the direction of the nearest natural water source\\ In addition, see the Journey rules in Trials and Treasure for more information on tracking. –2 The quarry traveled on a commonly used path \\ –2 Firm ground with faint tracks \\ +2 The quarry used a new path or none at all \\ +2 Soft ground with distinct tracks \\ +2 The quarry is in a group of 6 or more\\ //Source//\\ https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/free-rules/playing-the-game#Skills \\ Level Up Adventurer’s Guide