Skills

Skills in The Domains of Dread have extensive modification from vanilla Neverwinter Nights and Third Edition sources. All skills have both primary and secondary attribute modifiers, and final modifiers are determined from the following list in order of calculation:

1. Modifier from primary attribute, positive or negative;
2. Hard modifier from secondary attribute, if any (max +2, minimum +0);
3. Soft modifiers from items, positive or negative;
4. Soft modifiers from spells and spell-like effects, positive or negative;
5. Soft modifiers from circumstance or environment, whether automatic by the module or where called by a Game Master, positive or negative.

Characters benefit from up to +15 from soft modifiers, after which their skills will no longer increase. Should verbiage around a feature not include “checks”, it is a hard modifier unaffected by this cap. For example, +2 to Perception is a hard modifier, where +2 to Perception checks is not.

Skills affected by Armor Check Penalty (ACP) are denoted as such. ACP affects final modifiers as a circumstantial malus.

Acrobatics (DEX, STR)

A character’s ability to climb, navigate, or otherwise traverse challenging environments without injury. Special passages or placeables in the module require successful Acrobatics checks to use without damage or another consequence. Affected by ACP.

Appraise (INT, PRS)

A character’s ability to enumerate the value (or lack thereof) of a good or service. Appraise is considered when determining a non-player character vendor’s willingness to purchase an item, for how much, and how many; it also determines the going rate of such a vendor’s items being sold.

Concentration (CON, WIS)

A character’s ability to remain focused through distraction. Concentration is used when invoking a spell or spell-like ability which would provoke an attack of opportunity, such as when engaged by a melee opponent and when resisting certain effects.

Deception (PRS, INT)

A character’s ability to misrepresent themselves, a situation or circumstance—to lie where the truth is expected. Deception is used to resist attempts to undisguise the character or when bluffing another party primed to already sense deceit.

Handle Animal (PRS, WIS)

A character’s ability to tame, train, or otherwise interface with a domestic or wild animal. Handle Animal is used to determine the initial disposition of animals in their presence, and whether they will obey command and how long.

Handle Device (INT, DEX)

A character’s ability to manipulate devices such as traps without failure or injury. Handle Device is used when disabling ground traps or sabotaged containers, and when deploying them such as forcing a lock into the shut position.

Handle Lock (DEX, INT)

A character’s ability to finesse locks without keys or another expected means of entry. Handle Lock is used when opening locked doors or containers, and when attempting to interface with puzzle or otherwise sealed inventory items such as manacles.

Handle Medicine (WIS, INT)

A character’s ability to render medical aid accurately and effectively. Handle Medicine is used when bandaging wounds, treating poisons and/or diseases, and when providing long term care through mundane methods.

Handle Supernatural Device (PRS, INT)

A character’s ability to “work” items that they would not otherwise be able to—to impress the desired result in a non-mundane item. Handle Supernatural Device is used when attempting to use a scroll whose spell type the character cannot natively cast, or when putting on equipment restricted to another class archetype and/or alignment.

Intimidation (PRS, STR)

A character’s ability to shock or muscle their way through a scene. Intimidation is used when using brutish means to obtain a desired effect or when otherwise dissuading others by threatening force.

Intuition (WIS, CON)

A character’s ability to reason unconsciously and rely on their instincts. Intuition is used when trying to uncover deceit or undisguise disguised individuals.

Knowledge (INT, WIS)

A character’s ability to recall and disambiguate living information. Knowledge is used when trying to identify mundane items, when deciphering the script of an unknown but extant language or code, or to recognize the qualities of beasts.

Lore (INT, WIS)

A character’s ability to recall and disambiguate esoteric or dead information. Lore is used when trying to identify supernatural items, when making interpretations of long forgotten symbols or scripture, or to recognize the qualities of monsters.

Perception (WIS, INT)

A character’s ability to intuit what is unseen or otherwise hidden. Perception is used when trying to uncover individuals using Stealth, or when discerning reality from illusion.

Performance (PRS, INT)

A character’s ability to create compelling live performances. Performance is used when playing music, when dancing to entertain, or to otherwise captivate the senses in others.

Persuasion (PRS, INT)

A character’s ability to make compelling argument and convince others with diplomacy. Persuasion is used when negotiating between opposing viewpoints, when expressing an unwanted idea, or when urging a different course of action.

Poise (STR, CON)

A character’s ability to handle heavy equipment with practice and without risk. Poise is used to resist certain effects, when determining the character’s innate DR against mundane damage, and as a source of potential dodge AC.

Search (INT, WIS)

A character’s ability to find items and areas. Search is used when trying to notice hidden passages, placeables, or all the items in some ground containers.

Sleight of Hand (DEX, INT)

A character’s ability to perform feats of legerdemain with handleable items and when using their arms and hands with dexterity. Sleight of Hand is used when escaping bindings such as manacles, when filching from the purses or pockets of non-player characters, and when concealing contraband during searches. Affected by ACP.

Spellcraft (INT, PRS)

A character’s ability to read, identify, and resist supernatural effects. Spellcraft is used when determining the character’s total spells known, the exactness with which they may identify a foreign spell or spell-like ability, and when avoiding the effects of a hostile spell or spell-like ability cast on them.

Stealth (DEX, WIS)

The character’s ability to conceal themselves and to stay out of sight. Stealth is used when the character tries to hide themselves, move silently, and pass through areas without trace. Affected by ACP.

Survival (WIS, CON)

The character’s ability to avoid natural hazards and sustain themselves in wilderness. Survival is used when determining the character’s resistance to inclement weather, when locating the tracks of others left outdoors, when obscuring their own tracks, and how well they obtain their physical needs from outdoor sources.

Tumble (DEX)

The character’s ability to control themselves with grace and move out from danger. Tumble is used when avoiding attacks of opportunity and as a source of potential dodge AC. Affected by ACP.