Summary
Dungeons & Dragons’fifth edition has eighteen different skills within the core six: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, though no skills fall under Constitution. These individual skills can vary drastically when it comes to whether or not they’re actually useful. Of course, this all depends on the type of campaign you’re playing or the type of character you are.
However, generally speaking, some skills are just going to be more useful than others. That’s why we’ve created this list. Here is every single skill in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, ranked by whether or not they’re actually helpful or not.
Useful For
Determining Alignment, Symbology
Unless you’re a cleric or a paladin, or somehow also religiously aligned, Religion as a skill just isn’t going to prove that useful to you. At the very most, this skill really can only be used to help determine the nature of a god, what followers they might attract, and the alignment of those who worship said deity.
If you are a cleric or a paladin, you might find additional uses. But, ultimately, this skill is only going to prove helpful to a select few.
Lore
A lot of the checks that fall under the umbrella of Intelligence aren’t always that helpful. History is another such check. Typically, your Dungeon Master will call for a History check when you need to uncover an important piece of lore, or if you’re testing your knowledge on a certain subject.
However, a lot of the time, DMs might dole out this information regardless of a check if it’s needed to progress the story. Placing progression behind a History check isn’t always a great DM tool, so these checks tend to occur seldom.
Parlaying With Animals
There are plenty of situations in which an Animal Handling check could come up. If you’re trying to ride a horse and not get bucked, or if you’re trying to negotiate with a beast you’ve come across in the woods, you might need to make an Animal Handling check.
However, a lot of the time, the creatures you might come across that would require such a check are typically enemies. After all, you’re not really going to negotiate with a pack of wolves. This check is usually rendered null by combat.
Understanding Natural Phenomena
Nature is a skill that often gets confused with the Survival skill. Technically speaking, your Dungeon Master really should be calling for Nature checks only if you’re trying to understand the nature of some kind of nature-based effect.
If you’re trying to figure out what kind of monster something is, or what kind of plant you’re looking at, that would require a Nature check. However, checks for tracking animals and such usually require a Survival check, which is far more important. Ultimately, Nature checks can feel a bit niche, and there are a lot of abilities that can replace this skill, generally speaking.
Bardic Performance
There are a lot of Charisma-based skills that are highly important in Dungeons & Dragons, but Performance isn’t really one of them. Unless you’re trying to play an instrument or perform some sort of feat, you’re not going to need this check. Lying or disguising yourself will always require a Deception check over a Performance one, making this skill far less important.
Of course, ifyou’re playing a Bard, this skill could come in handy, particularly if you’re trying to scrounge up a few extra coins. But again, this is a pretty specific circumstance.
Climbing, Lifting
Athletics is the only Strength-based skill in the core bunch. Obviously, marital characters like barbarians and fighters might want to rely on their Strength to solve problems. And, this skill can be useful for overcoming physical obstacles.
But, a lot of Dungeon Masters tend to rule that, if you can justify it, players can use their Acrobatics to overcome similar obstacles. So, a lot of players with higher Acrobatics tend to defer to that skill, making this one less utilitarian.
Deft Movement
And speaking of, Acrobatics is actually next on our list. As mentioned, this skill can prove helpful for less strong characters to overcome physical obstacles. Even squishier characters like wizards and sorcerers tend to place decently high stats in Dexterity, meaning Acrobatics will come in handy sometimes.
Acrobatics can also prove to be a useful way to get your character out of harm’s way in a pinch. Unless you’re being forced to make a saving throw, a lot of players might rely on their Acrobatics to reposition themselves safely without risking a Strength check.
Thievery
Regardless of whether you’replaying a rogueor not, Sleight of Hand is going to come up in a Dungeons & Dragons game. There’s just always an opportunity for pick-pocketing, stealing important treasures, and generally being deft and nimble.
Obviously, more chaotic and neutrally aligned characters tend to favor this skill and can find plenty of creative ways to use it. Ultimately, Sleight of Hand can be used in a lot of creative ways, so it’s definitely a more valuable skill than most.
Assessing Lies
While Insight can be used for a handful of things, it’s primarily used by players and Dungeon Masters for one very specific reason: to see if someone is lying to you. In roleplay-heavy campaigns in particular, this skill is invaluable.
Plus, there’s nothing more fun than getting a secret whisper from your DM based on what you intuited from your check. Ultimately, being able to spot a liar might just save your life during a session, so this skill is not to be overlooked.
Healing
There are a lot of different classes in Dungeons & Dragons that can heal, and even more items and features that can as well. However, sometimes, in a pinch, a non-healer character might be the only one who can try to revive or stabilize a wounded ally.
That’s where the Medicine check comes in. This check is actually immensely helpful if you’re trying to resuscitate an ally, but aren’t a healer yourself. With the right Medicine check, you can, at the very least, stabilize your ally, preventing them from having to make death saves.
