Dungeons & Dragons isn’t all about combat. Players aren’t just hacking and slashing and casting Fireball — most of their time is spent navigating the world, hunting for treasure, and interacting with NPCs they encounter. And as they do, the success or failure of all their actions are governed by d20 skill checks.
All skills can come in handy; for example, druids use Animal Handling to rally their creature companions, and paladins can rely on Religion checks to inspire followers of their faith. Still, certain checks tend to come up more often across D&Dcampaigns. Others may not be as common, but are critical when they do appear. It’s always an advantage to have at least one party member proficient in the following skills.
Updated March 1, 2022 by Demaris Oxman: As more adventures and expansion material becomes available, more and more people find themselves immersed in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Creating a character for a new campaign allows players to venture forth on an exhilarating adventure — but especially for new players, it can be hard to know what skills are worth investing Proficiency in. While certain abilities will always be more useful than others, they all have their uses, even the less-common ones. As such, this list has been updated to include all ability skills in D&D 5th Edition, ranked from least to most useful.
17 Religion (Intelligence)
This skill governs knowledge of the gods and their worship; for example, what certain gods represent, who worships them, and their followers’ principles. As mentioned above, Religion checks do have their uses in D&D. However, they rank low on this list because they are highly situational.
Generally, the only characters who use Religion checks frequently are Clerics and Paladins. The information these checks provide is rarely game-breaking, and is sometimes even covered under other skill checks such as History or Arcana. However, it may be worth having one character in the party with a strong Religion skill, in case the adventure takes the players into ancient temples or has them face off against cults.
16 Survival (Wisdom)
Survival covers skills that help one stay alive in the wilderness. Like Religion, though, it overlaps with other skills that are often more useful. Actions that a Survival check might cover (for example, scanning the area for dangerous animals or assessing the incoming clouds) can often fall under other skill checks such as Nature or Perception, making it redundant.
Still, as with other less-useful skills, it’s worth having at least one party member (such as a Druid or Ranger) with Proficiency in Survival, in case the party finds themselves wandering dangerous wilderness. In such cases, that player can take charge of building fires, finding clean water, and sussing out potential dangers.
15 Animal Handling (Wisdom)
Looking to pet an unfriendly dog, catch a stray goose, or climb onto a wild horse? Roll Animal Handling. Like many skills on the lower end of this list, unfortunately, Animal Handling checks simply don’t happen very often.
This skill might come in handy when facing animal enemies, or when used in tandem with the spell Speak With Animals to try and make allies out of beasts. Additionally, it may be more relevant in certain campaigns. For a party venturing through wilderness, Animal Handling may help them survive encounters with snakes or bears. For a city-dwelling party, though, it might not be as useful.
14 Medicine (Wisdom)
Medicine might seem useful on the surface, covering first aid and the like, but it’s not quite as useful as other Wisdom skills. Usually, characters don’t need to know why they’re bleeding; they just need a healing spell to make it stop.
Medicine checks might come in handy when trying to identify an ailment, find a cure, or even gain information about a local narcotic. It can be a useful skill in keeping the party safe, but it’s a bit more niche than higher-ranking skills on this list.
13 Intimidation (Charisma)
Trying to get NPCs to cooperate can get tricky. Fortunately, D&D characters have a variety of options to make it easier, and Intimidation is one of them: the ability to scare or bully people into submission.
It can be helpful in getting players the information or items that they want or need, but it can come at a price. Depending on how the party wants to be perceived by the rest of the NPCs in the world, Intimidation might not always be the wisest tactic. Use it on the baddies, but try not to scare innocent townsfolk — unless that’s the reputation a character wants.
12 Arcana (Intelligence)
Knowing what spells are active in a given area at a given time can be invaluable, and can potentially save the party’s skins. If magic is known to be present, an Arcana check determines a character’s knowledge of the school magic, and potentially who or what might have cast the spell or enchantment.
Arcana checks are great when it comes to identifying magical objects. At other times, they can potentially allow the party to take precautions and protect themselves from imminent threats. Like History and Animal Handling, Arcana is a situational skill. Players may not find themselves rolling for it as often as Perception or Investigation, but a good Arcana roll can provide essential information.
11 History (Intelligence)
Understanding the laws, lore, and legends of one’s area can often be invaluable in a D&D campaign. Successful History checks can help players identify important people or locations, understand an area’s local customs, and pinpoint any dangers that are likely to surface in a given locale. History checks can also give book-smart characters a head start on quest objectives, letting them know where to start looking for an item or enemy without having to spend time asking around town or chasing rumors.
However, unlike certain skills that rank higher on this list, a History check is unlikely to rescue the party from a dangerous situation. They’re useful, but tend to be situational, and aren’t life-saving as some others can be.
10 Nature (Wisdom)
Whether they’re traversing a snowy wasteland, hostile wood, or blistering desert, the party will undoubtedly be at nature’s mercy at one point or another in most campaigns. When navigating the untouched wilderness, Nature checks allow players to guide themselves by the stars, determine whether a storm is brewing, or find the safest place to camp for the night.
Similar to History, Nature checks can also be useful for identifying dangers. While History checks provide general background information, though, knowledge of Nature is more immediate and specific. There’s an animal lurking in the trees — is it a predator, or a harmless creature? Which mushrooms are edible, and which berries are poisonous? Knowing these details can help parties avoid unnecessary risks.
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8 Sleight Of Hand (Dexterity)
There’s more to this rogueish skill than picking pockets and shoplifting. Jimmying a lock, forging a signature, trying to pocket a valuable magic item before the party’s sorcerer sees — all of these actions require deft, silent hand movements, and all can come in handy throughout a campaign.
In a broad sense, Sleight Of Hand describes one’s ability to use one’s hands without others noticing. When players approach it from that angle, it becomes an incredibly versatile skill. For example, since some spells require somatic components (i.e., movements), a player may attempt a Sleight Of Hand check to cast such a spell without NPCs noticing. Similarly, characters may communicate via hand gestures, with Sleight Of Hand checks indicating how subtly they are able to do so.
7 Athletics (Strength) / Acrobatics (Dexterity)
Throughout the Forgotten Realms, there are cliffs to be scaled, paths blocked with boulders and trees, sinkholes that open up beneath one’s feet, and more. In situations like these, characters rely on their muscles or flexibility. Both Athletics and Acrobatics aid characters in physically navigating the world, though in different ways.
Since Athletics is governed by Strength, it often covers checks such as climbing or moving heavy obstacles. Dexterity-based Acrobatics, meanwhile, might mean balancing on a narrow bridge or vaulting over a fallen tree.
6 Deception (Charisma)
For characters who have a knack for getting into trouble — which is to say, 90% of TTRPG characters — this skill is essential. Quite simply, Deception is a character’s ability to lie convincingly. A roll for this skill will determine just how obvious their tells are when trying to sell their story.
Whether a character is pretending to be someone else, selling a counterfeit product, or providing a false alibi, players can use Deception to unlock opportunities that would otherwise be barred to them. It may irritate Lawful Good members of the party, but they’ll thank their resident tricksters in the end.
5 Investigation (Intelligence)
This skill is particularly useful in a scenario that comes up over and over again: looting for items. Whether the party has slain a troupe of ruffians or stumbled upon a treasure-filled cellar, an Investigation check will tell characters what they find when they’re rummaging through bodies, chests, or crates.
High rolls on this skill may allow players to find rare or valuable items. Meanwhile, a low roll may result in players missing out on an essential clue, such as a letter hidden in a slain foe’s pocket.
4 Insight (Wisdom)
Not all NPCs are to be trusted. Even if they’re not strictly lying, they may have hidden agendas, or information that they’re not sharing with the party. Insight is a character’s skill at reading other people, and determining just what their angle is.
This skill doesn’t come up as often as some others, but when it does, a successful or failed roll can determine the direction that an interaction or quest will take. Can the party suss out a dangerous situation, and outsmart an NPC who’s trying to play them? Or will they fall into a trap, and wind up in a dungeon full of angry goblins? Either way, players (and even the DM) may be in for a different adventure than they expected.
3 Stealth (Dexterity)
No matter what the Barbarian says, it’s not always the best idea to charge headfirst into battle. Whether the party is storming a castle, sneaking through caves full of hostile creatures, or just trying not to wake a sleeping bear, Stealth checks can often make or break an encounter.
By sneaking successfully, the party may be able to gain the element of surprise when attacking a foe; alternatively, a character may be able to gather necessary intelligence in enemy territory without even being spotted. Ask any Rogue, and they’ll confirm that Stealth is always a smart approach — when it’s successful.
2 Persuasion (Charisma)
Every party needs a smooth talker. Whether trying to gain access to a restricted area, convincing an NPC to agree to a plan, or haggling a shopkeeper, or getting information out of someone, a silver tongue does the trick.
The Intimidation skill can also work in many of the same circumstances; however, as the saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. NPCs may not take too kindly to the party if one character becomes known for their threats and scare tactics. A persuasive character can use words to get their way, and stay on everyone’s good side.
1 Perception (Wisdom)
For parties to complete their quests, it’s often necessary to pick up on little details present in one’s environment. DM’s know this all too well, and often hide essential information that players might not notice outright.
Whereas Insight involves reading another’s behavior, Perception checks test the keenness of a character’s senses. A successful check might allow a player to pick up the sound of footsteps that tell them they’re being followed, or sense an eerie feeling in the air that tells them dangerous magic is nearby. With a character proficient in Perception, players will be able to pick up essential clues or get the drop on their enemies.
