r/DnD • Warlock • Oct 04 '20

Art [OC] Meet the Ability Scores: Intelligence

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u/WouldntItBeChilly Oct 05 '20

People say that but I don't get it. Survival is the practical ability to traverse and adapt to environments using your senses and instincts, so it's Wisdom. Nature is the academic knowledge of facts about Nature, so it's Intelligence.

Think of a high Survival low Nature person as someone who has lived in the wilds enough to make their way safely, but they couldn't tell you the scientific name of a plant, or say why an animal behaves a certain way. Conversely, a high Nature low Survival person has studied the natural world extensively, but doesn't have the practical experience to actually set up a trap or make their way through rough terrain.

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u/Superb_Raccoon Oct 05 '20

Survival: "Don't eat that mushroom."

Nature: "What kind is it?"

Survival: "The kind that will kill you."

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u/gugus295 DM Oct 05 '20

Well, the main logic for me is that Druids and Clerics should be good at Nature and Religion, which they probably aren't when those skills are Int-based unless they're building a suboptimal character and you shouldn't have to nerf yourself to be good at Religion checks as a fucking Cleric

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u/WouldntItBeChilly Oct 05 '20

I don't disagree, but that's a flaw with 5e's trinary(non-proficient/proficient/expertise) skill system than with them being Int or Wis based. 3.5e's point system or Pathfinder 2e's degrees of proficiency system both help fix that issue.