Proficiency Training (5e Variant Rule)

Foreword

    This variant rule was made in the hopes that it will give players a more immersive experience in how their character develops throughout their adventures. I made this because I thought that the base game rules of how proficiency improves was lacking. In the base rules your proficiency can go up with something that you never once used just because you've reached certain levels. I hope that you and the other players in your campaign enjoy this change to the base game.

Getting Started

You can start out with proficiency for a number of weapons, armor, and skills equal to the the bonuses from the respective ability score modifiers (STR = STR based weapons, DEX = DEX based weapons, CON = Armor, etc. ). If you use a weapon you are not proficient with you incur a penalty to your roll to hit, penalty is equal to number from base max (+5) you are from your ability modifier (ex. STR 14 = +2) subtracted from the roll outcome (ex. 16 – 3 = 13).

Weapons

You start out with a +0 in proficiency bonus for using a weapon type that you are proficient in. You can increase this by reaching certain kill milestones, with that weapon, to a maximum of +6. The milestones are as follows: +1 = 5 kills, +2 = 15 kills, +3 = 25 kills, +4 = 45 kills, +5 = 85 kills, +6 = 135 kills. You can become proficient in a weapon type that you are not proficient in by reaching a 5 kill milestone while incurring the proficiency penalty. Alternatively, proficiency can be achieved by reaching certain proficiency levels with other weapons (ex. Shortsword proficiency +2 = longsword proficiency +0).

Armor

Light, medium, and heavy armor works like it does in the base game. Shields scale similarly to weapons with you starting with a +1 to AC from using a shield that you are proficient in. The way you increase AC is by avoiding a hit by the extra AC that the shield gives you (ex. AC = 15, roll to hit was 14). Same as with the weapons when you reach certain block milestones the AC increases by 1 to a maximum of +4. The milestones are as follows: +2 = 10 blocks, +3 = 20 blocks, +4 = 30 blocks.

Tools

You do not start with proficiency in any tools, instead you can gain proficiency with tools by doing successful checks with those tools up to a maximum of +6. The milestones are as follows: +1 = 5 successes, +2 = 15 successes, +3 = 35 successes, +4 = 75 successes, +5 = 115 successes, +6 = 155 successes.

Skills

You are able to obtain and increase skill proficiency up to +6 by reaching success milestones and they are as follows: +0 = 5 successes, +1 = 5 successes, +2 = 15 successes, +3 = 35 successes, +4 = 75 successes, +5 = 115 successes, +6 = 155 successes.

Saving Throws

You are able to obtain and increase saving throw proficiency up to +6 by reaching success milestones and they are as follows: +0 = 5 successes, +1 = 5 successes, +2 = 10 successes, +3 = 15 successes, +4 = 20 successes, +5 = 25 successes, +6 = 30 successes.

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