D&D 5E Tool Proficiency

Is it fair that the DEX 18 Barbarian can pick locks better than your DEX 14 Bard, even though your Bard has a Criminal background and the Barbarian is an Outlander?

The Tools

The game says, "A tool helps you to do something you couldn’t otherwise do…"

So, that's the point of tools - they allow our character to do something that would just not be possible if we didn't have any tools. We can't pick a lock without lockpicks. We can't make a chair without a hammer, chisel, whatever.

There may, however, be the concept of improvised tools.

I break the tools that D&D 5E gives us into three rough groups (or four, depending on how you count), as well as a group of non-tools that just happen to use the tool proficiency concept.

Artisan's Tools

These are for producing manufactured items. You start off with raw materials, you use the tools, and you end up with a finished product that you can consume or sell. 

Note that none of the artisan's kits include the raw materials.

Sort-Of Artisan's Tools

I sometimes group the poisoner's kit and the herbalist's kit in with artisan tools but you could group them separately based on the idea that they include their raw materials. A herbalist's kit has pouches of herbs, a poisoner's kit has vials of chemicals.

There is a lot of overlap between the herbalist's kit and the poisoner's kit (and also the alchemist's kit).

I like the idea of a poisoner's kit being a specific item, because it leads to interesting situations when the guards search the Rogue's possessions and triumphantly hold up the kit, exclaiming "Now what do we have here?"

Problem-Solving Tools

A disguise kit, forgery kit, thief's kit and navigator's tools are all about solving some problem or overcoming some obstacle.

They are distinct from artisan's kits in that they do not manufacture anything physical.

Note that we could also call a disguise kit "actor's tools".

Leisure Tools

Musical instruments and gaming pieces. Also do not manufacture anything physical.

Non-Tools

The game uses the tool proficiency concept to give proficiency in tasks like driving vehicles (land and sea are both in the rulebook).

Proficiency

So what does proficiency mean anyway?

In the game it is pretty simple. You add your character's proficiency bonus to a d20 + Ability roll.

But this leads to the question I started this article with. What about that DEX 18 Barbarian? Doesn't the Bard have something extra because they have proficiency? Well, the RAW answer is "no".

Is that fair? Well, yes, because it is all about eliminating niche protection. In previous editions, Rogues and Thieves were the only ones who could open locks and remove traps, so you had to have one along. In 5E, the design philosophy is that anyone can do pretty much anything. You aren't forced to always have a Rogue in your party. I think this is a good thing.

Really, when D&D 5E uses "proficiency" they really just mean mean "training",

Crafting

The only thing the game requires proficiency for is downtime activities. If you want to craft items for a living then you must be proficient. Our Barbarian might have a high STR, which means she can whack up a chair or bench, but without the proficiency, she's not good enough to actually sell the furniture she makes.

Lore

The game does not include this but I would rule that someone without proficiency doesn't know the formal terminology and phrases and history of the craft. Our Barbarian can whack up a bench, but she doesn't know that the term for what she just did is a "dovetail joint".

Summary

Tools allow you to do a task which would be impossible without them. Everyone can use them (generally), but some people are better than others because they have formal training and experience. However, there is still an ability check involved, so high ability scores equals proficiency (at least at low levels).