Tool Proficiencies - Deep Dive Series - D&D 5e #short

There's one Tool Proficiency that every single party should have available, and it ain't Thieves' Tools or a Disguise Kit!

[BittyVids]

It’s so satisfying playing an artificer and being an expert in all tools. With all purpose tool, you have access to any tool.
Making items, armor, weapons, shoring up doors, building traps, solving exploration problems... it’s all about being creative and solving the parties problems.

And also according to Xanathar you can argue for advantage for anything that involves a tool.

[FrosTehBurr]

Personally I use tool proficiency as similar to occupational speciality. As in, because you’re proficient in the tools, you can do anything and know everything about the specific occupation the tools are used for.
Examples would be a cartographer being a real good navigator and can help you move across the map easier like having a Ranger in their favorite terrain without having a Ranger in the party. Or in the event you need to roll investigation when examining a shoe but have low wisdom and proficiency with cobbler tools, I’d give advantage to that roll because of the tool proficiency.
It’s how I reasoned the existence of tool proficiency and find this type of occupation specialty helps build up a backstory.

[kmoustakas]

I didn't know that about cook's utensils. You can use alchemist's kit to identify liquids including potions, that's what I use mostly.

[Oniphire]

I'm on a semi-public D&D server which makes tool proficiency pretty valuable via their downtime system. Every week each character gets downtime points which they can use to craft, generate passive income, do "off screen" adventures together, etc. My gobbo samurai archer has jeweler's tools proficiency and not only makes good money with it but can craft great stuff like Amulet of the Drunkard, Ring of Obscurbing, etc to either give or sell to other characters.

In the default rules though there's almost no reason to have the proficiency. I generally just pick an extra language instead.

[thegreekmeat]

I’m a big fan of tool proficiencies and feel like they get no love. My artificer used cobblers tools to make a hollow compartment in my shoes and used spring from a fallen enemy to make the compartment spring loaded so now, on a bonus action, I can shot caltrops or ball bearings behind me.

[MrAtreties]

Ability to craft healing potions and magic items in low-magic settings is valuable, when those things are in short supply and not easily found for sale.

[papabear]

Masons tool! Let’s you koolaid man through walls with double damage

[jinxtheunluckypony]

Herbalism kits are apparently necessary for making healing potions. I don’t think 8 hours of down time is worth saving 25 gp but ya’know, it’s kinda worth bringing up.

[leodouskyron]

The value of tools is often DM dependent- so ask how they will be addressed at session 0! If your DM does not care and you are not using downtime they as a group are less valuable. But let’s say you have me as the DM some ideas because tools solve problems rarely do they help you win a battle:

Forgery Kit/Calligraphy supplies- this is an get into anywhere invitations or written orders can get you for your entire party with a single die roll. So you can get into with out a fight! Note of the two skills, getting into the military base is likely to need the former but that getting a party invite or audience with a king will be the latter.

Painter tools - you can make money with making pictures because most game worlds have no cameras also you can show people persons and things you are looking for. Less search complications is good.

Land and Water Vehicles (2 skills) - technical point here. This is how you can use a ship or wagon. If you don’t have these you can’t do it even if you had magic animals/ships in the mix. Also, both use Knots so if you are binding someone talk to your DM to see if you can use this - if you take prisoners or the DM cares.

Lastly and not least, if you have or want to use the Fabricate spell consider - Smith tools, Leatherworking, potter’s tools and Jewler’s tools. This spell is will limit what you make if you lack the skill is mentioned for making things like weapons, armor and gems in that spell!

I know a lot of this is strictly speaking not combat but it is in the game. Loved your list but wanted to make sure that the extras were mentioned. Skills and tool kits require more forethought then you think but they are literally tools. You can get by without them but to do so requires access to the persons with the skill and money.

[alejandrogomezdelmoralguer]

One of the big things you can do w tools too is if you have a tool that is broadly usable (as, for instance, the herbalism kit), you could use it in place of medicine or nature (in this particular use-case) if you lack those skill proficiencies. It could combine well with psi-bolstered knack on the soulknife, too. So tools are paradoxically more specific and more flexible than skills, with the right player and dm

[hopeforescape]

When i DM i like to homebrew in a crafting system, i think its really cool when the party kills some mythical creature and then makes armor and cloaks that have special magic properties from their bodies. just wish the default crafting rules were better.

[bryankia]

As usual you are on point. For my gaming group our GM’s typically let a player build armor with some down time and at half the gold cost. Late game it is no big deal but sneaking into some half price plate male or half plate sure feels good.

[alanschaub]

Add Chef’s tools to your Baba Yaga build! 😁

[lighthadoqdawg]

i feel like the best way to buff tools is to give a mechanical use to them in classes like with artificer and rogue. as it stands a lot of backgrounds and classes are stuck with taking a tool they will never use unless they take certain feats (battlemaster) whereas anything with access to thieves tools, a disguise kit, or are artificer actually get use out of tools.

I always felt a caligraphy based sorcerer that uses the brush as it's spellcasting focus, or if way of the drunken fist could use brewers supplies to make brews that give them buffs would be awesome seeing how tools have been phased out of their old importance. Or a feat that tries to make practical use out of a tool for expanded uses like poisoner and chef do. like perhaps a feat that allows better use of carpenters tools to make barracades that have to have their hp knocked through to break instead of just imposing a DC check. or being able to permanently add defenses and armaments to the party's wagon

[mikecarson]

I like the "short" deep dive! Mostly, yes, the tool proficiencies add uniqueness for a character's theme and personality. However, I encourage to ask your DM about your own ideas for practical effects, such as using your carpenter's tools to salvage/repair spent arrows or crossbow bolts, to make camp shelters, or to create some traps or other things. Always good to check with your DM about possibly needing tools in some cases, such as using cartographer's tools to make a map, smith's tools to repair metal objects, etc.

[wwade]

I'm playing a Wood Elf character that traded in his weapon proficiencies for tools just for added flavor. Been pretty fun, but it does take some working with the DM to find uses and advantages.

[orangeceecee]

Mason's Tools are really good for this, dealing double damage to stone/brick structures? Who needs to open the trapped door when I just destroy the wall next to it with my maul

[captainkiwi]

If I can essentially make a lighter with tinkers tools it takes very little imagination to scale that up, oh look I’ve made a flame thrower, not that is mechanically specifically outlined, but again, the components are already in place for it. Also sure they might only provide role play benefit, but when your character is otherwise almost entirely geared towards combat... you need something. Also the herbalism kit let’s you make healing potions which is like you said, basically passing up on free hit points

[RaggedVentures]

In the right adventure, carpenters tools being able to create a makeshift shelter without a check _might_ be handy I guess. Not often that shelter is worried about. I got excited when _Xanathar's_ was published because they were overhauling Downtime and crafting, but it turned out to be a marginal improvement(and really a lateral move when it came to magic item crafting).

I wind up including tool recipes in loot a lot. An alchemical recipe in the back of a book, an NPC questgiver with an ale recipe that works like a potion... And I use artisan tool ability checks for magic item crafting. But that's all stuff I came up with because the handbook stuff is so unsatisfying.

[princefarron]

Everybody thinks I'm crazy as a wizard to invest into artisan tools. Then fabricate. No one is laughing when you're the richest person in the group.