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In my next campaign I will be playing Druid. I didn't really understand how skill / saving throw proficiency works while wildshaped and other posts on the internet didn't help.

I will try to explain how I think it works and I would like to be corrected.

Example:
Skill: Dexterity (Stealth)

My Dexterity: +2 (15)
Animal Dexterity: +1 (12)


My Proficiency Bonus: +3
Animal Proficiency Bonus: +2

Modifier if I am proficient in stealth but the animal is not:
1 (Animal Dex) + 3 (My Proficiency Bonus) = 4

Modifier if the animal is proficient in stealth and I am not:
1 (Animal Dex) + 2 (Animal Proficiency Bonus) = 3

Modifier if both I and the animal are proficient in stealth:
1 (Animal Dex) + 3 (max. of 3 (My Proficiency Bonus) and 2 (Animal Proficiency Bonus)) = 4

Is this correct or did I understand the rules wrong?

Nova Shadowflame
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1 Answers1

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You use whichever is higher for this Stealth check

To break down the rules from the PHB (emphasis mine):

Your game Statistics are replaced by the Statistics of the beast, but you retain your Alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores.

Your beast form's Strength, Dexterity and Constitution cover ability/proficiency checks for the wild shaped form, and your PC/Druid's Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores cover the other ability/proficiency checks.

You also retain all of your (druid PC) skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature.

If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature's bonus instead of yours.

If the creature has any legendary or Lair Actions, you can't use them.

For mental (INT, WIS, CHA) abilities, saving throws and skills you still roll with your own (Druid PC) stats + proficiency bonuses.

For physical ones (STR, CON, DEX), you choose the highest between your proficiency bonus and the beast's proficiency bonus, whichever is higher. (It is either / or, not and) and then add the beast's physical attribute.

Modifier if both I and the animal are proficient in stealth: 1 (Animal Dex) + 3 (max. of 3 (My Proficiency Bonus) and 2 (Animal Proficiency Bonus))

That result would be 4.

If like me your druid has the Resilient (Constitution) feat, this allows you to use your own constitution proficiency bonus instead of the (more often than not) weaker one of most beasts.

TL;DR: For mental abilitiy scores, you keep your own ability score. For physical ability scores, you take the beast's ability score: To those you add the proficiency bonus which is higher, yours or the beast's.

Catar4
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    I think you are just re-iterating the confusing aspect. Do you add your Con modifier (as though using your Con score) + your proficiency mod if the total (ability mod + prof bonus) is higher. Or do you still use the creature's Con ability mod + your proficiency mod. Your answer implies the former. The other linked answer implies the latter. – PJRZ Jul 19 '19 at 14:01
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    I edited this to break it down with even more detail. Please review and edit again if its meaning got mixed up. – KorvinStarmast Jul 19 '19 at 14:38
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    In this answer, in a few places you seem to not make the distinction between stat bonus and proficiency bonus, and I think your aim is to focus on the proficiency bonus. – KorvinStarmast Jul 19 '19 at 14:45
  • So if I understood this correctly: I always use the Ability Modifier of the beast, but the highest available proficiency bonus. So if only one of the druid and the wildshape is proficient it's only their proficiency bonus and if both are proficient it's the highest of both proficiency bonuses? – Nova Shadowflame Jul 19 '19 at 15:20
  • @NovaShadowflame: Yes, that appears to be the consensus! As it says in the linked duplicate question: D20 + (beast) ability modifier + best applicable proficiency bonus – PJRZ Jul 19 '19 at 15:54
  • The problem was: the second highest answer of the linked question says the exact opposite – Nova Shadowflame Jul 19 '19 at 15:56
  • I agree that my choice of words was confusing. I did differentiate between proficiency and ability score bonuses. Added a TL;DR that recaps the rule. – Catar4 Jul 22 '19 at 13:05
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    @Catar4 D&D beyond now shows how to do this (see the linked question). You always add your proficiency bonus, not the beast's. It's the end ability bonus that you then compare, and use the beast's if it is higher – BlueMoon93 Aug 26 '19 at 19:22
  • @BlueMoon93 I think you misunderstood what is shown on that D&D Beyond link. The druid has 10 STR but a +6 Proficiency bonus in Athletics with +0 Str (total = 6). As an Ape, he gets 16 Str which gives a +3. So in the Ape Wild Shape, he gets a +9. I'm 100% sure that if the druid had 25 Str, his Athletics bonus would still be +9 while in the Ape Wild Shape ... that can be tested, but I'm so certain (and busy) that I don't feel like I need to ! – Catar4 Aug 26 '19 at 22:24
  • @BlueMoon93 to show you what I mean I created a Druid with ridiculous Strength and Proficient in Athletics. https://ddb.ac/characters/15743295/0BTppF – Catar4 Aug 26 '19 at 22:35
  • @Catar4 But I agree with that. You add your PB (in your example, +4) to your STR modifier (when in Wild Shape, it's +3, for a total of +7). What did you think I misunderstand? – BlueMoon93 Aug 26 '19 at 23:08
  • @BlueMoon93 It is your last sentence: "It's the end ability bonus that you then compare and use the beast's if it is higher". That is not the case for STR, DEX and CON, you always use the beast's ability bonus on those. You are basically saying the opposite of the rule because you only get to chose the higher of the two bonuses for Proficiency, not ability score. – Catar4 Aug 26 '19 at 23:30
  • @Catar4 Maybe I misexplained. An ability bonus is the value you add to the ability check (for your Athletics, for example, it is given by your proficiency bonus plus your STR modifier). I meant that you compare the ability bonus of the beast (in the Ape, +5 in Athletics) with the bonus you get after recalculating (in your example, +7). If both are proficient, and the beast's value was higher, you'd use the beast's bonus. I tried to explain everything properly in the answer given to the linked question, can you check it out and see if I made it clear enough? – BlueMoon93 Aug 26 '19 at 23:55
  • @Catar4 Put otherwise, DnD Beyond shows that the beast's proficiency bonus is never calculated or even used. You use it's physical ability modifiers, you gain it's skill and saving throws proficiencies (using your own proficiency bonus), and you look at the value displayed in the stat block only if you are proficient in the first place (and only then, you must use it if it is higher). – Bash Aug 27 '19 at 08:16
  • @BlueMoon93 Alright, it was a misunderstanding. "Ability bonus" did confuse me as to what you meant ! – Catar4 Aug 27 '19 at 14:11