General Thoughts
Skill rolls are how players interact with the world without hitting it with their sword. Even if certain actions have a skill associated with them, you don't necessarily need to roll a skill check (no need to roll deception if they already believe you, no need to roll athletics in still water, etc). When one is required, it is prompted by the DM.
D20 can be very swingy, creating dramatically unexpected results. That is its strong suite. As such using a skill roll as a barrier for entry can create all or nothing scenarios. There's nothing wrong with saying "the lock is too complex for you to pick," but you can't be upset when immediately after the martials of the party start smashing into the door. Just like with attack rolls and saving throws, there should be lesser versions of success. If you barely fail the DC to scale a wall, it lowers your speed instead of falling. If you barely fail a stealth check while trailing someone, they can tell someone is in the bushes, but not who.
Skill bonuses by default only use the relevant ability modifier.
Proficiency in a skill grants you a 2+(lvl) bonus to the skill. Certain aspects of a skill might only be available to characters that are proficient in the skill and are denoted with a (P) When you have multiple spells and/or items that give bonuses to skills, only take the highest bonus.
Standard skill DCs are what should be used in the absence of a set or opposed DC. They are as follows…
Difficulty
DC
Mundane
0
Requires Focus
5
Trained
10
Difficult
15
Very Difficult
20
Masterful
25
Nearly Impossible
30
Ascended
40
Some skills are opposed to other skills, while other skills will include examples comparable this chart.
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