Complete Guide to Tools in DnD 5E

Author: pandaniel

The introduction of tools in D&D 5th Edition came early with some small descriptors in the Player’s Handbook (PHB) giving only a little insight into what they could actually be used for. From just the PHB alone, a player might assume that  tools were to be seen as mainly flavor for their character, never actually coming up in the game. However,  the release of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything (XGE) gave players a renewed look into many different tools, their uses and even some optional rules to make them even more attractive to players. This guide will compare the different tools and their uses, how to gain tool proficiencies, and more.

What are tools?

Tools are equipment that help you to do something you couldn’t otherwise do. Proficiency is normally not required to use a tool, but it does allow you to add your proficiency bonus to ability checks made using that tool.

5E has a lot of different tools: artisan’s tools, disguise kit, forgery kit, gaming sets, herbalism kit, musical instruments, navigator’s tools, poisoner’s kit, thieves’ tools and vehicles (land and water). The artisan’s tools, gaming sets and musical instruments include even more lists of tools, but for the sake of space these will be omitted here.

Unlike skill ability checks at most tables, tools are not tied to a single ability score. Dexterity could be used for a finely detailed craft, and Intelligence could be used to sight read a piece of music you are seeing for the first time.

What mechanical uses do tools have?

All tools are equal, but some tools are more equal than others. There are a variety of reasons for which one can take a tool proficiency, and while there is nothing wrong with picking a tool just for fluff, there is a wide range of usability between them. Some tool proficiencies will come up a lot in your campaign, whereas others barely will. 

In this section the different tools will be rated based on just their mechanical benefit and how often this benefit will come up. Special capabilities can only be used while proficient, whereas activities with a DC can be attempted when you have the appropriate tool. Options that are too situational or useless will not be noted. Feel free to pick poorly rated options, but keep in mind that there might end up being little difference between just saying your character used to be a glassblower by profession, and actually giving them proficiency in this tool.

A variant rule found in chapter 2 of XGE describes ways to make tools more interesting than they otherwise would be. This rule includes two ways to combine skill and tool proficiencies for additional benefit. 

When both the use of a tool and the use of a skill apply to a check and the character is proficient in both, they can be granted advantage. This can be especially useful for passive checks where advantage adds 5 and disadvantage subtracts 5 from the total score. Remind your DM about your passive checks being higher when applicable.

Additionally, a successful check can be given an added benefit, like more information or the effect of a successful check of a different sort. XGE lists the example of a character proficient with mason’s tools who makes a successful Wisdom (Perception) check to find a secret door in a stone wall. Not only does the character notice the door’s presence, but the DM rules that the tool proficiency entitles the character to an automatic success on an Intelligence (Investigation) check to determine how to open the door.

Even though these rules are optional, these combinations from XGE will be listed in this guide and be part of their ratings.

The Travel at Sea rules detailed in Ghosts of Saltmarsh also introduce different ways to use tools. These rules are not included in the ratings, and they would thus change if you were to play Ghosts of Saltmarsh.

Most, if not all of these tools greatly drop off in power if two or more people have proficiency in them, so do keep that in mind and try to be communicative with your co-players! Just like skill proficiencies, spreading out tool proficiencies is better than doubling up on them.

Your group may introduce all sorts of other uses for tools that we unfortunately don’t have any way to divine and consider. For this guide, we have stuck to what the books say, though we recognize a DM or player may be able to identify alternative uses for tool proficiencies on an ad hoc basis, perhaps often. You know your table’s style better than we do!

Alchemist’s Supplies (★★★☆☆)

Proficiency in alchemist’s supplies can help you with Arcana or Investigation checks involving potions or other chemicals, which is pretty niche. 

The special capability you get from them is the ability to craft alchemical items. Some options are quite useful and powerful in lower tiers, like alchemist’s fire, antitoxin, oil and acid, but the power of most of those quickly becomes rather lackluster. If you know you will face a lot of poison, antitoxin can be nice even at higher levels, but at high levels you can simply buy all the antitoxin you need, so crafting alchemical items at half cost does not maintain usefulness.

Besides these options, you can also make a DC 10 check to identify poisons or a DC 15 check for other substances. Potions can already be identified without a check according to the Dungeon’s Master Guide (DMG), so not much use remains. A DC 10 check allows you to create a puff of thick smoke. The rules on the smoke are very unclear, but if it creates heavy obscurement it could be useful.

Brewer’s Supplies (★★☆☆☆)

Proficiency in brewer’s supplies can help you with History, Medicine or Persuasion checks involving alcohol, which will likely not come up too often.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to purify water, either 6 gallons as part of a long rest or 1 as part of a short rest. Highly situational stuff, you can probably just buy more water. There is some use in this feature if you are in a desert, but that is about it.

Besides this, you can also make a DC 10 check to detect poison or impurities in a drink. It is unlikely you will always pull out your supplies to check your drink, but if you are super cautious, you have the ability to do so.

Calligrapher’s Supplies (★☆☆☆☆) 

Proficiency in calligrapher’s supplies can help you with Arcana or History checks involving writings, scrolls, or other texts, quite niche stuff. Still, as long as you’re dungeon delving in ancient ruins, there’s a non-zero possibility of happening across ancient writings and the like, so it might come up at some point.

The special capability you get from calligrapher’s supplies is the ability to determine a map’s age, whether a map includes any hidden messages and other similar facts through an Intelligence check. This works as an alternative to other commonly requested checks to find things like these, but is way too situational to be seen as useful.

Besides this, you can also make a DC 10 check to identify the writer of nonmagical script or to spot forged text, and a DC 15 check to determine a writer’s mood. Neither is incredible, but situationally very handy.

Carpenter’s Tools (★★★★☆)

Proficiency in carpenter’s tools can help you with History, Investigation, Perception or Stealth checks involving wooden buildings, which are not a particularly rare type of structure (most structures are wood or stone). Being able to find traps better and having advantage on Stealth checks in these structures make this tool proficiency a very good pickup. Breaking into a residential home with wood flooring might come up often in your game, and being able to avoid noisy floorboards isn’t bad at all.

You get two special capabilities from this one! You are able to fortify a door or window with a minute of work and raw materials, which increases the DC to open it by 5. Combine this with arcane lock and you have got yourself a pretty sturdy entryway. It also allows you to create a temporary shelter as part of a long rest. It collapses 1d3 days after being assembled, not incredibly useful once you have things like Leomund’s tiny hut or…a cave.

Besides this, you can also make a DC 10 check to build a simple wooden structure or a DC 15 check to design a complex one. The provided descriptors from XGE here are very vague, but put your imagination to the test here within the boundaries your DM has set.

Cartographer’s Tools (★★★★☆)

Proficiency in cartographer’s tools can help you with Arcana, History, Religion, Nature or Survival checks involving your terrain and maps, which is not amazing, but for games with lots of exploration can be quite handy.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to draw a map as you travel while engaging in other activities. Usually when you do this you do not contribute your passive Wisdom (Perception) score to your group’s chance of noticing hidden threats, which could lead to you or even your friends being surprised in combat, which can be quite debilitating. This tool is less useful if you get maps for free at your table, but if you do not this can be quite useful while exploring dungeons and similar locations that you could otherwise get lost in.

Besides this, you can also make a DC 15 check to estimate the direction and distance to a landmark. 

Cobbler’s Tools (★★★★☆)

Proficiency in cobbler’s tools can help you with Arcana, History or Investigation checks involving shoes and boots, which unfortunately does not come up too often.

You get two special capabilities from this one too! One allows you to repair up to six of your comrades’ shoes as part of a long rest, allowing them for the next 24 hours to travel up to 10 hours in a day without making saving throws to avoid exhaustion compared to the usual 8. This is actually a pretty good benefit if you would otherwise be traveling by something like a horse as they do not allow for a faster travel pace, whereas this would allow you to move more in a day. The second ability you get is being able to create a hidden compartment in shoes with 8 hours of work. This compartment can hold an object up to 3 inches long and 1 inch wide and deep. It can be found with an Intelligence (Investigation) check with a DC equaling an Intelligence check you make using your tool at creation. A lot more situational than the first one, that is for sure, but you can hide spare arcane foci in your friends’ shoes which is pretty nifty.

Besides this, you can also spot hidden compartments in other people’s shoes with a DC 15 check. Most of the benefits to checks here aren’t useful, but being able to travel for 25% more time is a strict mechanical benefit, which is a surprising benefit one might not associate with cobbler’s tools that justifies their rating. 

Cook’s Utensils (★★★★☆)

Proficiency in cook’s utensils can help you with History, Medicine or Survival checks involving food, which is not all that useful.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to cook a tasty meal using your cook’s utensils and sufficient ingredients. You and up to five other creatures regain 1 extra hit point per Hit Die spent during a short rest. It is not an incredible amount of hit points, but with up to six creatures gaining this benefit is far from useless and it will only end up giving more the higher level you get. And unless your DM is a stickler about foodstuff spoilage, it’s pretty close to free. 

You can also spot poison or other impurities in food with a DC 15 check. Similar to the use of brewer’s supplies, but for food. Not an amazing option, but if you expect poison in your food at any point, it’s good to have.

Disguise Kit (★☆☆☆☆)

Proficiency in the disguise kit can help you with Deception, Intimidation, Performance or Persuasion checks involving a disguise, which is not awful, but it does not save this tool.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to create disguises, either as part of a long rest or using 10 minutes or 30 minutes for a disguise that changes your appearance moderately or extensively respectively. Donning such a disguise takes a minute and you can only carry one without drawing attention. Disguises in and of themselves are not terrible, but you can probably buy or otherwise acquire disguises in many circumstances too. This feature is not very great.

Besides this, you can spot disguises used by others with a DC 15 check. Highly situational. With a DC 20 check you can copy a humanoid’s appearance, which might come up more. Together with the Deception skill, a disguise kit can also be used to pass as a noble for the sake of carousing, which is further detailed in XGE.

Forgery Kit (★☆☆☆☆) 

Proficiency in the forgery kit can help you with Arcana, Deception, History or Investigation checks involving items and their authenticity, which is rather specific.

Once more do you receive two special capabilities. One allows you to combine proficiency with other tools to get advantage on making forgeries related to those tools, like a fake map with cartographer’s tools. The other allows you to produce a forgery of one page length as part of a short rest, or four pages as part of a long rest. This fake can be spotted with an Intelligence (Investigation) check with a DC equaling an Intelligence check you make using your tool at creation. Both features are not particularly consequential in most campaigns, but as with the disguise kit, if you play in a high-intrigue type campaign, you will get more use out of this.

Gaming Set (★☆☆☆☆) 

The DMG lists several of the most common types of gaming sets together with their costs. There is no overbearing tool proficiency for all gaming sets, instead each one needs their own separate proficiency.

Proficiency in a specific gaming set can help you with History, Insight or Sleight of Hand checks involving that gaming set, which does come up when you are playing your gaming set in an important situation, which is almost never.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to use your proficiency bonus for checks made during gambling, a downtime activity detailed in XGE. Without proficiency in the appropriate gaming set, you would usually need to use Insight, Deception and Intimidation.

Glassblower’s Tools (★☆☆☆☆) 

Proficiency in glassblower’s tools can help you with Arcana, History, or Investigation checks involving glass objects, which is quite niche. 

The special capability you get from them is the ability to deal double damage to a glass object after observing it for 1 minute, which is useless. What glass object has so many hit points that this is faster than simply smashing it first thing?

Herbalism Kit (★★★★☆)

Proficiency in the herbalism kit can help you with Arcana, Investigation, Medicine, Nature or Survival checks involving plants and food.

You get two special capabilities from this one, one useful one and one that is fitting, but not great. First, you get to identify most plants with a quick inspection. Second, during downtime time can also be spent to create items, an herbalism kit specifically allows you to create items such as healing potions or antitoxins. Healing potions especially never become obsolete, so this is a really good option. Eventually you may reach a point where your downtime becomes more valuable than creating potions, but that likely won’t happen until late in your campaign. 

Jeweler’s Tools (★☆☆☆☆) 

Proficiency in jeweler’s tools can help you with Arcana or Investigation checks involving gems or jeweled objects. Quite situational.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to identify and appraise gems at just a glance, which is useful if your DM does not just tell you the worth of the loot you find, but otherwise quite useless. 

Vehicles (Land and water) (★☆☆☆☆/★★★★★)

The DMG lists several land and water vehicles together with their costs. There is no overarching tool proficiency for both of them, instead each one needs their own separate proficiency. 

Proficiency in a specific type of vehicle can help you with Arcana, Investigation or Perception checks involving that vehicle.

You get a few special capabilities from this proficiency. You get to apply your proficiency bonus to a vehicle’s AC and saving throws when piloting it, and to checks made to control it in difficult circumstances. Proficiency with water vehicles specifically makes you knowledgeable about anything a professional sailor would be familiar with, like information about the sea and islands and tying knots.

Besides this, you can also navigate rough terrain or waters with a DC 10 check.

None of the features you get from these tool proficiencies are very useful in most circumstances, but once you play in a campaign where these vehicles come up more their usability skyrockets. Examples for where water and land vehicles come up are Ghosts of Saltmarsh and potentially Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus respectively.

Leatherworker’s Tools (★☆☆☆☆) 

Proficiency in leatherworker’s tools can help you with Arcana or Investigation checks involving leather armor.

You get to have two special capabilities. You get the ability to determine the source of a hide or leather item and any special techniques used to treat it. This is again a very niche use of tools. During downtime, leatherworker’s tools specifically allow you to create items such as leather armor or boots, which you might as well just buy.

Mason’s Tools (★★★★☆)

Proficiency in mason’s tools can help you with History, Investigation or Perception checks involving stone structures, which are a common type of structure (again, most buildings are made of wood or stone). Being able to find traps better in basically any dungeon makes this tool proficiency a very good pickup.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to deal double damage to brick walls with your weapon attacks. This entry is not entirely clear in whether it is just brick walls, or any type of stone structures, so talk to your DM. This benefit is quite useful in a variety of circumstances. Locked doors or even ones impervious to damage can be circumvented by just breaking walls.

Musical (Non-wind) Instruments (★☆☆☆☆)

The DMG lists several of the most common types of musical instruments together with their costs. There is no overarching tool proficiency for all instruments, instead each one needs their own separate proficiency. 

Proficiency in a specific musical instrument can help you with History or Performance checks involving that instrument, which is quite circumstantial. A Bard has the ability to use a musical instrument as a spellcasting focus, but is not required to be proficient, and neither are they required to be proficient to use instruments of the bards. 

The special capability you get from them is the ability to compose a tune and lyrics as part of a long rest for your instrument. Whether this will ever come up is improbable, but it is cute.

Musical (Wind) Instruments (★★★☆☆/★★★★★)

A select few instruments of choice are wind instruments, take for example the bagpipes and the flute. For the most part these are the same as any ordinary instrument, however there is one big difference. Two musical instruments, the pipes of the sewers and the pipes of haunting, require proficiency in wind instruments to be played. The pipes of haunting is one of the best items for its rarity, and is definitely something to keep in mind during character creation. It alone makes this “sub” tool proficiency really strong and a good pick up.

Even without knowing whether you will find them for sure, this tool proficiency is good, but having an Artificer in your party only makes it better. Pipes of haunting are on their infusion list and thus readily available if you buy them some pizza.

Navigator’s Tools (★☆☆☆☆) 

Proficiency in navigator’s tools can help you with Survival checks involving navigation, which is not an uncommon reason to do a Survival check, but there are probably more options to find your destination than just the Survival check.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to determine your position on a nautical chart and the time of day. This is not terrible once you are on the sea, but you will probably have a crew that can do this too.

Painter’s Supplies (★☆☆☆☆) 

Proficiency in painter’s supplies can help you with Arcana, History, Religion, Investigation or Perception checks involving art, stuff that probably will not do too much in your campaign.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to produce a simple work of art as part of a short or long rest. Flavorful, but mechanically it is not strong seeing as you can already produce images in a multitude of ways. Take for example prestidigitation and minor illusion.

Poisoner’s Kit (★★★★★)

Proficiency in poisoner’s kit can help you with History, Investigation, Perception, Medicine. Nature or Survival checks involving poison. One of these, Nature, can actually come in quite handy when working with poisons.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to handle and apply a poison without the risk of exposing yourself to poisons effects, which can be rather helpful and will be brought up again later in this section. 

Besides this, you can make a DC 20 check to determine the effects of a poison, which is a good thing to be able to do if you want to make use of this tool proficiency.

The DMG describes being able to harvest poison from incapacitated or dead creatures that are poisonous, like snakes or wyverns. This harvesting takes 1d6 minutes and a DC 20 Intelligence (Nature) check, or a poisoner’s kit check if the character does not have proficiency in Nature. On a success, you get enough poison for a single dose, but on a failed check you are unable to harvest any. If you fail by 5 or more, you are subjected to the creature’s poison, but because of our proficiency in the poisoners kit this does not apply to us! The text gives no limit to how many times you can try to do this, but with any DM ruling we can at least get one. The poisoner’s kit can lead to a solid increase in DPR for weapon users in your party at any level for little cost. This is a very good tool proficiency to have. Combine this with familiars or summons and you get a good and reliable way to get more poisons. Neither familiars nor animals created with conjure animals can be hit to unconsciousness, but the feign death spell, or just commanding them to sleep should do the trick (even if it takes them a while). One example is provided below.

Potter’s Tools (★☆☆☆☆) 

Proficiency in potter’s tools can help you with History, Investigation or Perception checks involving ceramics. Much to your surprise, we cannot guarantee that these will be very common checks in any campaign.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to determine an object’s original, intact form and its likely purpose by examining its broken pieces. When will this be important? Good question.

Smith’s Tools (★★★★★)

Proficiency in smith’s tools can help you with Arcana, History or Investigation checks involving metal and metalwork. Not incredibly useful, but it might come up more than pots.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to restore 10 hit points to a damaged metal object for each hour of work when you have access to your tools and an open flame hot enough to make metal pliable. This is part of an incredible way to make money, which will be detailed later in this article. During downtime, you can spend time to create items, and smith’s tools specifically allow you to create items such as armor or weapons. These can of course also be sold, but it is a time consuming way to make money.

Thieves’ Tools (★★★★★)

Proficiency in thieves’ tools can help you with History, Investigation or Perception checks involving traps. Basically always having advantage when looking for traps is incredible. Thieves’ tools might be seen as a great pick up for being able to disable traps, which is still great—Wizards of the Coast adventure modules call for this check all the time, but +5 to passive checks for finding traps is the dark horse here.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to set traps as part of a short rest. These traps can be found or disabled with a DC equal to the check you make using your tool when the traps are created. Sadly they do not mention what Ability Score is used for this check, or what you need to create it. It either deals damage “appropriate” to the materials, or half the total of your check, the DM can decide. Without clearer rules this is not a very useful feature.

Besides this, you can also pick a lock or disable a trap with a DC dependent on the lock and trap. 

Tinker’s Tools (★★★★★)

Proficiency in tinker’s tools can help you with History or Investigation checks involving objects. Not very uncommon, but this is not too powerful. Adventure modules also call for a check using tinker’s tools from time to time to for example fix up exotic machines or other magical contraptions.

The special capability you get from them is the ability to restore 10 hit points to damaged objects for each hour of work when you have the raw materials required to repair them. If it is a metal object you again need access to an open flame hot enough to make metal pliable. This similarly is part of an incredible way to make money, which will be detailed later in this article.

Weaver’s Tools (★★★★☆)

Proficiency in weaver’s tools can help you with Arcana, History or Investigation checks involving cloth objects. This will most likely not be game changing.

You get two special capabilities again. One allows you to repair a single damaged cloth object as part of a short rest, and the other allows you to create an outfit as part of a long rest if you have enough cloth and thread. Neither of the two are very useful, but they make sense.

Woodcarver’s Tools (★★☆☆☆)

Proficiency in woodcarver’s tools can help you with Arcana, History or Nature checks involving wooden objects. This is more specific than the feature of tinker’s tools, so logically it is also worse.

This one too gets two special capabilities. One allows you to repair a single damaged wooden object as part of a short rest. Pretty situational. The other allows you to craft up to five arrows as part of a short rest, or twenty as part of a long rest when you have enough wood on hand to produce them. Arrows are not bolts that can be used for hand crossbows, so this is close to useless but perhaps you could resell them for money to buy crossbow bolts.

Forget about all that adventuring stuff, I just want to make some money with my tools! We’ve got you covered.

Work

Probably the most obvious way to make money using your tool is work. When you find yourself with downtime, and your character has nothing else to spend their time on, work can be a decent time filler. Tools can be used to make a check which results in a certain wage earned during this time detailed in XGE. Musical instruments allow you to roll a Charisma check using your instrument, whereas other tools use Intelligence.

Repair

One less obvious, yet incredibly lucrative way to earn easy money is by using the earlier described options to repair items.

The PHB explains that undamaged weapons, armor, and other equipment can fetch half their cost when sold in a market. It also states that equipment used by monsters is rarely in good enough condition to sell. However, using our options to repair we can remedy this problem.

Smith’s tools allow you to repair damaged metal objects. Tinker’s tools allow you to repair any object with enough raw material. Weaver’s tools allow you to repair cloth objects. Woodcarver’s tools allow you to repair any wooden object. Most of these will not get you too much money, but metal certainly will. To repair metal objects you need an open flame hot enough to have the metal be pliable, but common metal objects actually do not have to be too hot for it to be pliable, just a campfire should be enough already.

So get your bags of holding, portable holes, Wizards or other casters with Tenser’s floating disk and make sure to take anything monsters leave behind with you! One shortsword will not get you much by selling it at half price, but 10 will not be bad at all! Five goblins could get you around 85 gp just from their shields and scimitars, equipment that they should generally be holding onto if your DM runs them by the book.

Fabricate

This option will not always be readily available, but we hope that you at least have a Wizard in your party. Fabricate, a fourth level spell, allows you to convert raw materials into products of the same material. Usually it does not allow for the creation of items that require a high degree of craftsmanship, such as jewelry, weapons, glass, or armor, but proficiency with the type of artisan’s tools used to craft such objects can grant you this option.

There are a few ways you can use this to make absolute bank, and if that is not your kind of thing you can still use it to make a lot of spell components like the gem encrusted bowl for heroes’ feast. We will detail two options to earn money: one that might raise a few eyebrows, and one that’s more reliable

To start off with the more reasonable option: enter plate armor. Plate armor costs a whopping 1500 gp and is made out of metal. It is clear that this armor can be created using proficiency in smith’s tools and fabricate, however it is a little bit unclear how much material is needed to create it. Fabricate says you need sufficient material. It could be reasonable to look at the crafting rules in XGE that say you need half the worth of an item in raw materials to craft it, but logistically that does not make much sense if you look at how much iron and coal would be needed for the steel to create this armor. Discuss this with your DM. You can potentially use the weight of the raw materials and work from there, but for both examples we will use the crafting rules as a minimum and worst case scenario. By spending 750 gold to buy iron and coal we can earn a profit of 750 gold if we find someone to sell our plate to. If we instead used the weight of plate armor which is 65 lbs, we would spend 7 gp if we only used iron, but of course some money would also have to be spent on coal. It is obvious that you will get more profit with the latter option, but we cannot guarantee that this will be possible at your table.

Now for the answer alchemists have sought after for centuries: creating gold. For this option we will need weaver’s tools as we will be creating linen. Linen is a trade good, an exchange good that can be used as currency and is worth 5 gp per one square yard.

Here fabricate will not be a limiter, instead it will be how much flax we can acquire, seeing as we can convert roughly a quarter of a million gold pieces of raw materials into linen using our worst case scenario. This estimate can wax and wane depending on which numbers you use, but it should be abundantly clear that linen is no joke. Your DM might not be happy with you buying up all available flax and creating a surplus of linen. Thread carefully and read the room to determine if your table cares whether you break the economy in your game.

Just like there are a variety of tool proficiencies, there are also a variety of ways to gain them. The least limiting way to get a tool proficiency will be through your background, but classes, subclasses, races, subraces, feats, even magic items and more will allow you to get them. The ability to double your proficiency is harder to come by, but we’ll explain which features allow for this to happen.

Background benefits

Making a custom background is completely in alignment with Rules as Written.

Looking at this we can see that we have a free choice of any two tools if we wish. To make sure you do not double up on them, try to think about what class or race you are playing before you make this choice, since it is the one with the least restrictions.

Class and subclass features

Our latest addition to the list of classes in 5E is the king of tool proficiencies. The Artificer starts off with a whopping 3 tool proficiencies right at level one: thieves’ tools, tinker’s tools, and one type of artisan’s tools of their choice. Upon choosing their specialization at level 3 they all get one fitting tool proficiency with the option for another artisan’s tool if they are already proficient in that tool. Alchemists get alchemist’s supplies, Armorers and Battle Smiths get smith’s tools and Artillerists get woodcarver’s tools.

It is no surprise that the Bard, who’s archetypal flavor is that of performers, gains three musical instruments of your choice at level one. From level two on, as versatile as they are, they will also gain half their proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check made with tools that they aren’t proficient in as part of their Jack of All Trades.

The base Cleric class gains no proficiencies for tools at level one, but the Forge Domain gains proficiency with smith’s tools, sadly without another choice if you are now doubling up on that proficiency. At level two the Knowledge Domain gets to add their proficiency bonus to a tool (or skill) of their choice for 10 minutes using their Channel Divinity, however the wording  does not allow you to add this bonus twice.

The Druid apparently does not enjoy spending their precious time learning how to use many tools. At level one they gain proficiency in the herbalism kit.

The Fighter has two subclass options to gain a tool proficiency. At third level the Battle Master gains proficiency with one type of artisan’s tools of their choice. At the same level the Rune Knight gains proficiency with smith’s tools, another feature that can potentially be lost depending on the choices you have made earlier during character creation. The Rune Knight also gets to double their proficiency bonus on ability checks with any tool they’re proficient with if they pick the Fire Rune at this or a later level, nice! The Fire Rune is one of the three quite good Runes available at level 3, so you may already be choosing it anyway for its combat usefulness.

Finally, a use for Monks. Well, this still is not amazing, but here we go. Three monastic traditions get tool proficiencies upon choosing them at level 3. Way of Mercy, Way of the Drunken Master, and the Way of the Kensei gain proficiency with the herbalism kit, brewer’s supplies, and calligrapher’s supplies or painter’s supplies respectively. None get to have another choice if you double up.

Rogue obviously gets proficiency in thieves’ tools and using Expertise at level one or six they can add double their proficiency bonus if they choose thieves’ tools. Keep in mind that this is the only tool that can be chosen with their Expertise feature. At level three, three different roguish archetypes get ways to add their proficiency bonus to ability checks using tools. The Assassin gains proficiency with the disguise kit and the poisoner’s kit. The Mastermind gains proficiency with the disguise kit, the forgery kit, and one gaming set of their choice. The Phantom has a little extra; they get to swap a choice of a skill or tool proficiency every short or long rest.

Race and subrace features

The short and stout and mostly beloved Dwarves get proficiency in either smith’s tools, brewer’s supplies, or mason’s tools.

The hardy Rock Gnomes get proficiency with tinker’s tools and they even get to use them to create extra goodies: a clockwork toy, fire starter or music box.

The wild and often chaotic Satyrs get to be proficient with one musical instrument of their choice.

The Mark of Making Human gains proficiency with one type of artisan’s tools of their choice.

Feats

This is just a list of feats that can provide you with a proficiency in a tool. For knowledge of their actual power check out our Optimized Feat Guide which gives a practical evaluation for each of them.

Artificer Initiate gives you proficiency in one type of artisan’s tools.

Chef gives you proficiency with cook’s utensils if you don’t already have it.

Poisoner gives you proficiency with the poisoner’s kit if you don’t already have it.

Prodigy gives you proficiency in one tool of your choice.

Magic items

The all purpose tool, which can only be attuned by Artificers, can be transformed into any artisan’s tool granting you tool proficiency in whatever form it takes.

While attuned to the living gloves you gain proficiency in either Sleight of Hand, thieves’ tools, one kind of artisan’s tools or one kind of musical instrument of your choice

Training

During downtime a character can learn an additional language or pick up a tool proficiency. This training takes at least 10 workweeks, but is reduced by the character’s Intelligence modifier (this cannot increase the amount needed to train). To train you need to spend 25 gp per workweek. Keep in mind that if you spend more time training in additional languages or tool proficiencies you have the chance for complications every ten workweeks.

Customizing your origin

Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything added a new optional rule which allows races or subraces that get armor, weapon or tool proficiencies to swap them out for other proficiencies, including other tools. Our beloved Dwarves for example can become a jack of all trades instead of combat trained by starting off with at least 4 different tool proficiencies right from the get-go. Who would not want someone like that as a friend? While this rule is optional, it is worth mentioning. In many cases, redundant racial weapon proficiencies are totally wasted because of your class, so use this if you can in those cases.

Besides using your proficiency bonus for ability checks with tool proficiencies, there are also some other ways to increase your chances for a better result. Below you will find a non-exhaustive list with a couple of examples.

Class and subclass features

The Artificer gets to use their Flash of Genius starting at 7th level to add their Intelligence modifier to ability checks, which includes tools, as a reaction to other creatures they can see within 30 feet of them. This is done after the roll as described in the Sage Advice Compendium, so you do not have to waste this resource if you know a roll will most certainly already be a success, or can never become one.

A Bard can inspire others to use their tools better through Bardic Inspiration, allowing them to add either d6, d8, d10 or d12 to their check depending on the Bard’s level. For the sake of the 10 minute time limit, discuss with your DM on the actual timing of skill checks.

A Cleric that has chosen the Peace Domain can use their Emboldening Feature right away to allow bonded creatures to add d4 to ability checks. There are better uses for this feature, but if you play little combat this feature can maybe be used for this reason.

The Rogue gets to use their Reliable Talent from level 11 onwards to treat a roll of 9 or lower on the d20 as a 10 for any ability check that they add their proficiency bonus to. From third level the Soulknife gets to add one Psionic Energy die to failed ability checks using a tool (or skill) in which they are proficient, only expending the die if the roll succeeds. It is not always clear what counts as a failure with tools, so make sure to discuss this with your DM.

The Warlock gets to use the Pact of the Talisman to give whoever is wearing it the ability to add a d4 to a failed ability check a number of times equal to their proficiency bonus per long rest. Like mentioned before, it is not always very clear when an ability check is a failure.

Race features

All the different Dragonmarked races introduced in Eberron: Rising from the Last War get features that allow them to roll and add a d4 to two different types of ability checks. Some of these include ability checks for tools. The Mark of Warding Dwarf, Mark of Scribing Gnome, Mark of Storm Half-Elf, Mark of Healing Halfling, Mark of Hospitality Halfling and Mark of Making Human get to add this roll to thieves’ tools, calligrapher’s supplies, navigator’s tools, herbalism kit, brewer’s supplies or cook’s utensils, and any artisan’s tools respectively.

Hobgoblins can use their Saving Face feature on failed checks made with tools. This feature adds a bonus to your roll (maximum of +5) equal to the number of allies within 30 feet of you that you can see. 

Potentially controversial to add to the list, but all Halflings can use their Lucky trait to improve their average rolls for tool or other ability checks. This one is not as obviously visible as the others, but certainly is beneficial.

Spells

Guidance is similar to Bardic Inspiration, allowing someone to add a d4 to one ability check for a minute. Mind the time limit and that the spell requires your concentration.

Enhance ability lets the target roll ability checks with a specified ability with advantage for an hour if you keep on concentrating.

Glibness allows the caster to treat any number they roll for Charisma checks as a 15, which works as a minimum roll, for an hour. However it is quite expensive, standing at 8th level.

Other

“Working Together” is a nifty way to give an ally some aid.

Tools seemed more like an afterthought at the launch of 5E, but Xanathar’s Guide to Everything introduced a bevy of guidelines and potential uses for many tools. Tools are more than what they may have appeared to be from a skim through the Player’s Handbook. We hope that this guide will help you to decide which tool is right for you, and has opened your eyes to several new ways to apply your tool proficiencies to your game. Hopefully, now your tool proficiencies will be more than an ignored line at the bottom of your character sheet. Let your creativity shine with these options and happy rolling!