Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Natural 1 on skill checks

(Edit: Started writing back to Redwyrm, just took too long ^.^)

That said, you're describing a simple (and slightly cruel) version of the way appropriate skills checks are designed to work in 5e anyway: checks are individual, DCs are individual, and the results are also individual.

In your situation, at a 5e table with a good Dm, it might look like something this:

The DM might internally set different DCs for different characters, as well as setting different sets of information. This is normal, attentive DMing that helps everyone feel like they're contributing, somewhat prevents the extremely unsatisfying ridiculous check moments, and helps give the people who should have a better shot at doing something a legitimately better chance of contributing meaningfully.

Here, an adventuring party are making Arcana checks to see what they know about a sigil pattern. The DM looks at the group, and, in their mind they might say to themselves:

The Wizard: Has a good background knowledge regardless - they are going to get information pieces "A" and "B" regardless, as long as they make a check... Their DC will be about... 8 to get information piece "C", 12 to get information piece "D" and 15 to get information piece "E"... and I'll give them some juicy lore-info if they crack 25, because I know they could potentially get that high.

The Bard: Has some background knowledge, but no detailed training... DC 5 to get "A" and "B", 10 to get "C", 16 to get "D" and 21 for "E", and their information will be largely the same as the Wizard's, but with an allegorical twist.

The Sorcerer: I know they're trained in Arcana, but they operate more in feeling and instinct for the magic, and don't have any academia behind them... They'll get Information piece "D" automatically if they check. They can't really get information "A", not really, but they'll get a variation on "B" and "C" if they hit DC 10, and a variation on "E" if they get DC 17... and if they break 25, they'll get something cool based on the sense and feeling of what's here in front of them right now.

The Barbarian: No training, but they can check if they want. They can't really get information piece "A", but if they hit DC 15 they'll have heard of rough approximation of information "B", and I'll give them colloquial accounts related to "C" and "D" if they get 19 (which is their nat 20).