Right. That is exactly what I'm referring to about the old systems. There is no way a level 1 person could even remotely come close to rolling a DC 30. DC 15 being a moderate difficulty means that if I don't have any skill proficiency that is an extremely difficult roll.
What I like about 5e is that it is more balanced. A person who is level one can still make roles that are 15 or higher which is a challenging difficulty. They can even make a roll of 20 or higher which is supposed to be extremely difficult.
Meanwhile, if you are proficient in a particular skill you might have a +5. That means that a 15 or higher, which is a challenging difficulty, is still a 50/50 chance for someone who has some skill in it even at level 1. Same character at level 10 could have a +7. So now a 60% chance of success. A person with expertise would have a much better chance at say + 9 or + 10. Thus giving value to someone with expertise.
You have to admit that class progression in 5e is terribly poor compared to others. While it works on the table, it does not work very well in games. This is bad because it practically nullifies the character's build. Why a warrior who has never had a book in his hand has a minimally less chance of success than a wizard who has devoted his entire life to studying magic. Such a person should not have a chance (or minimal) to pass a check that requires magical knowledge, in practice the difference is 20-30% which is a ridiculous amount. What's even funnier is that this difference can be compensated for with a spell. I would understand if this was some spell that actually costs something but it's just a cantrip. Just a simple cantrip that can be cast by any cleric for the fighter to catch up with the wizard's skills? Of course, I do not take into account the bonuses from the statistics because they do not matter in this discussion. The point is that because of the pathetic bonuses, every character of a given class is practically identical. You cannot make a fighter that specializes in diplomacy or one that will prefer a direct approach. Of course you can mutilate your character by choosing certain feats, but in most cases you will usually choose additional stats or one of the more op feats.
