In 5 th edition especially , you can really play around with AdvantageDisadvantage when it comes to Class niches . Let ' s say you have a Wizard with a really high INT but no Proficiency in Religion and a Cleric with a mediocre INT but a Proficiency in Religion . The Wizard shouldn ' t be better at Religion Checks than the Cleric just because her INT is higher . Same for a Paladin . For really specific checks , I often rule that if you do not have Proficiency in the Skill , your check is at Disadvantage . Or for general checks where everyone would have about the same level of knowledgeexpertise but a specific Class has a proficiency bonus , I ' ll give that Class Advantage . Sameysame with Races . If the PCs find a clearly dwarven treasure map and they make History Checks to place the locationera , I ' d give my Dwarf Advantage on the roll . Or a Drow to Underdark . Or a Wood Elf the the High Forest . And so on . I don ' t have a set of listed criteria . Like most things I do , I play it by ear . Context is vital . I typically listen for my Players to make conditional statements like , Since I ' m a Druid , wouldn ' t I know this grove better than . If that request seems reasonable , then yeah , sure ! In my very first 5 e campaign a Middle Earth 2 homebrew , the Party squared off against a pair of black iron Animated Armors guarding the quarters of the commander of a slaver fort . The PCs baited the AAs down the stairs to fight them one at a team in this hilarious reverseSWAT leapfrog maneuver . Once they broke into the commander ' s quarters , they found a set of black metal toy knights . They were broken and falling apart in a way curiously similar to the manner in which they defeated the Animated Armors . My teenage son who was a Monk first made the connection . He grabbed the toys and made an Arcana Check . And Crit . But he was not proficient in Arcana . Our Wizard , who was proficient in Arcana , didn ' t connect the dots . So the Monk reached out and tried to exert control over the Animated Armors . And couldn ' t . Even though he Crit . I told him that even though he himself couldn ' t use the Knights , his brief mental connection to the toys clued him in that a Wizard trained in Arcana could . I didn ' t want him to feel like he wasted a Crit so he felt cool getting to explain to the Wizard how he could use the Knight figurines . Plus , he had stuff which other PC Classes couldn ' t use . So he gave them to the Wizard . Who then attuned to them and cobbled them back together in to a black iron armor plate Centaur which he could command . I will often make custom items fit for each Character . Each Player , really . Like , a Black Mithral Battle Axe whose power can only be unlocked when a Barbarian Rages . Or a Whisper Bow which can only be activated when an Elf whispers in ancient Elvish . A Flaming Sword which deals Radiant Damage to undead when a Paladin or Cleric Crits with it .