Search: choose the right Wisdom skill

SRD 5.2.1 · Actions

At the table

1. Describe what is concealed or uncertain and how the character is examining it.
2. Use a Wisdom check; the source table suggests Insight, Medicine, Perception or Survival according to the information sought.
3. Apply the resulting observation to the scene. Interpreting a cipher or recalling lore may instead call for Study.

Example decision

A character examines an old trail to detect tracks and find where it continues. Which skill does the Search table suggest?

Survival, because the character is detecting tracks.

The Search table pairs tracks or food with Survival. The fact that the trail is old does not automatically turn detection into recalling historical knowledge. If the character later asks which ancient army used the route, that is a different informational task and can call for a different check. Frame the question before choosing its mechanics.

Watch for this mistake

Do not make all investigative activity Perception, or all investigation an Intelligence check. Search uses Wisdom to discern; Study uses Intelligence to recover or interpret knowledge. The specific task matters more than the broad word “investigate.”

Ask the table

What exactly would a successful observation reveal that is not obvious now?

Source rule

When you take the Search action, you make a Wisdom check to discern something that isn’t obvious. The Search table suggests which skills are applicable when you take this action, depending on what you’re trying to detect.

Source: SRD 5.2.1, 187. Online guide.