[Adventure] Dusk and Her Embrace (Judge: THB)

[horticulture]

[sblock=Destroying the Shard, part 1]Level: 5

Complexity: 2 (requires 4 successes before 3 failures).

Primary Skill: Religion.

Religion (DC 14, 1 success, no maximum): You call upon the power of Onatar to cleanse the altar.

Other Skills: Diplomacy, Dungeoneering.

Diplomacy (DC 14, no successes): Onatar is the god of the forge and industry, and is known to be both diplomatic and reasonable. You’re no cleric, but your silver tongue might sway the god to aid you in your endeavor. You grant a +2 bonus to one ally’s next Religion check made as part of this skill challenge.

Dungeoneering (DC 18, no successes): You use your knowledge of stonework to remove all traces of evil iconography from the altar. On a success, all Religion checks made as part of this skill challenge gain a +2 bonus.[/sblock][sblock=Skill Challenge Status]

• Successes - 2
• Failures - 1

Bellegon is providing a +2 to next Religion check.[/sblock]

 

[MetaVoid]

[MENTION=78756]Son of Meepo[/MENTION], you HAVE to participate in skill challenge each round except, obviously, last one.Your aid may give penalty and make the success not so sure thing.

 

[Walking Dad]

... , you HAVE to participate in skill challenge each round except, obviously, last one.Your aid may give penalty and make the success not so sure thing.

OOC: This would be part of this rules variant, as you usually can choose not to participate. For this challenge, I suggest aid another checks from everyone...

 

[MetaVoid]

OOC: This would be part of this rules variant, as you usually can choose not to participate. For this challenge, I suggest aid another checks from everyone...

I thought you can choose not to participate in the challenge, but once you're in, you have to roll for each round?

 

[Walking Dad]

I thought you can choose not to participate in the challenge, but once you're in, you have to roll for each round?

I'm not reading it like this. In a combined encounter / skill challenge, you can decide each turn to participate. Or doing both, if an aid check is a move action, you can also attack with your standard. Maybe there are special cases, but usually you are not required to continue tempering with a trap for instance once the rogue is back again.

 

[MetaVoid]

I'm not reading it like this. In a combined encounter / skill challenge, you can decide each turn to participate. Or doing both, if an aid check is a move action, you can also attack with your standard. Maybe there are special cases, but usually you are not required to continue tempering with a trap for instance once the rogue is back again.

But we're no longer in encounter/skill challenge. We ended that one. this one is 'pure' skill challenge with two scenes. Right?

 

[Walking Dad]

So, an example, there is a complicated trap. You have a rogue with skyrocking thievery, a warlock with a pretty good score who can assist and a fighter with learned skills in Athletics, Endurance and Intimidate. Why, from a realistic standpoint, should the two others let him come even near the trap. Ther was a FAQ that made it clear that 'do nothing' is also an action during a skill challenge.

 

[MetaVoid]

So, an example, there is a complicated trap. You have a rogue with skyrocking thievery, a warlock with a pretty good score who can assist and a fighter with learned skills in Athletics, Endurance and Intimidate. Why, from a realistic standpoint, should the two others let him come even near the trap. Ther was a FAQ that made it clear that 'do nothing' is also an action during a skill challenge.

That's an example where he wouldn't even start the challenge, not opt to use Athletics as aid another to break off part of it and then next round opt to not participate.

But this is all useless, DM decides and I don't follow errata closely enough to assert anything. If WalkingDad says it's legal, I'll believe it to be so.

 

[Son of Meepo]

@Son of Meepo , you HAVE to participate in skill challenge each round except, obviously, last one.Your aid may give penalty and make the success not so sure thing.

OOC: That makes no sense. What's to stop Ghourra from just standing across the room and watching out for trouble? I'm making a tactical decision that it is in the best interest of the group that I NOT roll a skill check. A rule requiring someone to make a skill check every round makes no more sense than requiring everyone to make an attack roll every round of combat. Sometimes there are very good tactical reasons not to. A skill challenge exacerbates the risk where each failed roll brings you closer to total failure. (Would the Charisma-based paladin make a ranged basic attack against the enemy out of his melee reach if combat ended in failure on the third missed attack roll?) Ghourra is very wise and realizes she knows nothing about rituals or even religion for that matter. (She was ordained a cleric of Dol Arrah by her mother, but her father never allowed her a proper education.) She knows she would likely get in the way and can tell that with Bellegon's help, Deimos is easily handling the ritual. IMO rules that require everyone to roll skill checks in a skill challenge just for the sake of getting everyone to roll dice is a poor rule. Would you really make the 8 Charisma barbarian interrupt the negotiations between the Duke and the 18 Charisma bard who is trained in diplomacy? In prior editions of D&D, before the advent of skill challenges, you'd have probably told the barbarian to keep quiet. This is exactly the same thing.

 

[MetaVoid]

I'm not saying it's a good rule, just that it exists and the one I was forced to observe in some adventures on these boards. I'm sure there is some valid reason for that (such as getting XP?).

As I said, it's in DMs hands.