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Two Example Skill Challenges
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<blockquote data-quote="Xorn" data-source="post: 4191474" data-attributes="member: 61231"><p>Three rounds. This is up to you as the DM, when you design the challenge.</p><p></p><p>If the player always defaults to "I use Insight." Then you say, <em>"You use Insight to do <strong>what</strong>, exactly?"</em> When my characters in 3.x say, "I'll search." I ask them <em>what</em> they are searching. If "just everything" then I bump the DC to find something drastically. Even if the skill challenge system just presents a game plan for DMs on handling non-combat (or mixed, loved the second scenario), then that will be great. If you are already following a resolution system you're happy with, bully for you. My fiddling around with skill challenges has been very entertaining. Not once was it something that couldn't be done previously--it was just cleaner and less from the hip.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Inaction? Well you have to fight orcs till you finish--so I guess inaction leads to failure. I like the idea of a trap being more than a single skill check, or only being dealt with through Thievery.</p><p></p><p>Diplomacy - Instant failure, not a feasible use.</p><p>Nature - Interesting enough, but the challenge is the barrier, not the orcs. The orcs are the incentive to overcome the barrier. Still, I'd allow that to impact the fight with the orcs for a round.</p><p>Climb - Sure. If the barrier is passable by climbing--I'd count that as feasible, and it could include securing a grapple/rope for the rest of the party (less climbing inclined) to use.</p><p></p><p>I had a party trying to climb over a wooden fort wall (20 feet high) with grapple after a patrol passed by. They had to make a perception to time when to go, the grapple throwers had to make climb checks to scale the wall, and I called for a stealth check to find a hiding place before the patrol passed again. Technically it was a skill challenge--and I only made one person roll perception, two climb checks (two grapples), and one stealth check. Apparently I wanted 4 successes.</p><p></p><p>But I wanted 4 <em>applicable</em> successes. If the patrol is not in earshot, I would count making lion noises as no impact, and if they are in earshot, instant failure. But the stealth check? I'm fine with the rogue pointing to a good spot and herding the party in there to hide. So yes, I did a challenge in 3.x. But I've been DMing for 24 years--and still I was the one saying, someone make this skill check. The idea of letting the players come up with something applicable? My narrative just got 4-6 brains added to it--and I'm sure they'll come up with applicable ideas I didn't think of.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Xorn, post: 4191474, member: 61231"] Three rounds. This is up to you as the DM, when you design the challenge. If the player always defaults to "I use Insight." Then you say, [i]"You use Insight to do [b]what[/b], exactly?"[/i] When my characters in 3.x say, "I'll search." I ask them [i]what[/i] they are searching. If "just everything" then I bump the DC to find something drastically. Even if the skill challenge system just presents a game plan for DMs on handling non-combat (or mixed, loved the second scenario), then that will be great. If you are already following a resolution system you're happy with, bully for you. My fiddling around with skill challenges has been very entertaining. Not once was it something that couldn't be done previously--it was just cleaner and less from the hip. Inaction? Well you have to fight orcs till you finish--so I guess inaction leads to failure. I like the idea of a trap being more than a single skill check, or only being dealt with through Thievery. Diplomacy - Instant failure, not a feasible use. Nature - Interesting enough, but the challenge is the barrier, not the orcs. The orcs are the incentive to overcome the barrier. Still, I'd allow that to impact the fight with the orcs for a round. Climb - Sure. If the barrier is passable by climbing--I'd count that as feasible, and it could include securing a grapple/rope for the rest of the party (less climbing inclined) to use. I had a party trying to climb over a wooden fort wall (20 feet high) with grapple after a patrol passed by. They had to make a perception to time when to go, the grapple throwers had to make climb checks to scale the wall, and I called for a stealth check to find a hiding place before the patrol passed again. Technically it was a skill challenge--and I only made one person roll perception, two climb checks (two grapples), and one stealth check. Apparently I wanted 4 successes. But I wanted 4 [i]applicable[/i] successes. If the patrol is not in earshot, I would count making lion noises as no impact, and if they are in earshot, instant failure. But the stealth check? I'm fine with the rogue pointing to a good spot and herding the party in there to hide. So yes, I did a challenge in 3.x. But I've been DMing for 24 years--and still I was the one saying, someone make this skill check. The idea of letting the players come up with something applicable? My narrative just got 4-6 brains added to it--and I'm sure they'll come up with applicable ideas I didn't think of. [/QUOTE]
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