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Two Example Skill Challenges
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<blockquote data-quote="Asmor" data-source="post: 4191687" data-attributes="member: 1154"><p>I like it in concept, but as others have noted, mathematically speaking the optimal choice is for the single best PC to make all the rolls. This could potentially be aleviated somewhat by requiring different types of rolls, such as a Thievery roll, Athletics roll, Knowledge Arcane roll, and Knowledge Religion roll, but that seems to be negating one of the cooler aspects of the skill challenges (i.e. that people can basically decide how they're helping, instead of being told what they have to do to help).</p><p></p><p>The first example, with the crushing stone wall, seems particularly egregious. The best thing for the PCs to do is let the skill monkey sit there for a minute or two and make all the rolls. Even more bizarrely, if the fighter tries to hold the wall back and fails, his failure essentially "speeds the wall up" so that the end comes sooner than if he'd never tried in the first place.</p><p></p><p>In this case, I think a flat time limit would be the best option, with no general penalty for success or failure.</p><p></p><p>For example, give the PCs 4 turns before they're crushed to death. They need 5 successes.</p><p></p><p>Round 1: Notice (success), thievery (2 successes). 3 rounds left.</p><p>Round 2: Knowledge (3 successes), thievery-- failure, accidentally speeding up the trap so they lose a round. 1 round left.</p><p>Round 3: Thievery (4 successes), Athleticism (push back wall, not adding successes but gaining a round). 1 round left.</p><p>Round 4: Notice (5 successes, see trap door, escape just before the rock wall crunches everyone).</p><p></p><p>Then there's the cases where it doesn't make sense to have a time limit (at least, not one measured in 6-second rounds). In those cases, I think a failure threshhold makes more sense.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Asmor, post: 4191687, member: 1154"] I like it in concept, but as others have noted, mathematically speaking the optimal choice is for the single best PC to make all the rolls. This could potentially be aleviated somewhat by requiring different types of rolls, such as a Thievery roll, Athletics roll, Knowledge Arcane roll, and Knowledge Religion roll, but that seems to be negating one of the cooler aspects of the skill challenges (i.e. that people can basically decide how they're helping, instead of being told what they have to do to help). The first example, with the crushing stone wall, seems particularly egregious. The best thing for the PCs to do is let the skill monkey sit there for a minute or two and make all the rolls. Even more bizarrely, if the fighter tries to hold the wall back and fails, his failure essentially "speeds the wall up" so that the end comes sooner than if he'd never tried in the first place. In this case, I think a flat time limit would be the best option, with no general penalty for success or failure. For example, give the PCs 4 turns before they're crushed to death. They need 5 successes. Round 1: Notice (success), thievery (2 successes). 3 rounds left. Round 2: Knowledge (3 successes), thievery-- failure, accidentally speeding up the trap so they lose a round. 1 round left. Round 3: Thievery (4 successes), Athleticism (push back wall, not adding successes but gaining a round). 1 round left. Round 4: Notice (5 successes, see trap door, escape just before the rock wall crunches everyone). Then there's the cases where it doesn't make sense to have a time limit (at least, not one measured in 6-second rounds). In those cases, I think a failure threshhold makes more sense. [/QUOTE]
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Two Example Skill Challenges
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