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What does a skill challenge do that you can't do without it? Assume the party needs to sneak into a town undetected. What does the skill challenge add to the game that a simpler and more flexible "What do you do?", followed by adjucating actions and reactions, doesn't?

Since AC doesn't change, the only thing that changes as you raise in levels are damage and hitpoints. If the fighter does not deal more damage - a lot more - as he levels up - then the entire class is invalid at higher levels when dealing with higher level monsters (See 66 hp Ogre, 132 hp...

The problem with skill challenges is that they are better done without using a skill challenge mechanic. Simply describing the situation, the adjucating the plans the players start to put into action works far better than trying to cram any situation into the corset of a skill challenge, only...

It comes down to those without magic weapons not being up to par. That's not a good idea if you want players to care less about magic weapons.

As far as I understand the DDN concept, you don't get "real bonuses" to to-hit. Any real bonus will be much more valuable then. And the higher you need to roll, the more important it is. If without it you only hit on a 17 and with it you hit on a 16, then it means your average damage per round...

Playing a character that hits 5% worse is not ok.

It's even more needed if it makes you hit that much better.

If you can leave a SC early you don't need the framework at all, but can stick to individual tasks and encounters.

In my opinion, skill challenges do remove complications because they are so rigid. You need 4 successes before you get 2 failures and you succeed. Period. If the party has to infiltrate a costume ball at a noble's mansion I'd not frame that as a skill challenge, but simply let the players act...

What kind of game world event do you mean? An earthquake? I usually am concerned about the consequences of an earthquake, since whether or not the building a PC is inside collapses is usually not easily decided through logic. Rolling a die there is often a fast and accepted method to decide.

3E also boosted the con bonus by a lot - a 12 already gave you a bonus to hitpoints, unlike earlier editions.

Honestly, I think you underestimate the potential for disputes by a lot. It's not a GM deciding with twisted logic that's the real problem, it's player and GM not agreeing about what is logical - especially in cases where you can't simply research a fact on the internet, such as fantasy...

You may be blessed with a perfect group, but most groups are not like that. Basing a system on your example is not a good idea.

Not really, yes. But it shows they at least wanted characters not to go down in one hit from a kobold or housecat.

In my experience, rolling dice is often better suited to solving disputes or disagreements over consequences of an action than "logical discussion". Or in other words - if everyone agrees you don't need rules. But if not everyone agrees, a reliable method of resolution is needed. I'd rather have...

Pathfinder raised hitpoints for the less tough classes and made the "max hitpoints at level 1" rule official. Not exactly an endorsement of 1E.

The goal for skill challenges was: Make a system for social encounters where the whole party takes part in. Now, why would anyone first create incentives to not take part by making participation by unoptimized characters hurt the party, and then force them to take part anyway? Why would one do...

I posit that D&D should offer more than just playing murdering marauders, and (among other things not related to 1E) take a look at 1E and their high-level options.

So? Make it so you don't trade combat capability for social capability, and this is no problem at all. And frankly, a rigid "you need X successes" system is a bad thing - social challenges vary, and the number of successful tasks should vary as well with regards to what happens. Like in combat...

What exactly is unclear? I am stating that as long as damage and hitpoints grow with levels, low-level targets such as an orc will become insignificant at higher levels.