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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rick Danger" data-source="post: 4306391" data-attributes="member: 69882">The concept of "failure" is important - not only because it has a different significance for either combat encounters or skill challenges (as many have said) - but also because it moderates how many times the players want to face that type of encounter. If skill challenges had something like a 50% chance of success, "powergamers" (I don't like this term, but it is used in the DMG) would want to skill challenge all day. "Easy xp without taking damage? Sign me up for the grind!" Therefore, skill challenges have a built-in tendency towards failure and that is not necessarily a bad thing, it is indeed a part of what makes a good story.On the other hand, my interpretation of the RAW is that skills challenges are designed by the DM with the objective of involving every member of the party - which means that, as much as possible, all characters should find one of their trained skills among the list of primary skills (and that the DM should also take in account any powers/rituals that may take part in the challenge). Players can get creative with unusual and even weird use of skills, but those secondary skills can only be used once in the skill challenge.From what I have read, I also think that not every action has to be a moderate DC skill check to add a sucess or a failure. Certain actions, as described by the player, may involve easy/hard DCs or even automatic successes. Also, for some actions, a failure only means nothing happens, so they should not count directly to the s/f count - they should simply grant a +2 bonus (eventually a -2 penalty) to other checks. A character may also choose to cooperate with an ally, so the DM should also determine when aiding another is appropriate and exactly how many people may help. Finally, as the players narrate their actions and the encounter evolves, each individual success should grant more information/resources for the players to work with and each individual failure may constitute a drain on the character's resources (ex: in healing surges or gps).You may be surprised that this is all indicated - albeit a bit obscurely - in the DMG.</blockquote>

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