Ever had several people assist a character with a high bonus to a skill and have them roll a 1 whilst everyone assisting rolls 15's to 20's? I swear it happens at least once a session for me.
It occurred to me during my last game that a simple houserule could used to replace the entire assist mechanic, even for attack assists.
Essentially the DM would rule on how many people can assist, assigning a range between 1 and 4 to represent whatever he feels is logical for the situation. If it's an attack assist, then everyone rolls in initiative order with the person being assisted going last. Otherwise, everyone who is eligible (including the one who is being assisted) can simply roll at the same time.
The roll is a flat d20. If the person is trained in the skill, they can add a +2 bonus to this roll, otherwise no other bonuses or penalties apply.
The highest result is then considered the player's result who is being assisted. That person adds their skill bonus or attack bonus to the roll for a final result.
An additional rule would be that the assist acts like a charge in that it ends a character's turn.
It occurred to me during my last game that a simple houserule could used to replace the entire assist mechanic, even for attack assists.
Essentially the DM would rule on how many people can assist, assigning a range between 1 and 4 to represent whatever he feels is logical for the situation. If it's an attack assist, then everyone rolls in initiative order with the person being assisted going last. Otherwise, everyone who is eligible (including the one who is being assisted) can simply roll at the same time.
The roll is a flat d20. If the person is trained in the skill, they can add a +2 bonus to this roll, otherwise no other bonuses or penalties apply.
The highest result is then considered the player's result who is being assisted. That person adds their skill bonus or attack bonus to the roll for a final result.
An additional rule would be that the assist acts like a charge in that it ends a character's turn.