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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6228214" data-attributes="member: 42582">In my view the fundamental issue with these 3E skills is that the system isn't clear on what their mechanical functions is: action resolution? or scene re-framiong?As scene-reframing they work well enough - the player, with a good roll, can now reframe the scene into one in which s/he knows what the hidden items in the room are; or in which she is confronted by a helpful rather than a hostile NPC. Of course, this takes a degree of scene framing authority away from the GM, which for some playstyles at least (eg mine) is not a desired thing.As action resolution I think they are rathouse, especially Diplomacy, because they do not contain within their own systems for mechanical resolution provision for the GM to narrate complications and conseqeunces short of scene-framing. 4e's solution to this issue is the skill challenge. I don't know of any other solution which both (i) maintains these skills, and (ii) makes them relevant to action resolution rather than scene-reframing.A further problem for 3E is that it has no discussion in the rulebooks of these issues, and hence offers no solution to players and GMs who find themselves colliding over how they understand and implement these skills.</blockquote>