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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 4508551" data-attributes="member: 42582">In the way discussed in the DMG. There are three basic steps, the second having two components.First step: The level of the skill challenge (which has been predetermined by the GM) tells us the DCs for Easy, Medium and Hard skill checks.Second step: Any given skill check suggested by a player must be classified as Easy, Medium or Hard. This is done by the GM (presumably most GMs would accept input from their players) and is determined by a combination of (i) the GM's intuition as to how easy the task described by the player would be in ingame terms, and (ii) the GM's view as to how much s/he wants to reward and encourage players having their PCs attempt that sort of task. (This second component is a metagame consideration, not an ingame matter - one example of how a GM can take this thing into account is given on p 42 of the DMG, in the discussion of a PC using an acrobatic manoeuvre to push an ogre into a fire). Third step: The GM may vary the DC by +/- 2 based on the degree of flamboyance, enthusiasm, cleverness etc of the player's description of her PC's action. (This overlaps to an extent with (ii) in the second step above, but I think (ii) is concerned with a more generic question about a generic sort of activity being undertaken by PCs in the campaign, wheras the +/-2 seems to be more about responding to the strengths of a particular player's narration/roleplaying).That's not a mechanical process, but in a cooperative playing group I think it's a reasonably tractable one.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 4508551, member: 42582"] In the way discussed in the DMG. There are three basic steps, the second having two components. First step: The level of the skill challenge (which has been predetermined by the GM) tells us the DCs for Easy, Medium and Hard skill checks. Second step: Any given skill check suggested by a player must be classified as Easy, Medium or Hard. This is done by the GM (presumably most GMs would accept input from their players) and is determined by a combination of (i) the GM's intuition as to how easy the task described by the player would be in ingame terms, and (ii) the GM's view as to how much s/he wants to reward and encourage players having their PCs attempt that sort of task. (This second component is a metagame consideration, not an ingame matter - one example of how a GM can take this thing into account is given on p 42 of the DMG, in the discussion of a PC using an acrobatic manoeuvre to push an ogre into a fire). Third step: The GM may vary the DC by +/- 2 based on the degree of flamboyance, enthusiasm, cleverness etc of the player's description of her PC's action. (This overlaps to an extent with (ii) in the second step above, but I think (ii) is concerned with a more generic question about a generic sort of activity being undertaken by PCs in the campaign, wheras the +/-2 seems to be more about responding to the strengths of a particular player's narration/roleplaying). That's not a mechanical process, but in a cooperative playing group I think it's a reasonably tractable one. [/QUOTE]

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