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House Rule: Faster minor battles
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<blockquote data-quote="Radiating Gnome" data-source="post: 5888461" data-attributes="member: 150"><p>Skill challenges are a very tricky part of 4e. They don't sit on the shelf very well next to tactical combat -- they're vague and indistinct where tactical combat is concrete and specific and very well nailed down. </p><p></p><p>IMO, skill challenges are one of the best innovations in 4e (although they actually predate 4e -- similar mechanics appeared in Spycraft and Alternity, and perhaps other places I never saw them), but their flexibility makes they very difficult to cover in a quick chapter and a few DDI articles. </p><p></p><p>So, Harlekin says this: </p><p></p><p></p><p>Expecting skill challenges to be as exciting as a real fight is missing the point -- like expecting the halftime show to be as exciting as a real nailbiter of a superbowl. They're different, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth watching the halftime show. (okay, maybe that's an awful analogy -- there's usually no reason to watch the halftime show). </p><p></p><p>A good Skill Challenge engages the players in the story that connects the "real fights". It should allow the players to make meaningful choices and reward them for paying attention to the "fluff". </p><p></p><p>Also, as you look at skill challenges, keep a very open mind about how to structure them. One of the key ideas that I don't think they stress often enough is that <em>everything</em> about skill challenges is flexible/mutable. </p><p></p><p>You may need to think a bit about what sort of "currencies" the PCs can spend in their skill challenges, other than healing surges. Anything you can think of is fair game, but the real kicker is to think long and hard about what it is that the SC is trying to represent, and make sure the mechanics you dream up help create the right feel for that SC. </p><p></p><p>So, if you're going to create a skill challenge to cover overland travel, you could do a ton of different things. I regularly:</p><p></p><p>1. Don't allow extended rests until the PCs complete the travel challenge</p><p>2. Define multiple skill checks required to earn each "success" without penalty</p><p>3. Apply "permanent" conditions, similar to diseases, as consequences for failure</p><p>4. Create flowcharts for the travel challenge, with choices that the PCs can make about the terrain they'll travel through and what strategy the wish to use as they move through it. Let them pick one path or another, decide to stay on the main roads or travel cross country, and make sure that the consequences of those choices are different. </p><p></p><p>And so on. Really, though, when it comes to good Skill Challenges, anything goes. The only essential is that you make sure the PCs can make interestign choices. </p><p></p><p>-rg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Radiating Gnome, post: 5888461, member: 150"] Skill challenges are a very tricky part of 4e. They don't sit on the shelf very well next to tactical combat -- they're vague and indistinct where tactical combat is concrete and specific and very well nailed down. IMO, skill challenges are one of the best innovations in 4e (although they actually predate 4e -- similar mechanics appeared in Spycraft and Alternity, and perhaps other places I never saw them), but their flexibility makes they very difficult to cover in a quick chapter and a few DDI articles. So, Harlekin says this: Expecting skill challenges to be as exciting as a real fight is missing the point -- like expecting the halftime show to be as exciting as a real nailbiter of a superbowl. They're different, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth watching the halftime show. (okay, maybe that's an awful analogy -- there's usually no reason to watch the halftime show). A good Skill Challenge engages the players in the story that connects the "real fights". It should allow the players to make meaningful choices and reward them for paying attention to the "fluff". Also, as you look at skill challenges, keep a very open mind about how to structure them. One of the key ideas that I don't think they stress often enough is that [I]everything[/I] about skill challenges is flexible/mutable. You may need to think a bit about what sort of "currencies" the PCs can spend in their skill challenges, other than healing surges. Anything you can think of is fair game, but the real kicker is to think long and hard about what it is that the SC is trying to represent, and make sure the mechanics you dream up help create the right feel for that SC. So, if you're going to create a skill challenge to cover overland travel, you could do a ton of different things. I regularly: 1. Don't allow extended rests until the PCs complete the travel challenge 2. Define multiple skill checks required to earn each "success" without penalty 3. Apply "permanent" conditions, similar to diseases, as consequences for failure 4. Create flowcharts for the travel challenge, with choices that the PCs can make about the terrain they'll travel through and what strategy the wish to use as they move through it. Let them pick one path or another, decide to stay on the main roads or travel cross country, and make sure that the consequences of those choices are different. And so on. Really, though, when it comes to good Skill Challenges, anything goes. The only essential is that you make sure the PCs can make interestign choices. -rg [/QUOTE]
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