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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Crazy Jerome" data-source="post: 5510087" data-attributes="member: 54877">The task isn't trivial, but it is hardly that hard. The main problem with skill challenges is that they don't have enough axes for the player and DM to manipulate--both narratively and through the mechanics. Since most of the narration is supplied by the people at the table, a group that gets this can cover that side of the deficit. But mechanically, they will always be weak as long as everything is essentially a series of skill checks. But just because you need more axes, it doesn't follow that it has to mirror combat complexity and length. We don't, for example, necessarily need to have "skill challenge" defenses and hit points, which are whittled down slowly as skill checks are made, as a more mechanically involved replacement for avoiding three failures--though that would provide more mechanical room to play. It would be better to have something that has a mechanical basis and does not directly tie into the skill checks out all. For a quick example off the top of my head: Add "culture" and "resources" as narrative elements with mechanical backing. Then make the skill checks in the base system a bit more difficult than they are now. (You might steal some generic culture ideas from Runequest and some generic resources ideas from Burning Wheel, but what you won't steal is any mechanics that directly tie into skill checks.) Culture can be fed by actual culture of the character, background, race, etc. Resources are fed by station/profession in life, money/material poured into this axis from adventuring, favors, etc.  When you make a culture or resources checks (however those are done), what you are trying to do is avoid a skill check that is high risk and/or low reward and bypass/change it to another check more to your liking. Intimidate is your best skill and the skill challenge is infertile ground for such a check? Pick another high skill, or use culture or resources to move the ground where Intimidate makes sense.  I'm sure that good DMs are already doing essentially that--just most with not a supported and explained structure. If the wannabee intimidator arranges to spend some gold or a favor to bribe the duke's steward, when intimidate doesn't work so well on the duke, he can.</blockquote>

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