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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Skyscraper" data-source="post: 4519523" data-attributes="member: 48518">I think it's possible to have different takes to skill challenges. Here's mine.As DM, i don't tell players they're in a skill challenge. They just do their stuff and when they want to accomplish something that requires a skill challenge, well they tell me how they go about doing it as they would in any other circumstance (examples to follow in another post). I then have them roll skill checks.The "something" to accomplish with a skill challenge is usually something more complex than usual. The example given above of escaping a prison where any single action might allow them to escape (climbing stairs, blocking the water inlet, climbing the wall, etc...) would NOT be a skill challenge IMO. A skill challenge requires a succession of actions for the goal to be reached.The main difference between a skill challenge and any other normal action that requires a single skill check, is that a skill challenge allows for some failed skilled checks. Also, say you require 4 successes before 2 failures: well you need to provide narration that explains every skill use, be it a success or a failure, without allowing global success until the skill challenge is over of course.I won't say to the players: you're in a skill challenge. For me, that breaks the moment quite a bit. I've only run a few skill challenges up to now mind you, but they went well.I don't tell players which skill they need to use or what DC they need to match! For me, that is nothing short of inconceivable. It's like telling PCs what powers they should use in combat or what the opponent's AC is. No. They can use whatever skill they want. They can do whatever they want, in fact. I'll react to their stated action, associate a skill and a DC to what they want to do, ask for a skill check and use that as either a success or a failure.Finally, i want to know what happens in the case of failures. It may be that each single skill check failure brings about something (e.g. resource expenditure); or it may be that beyond a certain threshold number of failures, something happens (e.g. they spend a healing surge). But i want the adventure to continue if they don't make it through.Sky</blockquote>

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