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<blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 4978744" data-attributes="member: 82106">There simply is no rule regarding XP variation based on specific characteristics of a given SC. It is assumed that the DCs&nbsp; will be in line with the guidelines in the DMG for the most part. So it isn't contemplated that you would set ALL the DCs for a level 1 challenge to hard. Basically that would be the same as making the SC about 8-9 levels higher. A level 1 has DC10, a level 10 has DC16. So a &quot;level 1&quot; with all hard DCs is basically a level 9.5 SC with moderate DCs. Really the expectation is that for any given challenge it should be designed such that the party can't simply sit around and have Skilly McAwesome with his 10 higher than everyone else skill bonus make all the rolls. As long as that is true, you shouldn't have to twink with the DCs. If the party runs into a challenge now and then that proves to be trivial, them's the breaks. Now and then they'll also run into ones that are extra tough because they happen to involve a skill nobody is good at. Remember one thing, a challenge will go from almost certain success to highly likely to fail based on a SMALL change in skill bonus or DC. Most encounters should generally be more on the &quot;almost certain success&quot; end of the spectrum. Failure in an SC is like failure in any encounter, it should be a possibility that hovers over the party but not something that happens often. The nice thing about SCs is you CAN make some really hard to defeat ones now and then when you say want to put a serious fork in the road of the plot or whatever. It just has to be a situation where the party will get on with something interesting regardless of outcome. In this case its fine if its a pretty high level challenge, success should grant a wad of XP.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="AbdulAlhazred, post: 4978744, member: 82106"] There simply is no rule regarding XP variation based on specific characteristics of a given SC. It is assumed that the DCs will be in line with the guidelines in the DMG for the most part. So it isn't contemplated that you would set ALL the DCs for a level 1 challenge to hard. Basically that would be the same as making the SC about 8-9 levels higher. A level 1 has DC10, a level 10 has DC16. So a "level 1" with all hard DCs is basically a level 9.5 SC with moderate DCs. Really the expectation is that for any given challenge it should be designed such that the party can't simply sit around and have Skilly McAwesome with his 10 higher than everyone else skill bonus make all the rolls. As long as that is true, you shouldn't have to twink with the DCs. If the party runs into a challenge now and then that proves to be trivial, them's the breaks. Now and then they'll also run into ones that are extra tough because they happen to involve a skill nobody is good at. Remember one thing, a challenge will go from almost certain success to highly likely to fail based on a SMALL change in skill bonus or DC. Most encounters should generally be more on the "almost certain success" end of the spectrum. Failure in an SC is like failure in any encounter, it should be a possibility that hovers over the party but not something that happens often. The nice thing about SCs is you CAN make some really hard to defeat ones now and then when you say want to put a serious fork in the road of the plot or whatever. It just has to be a situation where the party will get on with something interesting regardless of outcome. In this case its fine if its a pretty high level challenge, success should grant a wad of XP. [/QUOTE]

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