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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MrMyth" data-source="post: 5341024" data-attributes="member: 61155">But, honestly, those situations sound more like one component of a skill challenge rather than room for a full skill challenge in and of itself. Or, if the situation is complex enough to be a skill challenge in and of itself, there has to be reasons for that. Why is this person not willing to part with the information? Is it dangerous for them to do so? Do they consider it valuable and require payment for it? Etc.  Look, let's take the example of convincing someone to let you pass. What happens when you present him a forged note from his superior, and make a successful Bluff check to convince him that it is legit? Or the Bard creates an Illusion to draw him away for a few moments? Or you just go around back and find a place where people can teleport in?  Why does that not end the challenge right there? In most cases, for one of two reasons:1) Because there are other factors already designed as part of the challenge that the party still needs to overcome; or2) Because you have decided this is a skill challenge that requires 4 successes, and thus you come up with reasons on the spot why they need to make a few more successful rolls.  Both of which should apply just as well to Instant Friends.  Say I need to know a way some specific landmark in the local woods. A hunter in town knows this info. It isn't particularly sensitive information, but he generally doesn't like adventures, so isn't going to just give it up freely.  If we go up to him, why does it take 4 Diplomacy checks instead of one to get him to share that info?  If our Bard walks up and politely asks him for these directions, and rolls a successful Diplomacy check, why is he still holding out?  If we instead just send our Ranger, who walks up and rolls a Bluff check to convince him that he's just another woodsman in the area, why doesn't the hunter share what he knows? If our Fighter walks up and says he can tell us what we want, or get punched in the face, and rolls a successful Intimidate check, why does he still refuse to tell us?  If your goal is simply to get someone to tell you a single piece of information that they have no real reasons not to part with anyway, I continue to hold that this is probably more fitting as a single check rather than a full skill challenge.  Now, maybe the skill challenge consists of finding the appropriate contact, getting the information from him, and then figuring out how to use the information he has. First you need to ask questions around town to find out that the hunter is the one with the knowledge you need (Streetwise). Then you need to convince him to share it (Diplomacy). Then you need to actually go into the woods and actually follow the directions (Nature).  Instant Friends might help with one portion of that, but not the whole thing.  I will concede that some challenges may exist where the conditions are just right for it to trump all other factors. But I don't find it particularly likely. And I find the same is true of plenty of other things out there - there may be challenges where a single clever Illusion will be all you need, or a single disguise spell for the party, or various uses of skills or rituals or items.  I suspect that will usually only happen when a Skill Challenge is too limited to begin with. And when presented with something that would overcome a simple Skill Challenge, the DM can either let it happen, or come up with developments on the spot for the party to overcome.</blockquote>

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