Long-Term Skill Challenges and Encounter Powers

[Starglim]

Wouldn't that create a strange result tough. If the power was a daily, it could be recharged by an extended rest in a long term skill challenge, but yet the encounter power cannot because it is still the same encounter ?

I believe that's right.

The first relevant daily power that I looked at (Skilled Companion, Ranger Utility 6) lasts until the end of the encounter. I'm not sure if this would allow a ranger to pile on bonuses to multiple skills over several days, or if "checks with a single skill of your choice" should be construed to mean that if the same ranger applies Skilled Companion to another skill, the bonus from the first use ends. edit: Nothing would prevent two rangers each using Skilled Companion to boost a different skill, in a skill challenge or otherwise.

Many daily powers are Stances (which go away after 5 minutes) or have a similar explicit time limit. Others, such as Astral Speech (Paladin Utility 2) wouldn't give any extra benefit if a character kept using them once a day.

What other daily powers are relevant to skill challenges? There are probably few enough to look at each individually.

I guess this is one case where the united structure of 4e powers fails because of the vast difference between a narrative encounter like a skill challenge is just too different from a combat encounter ...

I see it the other way: it's very elegant and has some great benefits to apply the same encounter power rules to a long-term skill challenge as to combat. In the particular corner cases of daily powers that enhance skills, some specific rulings might be required.

 

[Danceofmasks]

To add to the confusion ...

Durations of till the end of encounter only lasts 5 minutes, 'cos it's not the end of encounter that stops them.
It's when you take a short rest or 5 minutes.
p278 (I think)

Also, sustained powers can only be sustained for 5 minutes.

 

[Omnifarious Grey]

In a skill challenge, you're really allowed to do anything. So there is no reason why as part of the skill challenge, you couldn't say, we are going to hunker down behind these bushes while half the party keeps watch, the other half is going to take a short rest. If it makes sense in the context of the skill challenge, it's just another roll perhaps to be done by the person finding the hiding place to make sure it's reasonably safe.

But if the skill challenge involves chasing another boat down a rapid stream while not losing sight of it, then rest is a luxury that can't be afforded. So again, it has to make sense in the context of the skill challenge.

I agree, I believe that depending on how you wish to run the skill challenge you could allow for such powers as Crucial Advice to take place at the time of the role, and from there be able to find some point in between to take a short rest.

Even though its called a Skill Challenge, if it's longer than 5 minutes can you still perceive it as a single encounter?

 

[Starglim]

To add to the confusion ...

Durations of till the end of encounter only lasts 5 minutes, 'cos it's not the end of encounter that stops them.
It's when you take a short rest or 5 minutes.
p278 (I think)

Also, sustained powers can only be sustained for 5 minutes.

Good point.

Dark One's Own Luck (Warlock Utility 6) is a problem. It might be necessary to house-rule that to be usable only once in an extended skill challenge.