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Musings on Skill Challenges (or: Three Questions You Should Ask Before You Run One)
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<blockquote data-quote="Lord Zardoz" data-source="post: 5024068" data-attributes="member: 704"><p>For my own games, the problem was never deciding if a challenge should be used. What I liked most about the concept is that it provided a framework for me to provide in game challenges that could involve the entire party without requiring combat. The real problem has been deciding on the consequences of success and failure. In my most recent game, I ran some challenges that I think worked out quite well.</p><p></p><p>Rewards: Success on any challenge can gain the players one or more of the following benefits.</p><p> - If the players can complete the challenge successfully, I count it as a Milestone for purposes of gaining action points.</p><p> - Regain a healing surge</p><p> - Treasure</p><p> - Surprise round for next combat encounter (if it fits narratively)</p><p> - Flat bonus to Attack, Skill check, Ability Checks, and Saves good for as long as I see fit (next encounter, rest of game on that day in real time, until next full rest).</p><p></p><p>Penalties: Failing a skill challenge can cause one of the following.</p><p> - Loss of Healing Surges</p><p> - Flat penalty to Attack, Ability Checks, Skill Checks, and Saves for as long as I like.</p><p> - Loss of Action point</p><p> - Get ambushed</p><p> - Loss of Daily power</p><p> - Denial of short or long rests.</p><p></p><p>The presence of adequate incentives on success and on failure gets my players attention. The tricker problem is in deciding on reasonable ways to avoid having something along the lines of a 7th level PC with +13 to Atheltics checks spamming that check every chance he gets against DC 16 checks. I think that the most reasonable way to do that is to impose some limit on the number of successes from a particular skill (or from a particular player using a single skill).</p><p></p><p>As for Failure conditions, I say use whatever you want. The 3 Strikes failure puts a high cost on failing even a single check, which may or may not be appropriate for the encounter. I did a challenge that allowed a total of 12 checks, with 4 checks made by each player. Every 3 failures would put a -1 challenge on the entire party, no matter who got them. A PC could burn a healing surge to negate 1 point of the penalty for them selves. But if they could get at least 9 successes, there would be no penalties. Perfect completion would have gotten them a bonus.</p><p></p><p>END COMMUNICATION</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lord Zardoz, post: 5024068, member: 704"] For my own games, the problem was never deciding if a challenge should be used. What I liked most about the concept is that it provided a framework for me to provide in game challenges that could involve the entire party without requiring combat. The real problem has been deciding on the consequences of success and failure. In my most recent game, I ran some challenges that I think worked out quite well. Rewards: Success on any challenge can gain the players one or more of the following benefits. - If the players can complete the challenge successfully, I count it as a Milestone for purposes of gaining action points. - Regain a healing surge - Treasure - Surprise round for next combat encounter (if it fits narratively) - Flat bonus to Attack, Skill check, Ability Checks, and Saves good for as long as I see fit (next encounter, rest of game on that day in real time, until next full rest). Penalties: Failing a skill challenge can cause one of the following. - Loss of Healing Surges - Flat penalty to Attack, Ability Checks, Skill Checks, and Saves for as long as I like. - Loss of Action point - Get ambushed - Loss of Daily power - Denial of short or long rests. The presence of adequate incentives on success and on failure gets my players attention. The tricker problem is in deciding on reasonable ways to avoid having something along the lines of a 7th level PC with +13 to Atheltics checks spamming that check every chance he gets against DC 16 checks. I think that the most reasonable way to do that is to impose some limit on the number of successes from a particular skill (or from a particular player using a single skill). As for Failure conditions, I say use whatever you want. The 3 Strikes failure puts a high cost on failing even a single check, which may or may not be appropriate for the encounter. I did a challenge that allowed a total of 12 checks, with 4 checks made by each player. Every 3 failures would put a -1 challenge on the entire party, no matter who got them. A PC could burn a healing surge to negate 1 point of the penalty for them selves. But if they could get at least 9 successes, there would be no penalties. Perfect completion would have gotten them a bonus. END COMMUNICATION [/QUOTE]
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