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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sammael" data-source="post: 5656562" data-attributes="member: 4475">Just like IRL: if time is of the essence, and you don't have the skills needed to make it in time, you either buy more time or you lose. That creates more dramatic tension than making all party members good at something.Mind you, from a dramatic standpoint, losing is not all that bad. It can create all sorts of plot complications.I'd certainly declare that you could.The Orc Chase Example:The party is running from an orc warband in the badlands. They make a wrong  turn into a narrow canyon and suddenly, they are facing a sheer cliff face with no ledges and few handholds. The DM declares that this is an Expert level challenge and that the orcs will arrive in approximately 5 rounds.The party is comprised of a Fighter with Journeyman rank in climbing, Rogue with Expert rank in climbing, Mage with no rank in climbing, and Druid with Novice rank in climbing. The actual skill that governs climbing is immaterial and the ranks I listed are effective ranks (they take into account both skills and ability scores).Since the Rogue is the best at climbing, she can make it to the top of the cliff in one round. She declares that she is spending two additional rounds so that she may drive some <s>pythons</s> pitons here and there into the cliff face. Meanwhile, in order to buy time, the Mage creates a Silent Image to make it appear as if the canyon is closed off by rocks. The DM declares that since the orcs are hot on their tails and can follow their tracks, it will take them two rounds to recognize the illusion. Still, that's two rounds more than they had to begin with.The Druid prepares a long rope and ties it around the Mage's waist. The Fighter checks whether the rope is secure, picks it up and ties it to his belt.At the beginning of round 4, the Rogue is on top of the cliff, and the Fighter now has enough handholds to climb after her (challenge difficulty has been reduced to Journeyman). It takes the Fighter two rounds, since he is less skilled than the Rogue. While the Fighter is climbing, the Druid casts a spell that increases her Strength, increasing her effective climbing rank to Journeyman. She begins to climb as soon as the Fighter has moved far enough up the cliff.At the beginning of round 6, while the orcs are still trying to figure out the illusion, the Fighter starts pulling the Mage up. At the end of round 7, just as the screaming orcs figure out the illusion and pour into the canyon, the Fighter manages to pull the Mage up to the top, and the Druid makes it on her own. The Rogue takes a large jug of cooking oil from the Fighter's backpack and pours it down the cliff face, making it extremely slippery - despite the <s>pythons</s> pitons, the cliff is now a Master level challenge and the orcs can just sit and growl in frustration as the party runs away. All this took 7 rounds, or less than a minute. Time was very much of the essence. The whole party cooperated and managed to pull through.</blockquote>

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