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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 5215605" data-attributes="member: 3424">Some thoughts on a variety of issues:1. I also agree the "three failures" failure condition for skill challenges discourages players with low skill modifiers from taking part. I generally prefer to have either a hard time limit (score X successes with Y rounds), or have something bad keep happening until the PCs score the necessary number of successes (this is the approach taken for traps), or have a variable time limit which the PCs can extend with successful skill or ability checks (e.g. in a classic crushing walls trap, one PC can buy time for another PC to unlock the exit by making a Strength check to hold back the wall).2. In addition to escalating DCs to discourage the repeated use of certain skills, you could consider setting a limit on the number of successes that can be achieved through a specific skill. This also ties in to the point about giving PCs a motivation to change tactics and use varied abilities.3. The concept of what you call jackpot skills (automatic successes, multiple successes, other benefits) is probably better applied to creative ideas instead of skill checks. By awarding automatic successes for creative ideas, you break the players out of the habit of simply going through their character sheet and picking out what they think to be the most useful skills, and you encourage them to approach skill challenges in a manner similar to the free-form problem solving that was more common in earlier editions.4. With respect to PC "roles", I personally divide non-combat challenges into four broad categories: Learn challenges, Move challenges, Survive challenges and Persuade challenges. Where possible, I try to incorporate all four elements into a skill challenge, either as part of the main challenge or as sub-challenges which, when successfully completed, contribute successes and/or confer some advantage to overcoming the main challenge. This is discussed more fully in my blog post <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/blogs/firelance/2194-musings-non-combat-challenges-four-more.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</blockquote>

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