While Stalker0's system is interesting and has some cool aspects, I wanted to present a system that fixes the mathematical problems with the 4e system, but doesn't add anything in particular. Essentially just some revised guidelines. So here goes:
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The basic concept tweak here is going to be the distinction between primary and secondary skill checks. My definition is that a primary skill check is any check a player makes whose description carries with it an ability to significantly alter the course of the challenge. This could be a Bluff check used on the Duke in a Negotiation, a Religion check used to take the next step of a complex ritual, or an Athletics check used to climb a little higher on a ledge. Success at a primary skill check adds a success to the party for the challenge, failure adds a failure. A secondary check is any other check made, from an Insight check to notice some about the Duke's manner, a History check to find a relevant example, or a Perception check to discover a good hand-hold. Success at a secondary check gives a cumulative +2 bonus to the next primary check.
With this distinction in mind, we allow players to choose what they are doing, which determines what skill is being used and whether or not the check is a primary one. If it is unclear whether a check should be primary or secondary, you can decide or you can let the player decide. In general, it is a good idea to keep the ratio of primary to secondary checks about even, but there's no need to force someone into a primary check unless it has been quite a while since the last one (the rule could be that once the party has hit +8 accumulated bonus, they no longer gain a benefit from secondary checks).
The DC of any check is 15 + 1/2 the party's level by default. Increase this base amount by 1 at levels 6, 11, 16, 21, 26 and 30. The design of the encounter should incorporate some checks at different DCs, perhaps by allowing occasional higher DC secondary checks with a greater potential reward (in a tailored situation, a really tough secondary could even give a challenge success with no penalty for failure), or by allowing certain primary checks at a lower DC either as the result of succeeding at other checks, or simply as a bonus for the first time a particular check is made. One or two of these specific bonuses is appropriate per complexity level.
Good roleplaying should be rewarded with a +2 bonus to the check involved.
Finally, the successes needed to complete a challenge are 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, respectively, for complexities 1-5, with the number of failures that causes failure always being equal to 4. Each complexity is significantly more difficult to defeat than the one below it. To tweak the difficulty of a challenge without changing complexity, start by increasing or decreasing the DC for secondary checks, or by adding or removing special bonus situations. If the party is particularly highly skilled, consider having them tackle challenges balanced for higher level parties.
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Let me know what you think...
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The basic concept tweak here is going to be the distinction between primary and secondary skill checks. My definition is that a primary skill check is any check a player makes whose description carries with it an ability to significantly alter the course of the challenge. This could be a Bluff check used on the Duke in a Negotiation, a Religion check used to take the next step of a complex ritual, or an Athletics check used to climb a little higher on a ledge. Success at a primary skill check adds a success to the party for the challenge, failure adds a failure. A secondary check is any other check made, from an Insight check to notice some about the Duke's manner, a History check to find a relevant example, or a Perception check to discover a good hand-hold. Success at a secondary check gives a cumulative +2 bonus to the next primary check.
With this distinction in mind, we allow players to choose what they are doing, which determines what skill is being used and whether or not the check is a primary one. If it is unclear whether a check should be primary or secondary, you can decide or you can let the player decide. In general, it is a good idea to keep the ratio of primary to secondary checks about even, but there's no need to force someone into a primary check unless it has been quite a while since the last one (the rule could be that once the party has hit +8 accumulated bonus, they no longer gain a benefit from secondary checks).
The DC of any check is 15 + 1/2 the party's level by default. Increase this base amount by 1 at levels 6, 11, 16, 21, 26 and 30. The design of the encounter should incorporate some checks at different DCs, perhaps by allowing occasional higher DC secondary checks with a greater potential reward (in a tailored situation, a really tough secondary could even give a challenge success with no penalty for failure), or by allowing certain primary checks at a lower DC either as the result of succeeding at other checks, or simply as a bonus for the first time a particular check is made. One or two of these specific bonuses is appropriate per complexity level.
Good roleplaying should be rewarded with a +2 bonus to the check involved.
Finally, the successes needed to complete a challenge are 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, respectively, for complexities 1-5, with the number of failures that causes failure always being equal to 4. Each complexity is significantly more difficult to defeat than the one below it. To tweak the difficulty of a challenge without changing complexity, start by increasing or decreasing the DC for secondary checks, or by adding or removing special bonus situations. If the party is particularly highly skilled, consider having them tackle challenges balanced for higher level parties.
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Let me know what you think...
