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<blockquote data-quote="Wik" data-source="post: 5382661" data-attributes="member: 40177">When I tried running challenges by the book, they never worked for me.&nbsp; They just felt too mechanical, and I felt really constrained by the entire situation.&nbsp; I quickly abandoned them, using an approach similar to the one I used in 3e instead.&nbsp; This worked a bit better, but it was far from perfect.Then I found Stalker0's Obsidian system.&nbsp; Link:<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan-creations-house-rules/241440-stalker0s-obsidian-skill-challenge-system-new-version-1-2-a.html" target="_blank">http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan-creations-house-rules/241440-stalker0s-obsidian-skill-challenge-system-new-version-1-2-a.html</a>Read it.&nbsp; It is a loose system that is mechanically stronger than the base one in the original DMG, and I still think it's better than anything that's been presented by wotc since.&nbsp; The general idea is, you present a situation, and players choose which skills they want to use.&nbsp; If they do try to spam their best skills (which can happen in this game) they still have to find a way to make it applicable - and sometimes, those explanations can be very fun and &quot;in-character&quot;.&nbsp; Other times, you just roll your eyes and give them a -4 penalty on the check.&nbsp; You can run it &quot;invisible&quot; or &quot;visible&quot;.&nbsp; I've done both, and they have advantages and drawbacks.&nbsp; I do find this system feels easier for me to run &quot;invisible&quot; as opposed to the DMG version.&nbsp; That being said, I prefer running it as a visible challenge if it's a short challenge (ie, one encounter) and keeping it invisible if it takes place over the course of the adventure.&nbsp; YMMV.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Wik, post: 5382661, member: 40177"] When I tried running challenges by the book, they never worked for me. They just felt too mechanical, and I felt really constrained by the entire situation. I quickly abandoned them, using an approach similar to the one I used in 3e instead. This worked a bit better, but it was far from perfect. Then I found Stalker0's Obsidian system. Link: [url]http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan-creations-house-rules/241440-stalker0s-obsidian-skill-challenge-system-new-version-1-2-a.html[/url] Read it. It is a loose system that is mechanically stronger than the base one in the original DMG, and I still think it's better than anything that's been presented by wotc since. The general idea is, you present a situation, and players choose which skills they want to use. If they do try to spam their best skills (which can happen in this game) they still have to find a way to make it applicable - and sometimes, those explanations can be very fun and "in-character". Other times, you just roll your eyes and give them a -4 penalty on the check. You can run it "invisible" or "visible". I've done both, and they have advantages and drawbacks. I do find this system feels easier for me to run "invisible" as opposed to the DMG version. That being said, I prefer running it as a visible challenge if it's a short challenge (ie, one encounter) and keeping it invisible if it takes place over the course of the adventure. YMMV. [/QUOTE]

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