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<blockquote data-quote="Ryujin" data-source="post: 4775151" data-attributes="member: 27897">Skill challenges were always my least favourite part of the game, because they felt too forced; 'round and 'round in circles, rolling dice. Then came the revelation that not EVERYONE had to take part in EVERY CHALLENGE. It never really did make a lot of sense for the wimpy Warlock to be carrying rocks, when there were other things he'd be better off doing.These days we play it fairly free-form, but with the skills generally stated up front. in social skill challenges we just roll play it out, with the GM making rolls at points that are appropriate based on what is said or done. Screwing up and getting caught out might well block one avanue of questioning during an interrogation, for instance (captive sees through the deception), then we need to come up with an alternate method of attack. It's not just mindless, &quot;I bluff him, then I intimidate him, then I'll bluff him again.&quot; We're voicing our bluffs and methods of intimidation and the GM considers the merits of the angle used, adding or subtracting a modifier to the roll on the fly.Even the completely uncharismatic members of the party get into it by trying to explain how their support actions play out. They can't just say, &quot;I roll a 12 and support!&quot;, they have to outline what they've done in order to aid the primary character. On one occasion (and only one) the GM allowed the Rogue character to support an intimidate roll by saying, &quot;I'm a Drow.&quot; Usually it requires much more effort, like when I was bluffing while interrogating a high level evil Cleric by saying that I couldn't hold the party's Barbarian back much longer, while he in turn gnashed his teeth and foamed at the mouth while 'trying to force his way past me' to the prisoner by way of making a support roll.It makes for a much better time, overall, and makes you feel like you actually earned that few hundred experience points.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ryujin, post: 4775151, member: 27897"] Skill challenges were always my least favourite part of the game, because they felt too forced; 'round and 'round in circles, rolling dice. Then came the revelation that not EVERYONE had to take part in EVERY CHALLENGE. It never really did make a lot of sense for the wimpy Warlock to be carrying rocks, when there were other things he'd be better off doing. These days we play it fairly free-form, but with the skills generally stated up front. in social skill challenges we just roll play it out, with the GM making rolls at points that are appropriate based on what is said or done. Screwing up and getting caught out might well block one avanue of questioning during an interrogation, for instance (captive sees through the deception), then we need to come up with an alternate method of attack. It's not just mindless, "I bluff him, then I intimidate him, then I'll bluff him again." We're voicing our bluffs and methods of intimidation and the GM considers the merits of the angle used, adding or subtracting a modifier to the roll on the fly. Even the completely uncharismatic members of the party get into it by trying to explain how their support actions play out. They can't just say, "I roll a 12 and support!", they have to outline what they've done in order to aid the primary character. On one occasion (and only one) the GM allowed the Rogue character to support an intimidate roll by saying, "I'm a Drow." Usually it requires much more effort, like when I was bluffing while interrogating a high level evil Cleric by saying that I couldn't hold the party's Barbarian back much longer, while he in turn gnashed his teeth and foamed at the mouth while 'trying to force his way past me' to the prisoner by way of making a support roll. It makes for a much better time, overall, and makes you feel like you actually earned that few hundred experience points. [/QUOTE]

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