Skill Challenges: What is the issue with them?

[Lord Zardoz]

The issue with skill challenges is pretty effectively summed up by Henry. The general format is great, but the stated DC's are not quite good yet.

The big problem is that nailing down the DC's so that the difficulty feels right, and that the DC's are not dependent on the most optimized characters making every roll is quite difficult. It is further complicated by the tendency for players to pick their utility powers based on combat effectiveness.

My advice right now is to use whichever format you like, either the X success before Y Fails method in the books, or the 3 strikes method in the errata; But set the DC's based on whatever you think will give your party the kind of chance you think appropriate for the challenge.

Also try to set up your challenges so that failure is not necessarily a show stopper. There are a few ways to do this. You can have skill challenges consume healing surges in whichever manner you think appropriate. If your adventure is time limited, set them up so a fail eats more time; In that situation, failing one or two should not be a show stopper, but failing 6 may be justified.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[the Jester]

Exactly.

But my problem is not with the numbers. My problem/issue is how to properly run a skill challenge.

I have a whole thread devoted to skill tests, and my examples have a lot of 'how it runs/ran' info. Check it out!

 

[LostSoul]

Exactly.

But my problem is not with the numbers. My problem/issue is how to properly run a skill challenge.

I think that is where the biggest failure in skill challenges lies. For example, I let PCs make attack rolls to succeed at the skill challenge, if it fits the fiction.

What I think it is missing is a good framework. What are skill challenges for, and what do you want to use them to accomplish?

I know what I want to accomplish: A threat that must be overcome in order for the PCs to reach their goal. Through the mechanics, we will end up in a new situation, something that we might not have never imagined at the beginning.

The skill challenge mechanics can deliver that, but you need to handle them in a slightly different way than is suggested. You have to look at them in terms of conflict between characters. The PCs have to have a reason to want to make a skill check!

What happens if they succeed? What happens if they fail? Who knows? All we know is that one side or the other runs out of juice when the number of successes or failures is met.

I find that dealing with skill challenges this way is the most rewarding - it lends itself to more roleplaying than not having a skill challenge.