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Message: <blockquote data-quote="wlmartin" data-source="post: 5662076" data-attributes="member: 6679380">Overall I love the idea of Skill ChallengesWotC have created a mechanic for what some DMs were doing anyway but were often doing poorly.It is much like the "Deck of Many Things" - it doesnt grant a reward but instead creates an opportunity for a quest that leads to a reward.Before Skill Challenges when there was a bridge with a Troll guarding it, you either beat the Troll up or you throw a few Diplomacy or Bluff skill checks at it and see if that works.Now with the advent of a Skill Challenge, you can take that encounter and turn it into something tangible.The group have branching options to parlay with the Troll (certain options that only exist when conversation branches are opened, much like RPG conversations in computer games)The group can Roleplay their arses off in trying to find a way for the Troll to let them pass, a success could result in them passing, a failure could be a combat... a MASSIVE success could result in them learning a secret about an upcoming encounter and a MASSIVE failure could result in the battle being more unbalanced (he wolf whistles and his friends come to join in)Overall the mechanic of a Skill Challenge gives DM that extra option that even if it was being followed before, often it was more the DM addlibbing and parlaying with the PLAYERS rather than the Troll parlaying with the PCs... now although the PLAYERS are integral in the RP element of their actions, the PCs are vital to the process.A PC with no decent skills apart from Endurance and Athletics may suffer in an exchange of Witt and Rapour during a Dialog Challenge but that is the right way for it to go... the Bard would do better but then he would fair poorer in a challenge involving brute strength.Before however in older editions, the same situation could come up and if the DM had enough interaction with the PLAYERS and since the PCs couldnt really interact themselves (ie they had no skills that applied to such interactions) it was very 2dimensional.Yay WotC - I may moan about some of the things you do but you really did well when you made Skill Challenges!!</blockquote>

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