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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6061790" data-attributes="member: 6696971">Why oh why am I doing this?Bug vs Feature (for my gaming tastes)Bug - Non-combat exploration challenge condition of success met by saying the magic words "I cast teleport/fly/find the path/discern location/locate object, etc". Bug - Non-combat investigation challenge condition of success met by saying the magic words "I cast scrying/commune/legend lore/discern lies/zone of truth/locate creature or object, etc". Bug - Non-combat social challenge condition of success met by saying the magic words "I cast charm <whatever>/geas/probe thoughts/tongues/suggestion, etc". Feature - Non-combat exploration condition of success met through;- engaging the environment which;- establishes a running narrative which;- broadens rather than narrows the scope of the intra-scene dynamics and its extra-scene outcomes.- Has the advantage of allowing most classes to be involved in the formula for success rather than just casters.- Removes (or at least marginalizes) the prospect of DM force or the arbitration of murky vagaries as ultimate conditions for success/failure.- Have the freedom to adjudicate that powerful abilities or particularly clever approaches provide extreme advantage (multiple successes and/or bonuses to next check in challenge and/or unlocking further uses of a skill at the standard, rather than an accelerated, DC and/or narrative framing rights such that the next decision point is in the "sweet spot" of a PC and/or outright victory in the challenge).At-Will/Encounter/Daily Attack Powers in Skill ChallengesI'm not sure where the idea came from that these cannot be used.  It was never explicated in the rules texts as such.  What's more, every class that has a primary power-source that is non-martial has a skill that is associated (and almost universally given for free) with the manifesting of its power-source;- Arcane/Spells - Arcana- Divine/Prayers - Religion- Primal/Evocations - NatureThis is intuitive, for starters.  However, its evidenced by Ritual mechanics and by the fact that each of the standard bearers (and almost all others) automatically get these skills signifying that their power source acumen is inextricably associated with it and/or a derivative thereof.If slavers are at the docks loading smuggled children in barrels onto their ship, why shouldn't a Druid be able to interact with the environment (knock the barrels over spilling their contents, sunder the rigging tethering the ship to the pylon, cause a distraction for infiltration, etc) at range with Grasping Tide (summoning a vortex of water - burst 1) with a successful Nature check?  There are a million and one ways to adjudicate this outcome as well.  Perhaps she spills the smuggled children onto the docks and the guards take note and intervene.  Perhaps its a partial success but a combat encounter ensues due to the overt use of force.  Perhaps its a stunning success and they chalk it up to a rogue wave and they bug out.  Perhaps she fails and the barrels are swept into the sea; more adversity and decision points.  Now they have to extract the barrels from the sea/save the children/deal with the slavers on the dock who will be doing the same.  If I want to put pressure on the PCs, I can exert it in a myriad of ways and amplitudes.</blockquote>

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