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<blockquote data-quote="Primitive Screwhead" data-source="post: 5369648" data-attributes="member: 20805">I run Stalker0's Obsideon Skill Challenge rules, and always start with &quot;This is a skill challenge....&quot;I also give a short recap of the skill challenge rules, which goes something like this:&nbsp;You have 3 turns in this challenge and each passing skill check counts for a success. Depending on the number of successes you get will change how the story continues. Failures may or may not have a cost associated with them.&nbsp;Each turn every player gets a turn to describe thier action. I choose which skill fits the action the best and may alter the DC based on the description or other factors.&nbsp;I also have a variant I run that I call &quot;lethal Obsideon&quot; where failures deal healing surges or hit point damage, an abstraction of not avoiding skirmishes that are not worth playing out in full combat mode or dealing with a trap. In this version the players can 'bid' extra actions to try to pass the challenge quickly at the risk of extra damage.My players have started to get used to these processes and no longer grimace when the skill challenge comes up... actually its the part of the game where they are the most engaged!To the OP, I could see rolling the dice myself in order to maintain some mystery over the mechanics, ala the RPG paradox article recently posted... but my particular players enjoy rolling the dice too much to take this from them. YMMV.Prestidigitalis.. technically skill challenges are a new thing, as far as a formalized mechanic in the rule book. But I have been running 'complex skill checks' since 1e. But yes, a 'this is what really cool looks like' would be a nice reference {as long as it doesn't engender jealousy over how my dm can't be like that dm....}</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Primitive Screwhead, post: 5369648, member: 20805"] I run Stalker0's Obsideon Skill Challenge rules, and always start with "This is a skill challenge...." I also give a short recap of the skill challenge rules, which goes something like this: You have 3 turns in this challenge and each passing skill check counts for a success. Depending on the number of successes you get will change how the story continues. Failures may or may not have a cost associated with them. Each turn every player gets a turn to describe thier action. I choose which skill fits the action the best and may alter the DC based on the description or other factors. I also have a variant I run that I call "lethal Obsideon" where failures deal healing surges or hit point damage, an abstraction of not avoiding skirmishes that are not worth playing out in full combat mode or dealing with a trap. In this version the players can 'bid' extra actions to try to pass the challenge quickly at the risk of extra damage. My players have started to get used to these processes and no longer grimace when the skill challenge comes up... actually its the part of the game where they are the most engaged! To the OP, I could see rolling the dice myself in order to maintain some mystery over the mechanics, ala the RPG paradox article recently posted... but my particular players enjoy rolling the dice too much to take this from them. YMMV. [b]Prestidigitalis[/B].. technically skill challenges are a new thing, as far as a formalized mechanic in the rule book. But I have been running 'complex skill checks' since 1e. But yes, a 'this is what really cool looks like' would be a nice reference {as long as it doesn't engender jealousy over how [i]my dm[/i] can't be like [i]that dm[/i]....} [/QUOTE]

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