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<blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 5938004" data-attributes="member: 87792">Complex plans and pacing.&nbsp; More accurately I can theoretically handle complex plans without a skill challenge mechanic, but every time I do I end up re-inventing something like a skill challenge.&nbsp;If the party is sneaking up to the walls and everyone is just hiding then that's simple pass/fail actions and can be handled neatly without a skill challenge.&nbsp;But let's take a more complex party.&nbsp; We have in it a dwarf cleric in plate armour.&nbsp; It doesn't matter what the cleric does - he clanks as he walks.&nbsp; Sneaking's not going to get anywhere for him.&nbsp; And the wizard's not going to be able to climb the wall.&nbsp; We want to get everyone inside without the guards sounding the alarm - but the guards don't want to cause a false alarm so won't do it at the drop of a hat.&nbsp;What do we do?&nbsp; A skill challenge.&nbsp; Something where the fighter and the cleric pretend to be the wizard's bodyguards (the fighter glaring and using intimidate as the only social skill he has), the wizard dresses up as a merchant, and the rogue sneaks up to slips over the wall, then greets them from within the town to allay the guards' suspicions.&nbsp;Yes you could run this as a series of pass/fail skill checks (which is what a skill challenge amounts to) but especially for an inexperienced DM it's tricky to handle such a plan because (a) the PCs have just split the party and (b) there's the spotlight/netrunner problem.&nbsp; And for that matter (c) working out how much time this should take and how much in the way of complications to throw at the party to keep it fun and not silly.&nbsp; The skill challenge structure provides decent guidance on all these questions.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Neonchameleon, post: 5938004, member: 87792"] Complex plans and pacing. More accurately I can theoretically handle complex plans without a skill challenge mechanic, but every time I do I end up re-inventing something like a skill challenge. If the party is sneaking up to the walls and everyone is just hiding then that's simple pass/fail actions and can be handled neatly without a skill challenge. But let's take a more complex party. We have in it a dwarf cleric in plate armour. It doesn't matter what the cleric does - he clanks as he walks. Sneaking's not going to get anywhere for him. And the wizard's not going to be able to climb the wall. We want to get everyone inside without the guards sounding the alarm - but the guards don't want to cause a false alarm so won't do it at the drop of a hat. What do we do? A skill challenge. Something where the fighter and the cleric pretend to be the wizard's bodyguards (the fighter glaring and using intimidate as the only social skill he has), the wizard dresses up as a merchant, and the rogue sneaks up to slips over the wall, then greets them from within the town to allay the guards' suspicions. Yes you could run this as a series of pass/fail skill checks (which is what a skill challenge amounts to) but especially for an inexperienced DM it's tricky to handle such a plan because (a) the PCs have just split the party and (b) there's the spotlight/netrunner problem. And for that matter (c) working out how much time this should take and how much in the way of complications to throw at the party to keep it fun and not silly. The skill challenge structure provides decent guidance on all these questions. [/QUOTE]

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