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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 5468948" data-attributes="member: 386">Since I am calling my 4E hack "Fiction First" and I use skill challenges, I wonder what you think of how I use them:First of all, I only use skill challenges in a few places.  So far those have been social conflicts and evasion/pursuit.In a social conflict, it begins by encountering an NPC (of course).  Typically this happens when a wandering monster shows up.  When the DM does not know how the NPC is disposed to the PCs, he rolls on a table (called Reaction Roll, stolen from B/X; at the moment it's only modified by Charisma but a list of other suggested modifiers would make sense).That roll determines the NPC's disposition and thus the number of successes that any type of social conflict will require.  Once again, this is only when the DM doesn't already know the NPC's disposition; he can set it as he chooses, based on the NPC's personality and such things.  Metagame concerns are already worked into the system, as of course they must be!Players only make checks in social conflict when the actions they have described for their PC trigger an internal conflict within the NPC, as determined by the DM by his understanding and play of said NPC.  Checks resolve those actions, as normal checks do; the modifiers to the roll (Stat + ability modifiers + any other modifiers) are based on what the PC is doing.  DCs for checks are set by either a Defence of the NPC (AC, Fort, Ref, Will) or a passive skill modifier (10 + the NPC's relevant modifiers) based on the PC's action; usually this ends up being the NPC's Will Defence.Checks are not required to acquire successes or failures.  Actions are what's important.  Sound argument (against rational opponents!) and "deals you can't refuse" can give you "successes", while the wrong words or actions can add up failures.  Once again, this depends on how the DM plays the NPC.When the determined number of successes or failures have been met, this indicates that the NPC is done with the conflict, and whatever end state it's in at the moment is how things stand.  The idea of success or failure as a whole on the skill challenge has nothing to do with the game world; it's possible to get what you want and still "fail" a skill challenge, and not get what you want and "succeed".Since the system only deals with conflict, it's possible that both parties can come to an agreement/resolve the conflict without making any checks, or decide that they can't reach an agreement/resolve the conflict without making any checks.  Whenever the conflict ends, it ends.The set number of checks needed is a tool to help the DM play the NPC impartially, and by doing that they help generate unexpected results.Evasion/pursuit works in a similar fashion.  The number of successes needed to evade pr catch NPCs is set by their persistence, determined by a morale check (if needed).  DCs are based on speed and terrain and other such factors.  I've only run three of these and the first one didn't work so well, so I have less to say on this as it hasn't been playtested that much.</blockquote>

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